[vij4all]

After months of research, I finally settled in on a Figo Titatnium Diesel fully secure in the confidence that I could reach out to the Director of Ford if I ever faced any issues but I did not bargain for the 'middlemen' (Ford dealers) to be dealt with on the way.

Here is what has happened to my new baby.

I gave it for the 1st service to Bhavana Ford, Nerul @ 2600 kms about 3 weeks ago. Told them politely that there were a few minor rattles that they need to take care of. Interestingly, when the SA or the mechanic drives the car, they can never seem to hear the rattles. I had to look sternly at them for them to acknowledge that there indeed were rattling sounds from the rear.

Take the car back and the next day take my dad out on errands. Being too lazy to get in and out of the numerous shops that my dad wanted to go to, i sat in the car idling with the AC on and that's when I realised that every 20 seconds or so, the coolant fan kicked in taking the idle noise to a higher decibel. It cut off after a few seconds. Initially I thought it was because of the heat but when it repeated 10 times in a few minutes, I figured it was an issue. I also noticed a ssssssssss sound from the AC duct.

Called up Bhavana Ford and the SA came to my office and after driving for 5 minutes, I idled the car and made him listen to the AC fan noise. He accepted that it was indeed too frequent. I also made him listen to the minor rattles that were still there. He reluctantly accepted and took the car with him.

By late evening, he returned the car and proudly claimed that he had changed the AC condenser. I was aghast ! A brand new car and he changed the condenser. I asked him if he had any valid reason to do so and he said that he and his team were convinced that was what was causing the problem. Fair. Took delivery of the car at my office. Did not drive it at all. Idled for a few minutes and the problem was back. I felt like banging my head against something hard, felt like crying because these guys were supposed to resolve a problem and not give some stupid assurances to please the customer.

That's when I wrote to Michael Boneham and he was quick to despatch the Ford regional manager to Bhavana Ford the next day. To my embarrasment, the owner/director of Bhavana Ford, Mr Shah and the Ford regional manager landed up at my office. I drove around for a while and idled the car. No noise. I drove it upto their service centre and waited. No noise again. I was embarrased. They again kept the car with them under observation and I didn't hear the AC fan noise that entire day.

Seemed the problem had been solved. Well, not quite. The problem came back a couple of days back as I was driving in the afternoon heat. Luckily, I was around Bhavana Ford and I again made the SA sit in the car for 5 minutes and made him accept that the AC fan as cutting in every few seconds. He acknowledged and asked me to check in the night or the next morning when the weather would be cooler. I did. The problem was there.

The Ford regional manager again took the car to the service centre daybefore yesterday. Called me back in the evening and said that they observed the car and noted the timings of the AC fan cut in and that it was normal for the figo to behave so. He then went on to add that I could drive one of their figos for a few days to convince myself of this fact. I refused to and I still refuse to believe this because of the following;

(a) The problem never existed for the first 2600 kms before I gave it for the first service

(b) If it is indeed normal behaviour for all figos, why did they change the condenser in the first place? Surely they would have identified my concern and gave me a confident reply saying it was a common thing in all figos.

This morning again whilst driving from home to work, the car idled at a traffic snarl 10 kms from my home and I could feel and hear the AC fan cutting in every few seconds. I sat in the parking lot of my office for a full ten minutes and every few seconds, I heard the AC fan noise cutting in. Surely, that is not normal behaviour.

I ofcourse asked them if they checked the fan itself, the thermostat etc but they say everything is normal.

My question to fellow figo diesel owners is if they observe something similar and am i reading too much into it?

[Daewood]

I too felt the same in all the Figo's i have driven. (3 petrols and 2 diesels)
The Fan kicks in almost everytime the revs decrease while in lower gears and also while idling. Thought that is normal because the same happens in Santro too, though not as frequent as the Figo.

