[jithin23]

Originally Posted by Cliff9091

Must say its a very sensible decision to downsize the wheels, surely has saved you from a lot of curb crash from the infamous Bangalore roads, nevertheless wishing many miles of fun and safe driving

Cheers
Cliff

P.S - Do you live in Horamavu (even I do) I've seen your car many a times

Thanks Cliff9091! Yeah, the 17" is a pain. I got the speedo error recalibrated in the ECU and BCM using forscan.

Yes, I live in Horamavu. We can meet over w cup of coffee or tea even if you're in Horamavu

[sukhbirST]

Congratulations first and lovely report on selecting a used car after shortlisting new ones. Liked the Quick tips to check a used car without even driving.

[handsofsteel]

Could you kindly elaborate on the “compression test” mentioned by you in the first post? Unless I’m missing something, I think the inference drawn by you regarding head gasket blown is incorrect. What I know, once again, please feel free to correct me if wrong is as follows:-
The head gasket is a seal between the cylinder block and the cylinder head. If it leaks, you will have a leakage (carbon/fuel/oil) clearly visible externally in the engine bay.
The engine oil dipstick is typically dipped into a pocket of oil (may be the sump itself in larger engines). In case there’s a mist (what you are calling white smoke) from the dipstick when it is opened, it means that blow by is happening past the piston rings thereby forcing hot gas past the piston rings into the crankcase consequently heating up the oil. This is the first symptom of a worn out piston ring and is quite common with all larger mileage engines (especially diesels). It could be dangerous and lead to something called crankcase explosion due to formation of local hot spots. Therefore, it is good practice to replace the piston rings after the manufacturer recommended interval.
My two cents.

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by sukhbirST

Congratulations first and lovely report on selecting a used car after shortlisting new ones. Liked the Quick tips to check a used car without even driving.

Thanks Sukhbir!

Originally Posted by handsofsteel

Could you kindly elaborate on the “compression test” mentioned by you in the first post? Unless I’m missing something, I think the inference drawn by you regarding head gasket blown is incorrect. What I know, once again, please feel free to correct me if wrong is as follows:-
The head gasket is a seal between the cylinder block and the cylinder head. If it leaks, you will have a leakage (carbon/fuel/oil) clearly visible externally in the engine bay.
The engine oil dipstick is typically dipped into a pocket of oil (may be the sump itself in larger engines). In case there’s a mist (what you are calling white smoke) from the dipstick when it is opened, it means that blow by is happening past the piston rings thereby forcing hot gas past the piston rings into the crankcase consequently heating up the oil. This is the first symptom of a worn out piston ring and is quite common with all larger mileage engines (especially diesels). It could be dangerous and lead to something called crankcase explosion due to formation of local hot spots. Therefore, it is good practice to replace the piston rings after the manufacturer recommended interval.
My two cents.

I was on the assumption that the head gasket is blown if there's smoke from the dipstick. Let me recheck on this and will update here. Thanks for bringing this up.

[narmad]

Heartiest Congrats from a fellow Ecosport owner !!
Gives me confidence on the decision to carry on with my beloved Lightening assuaging the fears of the household.

[Taha Mir]

Almost all diesels using thinner oils with high volatility will have white wisps of smoke from the dipstick and oil cap. That is not related to the condition of the head gasket at all.
My 2013 ecosport tdci has been doing this since years now, with no ill effects. You might even see oil mist around the engine oil cap and breather after a very long and hard drive. These are just signs of a not so high quality oil which our TDCIs use.

You might see lesser vapours using a high quality fully synthetic oil like ACEA C3.

On a side note; UOA show least amount of wear on the tdci using a C3 oil, doesn't matter if it's w30 or w40.

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by narmad

Heartiest Congrats from a fellow Ecosport owner !!
Gives me confidence on the decision to carry on with my beloved Lightening assuaging the fears of the household.

Thanks Narmad! Always happy to help a fellow Enthusiast

Originally Posted by Taha Mir

Almost all diesels using thinner oils with high volatility will have white wisps of smoke from the dipstick and oil cap. That is not related to the condition of the head gasket at all.
My 2013 ecosport tdci has been doing this since years now, with no ill effects. You might even see oil mist around the engine oil cap and breather after a very long and hard drive. These are just signs of a not so high quality oil which our TDCIs use.

