[Dr.Awesomeness]

yes i have checked the brake calipers and they are fine, the brake caliper issue was reported for non-abs version. my friend had the same issue on his figo zxi and his calipers were replaced and all was well from then on. but i guess my issue is different. anyway i am going to give the car to the a.s.s and review their response.

[figo_mba]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

IMHO, INR 1,00,000/- is not a figure that most Indians will prefix with a "just". That is a significant difference. Similar difference exists in the pricing of the Vista & Manza, Swift & Dzire etc.

I agree to your point but I am sure there is also a reason why there are many swift d'zire on road. People have an affinity for the boot.

Even if I were to call the Fiesta classic a Figo with a boot, it is one of the best integrated boot..
So people who will be looking at the figo will not look at the fiesta if they are on a tight budget and who thinks fiesta is an aged car (which is true)

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Feature cut on ZXi - terrible. (Same that Tata did with the Vista Aqua trim 6 months back.) Till now in Pune, for the Figo TDCi, ZXi is the one most seen on roads. Looks like Ford want to sell more Titanium.

This makes sense. Titanium is the model that is being exported. If they get the Indian public to buy the titanium then they save on not having many variants. Inventory costs are less. It actually makes sense like that but are they not bothered about the reduction in sales that is going to come with the same ?

[ramharis]

Guys,
Came across projector headlights for Figo from TheRetroRides. Had mailed him and also got a quote. He said the Projectors and HID are Hella originals and the cost for a pair is Rs.20K without installation. With installation is going to cost another 5K. Since iam in chennai and the retro rides cannot do the installation, so enquired if they can purchase a new set of headlamps, do the installation there and then send it over. The total cost of all these (projector with HID kit, New Figo Headlamps and installation) is 30K.

Any suggestions, does anybody have any experience with the Retrorides and how good they are in delivering quality products ?

Here is the pic of the projector fitment.

[Paleo]

Originally Posted by AmarPaithankar

I made the payment before the 20th of July. They did not allot any car as none was in stock. To get a quicker delivery, I upgraded from the EXI to ZXI and also gave them an option in colour, either Chill or silver.

@AmarPaithankar - I have a similar story to tell. Booked the Zxi Diesel a week ago and got a call yesterday on the 'price hike and feature reduction'. First thought - i wanted to cancel the booking. Titanium makes no sense to me as I'm looking at a VFM second car. But there doesnt seem to be a better option. Now i'm confused. I might go in for the Exi with just the music system added (quoting 14K for it). Going to try some bargaining done. In case you plan to come, I'll be at the showroom around 11 AM today. Look out for a guy with a long nose

[Deep Blue]

Originally Posted by Dr.Awesomeness

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forum and also a proud owner of a 11 month old Figo TDCI titanium. I am facing an issue with car from the day one. From about the time i had completed the first service i am hearing a small sound from the driver suspension/steering column area. It is more like a rumbling or it is like something is loose. When i fall into ditches with sharp edges theres a loud thud too from the front suspension. I gave the car for check ups at kairali ford Cochin and they couldn't find anything wrong with car. I though it it was in my head and tried to live with it. As time went by the noise stared increasing and now there's a very distinct sound from the same area when you drive through uneven roads and i tried taking the car to the SC and they still cannot find whats wrong with the car. They tried changing the connecting rods and the usual stuff and still the noise remains. Have anyone else faced this same issue and got it sorted? Please help.

Originally Posted by jayded

Did you get the brake calipers checked. My car used to make a similar sound, something like a rattling metal sound, while going over a rough patch. It was found to be loose brake caliper assembly. It was tightened at the A.S.S. and the sound has reduced considerably.

I have this problem for the last one year. Mine is a titanium. First they said it is in the dashboard, then the brake pad. One SA said it is the brake caliper, but the others laughed at that. Finally they said if it persists, suspension has to be opened. I was not too confident to allow this "trial and error" specialists' to experiment on my car.So now I am waiting for 20k service to see what they will come up with next. It is another of Ford Figo's unsolved mysteries!