[nitrogary]

Hi Vij,

i have a diesel titanium. and it happens exactly the same in my car.
there is a minor hiss which seems to come from the AC duct.
the AC fan is pretty loud and keeps cutting in frequently if you are driving the city for a while. especially if the car is stationary. the other day, i kept the car running and went to get some stuff from a shop across the road. it was in a bylane, but i could hear the fan whining inside the shop as well.

the rattles are pretty irritating indeed and they do come from the rear of the car. in my vehicle, it comes when i am going differentially over a bump (i mean when only one wheel goes over a bump and other 3 wheels are on good road) something like a chassis flex...
the sound is usually like a creak. and it comes from the rear window or rear seat. in my car, it comes from the left rear.

i have heard of issues like this from a few other figo owners. its something which i have lived with. will sort it out in the next service. have covered 15k kms in the car.

on a generic note, i dont see a reason to change the condensor for this. the service centre may have bluffed you.

keep us posted on what your outcome is.

thanks!

nitro

[akshay4587]

AFAIK,this has been the case with most Ford's even Ikon's fan made too much noise,and this sunday,i noticed in a friend's figo too.
the fan was tooo noisy,especially when the car was stationary.

[vij4all]

So what I'm hearing is that when the car is idling with AC on, the coolant fan will kick in every 20-30 seconds ?

I hope I have made myself clear that it is not the idle noise I'm concerned about. It is the loud whizzing noise of the fan (like in a lot of Fiat Palios) which increases the idling noise every 20 seconds and then goes away after 5 to 7 seconds.

Why did it not happen for the first 2600 kms?

[Mustang.101]

Ford Fusion : That rumbling low pitched sound of the radiator cooling fan occurs after every 2-3 mins if driving in heavy traffic or idling in very hot weather.

By the way i can say from experience that the sound is much more noticeable in diesel ford cars in comparison to petrol ford cars. However its nothing to worry about, just a minor inconvenience. Will happen more regularly depending on the heat outside.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by akshay4587

AFAIK,this has been the case with most Ford's even Ikon's fan made too much noise,and this sunday,i noticed in a friend's figo too.
the fan was tooo noisy,especially when the car was stationary.

I would agree with the same being a characteristic of the Ikons. The other day, an Ikon Flair similar to mine was being driven in to my building's basement parking lot as I was parking my car. I noticed the loud sound from the fan as the car came to a stop and parked.

I have also heard the same on my car when i have left the engine and A/C running with my family sitting inside and i had to step out to the nearby shop.

[Captain Slow]

Hi Vij4all, Mustang,

I think the fan you hear is not the AC fan but the Radiator fan that starts spinning when the Engine over heats. This fan starts spinning to cool it down.
Because of the sudden rise in outside temperature (summer season) you can hear the fan come on and off more often.
The same happens in my car. The fan sometimes stays on for a good 2-3 minutes after I park and turn off the car.

Did they Fix your rattling issues in your car?

[Mustang.101]

Originally Posted by Captain Slow

Hi Vij4all, Mustang,

I think the fan you hear is not the AC fan but the Radiator fan that starts spinning when the Engine over heats.?

I said that only cap , I said radiator cooling fan. It is kind of irritating though but not much if the stereo is on.

A little OT though, I never told anyone about this but a few months back i bought and fit the Fiesta OEM head unit in my Fusion and it looks even better than it does on my fiesta. Pics coming soon.

[Nanolover]

vij, I think you have blown up the issue by going to ford officials and all. From what you posted, i see nothing out of the ordinary and it is the regular airconditoning system at work. The figo doesnt have a sperate condesor fan like indica/esteem etc and the radiator fan doubles up as the cooling for condensor also like maruti800/zen.

Also the diesel radiator fan is more noisy/powerful in fords as diesel engines tend to run hotter than their petrol counterparts and this noise is there in ikon/escort range also. In all probability when you were idling the fan speed must have been @1 and the grill temp reached its cut off point easily ( because airflow through the vents was low) and the compressor cuts off after reaching grill temp. After a few secs to maintain grill temp, the compressor cuts in again, therby starting the radiator/condensor fan also. It is normal, for the fan to start once the compressor kicks in.The hissing sound you hear when the compressor kicks in is the expansion valve at work.

Nothing wrong here. I suggest you crosscheck with another figo before going to high up officals. I think everything is normal.

[vij4all]

Yes you are right. It is the radiator fan. It stays on only for a few seconds though in my car. But what I find most puzzlesome is that when idling with AC on, it cuts in every 20 to 30 seconds or so. Even when I'm on my first drive of the morning and have done only 10 kms.

Is that really normal? I must mention that the Ford regional manager mentioned to me that if I found the noise cutting in too frequently an irritant, as a special case he would have something (dunno what) replaced from a fiesta's part.

I have no clue how that can work.