You might see lesser vapours using a high quality fully synthetic oil like ACEA C3.

On a side note; UOA show least amount of wear on the tdci using a C3 oil, doesn't matter if it's w30 or w40.

Ahh. Now it makes sense. But almost all the dealer owned cars had thick white smoke and I declined such cars politely.

[girishglg]

Originally Posted by jithin23

Hey Bhpians,

This is a story of my First car and it's straight from the bottom of my heart!

7. No Sunroof!!(because I find it useless for our country's weather conditions and if a strong coconut falls on it, I'll be poorer by 70k-1L and also the maintenance of a sunroof is a lot after 5 years of the car's age as the drain pipes and rubber seals stars to give up. The last thing I'd want in my car is droplets of rain water seeping in and one of the main purpose of buying a car is to be protected by the perils of mother nature. Plus the sight of kids standing out of the sunroof while the car is moving is a sadening one as parents are ones supposed to teach children the right things to do.)


4. I know I might be mad or crazy but yeah, I have both my cars and have no plans to sell both till their End of service.

Wow Jithin got hooked to you thread for the day one and congratulations on acquiring the Red Dragon which looks quite fresh and slick.

Just quoting some of my favourites above from your thread, as a owner of the original version of the EcoSport 2014 TDCi 90BHP version, just echo every single word of your superb selection and review process (post Ford closure if I may add). Yes the same point about keeping my car till the End of its service is one of my core feelings of owning such a good piece of machinary.

Also totally fascinated to know about the engine remaps and other modifications done on your new baby and would love to catch up sometime whenever we can, to get some inputs from you on the planned upgrades such as gears, lights, tyres and accessories for my Martian (Mars red that is) which has served me so well for so many years.

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by girishglg

Wow Jithin got hooked to you thread for the day one and congratulations on acquiring the Red Dragon which looks quite fresh and slick.

Just quoting some of my favourites above from your thread, as a owner of the original version of the EcoSport 2014 TDCi 90BHP version, just echo every single word of your superb selection and review process (post Ford closure if I may add). Yes the same point about keeping my car till the End of its service is one of my core feelings of owning such a good piece of machinary.

Also totally fascinated to know about the engine remaps and other modifications done on your new baby and would love to catch up sometime whenever we can, to get some inputs from you on the planned upgrades such as gears, lights, tyres and accessories for my Martian (Mars red that is) which has served me so well for so many years.

Thanks Girish, sure we can catch up sometime.

It's been 40 days with the red dragon and she's set foot like her twin the blue baby is good at: Munching miles. 2,800 kms in 40 days.

First trip was a solo trip and had to be to Tirupati to seek the blessings of the Almighty (do note that He decides for us when to meet him )and then some exploring around Chennai/Pulicat and back to Bangalore.

Best time to visit Pulicat is during rains as the migratory birds are a delight to see. I feel that the TN side is better and I happened to discover a beach called Calm beach at the TN side. It's 2kms from a place called Pazhaverkadu

Calm beach is really calm and not crowded at all


The TN side of Pulicat, the lighthouse looks good but public aren't allowed to enter inside


Unfortunately the CISF personnel did not allow to enter Sriharikota as there was a Rocket launch on Feb 14. Someday I wish to witness a Rocket Launch by ISRO. Do note that there are hardly any food or public transport options near Sullurpeta and Sriharikota. Though the SHAR employees have beautiful house quarters.

The point where I had to turn back


Some enhancements I have done in order to make the Red Dragon more appealing are:

●Black roof+roof rails+mirror caps+ front skid plate done for 6k
●Smoked taillights and Blackened grill+fog lamp bezel for 2k
●Blackened headlight shrouds for 3k
●Black wheels from a Thunder variant car
●Motul 8100 X-cess 5W40 Fully Synthetic oil. Worth for 2.6k and I bought it from Sri Balaji oil as they are whole sellers of engine oil. Please avoid buying oil from Amazon as most of the times the oils are fake.

The motul oil has made my car way more smoother than it was and the engine temperature is not near the half mark too.

No drop in mileage too after the Stage 1+ remap. Have been getting 15-17 in peak traffic and 18-20 on highways despite a heavy foot.

