[hothatch]

UPDATES!!!

Got the following reply from FORD this month post my mail to FORD customer care ...

"We had a detailed discussion with our dealership & with our regional service team.We understand that the vehicle is more than five years old and out of the warranty period, However,we wish to inform you that we would be extending our support as a special gesture of goodwill.We request you to contact our dealership & provide necessary approvals so as to carry out the repair work at the earliest.We had instructed our dealership to provide necessary assistance to you in this regard. "

Replaced the Evaporator on the 5th of this month (AUG) , FORD waived the cost of the past around 4500 ... had to pay for Gas charging, Compressor Oil, consumables and labour for that around 4500 from my pocket ..... Well i thought that was the end of the story ..but within 10 days something happened.....


BTW this was the mail i shot off to FORD the first time........................................... " This complain is regarding the failure of the AC evaporator coil in my Ford Fiesta. I would like to point out that the Evaporator coil had failed and was replaced on 23/11/2007 by "Chennai Ford" under warranty ( Invoice No:CRIA709600BL, 23/11/2007) . I was told at that point of time that it was a material defect observed in quite a few Fiestas. I still had to pay for the consumables like Gas charging and compressor oil etc.

Again this week the AC In my car has failed and , on inspection at "Chennai Ford" I was told that the Evaporator coil has failed and that I must get it replaced. This diagnosis was done in a matter of 10 minutes . I was told that this was a common problem and the Evaporator Coil for the Fiesta fails within a year or two and must be replaced.

I strongly believe that the evaporator coil usually is designed to last more than 2 years , and is definitely not a wear and tear or a replacement part that is to be replaced every one or two years. And looking at the frequency of failure and by what the service engineer and the mechanics at Chennai Ford said it is definitely a design or part failure if the Evaporator coil for Ford Fiesta needs to be changed every 1.5 to 2 years.

I have spoken with several members in the industry and Online forums like Team-Bhp.com, Overdrive.in and I was told that the Evaporator Coil is not something that would fail so frequently.Especially in a well maintained and Authorised dealer serviced car like mine. (Think this line had its effect

I strongly request that Ford take action and replace the Evaporator Coil "Free of Cost" , even though my car is not under warranty , as a goodwill gesture and to keep up the name of FORD."

[dhanushs]

Glad to know that Ford offered you goodwill warranty. Day by day, I see the attitude of Ford towards its loyal customers are increasing. Even my A.S.S has improved a lot, especially after the launch of Figo.

Originally Posted by hothatch

.Especially in a well maintained and Authorised dealer serviced car like mine. (Think this line had its effect)

As a matter of fact, a well maintained or servicing the car on time, and failure of the Evaporator coil has no connection whatsoever. . This is one part that requires little or nil maintenance.

The reason for failure is improper mounting or bad mounting design.

[basky]

I thought the reliability issues of Ford died with the Ikon - which had a long list of failed components in the 6 years I kept it, the evaporator coil being just one minor part of it.

Disposed of the Fiesta SXI Diesel after it started smoking like a chimney at 68K kms in 18mths. The suspension and the brakes of the Fiesta were below par but better than the Ikon.

Still have the Figo which is behaving very well - for the moment. Must add that all these cars were very well maintained too.

Ford and most manufacturers respond only to negative publicity through the fora which is what must have happened in this case.

The only thing which kept me going back to Ford was the excellent handling - now matched and bettered by by the VW Vento.

[hothatch]

I actually meant the reference to sites like Team-bhp had the effect ...
As a matter of fact, a well maintained or servicing the car on time, and failure of the Evaporator coil has no connection whatsoever. . This is one part that requires little or nil maintenance.

