[ashishgandhi_00]

Thanks all,

@ kumar, my mud flaps are black in color. not sure body color mud flaps would look good (esp on my platinum baby)

@ nairrk, reg gearshift, i will have to get it checked - its very unusual and annoying
reg engine noise - i will check with a friend in my office who drives a fiesta.

thanks again.

[sanjayc]

Ashish,

No issue with 1st/2nd gear slotting in my SXI..are u trying with one smooth motion/shift?. Sometimes, the reverse gear does not slot fully if I try too fast (as per fiesta manual one should have few seconds delay)..then I need to slot to any other gear and then again bring it back to reverse..this issue I faced with my earlier Ikon also, hence I am not too worried on this.

For me, I can hear the engine noise once the rpm reaches 3K but till that stage, whatever sound is heard, not sure if it can be defined as "noise".

[ashishgandhi_00]

hey all,

am posting after a long tme. work is keeping me very very busy.

got a rude shock today afternoon. some crack-pot peeled off the sticker of 1 alphabet from my rear number plate. what on earth

this cannot be accidental. i checked the other stickers, and they are firmly stuck. i thought it happened today morning, after i parked my car in my office basement. but when i checked with the security, he told me that he noticed this in the morning itself and wanted to inform me, but couldnt. i would agree, as i feel it is difficult to do such stupid tasks in broad daylight in presence of a security guard. so, this happened over the weekend.

what sadisitc pleasure would one get by peeling off stickers like these. they obvioulsy have no commercial value, so the objective is to cause incovenience to the owner...

what next? should i just leave it. i guess not, since driving with an incomplete number plate could invite 'mamu's' attention.

what options do i have? well, for now, i am gonna try and paint that alphabet with a marker pen. then, i will check if such single alphabet stickers (its an 'A') are available in the market. if not, i will have to go for a new number plate

Thoughts guys?

Cheers
Ashish

[sanjayc]

What! Your number plates have stickers! I thought the regn number is always painted!!!

[nairrk]

Since it is sticker type letters, there are chances you may get single letters.
Check with those number plate guys. Alternatively, you may ask some painter to write the A for the time being and then go for a new number plate later (just to watch if any other letters are going to be taken by the same crack who took away your 'A'??)

[ashishgandhi_00]

@ sanjayc - yes, there are stickers. even my old Santro has stickers on number plates. i think these are the standard ones provided by the dealers. one can get them changed later on. i have seen those new bar-coded (magnetic) number plates on several cars these days (those which has IND written on the left side). which ones does ur car have?

@ nairrk - for the time being, i have written 'A' which a marker pen. will try to find the sticiker over the weekend. it still can't figure out why would any moron do this kind of 'moron-giri'?

thanks

[sanjayc]

I have these black-on-white printed ordinary number plates provided by the dealer at the time of delivery..I enquired here at a local shop about the IND ones, it seems they are priced around 1400/- did'nt seem to be worth it.

[ashishgandhi_00]

Hi all,

would like to share some concerns which i am facing with my Fiesta since last couple of months and my experience with the 2nd service last saturday.

i already mentioned abt the gear slotting issues, and this seems related. i dont want to sound like a jerk always complaining abt the car, but its like am too much in love with my car and want her to work / run smoothly.

When i drive the car without A/C (sounds wierd, but i do it just to test the car), the car runs very smoothly, meaning -

- the car revs smoothly in 1st and 2nd gear (and beyond as well, but my concern is with these 2 gears)
- the engine noise is soft till 2.5K RPM (beyond it it becomes little loud, which is understandable). I drive a petrol Fiesta
- i can maneuver the car in 2nd gear on spead breakers, without having to press the clutch at all - meaning the car doesn't shudder
- gear slotting is relatively smooth

now, when i switch on the AC, the car changes its behaviour completely

- the engine groans a lot even at 2K RPM
- revving is not smooth. infact, in 2nd gear, the car seems to pull back quite a bit from 2.5K RPM to 1.5k RPM - meaning if u rev the car upto 2.5K RPM and release the accelerator, u get a feel that the car is slowing down significanlty (no brakes are applied). My old Santro used to have it (at higher RPMs though), but thats because the engine couldn't bear the load. i can't belive the 1.6 ltr engine cant bear the load at 2.5K RPM (with just 1 peron no luggage in car and on straight roads)
- the gear slotting is harsh (1st and 2nd only)
- i cannot run the car over spead breakers in 2nd gear without pressing the clutch a bit, else the car starts shuddering.

Coming to the servce - last saturday morning, i visited Bhanva Ford (at Nerul) and highlighted these issues to the service guy. he took a test drive and told me that there is nothing wrong with the car and that am unecessarily worrying. this is normal behaviour.

HOWEVER, he said that there was some issue with the parking break (he didnt explain what) which he said he would rectify.

Saturday evening, i took my car and while driving back home, i was amazed. the car was running smoothly even with the A/c. all problems listed above (with a/c) were gone. i thought that i had to be the parking brake - i called him back and he told me that the parking brake wasnt getting released properly, but it isn't too much of a concern.

I was very happy - the problems were solved. i couldn't take the car out on sunday, since i had some guests at home. I did deploy the parking brake while parking the car on saturday.

