[ABHI_1512]

So Baahon completed 1,50,000 kilometres run without any drama. Got stuck in some worldly affairs lately and hence the delay in posting about the same. This number on the odometer was achieved in April itself during another weekender in the Dooars region of West Bengal. The car is doing on well and munching on miles just as it’s wont. Will share the service update once I am back to the city and the service is completed. The battery will need replacement in few months time I guess and so will the discs. The brake discs have never been changed and the lines on the discs are pointing towards replacement .

Other than some minor niggle like little noise from the boot, there is no major work which needs attention as such. The present odometer reading should be around 1,51,500 or something. I have plans for some interior refurbishment but it keeps getting delayed for some reason or the other. Let’s see when that comes along.

Meanwhile, sharing some pictures from the trip to Paren and Suntalaykhola in this thread. Paren is a small hamlet near the Bhutan border and Suntalaykhola is a river stream site which is located in the Samsing region of the Kalimpong division. Both the properties were run by the West Bengal Forest Development Corporation and are well maintained for the locations which are very remote.

I also met few BHPians from Calcutta during this weekender and that was an added bonus. To meet your friends while on a trip is something that is very cherished by me at least. So much so, in true to the essence of the forum, some of us even had a meet up at Pedong after driving from Lava together- just for the love of chitchatting over some good food

Baahon parked at Paren- a small hamlet near the Bhutan Border.


Same location but in the faded light.


Evening snacks done right amidst a drizzle.


The cottages at Paren, there are only four of these.


The hills of Bhutan- as seen from a vantage point at Gairibas


Baahon posing at the tea gardens near Samsing.


It’s always wonderful to drive in tandem with friends who share the same zeal with you, here are two pictures which convey the same camaraderie.

S Cross never looked better in those rain soaked roads of Lava.


That’s the happy bunch after having a sumptuous meal


The place where we had our food at Pedong is named the Silk Route Retreat. While the place is wonderful and serves some lip smacking food, the service is extremely slow. Such was the state of affairs that some of us had to literally stand near the kitchen to get our food delivered. Some more minutes, and BHPian Boniver would have probably baked the Pizza himself !!

Silk Route Retreat also has some boutique rooms for travellers in case someone wants to stay.


The glorious food that we devoured in no time


Baahon posing near Gorubathan


Everything looks so vibrant in the hills.


The entrance to Suntalaykhola where you need to park your car and cross this suspension bridge to access the property.


Suntalaykhola Nature Retreat


View from our cottage at Suntalaykhola


Someone always has the biggest smile whenever near the water.


The drive through the lush green tea gardens and through meandering roads is simply a treat- both for the eyes as well as the soul.





During our return journey, I had stopped for breakfast at this wonderful tea joint near Siliguri, on the Odlabaari- Fulbaari road. The food is delightful and the ambience even better. The owner has kept the place cozy and steadfastly kept everything organic. I have had the fluffiest French toast and aromatic Darjeeling tea while missus had ordered for the ubiquitous Maggi which was served in a large cup. BHPian Rdas81 joined us after sometime and we spent some time chatting before I started my return to Calcutta.







The odometer reading while on the move.


Driver of Baahon standing on the suspension bridge


That’s the update as of now, will share the service report after I am back to the city. I hope I get to keep enjoying Baahon and its drive for as long as I can before some stupid rule comes into effect !!

[BhayanaV]

Wow! Congrats on the milestone. I have a 2016 Ecosport, sadly will have to let it go soon due to the NCR 10 year rule.

[RunGaDa]

Many congratulations. Ford Ecosport 2014 TDCi owner here. Quite amazed at the way you have maintained the car. I think it will be the best of “best practices” if you can share. Sorry if you already have.
I always believed this long race horse is there to stay, design wise and longevity wise.
Great pictures man. Well done.

[YashOjha15]

Wow! Congrats on the milestone. I wish Ford was still operating in India.
A dream of buying a brand new Ford Ecosport TDCi will never get fulfilled.
I really want Ford to make a return in the Indian market.

