Some Queries Related To Ford Figo TDCi


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Hi,

My Ford Figo has been running quite smoothly without any major issues till now. Well, FYI, I recieved this car with 1810 kms on odo as gift(though i was the one who actually chose it and did PDI [;)]). Now, it has run through 6000 kms and some minor issues have cropped up that sometimes bother me a lot as well as I have some queries about the car. So the list goes here :-

1. The 1st and 2nd gear is particularly very hard in the initial phase of drive. For example, if I do a trip of say 200 kms., it would be very hard to shift for the first 5-7 kms.. Hard in the sense that i feel sometinh is obstructing me from slotting it into the gear and also I have to really press the clutch fully to do so(is that same with all cars? I'm a new driver).

2. On my last trip, I used AC(for the first time indeed for coolness though earlier used it with heater for clean, pure air) and it began to give a whistling sound every 4-5 minutes. This behavior occurred with both recirculation mode and fresh air mode. Also, the cooling was a bit less as compared to what is boasted of regading Figo's AC. However, last weekend, did a city drive with my friend and this issue occured just once, and rest of the time AC remained fine with much better cooling. I''ve heard of some issue with Figo's AC evaporator that generates hissing sound. Is some thing wrong with my car's ac that is yet to face its first battle with really hot north indian summers?

3. My car's rear right door got dented last month due to my negligence(still can't believe what I did to my car [frustration]) and some paint got chipped off. Went to Bhagat Ford Mohali/Chandigarh and they said they have to replace the outer skin of the door and gave me an estimate of 8000 rs. with 2000 rs. going out of my pocket and rest from insurance guys. They rather insisted me very had to get it done from them. My question is that is there any such thing as replacing the door skin(outer panel of door) instead of replacing the entire door or metal door frame ? Were they taking me for a ride ? Anyways, i got the same repainted from sector 48 market and the job was done to the perfection(except for leaving a few paint marks on black door handle). I told the same guy about what i was told by A$$ and he promptly told me that they were lying as there is no such thing as skin of door. He explained it to me as that the outer panel is fitted to the door frame using automotive paste and it is possible to do the same only in the industry. He added that even if they somehow are able to source a door skin, they will have weld it to the door frame which will eventually be not so good for the car. Do you guys also smell something fishy here ?

4. Everything was fine for me until one of my experienced driver friend got into driver seat and told me that your car needs wheel alignment(at ~4000 kms). I finally noticed what I earler thought to be my learning driving error that the car pulls to the left slightly. Slightly in the sense that if we drive it on the perfectly smooth highway, it will automatically switch lane after a km. or so. So, I went for wheel alignment and it was done on some Hankook Infrared Beam Alignment machine. Ever since then, my car gives a wierd behaviour, though again being very much less. What goes now is that, lets say, I'm driving in a straight line in the middle lane, and car is going towards right lane, and i steer left to get it back in the middle lane and succeed in doing so. However, I've noticed that then, after some distance, it starts going into left lane slowly and if i again steer it back right into the centre lane, it starts going towards right. I mean the steering sort of has inertia of direction that it holds on to. Again, is this normal ? My bike never behaved such though things are quite different with the car.

5. ICE is still pending. Does aftermarket ICE options void the Ford's Electronics and Electrical's warranty in any way ?

6. The engine oil level has decreased from where it used to be earlier. On the dipstick, earlier(at 1810 kms.), it was at nearly 80% level however, now it is at nearly 60% level. Is it normal ? There are no oil leakages observed.

7. The car has experienced nearly 2000 km or driving in heavy rain. Now, the wiper blades seem to have got brittle and have even made a scratch on the windshield(which indeed hurts me the most) and also wipe with a jarring sound. How come is it possible that they went kaput after such low usage ? I'm really confused.

8. Do you recommend going for HSRP(High Security Registration Plates) ? Do they really deter thieves from stealing vehicles ? If yes, then how ?

9. Does slipping and some wheel spin do any damage to the car apart from tyre repair ? I frequently travel to village and there it happens due to relatively non existent roads and mud all over the road.
 
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am not an expert but this is what i know as am also a figo tdci user

1. The 1st and 2nd gear is particularly very hard in the initial phase of drive. For example, if I do a trip of say 200 kms., it would be very hard to shift for the first 5-7 kms.. Hard in the sense that i feel sometinh is obstructing me from slotting it into the gear and also I have to really press the clutch fully to do so(is that same with all cars? I'm a new driver).

