[skanchan95]

Sync Update to v5.11
Thanks to libranof1987 for sharing this on the Ecosport Official Review Thread. Link


Logged into Ford Owners website and saw that Sync Update was available for my car as well. On the website, there is no change log, just a one liner that an update for Sync is available for my Car


The Latest Update is EV6T-14D544-AN and the update file name is EV6T-14D544-AN-PKS.zip. The Sync update history for my car confirmed this to be the latest update.

Installation procedure was more or less the same as described earlier by me in my earlier Sync update post here

Minor changes have been made in the website interface. But the update download, installation & Update Reporting procedure remians the same.

Before Update: Sync Version v5.9






After Update: Sync Version v5.11


Installation took approximately 20 minutes. The latest Sync Version is v5.11. No Change log was available on the website nor did I notice any change in Sync.

Reported the Update on the Ford Owners Page by pointing the Report Update to the file on the USB drive marked below:


A bit disappointed that they did not do anything in this update to fix the issue of ESPNCricinfo & MapmyIndia apps not working on Sync anymore. Both these apps stopped working on Sync ever since both these apps received major updates on the Play Store. The only app that seems to work with Sync now is Glympse.

[skanchan95]

3rd/20,000 kms service
The car was due for its 3rd/20,000 kms service(Unlike Hyundai, Ford offers only first two services free). Booked an appointment for 17/04/2018 at Cauvery Ford, Baikampady.

Reached the workshop at sharp 9:30 AM and met my SA - Mr Swasthik Shetty. Apart from regular service, I asked for wheel alignment,tyre rotation and balancing to be done. There was minor rattling from the driver's door panel, cause of which was a missing rubber bush. I also complained but the headlamp lens burn mark on the driver's side headlamp cluster, for which they said they will replace the Headlamp cluster under warranty(second time). They did not have it in stock and it would take around two-three days to get the cluster, I was told.

To my delight, they have a new online & real time system where one can check the status of the car. I received an SMS with the link to check the status of my car at the service center:

SMS with the real time tracking link:


Around Noon:


Work completed around 3 PM:


Car ready for delivery around 5:30 PM


In the evening around 6, I got the car back but was told that there was minor accident caused by them(scratches on the driver's side fender), which they had repaired free of charge. As it was getting dark, I could not properly check the work they had done.

Total bill was Rs 6380/-


During the drive back home, I felt that the car was pulling to the left on straight roads. I thought of having it checked the next day as it was too late in the evening.

Next morning, I walked around the car and to my horror noticed the same "pinholes" and paint haziness on the fender that was found when they had painted the car for the first time after an accident two years ago and because of which I had to get he entire driver's side repainted from outside at my cost (details here)
Pinholes are there...difficult to point out in photos


Couple of ugly scratch under the chrome insert. Angle of the photo makes the scratches look lighter they actually were


A scratch that was touched up and not repainted


Dents/Paint & headlamp cluster chip mark around the headlamp


There was a call from Cauvery Ford next day asking for feedback for the work they had done. I complained that the accident repair work was not upto the mark and the car was pulling to the left. I was not upset because they hit the damaged the car but because they repeated they same painting mistakes they had done two years ago. I had made my mind that I would again have to take the Carz Spa for a repaint of the entire fender because for me it made me no sense to ask Cauvery Ford to repair it.

Even after a day after lodging the complaint, there was no callback from Cauvery. Frustrated, I lodged a complaint with Ford on the next day. That day I was not in town and forgot my mobile at home. After coming back late in the night I found a lot of missed calls from Cauvery Ford & Ford helpline and an e-mail from Ford asking me for convenient time to talk to me. Apologised to them by SMS/E-mail that my mobile was not with me hence I could not pick up their calls.

The next morning I received a call from the Works Manager of Cauvery Ford, Mr Nithin asking me to get the car to the workshop so that they could have look at the mistakes and rectify it. I took the car to the workshop about an hour later and they saw the mistakes. My only aim was make them realise their painting mistakes, I had no intention to leave the car for a paint repair job. I was assured that he would see to it that no such painting mistakes are repeated this time. Reluctantly I left the car there on Saturday.

On Monday evening I got a call from Cauvery that all my complaints have been addressed. I went there to find that this time the repaint work was much better. There were no "pinholes", light haziness was there but it was acceptable to me. Paint Finish this time was much better and there was no paint mismatch.

