[atulpj]

Hi All,

I know this is the wrong sub forum I have posted this message but I could not find any option to edit into the other forums as it displays the message for closing of this forum.

- Now issue with my ford Ikon 1.6 zxi. I bought this car in November 2004 and since then, the service schedule of the car is regular except the last service.

- in Feb 2007 - I informed Planet Ford during a regualr servicing that, there is a engine noise in my car and Planet informed me that, there is a issue with the connecting rod and it will cost me 40K+
- I informed Planet that, I will talk to Ford and will seek the resolution. I lodged a complaint with Ford in April 07 about this issue. Ford called me June askign me to take the car to Planet. I informed Ford that, I dont trust Planet as they are asking for part replacement most of the time on phone. I would prefer Talera as he is the my car dealer also.
- In November 07 - I got a call from Talera that, some part has arived for my car and I need to take my car for servicing.
- I asked Talera about the part description and also about the labour charges who is going to bear. He person does not have any answer and he goofed up.
- There was a followup with the dealer - but no update from Ford.
- Feb 09 -2008 - My car had a reverse gear problem and I could not reverse the car and also 60K KM servicing was due- so I called Talera to take my car and offcourse Engine Noise was still there.
- Now talera has infomred that, the repair cost for the car is approx 80K as the cylinder and short block has scratches inside it and need to replace the whole part.
- I approached Ford again - now Ford RM told me that, its my fault as I have not repaired the car with Planet when planet reported this issue.
- My service schedule is not proper - as I have missed the servicing by 3 months.

I am planning to approach consumer court as how can the engine which is a internal part generate this problem. Also Rocam specification says, that, irrespective of fuel quality- the engine should run 240000 km without any problem.

I need to advise whether to go to consumer court. Also, currently my car is with Talera with engine opened. Should I collect this vehicle from Talera without repairing it..

Regards,

Atul - atulpj@yahoo.com

[tsk1979]

Missing service by 3 months leads to engine damage? If thats Ford's official line then only God can help their customers.
It seems consumer court is the only option, but expect it to be a long drawn battle.
Ford can very well say its a 2004 and out of warranty. I don't think you have much hope

[TARUL]

How many kilometres has the car clocked?

[VC12]

Considering the cases like this with Ford, Is it advised to go buy additional warranty in case the warranty has expired?

[BUSA]

I think you should consult Auto Car India before anything else, they will surely be able to help you as they will contact Ford India directly.

[atulpj]

The car clocked 61000 KM now. And yes, I got a mail from Ford about the irregularity in service schedule - last service was due in November 07 and I called the dealer for servicing in Feb 08.

[1100D]

I have a September 04 car and had clocked 40k+ till March07, (not much after that).

On the connecting rod issue, I guess its generally too early for such problems to crop up. But then it did and they pointed it out to you. Its a different matter that you did not have warranty on the car, which absolves them of bearing the cost of the replacement.

Now, how severe was the sound when you first noted it could be an indicator of how much damage it must have put on in the three months leading up to it.

But then Con Rod failure can lead to serious consequences, eventually leading to engine seizure.

But then you can take the line that since you were waiting on Fords answer to the issue, which lead to the delay on your part to get it attended to immediately.

[veyron1]

Erm...a few thoughts, if I may...

'SHORT BLOCK' is the term assigned to the bottom half of the engine, which includes the block itself, cylinders, crank, caps, etc. All components exlcusive of 'HEAD'.

So, when the showroom walla says that the short block is scratched or gone, it means that he's trying to take you for a ride. Short blocks are only replaced in case of cracked blocks; which I do not suppose you have.

Conrod issues mostly arise in case of improper lubrication or fasteners; ergo, bearings/fastener issues. Replacing a set of Conrods/bearings/gudgeon pins/fasteners shouldn't cost more than 15k, inclusive of labour.

Even if you do decide to go in for a complete O/H inclusive of sleeves, it shouldn't cost more than 25K. Replacing the block can, however, be expensive. Fords have comparitively pricier spares than, say, Suzuki...