The reason for failure is improper mounting or bad mounting design.[/quote]

[hothatch]

Well the issue did not end with that, after the coil replacement the AC cooling gradually kept going down and finally on Aug 20 there was absolutely no cooling at all. And i took the vehicle to "chennai ford" again on inspection they found that there was a leak in a hose close to the radiator (Small hose in their jargon ). I complained to the manager as to how they overlooked it and if this was the actual problem. It was confirmed that the leak was also not dude to any accidental or mechanical damage. The manager said that i would have to pay for the part ( around Rs 1800 ) and labour but I need not pay for gas et, as i did only 15 days back. I was fuming and i told them that i was not gonna pay a single buck, well they refused so i walked off and shot off another mail to FORD.

"..With reference to my concern number *******, I would like to inform you that the A/c repair work was carried out on the 5th of this month, and the evaporator was replaced. Though FORD has borne the cost of Evaporator i still had to shell out around Rs 4500 towards labour , gas and consumables.

BUT NOW I AM DISTRESSED AND SHOCKED TO INFORM YOU THAT THE A/C HAS FAILED ONCE AGAIN. WITHIN 2 DAYS OF RECEIVING MY CAR THE COOLING EFFECT GRADUALLY REDUCED AND NOW THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO COOLING.

I took the vehicle to Chennai Ford Ambattur today (20/08/2011. . 14.00 hrs) and had the vehicle inspected. Unfortunately Mr.Mathialagan was not available but could be contacted over the phone. On inspection I was told that there could be a leak in one of the hoses i.e. Small hose. It was also confirmed (when asked by Mr.Mathialagan) by a senior technician that was not due to any mechanical damage and was due to the premature failure ( at the junction) .

I am APPALLED AND DISTRESSED at the frequency of breakdowns with my vehicle and the costs that I have to incur due to premature failure of poorly manufactured or designed parts. I have already paid a lot of money for labour, gas charging, consumables for failures that is due to poor quality parts.

I am also disappointed at the quality of checks done at the service centre. In spite of having the issue escalated last time , and in spite of assurances from FORD India of the best services the A/C has failed in less than a week of repairs. I doubt if there was really a evaporator coil failure last time and that the real problem was over looked.

I STRONGLY REQUEST THAT NECESSARY ACTION BE TAKEN TO REPAIR MY AC AT NO COST TO ME. ALSO I WOULD LIKE THE AMOUNT PAID BY ME (Rs.4500 , towards labour, gas , consumables ) TO BE COMPLETELY REFUNDED AS THE REPAIRS IS DUE TO REPEATED PREMATURE FAILURE OF PARTS AND NO FAULT OF MINE. PLEASE TAKE IMMEDIATE AND NECESSARY ACTION TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE.

I would like to apologise for the strong language used but I am tired and fed up with the frequent repairs and visits to the service centre and this has also completely affected my work and schedules, leave alone the severe discomfort of driving without A/c in hot. dusty, humid Chennai traffic.

Regards
Ashwin Kumar G

Well I did not get any replies from FORD by e-mail but a funny thing happened. I got several calls from the manager of "Chennai FORD" who i had spoken with the same evening (i was busy and he had given me around 7 missed calls for over an hour). And when I did call back he said that the repairs was approved and that I did not have to pay anything for the repairs and that it would be done entirely free of cost

Well all said and done my AC is running fine now, except for a few rattles in the dashboard which i would check shortly and ya appreciate the effort of FORD to solve this issue, which i think i highly warranted especially with their New fiesta launchBut ya think they lil sly by not replying to my mail and putting think on record and directly instructing the dealers to carry out the repairs

[gemithomas]

Thats good work by ford. With the people at the service centre too do the same. The evaporator coil issue has hit quite a few number of Figo's too. Keeping my fingers crossed for my turn.

[hothatch]

Some tips that may help to protect your Coil:

1. Keep your vents near the wind screen wipers clean.. If possible use the blower end to blow all dust , leaves etc. away,

2. Switch off A/c few mins before you stop your vehicle to prevent condensation that may corrode your coil.

3. When you get your vehicle serviced make it a point to ask the engineer to clean the A/c filters inside or replace them and make it a point to emphasis on it.

