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Bhpians,

Need some help/ advice.

Am getting a strange rattling noise from the front side (seems to be from driver side). It is strange because it does not come always. I noticed this noise a couple of months back. Bothered me on & off after that. Managed to take to Metro Ford today for a check-up. Mine is a Figo Titanium Diesel.

Noise characteristics are as follows
1) Very faint sound
2) Seems like metal hitting metal
3) Usually comes only in low to very low speeds (5-15 km/h)
4) Have noticed it mostly when AC is on
5) Mostly comes on level roads when the car passes any small elevation/ hump on the road. Need not necessarily be a speed breaker. In fact, very rarely did i get this sound while passing a speed breaker.
6) Seems like coming when i do a combination of engaging/ disengaging clutch, disengaging/ engaging break and very slight acceleration/ deccleration.

The guys at Metro Ford started with couple of hypothesis
1) Link Rod problem
2) Suspension/ Shock Absorber problem
3) Steering ball bearings.
4) Cross bar

(3) & (4) above were ruled out on inspection. On first check found that link rod had no problem. Removed the Shock and checked. The Service advisoir felt there is a problem with the shock absorber/ damper. They showed me that the damper is coming up slowly than usual. I checked the time. Its took around 9.4 seconds for it to come up fully from fully pressed state. They replaced it with a new shock absorber. It only took about 6 seconds to come up to normal state from fully pressed state.

Test drove the car. Sound did not go. In the meantime they sent the old shock absorber for further testing. It came back with the report that this is in perfect condition and requires no replacement. Now they explained to me that the time difference was there because the new one has not been subjected to load. Said this would vanish in a couple of days with new shock as well one subjected to load conditions.

In the meantime they contacted some central Ford Engineer over hotline. He advised that they remove and refit the whole suspension set up with certain torque values for all critical nuts & bolts and use the original shock absorber. He advised interchange of link rods. These guys did as instructed. They interchanged the link rods (i.e left one went on right wheel and right went to left wheel). Went on test drive. Noise levels seem to have come down but they did not vanish. There was still some noise we could hear on RHS.

Finally it was decided that the problem could be link rod only. I said that could not be the case as the sound still is coming from right side where as the right link rod has now been moved to left. They did not have a satisfying answer to this question. They anyway went ahead and replaced the right side link rod (which is originally the left side rod) with a new one under warranty (Costs around 1100 Rs). I said i will observe it for a few days and come back. It was already 7 in the night. Went there at 8 am in the morning.

So guys, let me know if anybody else has faced similar problem and if there is any other solution to this.

Awaiting your responses,

I too face a similar issue, but in my case the sound comes from the front left. Its completely silent on good roads but a metal hitting metal kind of sound comes whenever the front left tyre rides over tiny pot holes or broken roads. Guys @ ASSC said that it is due to the brake calipers and greased the front calipers. The noise subsided for 300-400 kms but now, I could hear it again although its faint. They also mentioned that there is no permanent solution to this and either I would have to live with the sound or get it greased on a regular basis.

I had a similar sounding problem. In my case, over rough roads, while turning the steering, a "tak tak tak" noise would come.
The steering assembly was replaced under warranty. So far, its been going good.

we hit 500 pages. :D

Had noticed this earlier as well :)

A small up-date (don't have a dedicated thread)

My Car in its 23rd month has done ~18,500 kms. Has few squeaks (no rattles) & it comes & goes on its whim & fancy.

The regular trait of a Ford shines bright.

If given a choice to pick another Car (even hatchback, unless Polo 1.6 comes in, though 90HP appeals as well) again given the same budget, I would chose the Figo again.

The Car is the same to drive as it was on day one.

And yes, the last refill saw the DTE showing 720kms. All refills earlier were in the region of 650-680kms.

Thanks :-)

My car went in for it's 30K service (+ RTB inspection) last week at Lathangi Ford, Banergatta road. It's a TDCi ZXi, 27 months old.

Work requested:
30K routine service
RTB inspection as per TSB
Clicking noise from right side B pillar/Seat belt assembly
Brake caliper vibration noise
Inspect and adjust Link rod/stabilizer bar since I used to get a "tak" metallic sound while turning and going over a bump.