Here are some pics of the Red Dragon. Now I'm really starting to like red a lot in cars! First 3 pics In Tirupati and some less explored places in Tirumala.







Lighthouse guiding towards the right path for the Dragon. Seen in the background is the future EV. Nexon is a befitting competitor for EcoSport.




Looks like straight outta Hot Wheels


Pushpa movie vibes??

[TheHelix0202]

These look subtly sporty! The red color brings out most of the pep in the picture.

Originally Posted by jithin23

Some enhancements I have done in order to make the Red Dragon more appealing are:

●Black roof+roof rails+mirror caps+ front skid plate done for 6k
●Smoked taillights and Blackened grill+fog lamp bezel for 2k
●Blackened headlight shrouds for 3k
●Black wheels from a Thunder variant car
●Motul 8100 X-cess 5W40 Fully Synthetic oil. Worth for 2.6k and I bought it from Sri Balaji oil as they are whole sellers of engine oil. Please avoid buying oil from Amazon as most of the times the oils are fake.

Where did you source these from? Please ping me the details if possible! Also, what engine oil would you recommend for the 1.5L Dragon petrol engine?

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

These look subtly sporty! The red color brings out most of the pep in the picture.



Where did you source these from? Please ping me the details if possible! Also, what engine oil would you recommend for the 1.5L Dragon petrol engine?

Thanks TheHelix0202!

For the roof+roof rails I got it done through a known painter of mine
Headlights, I took help of a headlight shop in JC road and it took an entire day.

Oil I'd suggest please go with Motul Xcess 8100 as it's a pretty good synthetic oil and keeps the engine cool even after a hard run of 300 one. I've driven 2k one post oil change and the smoothness still remains

Kindly avoid buying oils from Amazon as they might be fake ones at times. Liqui molt I'm skeptical because we don't get the correct ones here in India. Addinol and Amsoil are also quite good but we don't get these oils very easily in the market.

[jithin23]

Sprucing up the Red Dragon

The Red Dragon has been munching miles faster than its twin, the Blue Baby and After the Remap, I'm more in love with this machine and
it's been a fill it, shut it, and forget it experience.(Had diesel prices been around 70-75, I'd just drive till my heart's content anywhere in the country!) It's been a wonderful journey with her so far! I've clocked about 25,000kms in 7 months and traveled across 18 states. Most of these drives are solo only.

I've traveled almost every weekend with this car and once out of boredom, I drove alone to Kolhapur for its famed Mutton Thali and Biryani and drove back the next day to Bangalore. That was a pure 1,400 km blissful drive. Recently I did a Solo Ladakh drive which was completely unplanned(will post a travelogue on this soon)

During this course of time, I've spruced up the Red Dragon to my taste. I'll keep it short and crisp as these mods are a mixture from the Blue Baby and Satya's Ghost(nightraven).

The Inspiration for a few mods was from Satya(@nightraven) and Deepak Sharma for the technical/functional mods and I've followed some of the steps to get a few mods done. Thanks buddy!

I'll post only the relevant bits as most of it has been explained by Satya in his post

Here's Satya's brilliant thread on his plethora of mods : https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-d...heel-adas.html (DIY: Juicing up the Ford EcoSport S with ICE, Front Park, ST-line cluster, steering wheel and ADAS)


For the Aesthetic mods, the credits for these folks who helped me and me for these mods were Vipin Nair, Dennis, Noufal Ikka and Aasif(another twin EcoSport owner), and, of course, Cauvery Ford Folks! Else I wouldn't have taken the plunge.

Here's a look of how much we've bonded, though we were Insta friends


The Aesthetic mods:
I've added the batman themed spoiler(Ford OE in Thunder Variant) which costs about 6.5k including painting and labor. Some of you might think that the spoiler is only for function. I was pleasantly surprised that the spoiler actually helps in downforce drag above 120km/h. The spoiler was fixed by Javed bhai in JC Road and he's a pro with Ford cars regardless of the issue.

Roof Rails(Part no: CN1Z9955100A) are from Ford itself and these cost 7k. However we need to order these parts in advance as these are billed on an order basis. This can be ordered on Boodmo or GoMechanic.

I've dechromed the badges as well for a sporty look.