Left side pulling was corrected. They said there was nothing wrong with the wheel alignment, they did an EPS reset to correct it. Driver's side headlamps cluster was replaced under warranty(and for the damage to the headlamp cluster in that accident)

Things were repaired to my satisfaction and I closed the complaint but I did send a reminder to Ford that the headlamp cluster lens burn issue still persists and asked them to escalate the matter with the relevant department. There was no response from them about it , so I don't know how serious they are about that issue.

Sync Voice Command Button Popped Out
I use Sync functions regularly and three days ago, the voice command button just popped out on its own and into my lap. Surprised, I pushed it back in its slot, it did not fit properly and was loose, but it stayed there. It again popped out when I pressed the button.





Yesterday I took the car to Cauvery Ford, Baikampady to see what could be done to fit the button back in so that it doesn't pop out. After checking, they said one of the internal connecting legs of the button was broken and it will have to be replaced. Why and how it broke from the inside, I have no idea. They replaced the entire audio/telephony steering control panel under warranty. They said normally such damages are not covered under warranty but they did it as goodwill towards to me, which was good to see.

In its third year, the car still feels new to drive. Average hovers somewhere between 12 & 13 in a mix of city & highway driving conditions(with AC on all the time. On the highway, it goes upto 16-17 km/l. No major complaints in the car. The headlamp lens burn issue remains a minor irritant.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

That same night, I found that the IRVM was not auto-dimming, as claimed in the manual. Headlight glare(especially high beam) from trailing vehicles was proving to be a major distraction while driving. Ignore the "flash" on the rear camera display, the display is quite clear at night as well.

This issue kept on bugging me in my mind. I had different ideas in my mind which included getting a custom made frame( with double layered mosquito note and/or a sunfilm) fitted on the inside of the rear windshield. I was too lazy to visit a dealer who deals in making custom made mosquito nets for homes.

Soon after the Freestyle launch, Ford came up with a sunblinds accessory for the Freestyle. I had requested our sales executive from Cauvery Ford,Mr. Karthik Hegde, to inform once the accessory in in stock and if the set has a sunblind for the rear windshield.


He informed me that the part has come and it did have full screen rear windshield sunblind along with two for the rear passenger windows. It does not have sunblinds for the front passenger and driver windows.
installation hardly took five minutes.











I was fairly confident that the sunblinds would be a near perfect solution to eliminate high beam headlight glare falling on the IRVM and here are the results.

The Figo being blasted with full beam headlights by our Grand i10




The glare being seen on the ORVM(similar blinding glare would be seen on the IRVM before the sunblind was installed)


Almost no glare from the IRVM. The sunblind fully diffuses the high beam headlight glare and is hardly a discomfort to the eyes now


I am pretty happy with the end result. Fit & finishing is good and it can easily be removed. Mission "Eliminate IRVM Headlight glare" Accomplished!!!

[caraholic]

Hi Guys, I have a figo titanium 1.2 2017.
Got the 20000kms service done recently.The car was fine except for clutch judder when the engine is cold in the morning or when in a bumper to bumper traffic.Someone told me that this is a common issue in petrol figos.
The service advisor kept the car for two days and got the entire clutch assembly changed.He told that it isnt covered under warranty but he is doing it as a goodwill gesture.
Total bill was 3200Rs.
The car is running fine now.Moves easily from stop without any judder and clutch is also softer now.No issues in bumper to bumper traffic as well.Hope it stays fine.

[shady]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

Attachment 1756355

Noticed on the above quoted picture the spoiler on your car. Is that a Ford accessory or an aftermarket accessory?

[samaspire]

Originally Posted by caraholic

Hi Guys, I have a figo titanium 1.2 2017.
Got the 20000kms service done recently.The car was fine except for clutch judder when the engine is cold in the morning or when in a bumper to bumper traffic.Someone told me that this is a common issue in petrol figos.
The service advisor kept the car for two days and got the entire clutch assembly changed.He told that it isnt covered under warranty but he is doing it as a goodwill gesture.
Total bill was 3200Rs.
The car is running fine now.Moves easily from stop without any judder and clutch is also softer now.No issues in bumper to bumper traffic as well.Hope it stays fine.