[sandeepmohan]

11 years is how long the evaporator core lasted in my Ikon.

[vigsom]

^^ I have not used any car that long , but agree that a evaporator coil should last at least 15 years

Some Of My Experiences

1. Evaporator coil in my Esteem was doing fine even after 9.5 years when the car was sold(this ac was serviced once when I had the car)
2. my Fiat's cooling coil packed up in 6 years - this was Unicla(or Superking as it was commonly called) ; three aluminium welds and it was good to go.
3. Evaporator coil in the Versa is still going strong after 8 years ; the AC has not been serviced even once till date ; just the routine low pressure condenser fin wash and also keeping the cabin clean
4. A relative,who owns a 1997 Accord in New York has not serviced the ac even once in 14 years ; the ac is still going strong and the car has done some 1,60,000 miles

[cyberwhizs]

okay, the cooling coil does seem to be an issue with Jan 2006 batch of fiesta's. Mine failed couple of weeks ago. Got it replaced at independent a/c fixer , net damage - 5650/- comprising of 3500/- for the coil, 1150 for the gas charging and 1000/- labour. Taking off the dashboard and putting it back is a fair amount of work.

Mine seemed to have developed a leak near the joint where the inlet joins the main body, was informed that it cannot be welded/repaired as it is aluminium casting. Will try and upload picture.

[SirAlec]

Originally Posted by cyberwhizs

okay, the cooling coil does seem to be an issue with Jan 2006 batch of fiesta's. Mine failed couple of weeks ago. Got it replaced at independent a/c fixer , net damage - 5650/- comprising of 3500/- for the coil, 1150 for the gas charging and 1000/- labour. Taking off the dashboard and putting it back is a fair amount of work.

Mine seemed to have developed a leak near the joint where the inlet joins the main body, was informed that it cannot be welded/repaired as it is aluminum casting. Will try and upload picture.

Aluminum wielding can be done, but you need an expert MIG wielder.

There seems to be a design flaw if the cooling coil leaks so much. maybe some vibration is causing this.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by SirAlec

There seems to be a design flaw if the cooling coil leaks so much. maybe some vibration is causing this.

Yes, I guess there is a design flaw in mounting design. As, there are umpteen number of Fiestas coming in for evaporator coil replacement. And, surprisingly, ALL of them have failed exactly at the joint.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by cyberwhizs

okay, the cooling coil does seem to be an issue with Jan 2006 batch of fiesta's. Mine failed couple of weeks ago. Got it replaced at independent a/c fixer , net damage - 5650/- comprising of 3500/- for the coil, 1150 for the gas charging and 1000/- labour. Taking off the dashboard and putting it back is a fair amount of work.

Mine seemed to have developed a leak near the joint where the inlet joins the main body, was informed that it cannot be welded/repaired as it is aluminium casting. Will try and upload picture.

06-check.
failed-check.


mines gone too.
so i guess its time to pay the boogeyman!

[Jebs]

Originally Posted by yogi1771

Do you hear a hissing sound from the vents when you on the ac,recently my Fiesta's evaporator coils failed(5.5 yrs old) got the work done from outside and was told by the mechanic the coils start to fail usually after 4yrs(any make of cars) in coastal areas.I am facing a different problem though after replacing the coil,there is severe water condensation so much so that the cars footwell gets moist,the vents start dripping water.Got it checked twice got everything cleaned the draining pipe etc but still the problem persists ,any idea how to rectify this problem.

Hi Yogi1771,

My car having this problem nearly 5 months. None of the mechanic and Ford guys couldn't resolve it. Please tell me if you rectified this problem.

[cyberwhizs]

Originally Posted by mayankk

06-check.
failed-check.


mines gone too.
so i guess its time to pay the boogeyman!

I guess you mean play the boogeyman by the way did you also have a leaking clutch/brake fluid metal hose?