Same thing happened on my figo during earlier period around 3.5 k Service center guys corrected it they told gear is some sort of wired mechanism and they corrected it from that time it is still smooth

2. On my last trip, I used AC(for the first time indeed for coolness though earlier used it with heater for clean, pure air) and it began to give a whistling sound every 4-5 minutes. This behavior occurred with both recirculation mode and fresh air mode. Also, the cooling was a bit less as compared to what is boasted of regading Figo's AC. However, last weekend, did a city drive with my friend and this issue occured just once, and rest of the time AC remained fine with much better cooling. I''ve heard of some issue with Figo's AC evaporator that generates hissing sound. Is some thing wrong with my car's ac that is yet to face its first battle with really hot north indian summers?

Have never faced that issue,
until fan speed is at 2 it didn't give any sound, as you have told that you frequently travel on village surfaces their are possibilities of dust accumulated in air filter, ask the service center people to clean it once


3. My car's rear right door got dented last month due to my negligence(still can't believe what I did to my car ) and some paint got chipped off. Went to Bhagat Ford Mohali/Chandigarh and they said they have to replace the outer skin of the door and gave me an estimate of 8000 rs. with 2000 rs. going out of my pocket and rest from insurance guys. They rather insisted me very had to get it done from them. My question is that is there any such thing as replacing the door skin(outer panel of door) instead of replacing the entire door or metal door frame ? Were they taking me for a ride ? Anyways, i got the same repainted from sector 48 market and the job was done to the perfection(except for leaving a few paint marks on black door handle). I told the same guy about what i was told by A$$ and he promptly told me that they were lying as there is no such thing as skin of door. He explained it to me as that the outer panel is fitted to the door frame using automotive paste and it is possible to do the same only in the industry. He added that even if they somehow are able to source a door skin, they will have weld it to the door frame which will eventually be not so good for the car. Do you guys also smell something fishy here ?

I have seen it, they do replace the outer skin (tin or metal sheet of the doors), please paste the door dent picture here so as we can suggest it can be corrected at very lower cost at local shop

4. Everything was fine for me until one of my experienced driver friend got into driver seat and told me that your car needs wheel alignment(at ~4000 kms). I finally noticed what I earler thought to be my learning driving error that the car pulls to the left slightly. Slightly in the sense that if we drive it on the perfectly smooth highway, it will automatically switch lane after a km. or so. So, I went for wheel alignment and it was done on some Hankook Infrared Beam Alignment machine. Ever since then, my car gives a wierd behaviour, though again being very much less. What goes now is that, lets say, I'm driving in a straight line in the middle lane, and car is going towards right lane, and i steer left to get it back in the middle lane and succeed in doing so. However, I've noticed that then, after some distance, it starts going into left lane slowly and if i again steer it back right into the centre lane, it starts going towards right. I mean the steering sort of has inertia of direction that it holds on to. Again, is this normal ? My bike never behaved such though things are quite different with the car.

I used to check wheel alignment and wheel balancing yearly once check it with the authorized dealer

5. ICE is still pending. Does aftermarket ICE options void the Ford's Electronics and Electrical's warranty in any way ?

that we cant say as all cars have some crap dealers if it is okay with your ford dealer then no issues

6. The engine oil level has decreased from where it used to be earlier. On the dipstick, earlier(at 1810 kms.), it was at nearly 80% level however, now it is at nearly 60% level. Is it normal ? There are no oil leakages observed.

how you checked it, refer manual and check it as mentioned in the manual on how to check oil level, check for leak if any and top up if required.

7. The car has experienced nearly 2000 km or driving in heavy rain. Now, the wiper blades seem to have got brittle and have even made a scratch on the windshield(which indeed hurts me the most) and also wipe with a jarring sound. How come is it possible that they went kaput after such low usage ? I'm really confused.

No idea but am sure they are soft but my wiper blade comes till 18000 kms, it all depends up on how it gets exposed sunlight and other affecting criteria, heard Bosch wiper blades are good try that

8. Do you recommend going for HSRP(High Security Registration Plates) ? Do they really deter thieves from stealing vehicles ? If yes, then how ?

Yes, but don't ask me how because am still using normal number plate

9. Does slipping and some wheel spin do any damage to the car apart from tyre repair ? I frequently travel to village and there it happens due to relatively non existent roads and mud all over the road.

continuse driving on indian roads aka terrains of unequal surfaces if you driven hard [faster] that does its damage to wheel allignment / balancing in a long run
 
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1. Check with the A$$, they should be able to resolve it.