For one thing, it's not a common issue. And secondly, why wouldn't it be covered under warranty? Anything to do with manufacturing faults is covered under warranty. They shouldn't have charged you anything for replacement. Can you share the bill copy here (or in the main there)?

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by samaspire

And secondly, why wouldn't it be covered under warranty? Anything to do with manufacturing faults is covered under warranty.

Because clutches are wear and tear items and are hence unidentifiable under manufacturing defects unless they misbehave from the time of installation. A bad driver can burn/abuse the clutch in less than 2k kms.

Having said that, I am really happy that the dealer agreed to replace it under goodwill, speaks a lot about his commitment to happy customers. Had this been a Japanese brand, one would have fight tooth and nail for a goodwill replacement after 20k kms.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by shady

Noticed on the above quoted picture the spoiler on your car. Is that a Ford accessory or an aftermarket accessory?

It is the OEM Figo S spoiler that the dealership sourced for me. Now, it is available as an accessory for the Freestyle. It costed around 8K which included painting of the spoiler.

Originally Posted by samaspire

For one thing, it's not a common issue. And secondly, why wouldn't it be covered under warranty? Anything to do with manufacturing faults is covered under warranty. They shouldn't have charged you anything for replacement. Can you share the bill copy here (or in the main there)?

Warranty is never applicable to Clutch related parts. As n.devdath correctly pointed out, premature clutch wear can be caused by a bad driver. However, it is good to see Ford replacing it for free under goodwill warranty.

In our old first gen i20, just a couple of days after regular service which included change of all fluids, the clutch pedal suddenly became rock hard, so much so that the clutch pedal wouldn't budge from its position. It failed in the middle of the highway and had to be towed 50 kms to the workshop. After investigations, it was found that he clutch master(or slave, cannot remember now) cylinder failed without warning. The local Hyundai workshop voluntarily agreed to replace it under warranty.

When I told about this incident to a friend of mine, who was the works manager of the local Maruti authorized workshop, he was of the opinion that that it shouldn't have failed suddenly. He suspected that since it was just after regular service, they may have used a wrong grade of brake oil, which may have caused the clutch cylinder to fail. And yes, as he had suspected, the Hyundai workshop did drain and refilled the brake fluid. So if the workshop is at fault or i they find a genuine part failure problem, they are obligated to replace parts under warranty. Ford is extremely good at that to keep the customer happy..

[skanchan95]

The car has been sold for personal reasons.

I had listed the car for sale on OLX. Consciously avoided Cars24, as from a previous experience, I found them to be misleading and deceiving.

After listing on OLX, apart from time pass queries and bids, a couple of quotes were close to what I had quoted but not many. Till one day, a guy came looking specifically for a petrol Figo. I suspect that my car being in the top end Titanium+ trim was a bonus for him. He wanted to have a look at the car before negotiating. While discussing on OLX, I informed him about the accident way back in 2016 and told him that the entire service history was available with me, which I had neatly arranged in a file. I also told him about the Ford OEM accessories like the rear parking camera, sensors, Spoiler, footwell lights and sunshades that I had got fitted. So, I drove the car and met him next day in the city and he drove the car. He liked the car and its condition and the deal was sealed there itself. I promised to get the service done before handing over the car. He needed a week to arrange bank loan to which I agreed.

Service
As usual, 3rd Year/30k kms service bill was almost similar to the one quoted on the website. On the website it was Rs 3281, the actual bill came to Rs 3411. Wheel alignment/ balancing & Tyre rotation i got done from outside which was around Rs 800 odd. Ford and its service centres deserve accolades for trying to stick to the quoted service amount strictly.

After a week, the buyer paid the full amount and took the car. At the time of handing over the car, she did not have a single scratch on her. There was a light scratch on the driver's side bumper and that was it.

The parting shots....always painful to see your once beloved car go away forever...






A little consolation and I take a lot of pride from the new owner's statement.

I am glad that they are happy with the car. The car has gone to guy who will take equal good care of her I am sure and that makes me happy.

Mechanically and fundamentally, the Figo was the most strongest car we had till date, no breakdowns or any other serious issue with the car. On the other other hand our Grand i10 suffered from issues with the steering - a typical Hyundai trait!!! Only saving grace was Advaith Hyundai's great service support.