Monday morning, i take my car out, and i get a bad feeling abt the car again pulling back. i decide not to think too much and enjoy the drive. i thought i should drive it for some time before jumping to conclusions.

its been 4 days, and i feel that the earlier problems have re-surfaced. i called the service guy, but he said that parking brake was not a problem at all. he asked me to get the car to the service center.

i will do that, but i wanted to get the views of the Tbhpains:

- has anyone experienced significant change in engine performance (Petrol) when the AC is on?
- is it likely that the parking brake is actually pulling the car?

Help me guys

Thanks
Ashish

[raamki]

ashish, hello after a super long time!

i have not experienced this lag on my car, or prolly i hav'nt even noticed, maybe because am a 'heavy-clutch' person! besides, the car always runs on a/c, it switches on and off along with the engine, never turn the knob down to 0!

i'll turn the a/c off in motion and let you know what happens. There may be nothing wrong with the car afterall, all in the mind you know!!

[frankmehta]

@ashish: she pulls cleanly through all gears even with ac on. Stop worrying! This isn't a V8 or a V12 ;-)
It is bound to lose some power due to the AC compressor (which, is incidentally a very large power sapping one, but makes only a small dent on the superior 1.6)
Sleep tight and enjoy the car. (both not necessarily at the same time.. moo haa haa)
ATLEAST you don't have an S (mine :-( ) that has lost it's lovely steering feel and STILL not gotten rid of that rack noise! Take solace from that!

[nairrk]

@Ashish
I havent come across such problem as I always drive with a/c on.
However when on long drives, in the morning or evening time, I used to switch off
for few minutes ( even in no.1 position) as it gives a chilled climate inside the cabin. Again, after few kms when I feel uncomfortable, I switch on the a/c but never
experienced any difference in speed when switching on/off the a/c.

Are you feeling the difference only while on 1st and 2nd gear drive or even at high speed it happens?

[ashishgandhi_00]

@ raamki - super long time man... been busy with work. do let me know your feedback

@ franko .. probably in the mind. but, am unable to get over it. one reason could be that i get to drive my old santro sometimes (its being used by dad currently, with driver). and end up comparing the simple gear slotting of the santro with the Fiesta (which i know is insane !!). BTW, what u done with your 'S' dude - steering feel, rack noise - take care man.

Nairsaab - its only in the 1st and 2nd gear. the 3rd and 4th are silky smooth (though u dont get to use them much in city driving ). somehow, i experiece a lot of difference. infact, i now drive more without ac, just to get that smooth feeling - its feels so nice...

Cheers
Ashish

[ashishgandhi_00]

All,

i met with a small and weird accident (not sure i can call it an accident) on Saturday when i was on my way to Pune. It was around 11AM and i had just exited the Expressway. i recd an imp call on my mobile. as a disciplined driver, i pulled the car on the side of the main road - it was a kuccha road. after finishing the call, i started driving.

Before i could get on the road, i heard a loud screeeth and that too 2 times, as if something had hit the car from beneath - on the left side. i froze for a moment. i couldn't understand what had happened, but was sure it was something bad. While i was thinking, a man outside told me that my left front tyre was flat. i then realized that it was something with the tyre. My wife immediately got out to check. she was shocked to see that i had taken my car over a 5 inch tall uncut iron pole poking out of the ground. it had sharp ends, and both tyres were brushed against it. the front tyre couldn't take the impact and gave away.

i was shattered. when i saw the pole, i was damn upset with myself.
how could i not have noticed this pole. my baby was hurt, and so was i. i was also furious that such poles are kept open and so close to the highway!!

My wife tried hard to console me, but i was numb for 2-3 mins.

i gained some strength and started looking out for a mechanic. My parents were sitting at the back, and i had to do something to get out of this situation. Luckily i found a tyre guy few meters ahead and got hold of him

he removed the front left tyre and took it to his shop. he inspected the rear left tyre and said that i was fine.

At his shop, we saw that there was an half inch hole in the tyre on the inside. a piece of rubber had come out fully. he suggested the following:

- convert this tyre into a tube tyre
- stick the broken rubber with additional piece of rubber

i agreed since i had no choice, and i was not sure of driving back to Mumbai on the spare. he did the above, and in the process dented my new alloys at several places @#$%

he said that it was fine to continue with this tyre, but i am not t sure. i did drive back to mumbai on this tyre, but want to get this sorted out

i want to check the following with fellow fiestians"

- is it ok to run on such a tyre (which is converted into tube and has a small hole, which is temporarily fixed)
- is it ok to run on 3 tubeless and 1 tube tyre
- can i get one piece of tubeless tyre, in case i want to replace it

later on i realized that i should have taken a pic of that pole,to give you all an idea of what to expect on Indian roads !!!

Thanks
Ashish

[sanjayc]

Originally Posted by ashishgandhi_00

Luckily i found a tyre guy few meters ahead and got hold of him

So, now you know who the real culprit was in planting the iron pole! Good stategy for steady business.

[ashishgandhi_00]

Originally Posted by sanjayc

So, now you know who the real culprit was in planting the iron pole! Good stategy for steady business.

@ sanjayc - looks unlikely. The pole was firmly fixed into the ground. It is visible, if one is watching properly. And it is on the side of the road. not many ppl will drive their car on the side, unless someone stops (like i did)