Originally Posted by frankmehta

will they notice that I have changed the tyres so early on?

see buddy, i work for tata motors customer support. and i know that there is a protocol that when a vehicle comes in for warranty claim, it has to be checked first, to verify whether its under warranty. and considering ford is the only one with tyre changing rules. they should be able to notice it. besides they will probably be more surprised since this car is very new.

ideally a little surface oxidation should not be a spot of major concern, but if i was in your place, i wouldnt want anything to be amiss about my new car.
just my two cents! rest upto you.

[Vid6639]

Frank, Congrats on the car. Don't worry about the rust on the suspension arms. The uneven wearing of the pads you can try by getting the pads sand papered a bit to remove the unused part which is what is causing those streaks on the discs.

The car was idle for a few months and lot of kachra may have gotten in between the pads and discs and settled down there. When you started using it the kachra causes the streaks. Sanding the pads is a standard procedure usually done when the brakes squeak and when muck is stuck in the pads.

If sanding the pads doesn't work then ask for replacement pads and discs under warranty.

[gaurav_chopra04]

Originally Posted by superveloce

hey frankie, i hate to be the bearer of bad news. but this is something i had talked about in another fiesta owners thread too. i was specifically told by the shaman ford sales executives that even if the owners will change the width of the tyre they will lose warranty. i had a big argument with that guy, but he wouldnt budge. i told him that the rubber offered by the company was insufficient and i wanted to upsize. but he said that ford suspensions are designed to run on specified tyre size only. if the owner changes them, then they risk shortening suspension life.
so i would say, ask your tyre guy to give you your original tyres back, have them refitted, and send the car for warranty claim. i am hoping your tyre retailer must have not disposed them off by now. the money you spend in all this is worth the effort.
please dont own up to have changed the tyres to the shaman ford service people.

Ahh.. this is ridiculous.. tyre change and the warrenty is gone.. many of us here at TBhp get our tyres changed the moment we come out of the showroom.. plus tyres of most cars in India at least the ones D segment or below have High profile tyres/ smaller rims to cater to bad roads..Internationally in most cars of same spec cars they have low profile/bigger rims and more wide tyres on the same suspention..

Just an example.. current lancer comes in with 175/80 r13 which can be upgraded to 205/45 R15. The swift in India comes with 165/70/R14 and the one in europe comes with 195/55/R15..

to say that the suspention cannot handle bigger tyres is too foolish.. I would request some Senior's suggestions on this..

Originally Posted by gaurav_chopra04

Ahh.. this is ridiculous.. tyre change and the warrenty is gone.. many of us here at TBhp get our tyres changed the moment we come out of the showroom.. plus tyres of most cars in India at least the ones D segment or below have High profile tyres/ smaller rims to cater to bad roads..Internally in most cars of same spec cars they have low profile/bigger rims and more wide tyres on the same suspention..

Just an example.. current lancer comes in with 175/80 r13 which can be upgraded to 205/45 R15. The swift in India comes with 165/70/R14 and the one in europe comes with 195/55/R15..

to say that the suspention cannot handle bigger tyres is too foolish.. I would request some Senior's suggestions on this..

hey gaurav, i completely agree with you. i have a swift and i want to upgrade my swift to 195s too. i wanted to get a fiesta too but this changing tyres-warranty void issue made me have second thoughts.
i am aware that suspension components are designed with a certain tyre-wheel combo which ensures adequate life. but what i can also tell you, is that they are overloaded and tested too. simply put an upgrade of tyres would not drastically reduce suspension life, but effects may vary depending upon usage of each customer. its a little sad that ford is so rigid.

[Invinsible]

Going for lower profile tyres or wider is not an issues. The issue comes into play when the suspension has to work harder and is stressed more due to profile going less. Many go for higher pressure into their tyres to protect their rims this has it drawbacks which leads to stiffer / bumpy ride and more stress on the dampers. Side profile of the tyres always acts like a cushion where it takes some stress from the road and makes the dampers work like less. A man with broader pumped up shoulder will always be able to carry more weight on his shoulder if he has to than the man with less broad not worked up shoulder.
Some may not realise but the dampers do get affected especially there is something called a buffer in shock-ups which gets torn apart very often which further leads to getting the shock up damaged.
Upto 55 profile the suspension will play safe but anything beyond that you may never what goes wrong when.

Frank@ as long as you have maintained the side profile of the tyre there shouldnt be an issue. But with 205 your overall wheel diameter increases this has its own effects, most common is speedo error due to which you might push the car a bit more to reach a particular speed and since to reach there, you might pump in more fuel, so slight drop in mileage.

[JRD]

FRANKK!!! i'm sooo jealous. This is exactly what i wanted! Congrats dude. its the perfect upgrade from an esteem..
Car looks stunning!

[shajufx]

I have personally met the Regional Sales Manager of Ford India who came to bangalore to give me a visit (kudos to Ford for that). Tire upgrades of whatever kind will void the warranty on suspensions and related parts, its from horse's mouth. That company policy of Ford is there for years and its nothing new. But that doesnt bother anyone who owns a Fiesta or any other ford vehicle. Majority go for an upgrade for added comfort and handling.