There is an elegance in simplicity of the Figo's design, which attracted me to the Figo before eventually buying it. This the end of the story and Thank you Storm Shadow for all the memories and keeping us safe in all those trips!!!

[NaXal]

Since you haven't mentioned the price & with respect to your privacy, it may not be wise for me to ask, but if you please give an idea about difference with similar age / condition Swift.

Secondly, your take on how easy or difficult was it to find a right buyer (price / documents point a view) compare to typical Swift.

Last of all, how big were the difference compare to OLX/Cars24 company quote?

Since it is an ownership thread so would be nice if you sum it up with the last part of an ownership.

Thanks.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by NaXal

Since you haven't mentioned the price & with respect to your privacy, it may not be wise for me to ask, but if you please give an idea about difference with similar age / condition Swift.

I don't mind sharing the price at which the Figo was sold. It was Rs 4.6 lakhs. I really don't have an idea of how much a similarly aged Swift would fetch, but it would be safe to assume a Swift would fetch a much higher resale price because of the brand.

Originally Posted by NaXal

Secondly, your take on how easy or difficult was it to find a right buyer (price / documents point a view) compare to typical Swift.

Well, it wasn't easy. As I said, there a lot of time pass enquiries and quotes. Before putting it on OLX, i did do some research on what would be the ideal resale price on the internet. I did not check with any second hand car dealer or one of those True value dealerships because I knew they tend to quote atleast 30-40k lower than what is quoted on the internet. Probably selling a Swift would be easier and you can probably find more buyers and stay rigid on your quoted price.

Anyway, on the internet I found that a 1.2 Titanium+ would fetch anywhere between 4.4 to 4.9 lakhs depending on the mileage and condition of the vehicle(one website had even quoted a high of 5.1 lakhs for a vehicle in excellent condition).

Based on that, I thought Rs 4.7 lakhs would be a realistic and reasonable price and I quoted the same along with all the details of accessories fitted in the car, including the front armrest. I also had to consider that the car had an accident, details of which are mentioned here (Storm Shadow: 2016 Ford Figo 1.2L Ti-VCT Titanium+. EDIT: Now Sold). I also intended to share the accident and repair details with anyone who showed interest in the car.

In the hindsight, I thought sharing the accident details was a not so wise idea because for anyone who did not know where to look, they wouldn't have been able to tell the car had an accident, such was the quality of repair done by Mr Sanjay Shet and his crew at Carz Spa, Mangalore.

On the first day itself, a couple of the guys showed interest and said they wanted to look at the car. They said the price was reasonable and they would quote after looking at the car. Then I shared the accident details with them. After that they did not even bother to respond or acknowledge.

Then in between, there were a few lowballers quoting 2.5 lakhs-3 lakhs. I suspect they were dealers. Told them politely to look somewhere else.There were a few who made it clear that they were asking questions just for their knowledge and asked isn't mine the voice command equipped, 6-airbag variant? How does the voice commands work etc etc. I patiently answered each of them, hoping something would click. but it didn't.

Then another enquiry came which seemed very genuine. I shared the accident pictures and quality of repair work. He agreed that the repair work was fantastic and that he was interested in the car. He asked f I could wait for one month as he wanted to dispose off his old car and apply for a bank loan. I said I could wait, but if someone else came with a good offer, I will have to sell the car to him. Hesaid ok and then there was no response from him.

A good offer offer Rs 4.3 lakhs came, but I said no.

Then, after almost a week of putting up the ad, it clicked. A guy came looking specifically for a petrol Figo. He said at his place (Madikeri), diesel engine give starting trouble. Immediately I responded saying, he might struggle with the Figo's 1.2 Petrol engine in the ghats.He said he was ok with it and he asked me quite a few questions in great detail. Asked me how would I rate the Figo's 1.2 Ti-VCT engine compared to Suzuki K12 and Hyundai's Kappa engines? Driving comfort etc...all questions which seemed very genuine and from someone interested in buying the car. I told him Suzuki's and Hyundai's engines are clearly superior to Ford's Ti-VCT engine, but the only criterias I would rate the Ford engine high would be the smoothness and the quietness in the cabin. I told him we have a 1.2(P) Grand i10 in the house and have driven the new Swift, so I know I knew exactly what he wanted to know. I made it clear that I was a very sedate driver and made upshifts quite early, it never bothered me that the pickup of the car was low. I also said The driving comfort and space in the Figo was more compared to the a Swift to a Grand i10. I told him about the accident and that the car has extended warranty till April 2020 and that the insurance was also valid till April 2020. The A/C in the Figo was miles ahead of the Grand i10 & Swift. I also told him that the Figo was delivering better FE figures than the Grand i10. He said he was interested in the car and like the previous serious enquiry, he wanted to avail a bank loan. But he said, he wanted to look at the car and we met the next day.