Scorpio07 also had this problem and it was localised to a weak stabiliser bar. Check page 274 of this thread, post 4110.
@scorpio07 - do you have this sound now?

I too feel it is the brake caliper pin. I had the same sort of noise under the same circumstances in my old Alto. It was diagnosed as play of the caliper pin within its casing. They used to insert a small foil around the pin so that it is snugly sitting within the casing and then there was no noise.

[happy.tripathy]

[COLOR=black]A friend of mine (not on T-BHP) met with an accident this sunday while driving his FIGO (Petrol Titanium). He had swerve quickly to the left to avoid an oncoming moron on his lane and hit some concrete blocks on the left front side of his car. He was doing 30-35 at the time when he hit it. As per him the impact was not severe but the airbags were deployed! Everyone in the car was safe, there was visibly not much damage to the car, even he was able to drive the car back to Ford A$$. The initial estimate was 45k (airbags+front bumper+dashboard+steering wheel and some minor denting and painting). Yesterday the service engg called up and said that the front "apron" is misaligned and needs replacement, the estimate is now up to 80K!!! Also in order to replace the apron the car needs to be completely stripped down, apron replaced and then again re-assembled. He is quite hesitant in getting this done and wants to know if this is necessary. Guys can you please advise on what to do?[/COLOR]
[FONT=Calibri][/FONT]

[Dr.Awesomeness]

Originally Posted by Deep Blue

I have this problem for the last one year. Mine is a titanium. First they said it is in the dashboard, then the brake pad. One SA said it is the brake caliper, but the others laughed at that. Finally they said if it persists, suspension has to be opened. I was not too confident to allow this "trial and error" specialists' to experiment on my car.So now I am waiting for 20k service to see what they will come up with next. It is another of Ford Figo's unsolved mysteries!

Scorpio07 also had this problem and it was localised to a weak stabiliser bar. Check page 274 of this thread, post 4110.
@scorpio07 - do you have this sound now?

I too feel it is the brake caliper pin. I had the same sort of noise under the same circumstances in my old Alto. It was diagnosed as play of the caliper pin within its casing. They used to insert a small foil around the pin so that it is snugly sitting within the casing and then there was no noise.

Thanks deep blue for the reply. The guys at service had replaced a stabilizer bar on my figo and had swore on their heads that the noise will not be back. But even before the car ran a 100 kms, the sound was back. I really think that the service guys are really dumb or they are acting dumb. I am really worried if it is something related to the steering column. I have a friend who had an optra magnum which had the same noise and was diagnosed to faulty steering column. I dont know if i am being paranoid or if iam losing it. I am ok with the car showing some issues, with the current road conditions in cochin, its inevitable. What really pisses me off is that the service guys turning into mute spectators on my expense. I really look forward to Figo owners to help me out. What should i do??? HELP !!!

[AmarPaithankar]

Hey Paleo, sorry I did not read your post earlier and as it is , it would not be possible anyway. Yesterday I created quite a scene at the Paud road showroom. The Planet Ford manager was cool ane repled that it was the company's decision and the dealer was not informed in advance. He also mentioned that I was free to cancel my booking. This reminded me of "Licence raj" wherein the manufacturer was king and consumers had to wait for monrhs together to get their vehicles. I do not buy this at all because I know how these showroom crooks function. I also strongly feel that Ford had, on purpose delayed delivery because of this reason.

I too thought of cancelling my booking but, as you rightly said there is no better option. One advice though, I took a test drive of the Beat diesel today and it is truly a brilliant and VFM car. The only thing negative are the cramped interiors (when compared to the Figo, Ritz, Swift, etc). Quality too is very good.

Hope the Beat fares well in the market and brings Ford to the good old ESCORT-IKON-conFUSION days.

Ford thinks, DIESEL enough is an adequate reason for healthy volumes.

If you plan to go tomorrow, call me on 95525 08210.

Originally Posted by AmarPaithankar

I made the payment before the 20th of July. They did not allot any car as none was in stock. To get a quicker delivery, I upgraded from the EXI to ZXI and also gave them an option in colour, either Chill or silver.