Another friend and member here gksunil got his tires upgraded from the dealer itself (Metro, Hubli, 3 days back), now how about that ? He opted for Michelin 185/65 over the lousy stock. So, my point is, although companies have got stricter rules on many things, there is always a way around it. So, there is nothing to be worried nor panic. Your car was in stockyard idle for many months, a normal sand paper work could solve the whole issue, which is very minor. Now, my fiesta may not have any rust nor layer formation as it was manufactured in July 2009 itself, but if I leave it idle for 3 or 4 months, I can gurantee there will be similar things appearing on my brake pads and arms too. An underbody coating is promised to me as a compliment at the first service, that would prevent all such rusting in the future.

[frankmehta]

I just got back from Shaman Ford workshop at Lalbaug. They acknowledged the hard brake pads and did the needful. They also fixed the alignment of my right head light assembly, that somehow was not flush with the bumper. The car is perfectly fine now, and the brakes are perfect (they anyways were, this cleaning was done just for peace of mind)
Somehow the slight pull to the left/right side is gone, and the steering is behaving itself very well. Only on bad roads, it jumps around. But that is due to the stiff suspension.

They still made me wait for 2 and a half hours for the job though.

Realized a couple of things:

1. Tyre UPGRADEs will void your warranty, but you can change the brand if you maintain the tyre size. I myself have a 3 year warranty, but I don't predict any suspension issues cropping up in the next 3 years due to the short distances I drive, so I have decided to persist with my 205/15's (jo hoga woh dekha jaayega :-)

2. Whatever the nature of work, YOU have to wait. One must be patient and wait for their turn. The work will be done well, but you must wait.

3. The company is very stringent about warranties, so be prepared to void your's at the smallest instance. I will be voiding my car's electrical parts warranty when I install my ICE.

BUT, I am not going to wait 3 long years (my warranty ends then) to do things to my car which I have dreamt of since a long time. I will not postpone my tyre upgrades, or listen to basic ICE in the Fiesta JUST because I have to adhere to the warranty. If Ford wants to dishonour it, so be it. It's their rules. I have my own set of aspirations. I'd rather comply to them, than some idiosyncrasies of a company that can mend the rules according to it's own will.
(case in point: ford dealers can 'upsize' tyres, but I cant. When I know that my knowledge (our knowledge) is much more than a money minded dealer's.

another case in point: all exi's come with NO ICE. exi owners can install their own ICE, but I cant)

That's how things are. It's not Ford, it's a lot of other manufacturers. I will not change for them. I love my cars and I will tend to them. And I will realize my dreams.
PERIOD.

[Technocrat]

Dont fret Frank, this is common these days,

Do you know Swift's Manual says that aftermarket ICE(i.e. only showroom ones are allowed) will void warranty? This is for a car which doesnt come with ICE (except for ZXi). Now beat that.

[frankmehta]

haaan. sucks. but we love our cars. Let the warranty be. Anyways I am sure the place where I get my ICE installed, they are more careful and knowledgeable than most showrooms and service workshops.

[benbsb29]

Frank, firstly congrats on your new driving machine. You would definitely enjoy the experience.

Originally Posted by frankmehta

I just got back from Shaman Ford workshop at Lalbaug. They acknowledged the hard brake pads and did the needful.

The car is perfectly fine now, and the brakes are perfect (they anyways were, this cleaning was done just for peace of mind)

Somehow the slight pull to the left/right side is gone, and the steering is behaving itself very well. Only on bad roads, it jumps around. But that is due to the stiff suspension.

I think what you have mentioned above about the disk cleaning is the answer to your pulling to the sides problem. It probably was possible that one side was applying retardation force slightly differently as compared to the other side owing to differences in the disks, and thereby causing the car to pull towards the sides.

[R32_GTR]

Congrats on your new ride..

This thread is making me shy away from buying the '09 Honda City AT and making my life a bit difficult coz I cant decide:(..But considering the fact that I drive 30 - 60 kms everyday..the mind suggests the City..

Cheers..

Originally Posted by R32_GTR

Congrats on your new ride..

This thread is making me shy away from buying the '09 Honda City AT and making my life a bit difficult coz I cant decide:(..But considering the fact that I drive 30 - 60 kms everyday..the mind suggests the City..

Cheers..

if you are an enthusiast and a petrolhead at heart then you wouldnt regret buying a fiesta S. but if you prefer an automatic for rush hour bombay drives then you are better of in a city. besides i think the automatic honda still gives better city efficiency than the fiesta S.

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by frankmehta

Tyre UPGRADEs will void your warranty..... I will be voiding my car's electrical parts warranty when I install my ICE....
another case in point: all exi's come with NO ICE..... exi owners can install their own ICE, but I cant)

So to summarise, your following warranties are already void in effect ;
1) Suspension, drive train, wheel arms, related parts (due to larger rubber)
2) Electricals (due to ICE and Headlamp upgrades)

Now you should consider K&N filters and some extra exhaust notes (with a beautiful chrome tip too), so that every warranty related to the engine will get void.

You might be drilling few body panels for fixing of speakers, woofers, amps etc. thereby warranty on the complete metal body gets automatically void.

Now what else is remaining ? I think all valuables are covered. On a lighter note: Cancel your 3rd year extended warranty and ask them to refund that amount, atleast it might be enough for a good pair of speakrs.

I will successfully reach your point 1 (above) by tomorow. Most of the remaining things in few months. And luckily I havent taken the 3rd year warranty yet !

[lamborghini]

@gaurav: It was the same issue when we bought our Lancer. I was restricted to 195/60R14 to avoid warranty issues. That too after a lot of arguing.
It is the same with Maruti, and I am positive with other companies as well.