2. Get the AC filter checked.

3. No Idea. But A$$ generally takes people for ride. [:D]

4. I do wheel alignment every 5000 KM. OR just after a long drive from very bad roads. Will just increase the life of tires.

5. Confirm with the dealers.

6. Check with A$$ again.

7. I also changed my PUNTO's wiper at earlier stage only. These are wear and tear items, it can go kaput at any time.

8. I am still using normal ones.

9. Just after every 2 visits to such places go for wheel alignment from dedicated WA/WB shop. This will save you from major damages in future.
 
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Hi Sarav,

I would try to answer few of your queries :

- There is no such thing called outer skin for door panel. What comes from manufacturer is the whole door. The dent on the skin can be easily removed by dent pulling machine and repainted. The FASS was simply taking you for a ride to claim charges from insurance.

- You can get after market ICE for Figo. Are you looking for both HU+Speakers? I would suggest you to go for 1DIN HU as recently fitting a 2DIN HU for my friend's FIGO we have a tough time finding the dashboard finisher/panel. As long as orginial Ford wiring is not touched warranty will be intact.

- Engine oil can be topped up at FASS or any Pertol pump. It is normal for oil level decrease over a period of time. If it goes below 50% consult FASS, and your dashboard also will show the low oil sign.

- HSRP Plates are endorsed by RTO. If you can get from RTO then its good. They are plenty of look alikes in market they will be no good. The HSRP plates have engine no and chasis no printed/embeded/coded in a chip inside and also plate serial no etched in front wind shield, hence will be difficult for some one to sell in case of robbery. however it is not fool proof.

Thanks,
Anshuman
 
Thread Starter #5
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2. On my last trip, I used AC(for the first time indeed for coolness though earlier used it with heater for clean, pure air) and it began to give a whistling sound every 4-5 minutes. This behavior occurred with both recirculation mode and fresh air mode. Also, the cooling was a bit less as compared to what is boasted of regading Figo's AC. However, last weekend, did a city drive with my friend and this issue occurred just once, and rest of the time AC remained fine with much better cooling. I''ve heard of some issue with Figo's AC evaporator that generates hissing sound. Is some thing wrong with my car's ac that is yet to face its first battle with really hot north Indian summers?

Have never faced that issue,
until fan speed is at 2 it didn't give any sound, as you have told that you frequently travel on village surfaces their are possibilities of dust accumulated in air filter, ask the service center people to clean it once
Good catch regarding dust accumulation. Rather I've mostly used fresh air mode. You're Figo owner and you must be knowing that in fresh air mode, even if neither heater, blower or AC is on, you automatically get the fresh air from outside. I preferred that in winters coz that leads to automatic windshield demisting. That may have led to dust accumulation indeed. So far I've used AC at speed 1 only. Will try with 2 and more now on weekend trip and check the same.
3. My car's rear right door got dented last month due to my negligence(still can't believe what I did to my car ) and some paint got chipped off. Went to Bhagat Ford Mohali/Chandigarh and they said they have to replace the outer skin of the door and gave me an estimate of 8000 rs. with 2000 rs. going out of my pocket and rest from insurance guys. They rather insisted me very had to get it done from them. My question is that is there any such thing as replacing the door skin(outer panel of door) instead of replacing the entire door or metal door frame ? Were they taking me for a ride ? Anyways, i got the same repainted from sector 48 market and the job was done to the perfection(except for leaving a few paint marks on black door handle). I told the same guy about what i was told by A$$ and he promptly told me that they were lying as there is no such thing as skin of door. He explained it to me as that the outer panel is fitted to the door frame using automotive paste and it is possible to do the same only in the industry. He added that even if they somehow are able to source a door skin, they will have weld it to the door frame which will eventually be not so good for the car. Do you guys also smell something fishy here ?

I have seen it, they do replace the outer skin (tin or metal sheet of the doors), please paste the door dent picture here so as we can suggest it can be corrected at very lower cost at local shop
Already repainted it at local shop.
7. The car has experienced nearly 2000 km or driving in heavy rain. Now, the wiper blades seem to have got brittle and have even made a scratch on the windshield(which indeed hurts me the most) and also wipe with a jarring sound. How come is it possible that they went kaput after such low usage ? I'm really confused.