@AmarPaithankar - I have a similar story to tell. Booked the Zxi Diesel a week ago and got a call yesterday on the 'price hike and feature reduction'. First thought - i wanted to cancel the booking. Titanium makes no sense to me as I'm looking at a VFM second car. But there doesnt seem to be a better option. Now i'm confused. I might go in for the Exi with just the music system added (quoting 14K for it). Going to try some bargaining done. In case you plan to come, I'll be at the showroom around 11 AM today. Look out for a guy with a long nose

[Deep Blue]

Originally Posted by Dr.Awesomeness

Thanks deep blue for the reply. The guys at service had replaced a stabilizer bar on my figo and had swore on their heads that the noise will not be back. But even before the car ran a 100 kms, the sound was back. I really think that the service guys are really dumb or they are acting dumb. I am really worried if it is something related to the steering column. I have a friend who had an optra magnum which had the same noise and was diagnosed to faulty steering column. I dont know if i am being paranoid or if iam losing it. I am ok with the car showing some issues, with the current road conditions in cochin, its inevitable. What really pisses me off is that the service guys turning into mute spectators on my expense. I really look forward to Figo owners to help me out. What should i do??? HELP !!!

I have limited technical knowledge but fail to understand how a weak stabilizer bar should produce a sound which appears to be due to metal to metal contact.
Besides how does one identify "weakness" in the stabilizer bar?

Most of Figo's niggles are the same across the board. Our own sound is present in as many as 4 tbhp owned Figos'. You can imagine how many more are there in the 1 lac Figos on the road. With such repetitive complaints, more than the dealer, I would expect more efforts from Ford as a company to find solutions. Or are they not getting adequate feedback from the dealers?
The SA at my dealer is just a glorified receptionist. He is no idea about cars.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by happy.tripathy

hit some concrete blocks on the left front side of his car. He was doing 30-35 at the time when he hit it.

Well, a hit @30k should not misalign the apron, unless the tyre(Front Left suspension) alone took the hit. Also, If at all it was mis-aligned, then your friend must have easily felt the difference while driving. Did he?

If yes, then go for it, and please get it done ONLY at F.A.S.S. If not, get a 2nd suggestion from a different F.A.S.S or a trusted mechanic.

And yes, Apron damage is very serious and the car indeed needs to be stripped down.

[figo_mba]

Originally Posted by happy.tripathy

[COLOR=black]A friend of mine (not on T-BHP) met with an accident this sunday while driving his FIGO (Petrol Titanium). He had swerve quickly to the left to avoid an oncoming moron on his lane and hit some concrete blocks on the left front side of his car. He was doing 30-35 at the time when he hit it. As per him the impact was not severe but the airbags were deployed! Everyone in the car was safe, there was visibly not much damage to the car, even he was able to drive the car back to Ford A$$. The initial estimate was 45k (airbags+front bumper+dashboard+steering wheel and some minor denting and painting). Yesterday the service engg called up and said that the front "apron" is misaligned and needs replacement, the estimate is now up to 80K!!! Also in order to replace the apron the car needs to be completely stripped down, apron replaced and then again re-assembled. He is quite hesitant in getting this done and wants to know if this is necessary. Guys can you please advise on what to do?[/COLOR]

It is quite possible to misjudge the speed at which accidents happen for the simple reason that we would have all our concentration on accident avoidance and not the speedometer.

In the estimate that you mentioned, is it the cost to the owner or the total estimate that will be shared by the insurance and the owner ?
If it is shared by insurance and owner I think the cost is comparable to other cars.

From what I hear on full airbag deployment there is a lot of cost involved. For Fiat when I enquired the cost is 80-90K and half of it will be covered by insurance. That should mean 40-45K from our pocket. The whole dashboard and thingy needs to be replaced. Lot of labor is also involved. I am not saying that it is silly money but it is comparable to the other cars in the segment.