Nevertheless, if your faith in Ford is shaken, take it up with the company. Make sure you have written records with pics to prove points later, if necessary. Make sure the GM/manager at the dealership is aware of the developments. If they refuse to budge, take the car out & build it elsewhere.

[Mad Max]

Call up Munnabhai. He'll do Gandhigiri for you..

j/k.. sucks to hear you are going thru this. I hope this is not your only car. If thats the case, if I were you, I'd start looking for a second-hand engine. Something you can drop and keep moving.

As for your case, there are a few things you gotta be honest with yourself. Did you try something out of normal in your car without proper maintenance? Like driving at 140kmph without oil can cause some damage to your engine. I am asking this because you mentioned your irregular service schedule. No need to answer here, but just asking if you thought that way.

Because Ford and their lawyers, if this gets into litigation, will drag it out piece by piece. And unless you either have answers for all of them or hire a lawyer yourself, this will just be additional waste of money.

Good luck.

[rahuldeodhar]

Hi
1) for a 2004 car its too early to have a connecting rod problem - unless there is some defect
2) you cannot scratch the short block so easily - i mean there are lot of things that have to happen simultaneously to get into this big trouble

I think you need to elaborate on the engine noise (what kind of noise)/ also why reverse gear does not engage - I somehow am getting a hunch that both these problems are interconnected - and then relate to transmission rather than connecting rod specifically

I own an Ikon - and ford dealers are quite replacement happy - so get the details of whats wrong - it might be something simple and not the entire connecting rod!! Please elaborate the problem - there are lot of experts - some who have done lot of things with ikon (not me)

Rahul

[atulpj]

Hello All,

Thank you all for the response.

Couple of development after I wrote this post.

1. Based on the suggestion of one of the BHPian, I contacted Auto Car India and explained them the whole case. They agreed to help me in this and will follow up with Ford. Asked me all the details and I am sending them date wise details.

2. Auto car India asked me to get the car back from the dealer whatever condition it might be in. I got my car back to my home with 60K serviciing done. There was a idling noise/jerks when I got a car back from Dealer. I returned the car after consulting to my local mechanic who informed me that, the issue might be with the park plug or some elecric chord. I informed service center abt the same and he agreed to look into it.

3. After two days, the dealer returned the car stating that, it was the electrode issue and he replaced it. Now the car is back to the same stage as it was previously when I sent this car for servicing. (Reverse gear issue is resolved)

4. I talked to the expert who does QA on Automobile engines and does the inspection in Telco. he informed me that, the scoring marks on the short blocks might be due to
A. The lube is not replaced in any of the servicing
B. THe engine is overheated due to problem in the thermostat

5. When I recollect, in April 2007, I reported the problem to planet ford about the temp sensor is giving me wrong information (as when I start the car, the sensor was showiing hot and it used to come down to cool when I drove.)

6. planed informed that, dont have sensor at this stage and need to take the car again to them after a week.

7. I have never thought it can lead to this serious issue, if this is the case.

Now my action item :

1. I informed talera that, I will get my car service through the local mechanic who is a ex Ford service person and quite trustworthy. he informed that, I can get all the parts outsite and no need to rely on Ford.

2. Engine noise will only increase and it will not have any severe issue on the workiing of the car. So I am assuming that, the worst case scenarion is to wait till the noise increase and then
A. Replace the engine with any second hand car engine (Any car whose body is damaged)
B. See, if other car engines can be placed. (I heard that, Accent engine cost only 23K in the market)

I wanted to fight with the ford and teach them the lesson, but reading lot of issues against the ford worldwide, thought that, many people are doing it.

NOW I HAVE DECIDED TO SPREAD THE HATE COMPAIGN AGAINST FORD. I am working with Infosys (IT) and have a network of almost 1Lack people and also the friends in other companies. If I can change atleast 10 people mind not to go for Ford, I will achieve what I want.

Thanks for reading this whole post.

Regards,

Atul