No the minor rattles still exist. Can take the joy out of owning a new car. You know, I'm already planning my next car maybe in a few years. That's how much I get affected after having put in 6L of my hard earned money.

[nitrogary]

Originally Posted by vij4all

So what I'm hearing is that when the car is idling with AC on, the coolant fan will kick in every 20-30 seconds ?

I hope I have made myself clear that it is not the idle noise I'm concerned about. It is the loud whizzing noise of the fan (like in a lot of Fiat Palios) which increases the idling noise every 20 seconds and then goes away after 5 to 7 seconds.

Why did it not happen for the first 2600 kms?

yes. you have made it clear
the fan may be switching on and off rapidly because the coolant temperatures limits may be close to each other. it may not be a problem really.

[Captain Slow]

Originally Posted by vij4all

Yes you are right. It is the radiator fan. It stays on only for a few seconds though in my car. But what I find most puzzlesome is that when idling with AC on, it cuts in every 20 to 30 seconds or so. Even when I'm on my first drive of the morning and have done only 10 kms.

Is that really normal? I must mention that the Ford regional manager mentioned to me that if I found the noise cutting in too frequently an irritant, as a special case he would have something (dunno what) replaced from a fiesta's part.

I have no clue how that can work.

No the minor rattles still exist. Can take the joy out of owning a new car. You know, I'm already planning my next car maybe in a few years. That's how much I get affected after having put in 6L of my hard earned money.

Hi Vij,

The same thing happens in my car Yes when the AC is on you feel the vibrations of the fan coming on.
This 20-30 Second inerval that you are talking about happens only in B2B traffic conditions right? or when you are stopped at a red signal?
Ofcourse the sound and vibrations will be a lot more in your Diesel figo compared to a petrol one.

Yes Vij the rattles and the smaller issues can really kill the joy and pleasure of owning a new.

If you want to be sure then take the car for a spin on the highway at speeds of atleast 50-80Kmph for 20 to 30 minutes and then check if the fan still comes on every now and then.
Im sure the fan wont come on at all.
Try this and post back.

If I were you I would push them to fix the rattling issues.

[vij4all]

My daily commute from home to office is;

Non stop average speed drive at 40 to 50 kmph speed in hardly any traffic for the first 10 kms - Ghodbunder Road, Thane to Kalwa via Kolshet Road. The road conditions are not that great but not bad either. Badly surfaced roads without potholes.

A little bumper to bumper traffic for 1km or idling for 2 to 3 minutes at the Kalwa subway. That's the first stop from the time I leave home and comes after 15 odd minutes. The radiator fan kicks in there. Never happened for the first 2.5 k. Maybe it was winter and it's summer now?

After the 1km slow moving traffic, its again cruising on the Thane - Belapur road for the next 10 kms at 70 to 80 kmph before I reach office and park but there again can hear the fan noise every 20 seconds.

[unicorn_i20]

Originally Posted by vij4all

So what I'm hearing is that when the car is idling with AC on, the coolant fan will kick in every 20-30 seconds ?

I hope I have made myself clear that it is not the idle noise I'm concerned about. It is the loud whizzing noise of the fan (like in a lot of Fiat Palios) which increases the idling noise every 20 seconds and then goes away after 5 to 7 seconds.

Why did it not happen for the first 2600 kms?

I may not have understood the issue completely, but if by coolant fan, you are referring to the ac blowers, I would mention my inferences.

I guess, this has something to do with the temperature sensor inside the car. The sensor would keep measuring the temperature and through a closed feedback loop, the blower rpm will be controlled to deliver more or lesser quantity of cool air.
If one sets the temperature at say 26degC, then whenever sensor reads more than 26degC the blower rpm will be increased. however, in order to have a damped response from the ECU, some margin is allowed in the temperature measurement. now say that margin is 0.5degC, so if temperature is between 25.5 and 26.5, ECU wont give any command to increase or decrease ac blower rpm.

If this temperature sensor is too sensitive or faulty, it can cause erratic behavior of ac blowers.

Originally Posted by Nanolover

From what you posted, i see nothing out of the ordinary and it is the regular airconditoning system at work. The figo doesnt have a sperate condesor fan like indica/esteem etc and the radiator fan doubles up as the cooling for condensor also like maruti800/zen.

this is a good piece of information!!!