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BHPian Sanidhya mukund recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Monsoon blues and 24th birthday update:
For an old hibernating car, even with covered parking, the worst possible season is monsoon. Things get all muddy and damp, accelerating rusting. The moisture gets in places where it isn’t supposed to go, wrecking havoc.
My Ikon turns 24 this 13th of September. However, the monsoon season had induced a few issues that had to be resolved before he could celebrate his birthday.
The interiors had started growing mould, so I sprayed it with some disinfectant, covered the panels in dashboard dressing and kept a few silica gel packets inside the cabin. Tested all the electrical equipment and noticed a few issues that I had to resolve.
The boot release button was acting weird. It would not work sometimes. Tried looking for a replacement, but couldn’t find a new one anywhere. Even the scrap yards didn’t yield any results. However, I discovered that the UK market Ford Fiesta Mk IV had the same switch. Found a used one on EBay UK, which a friend was kind enough to send across:
Also noticed that the wiper washer spray wasn’t working like it should. Tried the safety pin method to clear any blockages, but it didn’t work. Decided to replace it. Was a 5 minute DIY. Found the replacement on Boodmo.
New Vs old:
The elbow that attaches to the other end:
Fitted on the car:
The rear RHS power window switch had also developed a malfunction. Found a replacement part on Partsbigboss for 180 rupees.
It seems like the same switch goes on the first gen Mahindra Scorpio as well. A result of the Mahindra-Ford JV back then, perhaps:
This too, was a 5 minute DIY that I was able to execute with some help from my driver:
Also found that the rear LHS brake light and reverse light were not working:
Blown bulbs:
Replaced:
Finally, also had the AC gas recharged. This was done by my mechanic, who was kind enough to do it in my driveway:
With the gremlins ironed out, the car is running very well. The recently replaced exhaust has made the car as quiet as ever. Thankfully, it hasn’t thrown any mechanical tantrums off late. Fingers crossed.
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