Bill break-up:
Parts
Fender Guard clip: Rs. 12.18/-
Wash fluid pouch: 53.95/-
Oil Filter: 332.71/-
Fuel Filter: 1,354/-
AC Fresh air filter: 294.41/-
Rustoff rust spray: 88.89/-
Engine oil: 979.53/-

Labour and service
30,000 KMs service charge: 1,725/-
Consumables: 325/-

Total (including taxes): 5,872/-

The RTB was replaced free of charge.

The service experience was pretty decent. Car was delivered by the time promised and charges explained to me. Didn't try to sell any of the additional stuff except mentioned about an offer from 3M where a full body polishing comes free with an underbody rust treatment. The charge was 2700/- odd, but I politely refused.

Overall apart from the overall increase in smoothness after the fluid changes, there is not much difference felt. Most of the rattling/clicking sounds have vanished for the time being, but the brake caliper noise is still there, though it's very faint now. Other than that, the car is performing as expected, and more. It's a breeze on the highway and munches miles with ease.

Normal City mileage: 16.5 km/l with 80% AC
Highway mileage: 18.5 km/l with 80% AC and speeds hovering around 110-120 km/h

My Figo TDCi ZXi is due 40k service sometime soon after almost 30 months of running.
I am planning to change the headlamps, if I do not put any new relays, what option do I have?
I think I should change tyres (Should have done sometime back I guess). If I do not want to upsize, what options do I have, I am no mood to go for MRF again, not that I faced any issues, but would like a more soft tyre with reduced noise.

Any suggestions are welcome!!

Did you enquire what the separate consumables mentioned Labour and Service include? Most of the things mentioned in the parts themselves are consumables. I had also seen this in my last bill but could not ask what it is at that time. Next time I am certainly going to ask what other consumables they use.

Is that the normal labour charge or has Ford recently hiked their prices? 1700 bucks for a small car just seems too much, especially since I have been under the impression that a normal service (including oil/oil filter change & washing) costs around 2.5K-2.7K.

I too didn't ask specifically what all constitute that, but my guess is topping up the other fluids as well, which includes power-steering fluid etc. I'm not sure though. But the point to note is, it comes under labour charges and not parts.

Like few members who have upgraded the bulbs alone, you can try doing that. Philip Xtreme Vision/Power or Osram Nightbreaker/NB+ will be a plug and play, and will give you better light output.

Regarding tires, you can check out Michelin XM2, Yokohama C-Drives, or MRF ZLO (Though they don't come in the stock IIRC). Michelin will the softest of the lot and the most expensive. The Yokos would be a right balance of comfort, grip and longevity. You can expect to be paying around 4K+ per tire.

Hi Figopian
You can change to Philips Extra Vision Bulbs, but the at the same cost you can get a very good relay + new >100W bulbs and literally double the illumination.
For tyres I think you keep the same specifications (as they are wide enough and look best) and go for POTENZA GIII sports-type, Michelin Energy XM2, or Goodyear Assurance. All of these will surely give better performance compared to MRF but will wear faster.
This is what I have in mind for when my Figo crosses 40k.

4k+ would be pretty costly. How about Bridgestones? What range will the normal tyres cost would be?

4K is the least price you should expect with normal prices ranging from 3,900-4,300. All brands will cost almost the same here, give or take a couple of hundreds, except Michelin XM2, which might range from 4,500-5000 depending on the dealer. You can also try to get XM1+ which will be cheaper compared to the XM2.

4K for 4th yr warranty sounds ok to me. If it is being offered I wouldn't mind going for it. however its imp to understand what all it will cover :).

I would suggest you go for Michelin XM2s. You can go for a slightly bigger profile too. I went in for 185/65/14 the day I bought the Figo and my experience has been very good so far. In fact it is many notches above my Fiesta that still runs on stock MRFs.

I paid Rs 4700 per tyre, and got back Rs 3000 per tyre for the stock Appollo Acceleres.

Unlike what someone has said, the Michelin XM2s have a harder compound on the side walls compared to XM1s. It is the Yoko S Drives that have the softest side walls and they are the ones that wear out the fastest.