[mayankk]

New stuff...
got a band expander, basically to switch the frequency up by 0.1 MHz, so that 95 MHz becomes 95.1, and the US HU will tune my station..YIPPEE!!
and its got a switch as well, so it can be turned on or off, so the whole spectrum is available.
damage 34 pounds.
and heatwrap, 5 metres, 2 inches wide, 10 pounds, for the intake...
weekend project, here i come..

[mayankk]

A lot of the silver and chrome bits inside the cabin have faded.
I saw some faux CF films in SG, and didnt pick them up.
Had been hopelessly looking for them here, finally found some guy on ebay selling it in A4 size.
Ordered em in.
theyre here!!
too late now, but still, couldn't resist slicing off a suitable bit, and put it on the battery cover of my phone.
Just to try.
Remarkable easy to work with!
its just stick on, taking care not to trap air or dust, and stretch it out from one end and press HARD as you go along.
Guess where it goes on over the weekend!!


will cut out the holes later...

[mitrajdeep]

Hey Mayank ,

What is the cost of the stickers mentioned above and can it be affixed on all surfaces ?

Also how many A4 size pieces does one have to place an order for ( minimum order ) ?

Regards

[mayankk]

^^
Its about 300 bucks, all inclusive.4 a4 sheets
off of ebay.in
so far it has worked on metal, glass and plastic, but the real pain is to get it on any curves(heat and set etc)

[mayankk]

Short update:
Car was with ford overnight(reached late, hence).
Suspected a crankseal leak, apparently from leaving crankcase breather hanging loose.
expected to spend about 5-6k definitely.
came back with a negative on the crankseal, it was a valve seal leak.replaced.
had been asked to get a reset of the odo, dte, and speedo done as they were blanking out after an hours spirited driving.
couldnt be done as the laptop equipped to do so was at some other service centre.

total damage - 1742 bucks, which was a relief.
no more leak and oil loss, so far.

[rosh_aveo1.4]

My Father In Law has the Fiesta 1.6 SXI, he upgraded the tyres to 205 and put in some neat alloys. I always make sure I park my Optra somewhere where he can take it out first instead of the Fiesta and since he prefers the space/comfort of the Optra, he doesn't mind it. As for me, I prefer the hooligan nature of the Fiesta any day!
That car just begs to be revved and I can never ever drive it like any other car I normally drive! It has to be around 2.5 to 3 K and man, that engine sound, so beautiful that you want to maintain that RPM range just to hear that every single time..it just make the hair behind my neck stand straight!
And that amazing well creafted heavy gearshift and with that awesome steering (yup, I like my steering to be very very talkative/communicative), feels just pefect in the hand. The best I every held till date!
I always had the mind to swap the Optra for the Fiesta but it's just the sheer space and comfort the Optra has that my family prefers over my love for the Fiesta's driveability .
For 2.6 lakhs, you got yourself a rare gem!!

[mayankk]

small cosmetic addon, for about 200 bucks and 3 minutes of under the hood.
got myself these smd leds for the parking lights.

i'm happy with it.
as it is these lights aint for any illumination purpose.

here's some before, together and after pics:

[Deeps]

They look much better than the stock lights. Where are these LEDs available? I presume they are simply plug-and-play.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by Deeps

They look much better than the stock lights. Where are these LEDs available? I presume they are simply plug-and-play.

yup.
like i said, 200 bucks, 3 minutes of work.
got it off of ebay.
next day delivery, awesome!
eBay India: Powerful Parking 5 Leds Bulbs For All Bikes/Cars- 2 pcs (item 180668809109 end time 17-Jun-2011 18:41:16 IST)

[Deeps]

If you got 5 in a pack then you have only used two rite?

[mayankk]

Its actually 2 units with 5 leds each.

[mitrajdeep]

Wow mayankk,

The LED lights look super cool. I am going to get me the same.

One small worry though, do you think that changing them will lead to fogging up the inside of the Headlight assembly. I have seen some cars with this fogging and have experienced the same in my earlier Palio just after I had replaced the headlight bulb.

Is there any special sealant to be used ? Did you do the replacement yourself or go to a mechanic/electrician ?

Any updates on the stickering of the silver/chrome parts , pictures.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by mitrajdeep

Wow mayankk,

The LED lights look super cool. I am going to get me the same.

One small worry though, do you think that changing them will lead to fogging up the inside of the Headlight assembly. I have seen some cars with this fogging and have experienced the same in my earlier Palio just after I had replaced the headlight bulb.

Is there any special sealant to be used ? Did you do the replacement yourself or go to a mechanic/electrician ?

Any updates on the stickering of the silver/chrome parts , pictures.

no fogging so far.
as far as sealant goes, none used.
Its a drop in replacement for a relatively simple part, with an even simpler procedure, so not much you can do wrong here.
the stickering, unfortunately has been put on hold, cos as i found out when trying it on the gear knob- its fairly simple, but requires lot of concentration and time to do right.
I've already wasted 2 sheets trying to get it to fit correctly on the rounded knob without creasing, finally got frustrated!
will try again soon, worry not!



off note, just finished a trip to rishikesh.
on the way back, the car stalled quite badly, at random gears and revs, and speeds, no pattern.
it used to just stop responding(didn't shut off, just revs died) in the final 200 km coming back to Delhi.wouldnt respond to heavy footing the accelerator either!
didn't happen for a long stretch, just hiccups.
now i could see 2 causes for that:
1: had to switch to plain jane petrol , from power, and that too from pumps in quite isolated areas.could dirty fuel and a clogged fuel filter be a cause?
2. bottomed the car out at quite a few spots getting on and off the highway for breaks and what not.something to do with the fuel pump/lines?
i did smell petrol outside the car.

anyone, any help, please?

PS:this is the first time something like this has happened.
and no lights on the console, no warnings lamps.

EDIT:
Also, if it is due to bad fuel, is it really possible to get the filter clogged immmediately after changing the fuel????
doesnt ring right.

[mitrajdeep]

Hey mayankk,

sorry to hear about the hiccups in your car. It could be anything, a blocked fuel filter, a clogged air filter or maybe broken fuel lines ( since you smelt petrol ). Best is to go the service center and have them check it out.

About the fogging of the lights, my worry is, it might happen during the monsoon season ( when the humidity is high ), not in the dry season.

[mayankk]

oh by the by,
You can officially classify the road from mussorie to dhanaulti as THE place where you'll enjoy driving the fiesta so much, that you'll actually be :
1. dissappointed when you reach dhanaulti.
2. will wait for the vacation to get over so you can drive back on that road.

All twists and turns, nary a squeal from the tyres, nor a roll from the body.
on rails!
amazing experience, definitely a road to drive on before you die.
I thought i had a grasp of what everyone says about the handling of the fiesta, but boy o boy was it a revelation on that road!!!!