No idea but am sure they are soft but my wiper blade comes till 18000 kms, it all depends up on how it gets exposed sunlight and other affecting criteria, heard Bosch wiper blades are good try that
Yes, my car remains exposed to sun throughout the day. Is Sun doing injustice to my car's wipers ?
8. Do you recommend going for HSRP(High Security Registration Plates) ? Do they really deter thieves from stealing vehicles ? If yes, then how ?

Yes, but don't ask me how because am still using normal number plate
Same here bro ;) .
9. Does slipping and some wheel spin do any damage to the car apart from tyre repair ? I frequently travel to village and there it happens due to relatively non existent roads and mud all over the road.

continuse driving on Indian roads aka terrains of unequal surfaces if you driven hard [faster] that does its damage to wheel alignment / balancing in a long run
I think you got me wrong. What I was asking about is while moving slowly over cow dung cakes, through drains and some farmland, the car is bound to spin wheels(front ones while being stuck at place) and I sometimes have to move forward with torque as grip levels are less.
am not an expert but this is what i know as am also a figo tdci user

1. The 1st and 2nd gear is particularly very hard in the initial phase of drive. For example, if I do a trip of say 200 kms., it would be very hard to shift for the first 5-7 kms.. Hard in the sense that i feel something is obstructing me from slotting it into the gear and also I have to really press the clutch fully to do so(is that same with all cars? I'm a new driver).

Same thing happened on my figo during earlier period around 3.5 k Service center guys corrected it they told gear is some sort of wired mechanism and they corrected it from that time it is still smooth
1. Check with the A$$, they should be able to resolve it.
Will surely do that at next service in June 2013. Or is it critical and needs immediate attention ?
4. I do wheel alignment every 5000 KM. OR just after a long drive from very bad roads. Will just increase the life of tires.
Tyres are pretty good in shape but front fight is a bit more worn than front left. They are made up of MRF's HARD rubber. I love them as much as i hate them. Love for life and handling bumps , hate for being less grippy and acting as speed governors for me :P .
7. I also changed my PUNTO's wiper at earlier stage only. These are wear and tear items, it can go kaput at any time.
How much do they cost. Should i go to FASS or aftermarket.
9. Just after every 2 visits to such places go for wheel alignment from dedicated WA/WB shop. This will save you from major damages in future.
Hi Sarav,

I would try to answer few of your queries :

- There is no such thing called outer skin for door panel. What comes from manufacturer is the whole door. The dent on the skin can be easily removed by dent pulling machine and repainted. The FASS was simply taking you for a ride to claim charges from insurance.
Exactly what was my thought. Anyways got the job done for 2.5K and i'm happy with it. I'm just a bit angry over myself for causing that to my car. Will tell details of crash later.
- You can get after market ICE for Figo. Are you looking for both HU+Speakers? I would suggest you to go for 1DIN HU as recently fitting a 2DIN HU for my friend's FIGO we have a tough time finding the dashboard finisher/panel. As long as orginial Ford wiring is not touched warranty will be intact.
Even I'm willing to get 1 DIN media player(without CD player). Guess simple ICE would not cost more than 12K. I'm not a sort of audiophile but i get bored on those solo Chd - Asr 200 km drives on weekend, so I'd get one ASAP. OF course, I'd take care of Ford wiring. Though I think fitting a sub + woofer would surely void it.
- Engine oil can be topped up at FASS or any Pertol pump. It is normal for oil level decrease over a period of time. If it goes below 50% consult FASS, and your dashboard also will show the low oil sign.
Well then I don't need to bother regarding it. Dashboard light will take care of the same :)
- HSRP Plates are endorsed by RTO. If you can get from RTO then its good. They are plenty of look alikes in market they will be no good. The HSRP plates have engine no and chasis no printed/embeded/coded in a chip inside and also plate serial no etched in front wind shield, hence will be difficult for some one to sell in case of robbery. however it is not fool proof.

Thanks,
Anshuman
Well then , I'll keep this upgrade pending for some time, even though my car's number has been marked for same at amritsar RTO . Cars in Chandigarh are not so prone to thefts.
 
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Here are few points which I can help...

Good catch regarding dust accumulation. Rather I've mostly used fresh air mode. You're Figo owner and you must be knowing that in fresh air mode, even if neither heater, blower or AC is on, you automatically get the fresh air from outside. I preferred that in winters coz that leads to automatic windshield demisting. That may have led to dust accumulation indeed. So far I've used AC at speed 1 only. Will try with 2 and more now on weekend trip and check the same.
Never keep it in Fresh Air Mode unless you are in absolutely clean and pollution less roads. (Do you have one???) The reason is, all dirt, dust, smoke and other pollution would come inside the cabin and also get stuck in the AC components. It then demands frequent cleaning and maintenance which is an added cost and headache. Use Re-circulation Mode always.