[SamitMukherjee]

Brilliant write-up as always Abhi da. Congrats to Baahon on achieving this milestone. This is more of a travelogue and as always, is full of information and lovely pictures. Wishing Baahon many more kilometres in coming years and explore unseen places, as we wait for pictures

[arjab]

With your unrequited love and care + the fundamentally strong and beautiful engineering that underpins the Ecosport, Baahon is good enough for another lakh and a half of kilometres if not more. Maybe you can get the EGR opened up and cleaned once, (instead of using the spray) and she'll become free'r and peppier.
Don't sell her. (At least in WB we still do not have NCR type ruling).
In these el-cheapo cost saving times no manufacturer will ever build cars the way Bahon was built. Simple example: you've driven so many vehicles: till now have you experienced that comfortable & supportive a driver's seat as the Ecosport's?

Take lots of care & drive safe!

Cheers!

[Samfromindia]

Congrats on reaching another important milestone with Baahon Its fascinating that you never changed the disks in 1.5L KM drive. My car is still using the stock clutch for past 1L km, thinking whether to replace it or not.

[Yogi..Reeturaj]

Heartiest congratulations to Baahon on the milestone. Of course many a more miles to munch.

Another lovely destination in the Doaars, will be keeping this in mind surely.

We definitely join in one of your quick getaways to Doaars in the near future.

Keep trippin, keep travelling brother.

[ampere]

Some really picture perfect snaps of the Ecosport ! Really amazing! Congrats!

[Neversaygbye]

Like fine wine gets better with age, Baahon looks newer and fresher with each milestone. It is really commendable how well you have maintained her. I can bet that no one will be able to guess that this car has done 1.5 lakh kms. Loved the post, which was more like a TL. I had also visited Suntaleykhola as a day trip but never stayed there. Maybe will do that one of these days.

Please hold onto Baahon as long as you can. They don't build them like that any more.

[ABHI_1512]

Originally Posted by RunGaDa

Many congratulations. Ford Ecosport 2014 TDCi owner here. Quite amazed at the way you have maintained the car. I think it will be the best of “best practices” if you can share. Sorry if you already have.

Thanks for the good words, normal practices to maintain the car have held me good till now. Normal cleaning and polishing practises by me apart, I have always serviced the car at the authorised service center. Keeping the mechanicals of the car in good shape is of utmost importance to me and perhaps that has helped me till date. I hope it remains that way.

Regards.

Originally Posted by arjab

With your unrequited love and care + the fundamentally strong and beautiful engineering that underpins the Ecosport, Baahon is good enough for another lakh and a half of kilometres if not more. Maybe you can get the EGR opened up and cleaned once, (instead of using the spray) and she'll become free'r and peppier.
Don't sell her. (At least in WB we still do not have NCR type ruling).
In these el-cheapo cost saving times no manufacturer will ever build cars the way Bahon was built. Simple example: you've driven so many vehicles: till now have you experienced that comfortable & supportive a driver's seat as the Ecosport's?

Thanks Arjab, can’t agree more with each of the word you have said. Driving Baahon has been a pleasurable ride till now and I want it to continue that way. I am keeping it for as long as I can. And yes, EGR cleaning is on the cards during the upcoming service. Many thanks for the lovely words, only someone who loves driving can come up with something like that and I know how much you love that.

Regards.

Originally Posted by Samfromindia

Congrats on reaching another important milestone with Baahon Its fascinating that you never changed the disks in 1.5L KM drive. My car is still using the stock clutch for past 1L km, thinking whether to replace it or not.

Stock clutch for 1lakh kilometres for Ecosport must be a first, at least it’s a first for me Sam. Having heard horror stories about the heavy clutch from others, I managed to run for almost 80k on stock clutch. Regarding the discs, I guess the upcoming service will determine whether to change them or not. Your Ecosport is another car that I follow from the very beginning, so it’s wonderful that you are also going great with the same. I hope we both enjoy the drives for as long as we can.

Regards.

Originally Posted by Neversaygbye

Like fine wine gets better with age, Baahon looks newer and fresher with each milestone. It is really commendable how well you have maintained her. I can bet that no one will be able to guess that this car has done 1.5 lakh kms. Loved the post, which was more like a TL. I had also visited Suntaleykhola as a day trip but never stayed there. Maybe will do that one of these days.

Please hold onto Baahon as long as you can. They don't build them like that any more.

Thanks for the wonderful words SumantaDa, as an owner of an equally impressive Vista 90, we both know how much we enjoy driving our cars. It’s been wonderful 8 years with Baahon till now and I hope it remains that way. This car is for keeps just as your’s.

Regards.