The upper portion of the door needs to be drilled for the spoiler to be installed(Its a pain to witness this in person while drilling)


The combined result of the Aesthetic mods


Installing BMC Air Filter: It's a straight replacement stock filter and it is priced at 7,000Rs.


Fiesta Diesel ST meter

As I keep scouting for some exotic parts on eBay.co.uk, I stumbled upon the Fiesta meter as my parents wanted the EcoSport ST meter back in the blue baby and I didn't want an 1100 meter(the 2" MID) back again. So I had asked a friend to courier it(Fiesta ST meter) via Royal Mail and he did courier it and I had to pay extra to the customs officials at the Foreign Post Office in Chamarajpet. I paid up upfront even for the ST line steering so that I do not need to make a repeat visit.

The cost of the meter was 120 Pounds+ 25 Pounds for shipping. Plus prices depend on the car clunker as well.

The giveaway for a color cluster is the first letter in the last 3 letters of the part number. The part number is H1BT-10849-CDJ. The one in italic is the giveaway for a color cluster regardless of whether the meter is petrol or diesel. If it's B, it's the same as you get in the S variant in India. If the letter is A, then it's the 2" MID Nokia display.

The Tab needs to be trimmed


The edge of the speedo base too needs to be cut


The meter base of the ST meter needs to be fixed with the glass of the stock meter in the next pic. B479 is the internal code name for Fiesta


B515 is the internal code name for EcoSport




The base of both the meters are identical




Getting the meter was one part but reassembling the meter was a challenge as the EcoSport glass housing won't fit snugly. I had to cut a few edges on the Fiesta meter and then fix the glass. On connecting the meter, I figured out that this meter had just been used for 3 Miles only!

However, the elephant in the room was that the RPM Guage wasn't working at all. I tried reflashing all the as-built codes but no luck. Then I immediately drove to Soni Meters in Ulsoor and the meter guy reset the needle and Voila, it started working! . The meter oozes style and function.

If someone wants to go for a UK spec meter, you can also try out Focus ST and C-Max/S-Max meters as the base architecture is similar to EcoSport. Only the glass needs to be replaced from your stock EcoSport meter

The base has the part number sticker on the right


Next Up: Focus ST Steering Wheel and TPMS from Aliexpress

Ford has literally goofed up in the feature distribution as they couldn't give a TPMS in their most expensive variant at that time. I was in for a rude shock as the April 2018 make Titianium+ did not come with TPMS. Then I had to order via aliexpress using Buyandship. Though it took 2 months for the sensors to arrive, it was worth the wait

Buyandship link:https://www.buyandship.in/

A short video on how to purchase from Buyandship:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe3h...=BuyandShipBNS

The cost of the sensors including shipping and customs came to around 6,000 Rs for a set of 4 sensors.

The Focus ST Steering:



As I was fond of flat-bottom steerings for their ease of use, shipping one to India had always been a task. As usual, I tried couriering via Royal Mail through my friend but the catch was that the parcel will weigh above 2kgs and Royal mail DOES NOT usually accept parcels to India above 2kg. Even if they accept, the pricing is insane!

Need to remove the steering wheel with a torque bolt


Me being curious, I asked my friend to bubble wrap it and wrap the upper layer in a dustbin bag/cover to keep the weight under 2kgs. This time the trick worked and the parcel came faster than the Fiesta Meter.


Once the parcel arrived I had to crimp the white tab and replace it with the crimping pins from the stock steering wire. A bit of soldering and the steering buttons worked just fine. After I installed the steering, I felt that the horn pad was loose on the lower end. Then I took the plunge and cut the upper portion of the Hornpad(where the airbag isn't present) and the horn pad works fine.

The White Tab is to be removed. Steering is made by ZF!


The 2 small connectors( the pins on the red and black wire, to the RHS of the steering) need to be replaced in place of the white tab


Total cost for the Steering wheel: 75 pounds + 25 pounds for shipping

A Ford Puma Steering link on eBay for reference(can be used on EcoSport): https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363348551...Cclp%3A2047675

Now the car has become a semi-batmobile and extra 10 bhp for looks! :P


Ready to Race: Ford Version


Now time for some fancy mods:

Then I was curious to unlock the jailbreak for sync on my own and I followed the video by Naviupgrade+ Satya's post for the sync unlock. I tried several builds but only Sync 3.4 build 21194 works without any hiccup.