Now I understand the good reason why they provided switches to turn off passenger airbag if there is no passenger. You save on the costs of replacing the whole dashboard.

Now, as for the apron I think you should take it to another service center (Ford Authorized) and then get an opinion from them as well. An estimate for the work should also give a chance of comparison.

[anilisanil]

While we are at it (uncalled for price rise of Figo) it has been confirmed that Ford is building a $1B plant in Gujrat.

The U.S. automaker plans to announce its plans on Thursday, according to the report, which cited Ford's head of Asia-Pacific and Africa Joe Hinrichs.
The factory in Gujarat, expected to be up and running by 2014, will employ 5,000 people and is expected to have an initial annual capacity of 240,000 vehicles, the newspaper reported.
Ford's largest single investment in India follows the success of its India-built Figo model, which helped the group nearly triple its sales last year, the FT reported.
Hinrichs was quoted as saying that Gujarat had been selected over other states for its pro-business reputation and geographical location and ports from which to export cars to other emerging markets.

[Paleo]

[quote=AmarPaithankar;2446251]Hey Paleo, sorry I did not read your post earlier and as it is , it would not be possible anyway. Yesterday I created quite a scene at the Paud road showroom. The Planet Ford manager was cool ane repled that it was the company's decision and the dealer was not informed in advance. He also mentioned that I was free to cancel my booking. This reminded me of "Licence raj" wherein the manufacturer was king and consumers had to wait for monrhs together to get their vehicles. I do not buy this at all because I know how these showroom crooks function. I also strongly feel that Ford had, on purpose delayed delivery because of this reason.

I too thought of cancelling my booking but, as you rightly said there is no better option. One advice though, I took a test drive of the Beat diesel today and it is truly a brilliant and VFM car. The only thing negative are the cramped interiors (when compared to the Figo, Ritz, Swift, etc). Quality too is very good.

Hope the Beat fares well in the market and brings Ford to the good old ESCORT-IKON-conFUSION days.

Ford thinks, DIESEL enough is an adequate reason for healthy volumes.

If you plan to go tomorrow, call me on 95525 08210.

@Amol - I was never a fan of the Beat and though the diesel reviews seem good, I decided to go with the FIGO. I went yesterday and at some point, felt there was no point arguing. Also I had the loan processing almost complete and wanted the loan sanctioned before the RBI hike was applied. So booked the Exi. Decided to get it accessorized from outside. They are giving me Fog lamps and body color Painting of handles and mirrors at 2K

Let me know what you finalize on ....

[scorpio07]

Originally Posted by Deep Blue

Scorpio07 also had this problem and it was localised to a weak stabiliser bar. Check page 274 of this thread, post 4110.
@scorpio07 - do you have this sound now?

I too feel it is the brake caliper pin. I had the same sort of noise under the same circumstances in my old Alto. It was diagnosed as play of the caliper pin within its casing. They used to insert a small foil around the pin so that it is snugly sitting within the casing and then there was no noise.

I have not had this issue since they replaced the stabiliser bar, it was not the brake caliper pin. For me the noise was more like a moving metal ball within a pipe when it hit the ends. It was like a THUNK sound, it was hard to recreate since it would creep in after 5kms of drive only, so i took the car for a round trip to recreate the sound. Service rep did identify and accepted it was new to them.

[gemithomas]

Originally Posted by figo_mba

From what I hear on full airbag deployment there is a lot of cost involved. For Fiat when I enquired the cost is 80-90K and half of it will be covered by insurance. That should mean 40-45K from our pocket. The whole dashboard and thingy needs to be replaced. Lot of labor is also involved. I am not saying that it is silly money but it is comparable to the other cars in the segment.

Thats why a maruti is always a maruti. Saw a sx4 yesterday which had got its airbags deployed when the owner managed to hit the front of his car on his compound wall. Not sure why the air bag came out at such low speeds. The reason given was that he did not wear the seat belt and thus the air bags deployed at lower speeds. The sad news is that there is no switch to turn off the passenger air bag. The good news though is that the owner can change just a small part of the dash rather than the whole dash.