We met on the next day on the highway. As I wanted to be transparent in the dealing, First thing I pointed out to him was the accident door and told him you cannot make out that the door has been replaced and repainted. There is no difference in the paint shade or finish. He then drove the car very sedately and was pretty happy with the way the car behaved. I told him as part of the deal, I would get the car serviced before handing it over. I showed him the car's service history that I had maintained in a file. He asked me the last price I would be willing to sell it. As he seemed like a good guy and someone who would take care of the car, I told him the final price would 4.6 lakhs. I also told him that the car was under loan of around 2.67 lakhs and the loan part has to be cleared which I would clear from the funds he transferred. He agreed and he promised to get back to me by evening with the loan and other details.

As promised he said , the bank loan had been approved and he needed to get some loan related documentation work and car valuation done, which could take upto a week. I said ok and the next day the car was valuated by his bank's appointed valuer. Now came the tricky part, his bank started insisting that the seller(me) has to clear the existing loan first and then only they can give a loan to him for the car purchase. Luckily, his bank & my bank were the same and I told him they can check my loan account and credibility with my bank manager. My wife works in a bank and after speaking to her and she came up with an idea. I (my wife) suggested they can transfer the loan amount first and close the loan account at their branch, for which I was willing to give an undertaking on a stamp paper. After speaking to his branch manager, they agreed with my idea.

He transferred Rs 1.15 lakhs to me as the down payment through his bank on the same evening. All this on blind faith without taking any signature on any document. After that things moved quickly. I got the service done after a couple of days. A couple of days later, he said everything is set but i will have to accompany to his bank as they need a my signature on an typical car sale agreement that also had clauses regarding the funds transfer and my loan closure. On D-day, I met him in the city and we went to his bank. They transferred funds of Rs 2.67 lakhs odd directly to my loan account and closed it. They handed me the the sales agreement, I read it and signed on it. The bank gave me a certificate that one behalf of their client for car purchase, they have transferred the loan amount to me and closed my loan account. After that they transferred the balance Rs 77000 odd to my bank account to complete the transfer or Rs 4.6 lakhs odd in three parts (Rs 1.15 lakhs down payment/advance + Rs 2.67 lakhs loan + balance 77000 odd). The sales agreement remained with the bank & I was handed a xerox copy of it.

From there were proceeded directly to my bank, which was a good 40 kms away. Got the RTO & Insurance NOCs, spare keys and bills from the bank. I signed the ownership transfer forms which the buyer had bought. I had prepared a delivery note, which the buyer signed


On the way back, I got down near my house and I showed him all the functions in the car. Wished him all the best and bid my car a tearful farewell.

I think I was extremely lucky to find a buyer who was specifically looking for a petrol Figo. As per my Ford sales executive, mine was the only Titanium+ Figo in the entire district!!! Owning a top end variant also helped I feel.
About 13 years ago, when we were tried to sell our Accent GLX in Gujarat, we dealt with a 2nd hand car dealer and visited him. While talking to him, I told him the car had company fitted alloys, spoiler, power windows, electric mirrors etc and it justified a higher premium over a similarly aged Accent GL/GLE/GLS. He replied with a silly and dismissive smirk on his face that no one looks at features in the 2nd hand car market. While he may have been true at that time, times have changed and 2nd hand car buyers do look at the car features now and that's why I said having a fully loaded top end trim helped my cause a bit. Apart from that, being honest about the car's history, sharing the service history and having an additional year in the car's extended warranty cover(expires in April 2020) also helped.

Originally Posted by NaXal

Last of all, how big were the difference compare to OLX/Cars24 company quote?

My reference to a "previous" experience with Cars 24 was based on bitter experience (while trying to sell my Father-in-law's Beat three years ago), not this one. So I did not even consider going to Cars 24 for the sale of the Figo.