[Samfromindia]

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

Stock clutch for 1lakh kilometres for Ecosport must be a first, at least it’s a first for me Sam. Having heard horror stories about the heavy clutch from others, I managed to run for almost 80k on stock clutch.

People who complain about Ecosport's hard clutch should have driven Navsjab's Ikon ! After that Ecosport clutch will feel feather light.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...h-machine.html (Kolkata-Darjeeling-Kolkata in my Josh Machine)

[ABHI_1512]

1,57,000 update:

Baahon is chugging along nicely after the 1,50k service which as expected, came to around ₹5400 out of which the servicing labour charges were around ₹2500. The usual suspects like oil change, oil filter change, air filter change accounted for the rest. The discs are holding up well and don’t need replacement as of now. Rest of the mechanicals are all good and don’t need any interference. The battery is though, at the end of its life and will soon need replacement.



The car was getting little sluggish and it was an indication that the EGR valve required a thorough cleaning. As Arjab also suggested above, the cleaning of the valve was impending anyways. So, EGR valve was finally opened up and cleaned properly. The work was done courtesy of BHPian dip27in since the ASS’s will hardly do such labour intensive job. In fact, the ASS flatly said that Ford Cars don’t need EGR cleaning at all





The car was opened up and what followed was a test of patience. The opening of the EGR valve and the subsequent cleaning was as cumbersome and labouring as it can get. No wonder the ASS’s don’t want to do that kind of work.



This was after almost 3 hours of labour that the entire assembly was finally out of the car. The amount of sludge which came out after cleaning was truly an eye opener.






Anyways, the car is peppier now after the cleaning and is running like new. The mileage figures have also improved tremendously as well. So, with all these job done, Baahon needed a highway run and so the Independence Day weekend came handy. A quick trip to nearby Murshidabad amidst blinding rain was made. Baahon performed just as it should and the car now looks good for munching more miles then ever. Sharing some pictures from the historical town of Murshidabad here :
































The cemetery of the erstwhile King of Bengal though lies in utter neglect with the ASI hardly bothering to spruce up the magnificent tomb and mosque compound. The apathy is glaring and I hope better sense prevails before we lose this piece of history !!





The history of Murshidabad is fascinating story in itself and is quite significant in the history of Indian freedom struggle as well. One can find detailed history of the town in travelogue section I am sure. The most historical event has got a monument now and is often visited by the history buffs.



So ending this post with a picture of Baahon in the midst of some monsoon greens.

[skillaft]

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

1,57,000 update:

The car was getting little sluggish and it was an indication that the EGR valve required a thorough cleaning. As Arjab also suggested above, the cleaning of the valve was impending anyways. So, EGR valve was finally opened up and cleaned properly. The work was done courtesy of BHPian dip27in since the ASS’s will hardly do such labour intensive job. In fact, the ASS flatly said that Ford Cars don’t need EGR cleaning at all

Hi ABHI, hope you are doing well.

Its seems that Baahon is having the best of its time with you and it does not even look that it has run more than 1,50,000 kms. If you don't mind me asking, I have some questions with respect to cleaning of EGR Valve and it would be great if you and other Bhpians can advise me.

I have an 2014 Ecosport (Diesel) currently at 95,500 km. However, for the past 6-7 months, the fuel efficiency and power is not even close as it used to be and even after reporting it multiple times to the authorized service center, they are saying there is nothing wrong, although I know and can feel the loss of power as well as the loss in fuel efficiency. As far as I remember, the EGR Valve has never been cleaned (only PMS service and regular maintenance has been done at authorized service center only) and the service center are refusing to do so. After reading on the forum on other threads where similar issues were faced, I think (I only think, may be very wrong) the issue could be due to EGR Valve, MAF and MAP sensors and cleaning them can either eliminate the problem or at the very least narrow it down. I understand that its a quite laborious task, but did you get it cleaned at an FNG or was it more of a DIY? and how difficult of a task would it be for someone like me whose maximum work on their car has been installing a dashcam. Although I don't mind getting my hands dirty, I don't want to risk anything which can cause a major failure.

I want to get it done but am unsure how to proceed (DIY/FNG, Costs, Difficulty) and your two cents would be very valuable because I also want to treat my car, the way you are treating your Baahon.

Thank you.

[toppor]

Hello Abhi, and we crossed paths at Bohor tourism property, Behrampore. We should have taken a pic, anyway nice to have met you in person.