Here's the link to my previous post on sprucing up Sync 3

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-d...0up%20to%20you (Some interesting DIY modifications in Ford's Sync 3))

This page affirms that the mods have be installed


The first line has the sync version. 2nd line has the build number. Can be found in about sync


I've enabled custom themes, backgrounds, video player, and Rear cam on demand(works only under 15 km/h)


Bonus: A 10-button sync 3 display which is apparently the only EcoSport in the country to have this:


In terms of maintenance, I'm still servicing my car at FASS and I changed the brake pads and diesel filter as I realized it quite late that my previous owner only did the regular oil change and has never bothered to check the brake pads or other mechanical bits.

For Washing the car I always give it at the Turtle Wax outlet near Jayanti Nagar signal and they do a stellar job. Price is at par with all the car wash centers in the vicinity.

I carry my own oil(Motul Xcess 8100 5W40) to FASS and request them to use my oil only and while pouring the oil, it needs to be done in my presence. On a different note, after seeing my car even FASS folks reach out to me for help on some mods and unlocking features on several Fords.

My next set of upgrades is the headlights from Automotive lighting experts, A mesh grill, a TPMS display on sync 3(my module is on the way from Vietnam or Thailand(depending on the seller), and a nice set of tires.

I was contemplating of sync 4 as well but I think that sync 3 would still be fine for me for the following reasons

Sync 3: Mod potential, Wired Android Auto(AA+ Car play(CP))

Sync 4: Novelty, Wireless AA + CP, Better computing power, More flexibility in voice commands. The downside is that offline maps are still under development.

The context for my explanation: https://www.cjponyparts.com/resources/sync-3-vs-sync-4

Sync 4 is possible for EcoSport and Endevaour at the moment as these 2 cars have an 8" touchscreen

The only major reason to upgrade would be only for wireless android auto, but that would need a wireless charger too( not many phones support wireless charging). Else the UI and functionality are pretty much the same.

Only some traffic scars are there on the cladding of the red dragon which I'll sort out during one of the weekends by Sep. Till then, Ciao!

For Viewing Pleasure

One at the Ford Plant when I went recently. Spotted this greenish color EcoSport which was never launched in India


The Remap+CC does wonders in fuel economy! Now the CC issue has been corrected as the remap file I was running on previously had this CC resume on throttle issue


Interior View, with movable date font+ rear cam on demand icon

[Shanksta]

Originally Posted by jithin23

Sprucing up the Red Dragon

Wow ! Your EcoSport looks hot and those mods make it great.

I had also planned a solo Ladakh trip in my EcoSport, infact I should have been driving back from Delhi today as per the original itenrary. Had to drop it due to some circumstances. Eagerly looking forward to your travelogue regarding the same.

Also I have seen that Golden yellow EcoSport a lot of times on OMR. Was wondering how they sold one in that color. Seems to be an employee from Ford that owns it.

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by Shanksta

Wow ! Your EcoSport looks hot and those mods make it great.

I had also planned a solo Ladakh trip in my EcoSport, infact I should have been driving back from Delhi today as per the original itenrary. Had to drop it due to some circumstances. Eagerly looking forward to your travelogue regarding the same.

Also I have seen that Golden yellow EcoSport a lot of times on OMR. Was wondering how they sold one in that color. Seems to be an employee from Ford that owns it.

Thanks Shanksta. Solo Ladakh trip was intense!

Yes, the golden yellow car is registered under Ford India and it is owned by an employee. Plus TN 14 RTO is Shonlinganallur, which might be the reason the car is spotted several times in OMR.

I keep visiting Chennai often, would love to catch up whenever your free and when I come to Chennai the next time.

[Shanksta]

Originally Posted by jithin23

Thanks Shanksta. Solo Ladakh trip was intense!

Yes, the golden yellow car is registered under Ford India and it is owned by an employee. Plus TN 14 RTO is Shonlinganallur, which might be the reason the car is spotted several times in OMR.

I keep visiting Chennai often, would love to catch up whenever your free and when I come to Chennai the next time.

Definitely, just drop me a PM the next time you are in town. I also keep driving down to Bangalore a lot and will let you know if I am there sometime soon.