1. The 1st and 2nd gear is particularly very hard in the initial phase of drive.

Yes. The initial few KMs would be hard until the Gear Box warms up to deliver the optimal performance. Till such time, engage the clutch completely and hold for couple of seconds while you up or down shift.

4. I finally noticed what I earler thought to be my learning driving error that the car pulls to the left slightly. Slightly in the sense that if we drive it on the perfectly smooth highway, it will automatically switch lane after a km. or so. So, I went for wheel alignment and it was done on some Hankook Infrared Beam Alignment machine.

May be a need for Wheel Alignment as it's generally recommended to be checked for every 3K - 5 K KMs, depending on the driving conditions. You may also notice uneven Tyre wear in case of severe misalignment.

Ever since then, my car gives a wierd behaviour, though again being very much less. What goes now is that, lets say, I'm driving in a straight line in the middle lane, and car is going towards right lane, and i steer left to get it back in the middle lane and succeed in doing so. However, I've noticed that then, after some distance, it starts going into left lane slowly and if i again steer it back right into the centre lane, it starts going towards right. I mean the steering sort of has inertia of direction that it holds on to. Again, is this normal ? My bike never behaved such though things are quite different with the car.

The alignment done could be wrong as well. Better try any other reputed centers which has Computerized Alignment. Else, go to FASS and get it done and be sure to ask for the alignment report as many of the times they just won't do it and give you the car back as it is may be after the whole day[clap]

5. ICE is still pending. Does aftermarket ICE options void the Ford's Electronics and Electrical's warranty in any way ?

Yes. Any after market accessories installed would void the warranty. To what I have seen, Figo audio system is the best in class compared to any OE systems in the market today. If you are a Audiophile, then don't mind Warranty and enjoy the music the way you want. Otherwise, no need of an upgrade. BTW, Bluetooth Facility is a Boon and pretty useful in many situations. Don't miss it.

6. The engine oil level has decreased from where it used to be earlier. On the dipstick, earlier(at 1810 kms.), it was at nearly 80% level however, now it is at nearly 60% level. Is it normal ? There are no oil leakages observed.

This is normal and dependent on your usage. As per FASS, 100 ml shall consumed for 1000 KMs. If the driving conditions are better, it may be consumed lesser.

7. Now, the wiper blades seem to have got brittle and have even made a scratch on the windshield(which indeed hurts me the most) and also wipe with a jarring sound. How come is it possible that they went kaput after such low usage ? I'm really confused.

Wiper Blades in Figo aren't any great, rather cost effective ones. These issues are common.
 
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Check your engine with your dealer,an oil level drop of 40% at 6000kms is a major issue.
The weird behavior of the car after the alignment may be due to the Tyres,
The tyres would have worn out unevenly due to the kms covered on bad alignment.
Tyre rotation with the best tyres out of 5 in front will clear this issue.
Do not use wiper blades with the spray to clean dust on the windshields, this may scratch your shield and damage your wiper.
 
Thread Starter #8
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Here are few points which I can help...



Never keep it in Fresh Air Mode unless you are in absolutely clean and pollution less roads. (Do you have one???) The reason is, all dirt, dust, smoke and other pollution would come inside the cabin and also get stuck in the AC components. It then demands frequent cleaning and maintenance which is an added cost and headache. Use Re-circulation Mode always.
Yes you are right. The interiors used to get dirty easily. Never knew that could be the reason. Primarily, I use fresh air only on Highways but have incurred an incident of auto's exhaust gases getting into cabin at a traffic light. Now I understood where I was wrong. Basically the issue I used to face was that the front windshield fogs up easily in the foggy weather and fresh air is more effective in cleaning it. Rather what I have seen is that in re-circulation mode, the windshield rather became more foggy. Also, the car used to get warm even in those 0 degree Celcius temperatures. And now, in summers, whenever I have to drive it, AC is must and even if I switch it off for say 5 minutes, car becomes excessively hot and I have then to resort to AC on for the whole drive. Is this warming up of cabin normal ?

Wiper Blades in Figo aren't any great, rather cost effective ones. These issues are common.
I agree they could use cost effective wipers but man, they have scratched my windshield [sad]
 

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