Ford ikon 1.6 SXi Test Drive (Highlight: FE 22.6 Kmpl!)

[ilango[speed thirst]]

O_O sold ?

Not so , will be !!

actually not selling , transferring from satan to another friend.

 

[mastersquall]

what happened why sudden change in heart of satan ?

 

[cooldhaya]

Oh , that means yet another new car again search again for Gokul?

 

[HoLySaTaN]

yeah Dhaya.

I do not find any exact reason to tell for this decision. But my heart keeps longing for the Octy. Unable to settle for an ikon I guess. If things go well, I ll be giving the ikon to a friend of mine and will start looking for an octy once I get ready with the money.

planning to buy one within end of jan. let us see what awaits me!!!
looks like car chooses the owner in my case; whichever i choose doesnt stay with me for long.

 

[cooldhaya]

Oh , Octy is a segment above Ikon! Best of luck for your search.


Try seeing the ads in Hindu classifieds which comes every Sunday. I see atleast 4-5 Octy's for sale each week.

 

[mastersquall]

now i know why didn't you changed your avatar . best of luck .

 

[ilango[speed thirst]]

Car serviced

New clutch plate , cover assy and release bearing
New gear oil , obviously
New oil filter
new Synthetic oil - shell helix
New 4 suspension dampers.
New front tyres , micheline xm 1 185/60 r 13
Yeah rear ones are 175 section , but they are also just 3 to 4 months old.
New brake pads in front
New brake shoes in rear.
New brake cylinder
New calliper kit in front.
And of course new brake oils.

 

[Akash]

So HoLySaTaN dropped the idea of selling this car? And please share the cost of the sevice too.

 

[HoLySaTaN]

@akash, will write up the service details.

In my village now for sankranthi vacation.
Will share the details once i am back in chennai.
The ride quality and handling has improved tremendously. Currently enjoying that.
My bike gets its two week off.

 

[ilango[speed thirst]]

And am blessed /cursed with 2 bikes!

Blessed as his bike has some good amount of petrol remain.
cursed - i dont love riding bikes

 

[HoLySaTaN]

Hi All,

It's been a long time since I have updated about the status of my Ikon. So, here we go.

Dropped the idea of Octavia due to the pathetic A.S.S of Skoda and was really worried about it's maintenance cost.

So, decided to keep ikon as my long-term means of transport.

Short brief on the car, it had 74,500 Kms on the odo when we got it. we had driven another 2500 kms in say 1 and half months and it was very good to drive. The main part I liked about it was the handling and stability at high speeds.

Since I had planned to keep the car, next step was to give it a thourough mechanical overhaul. Left it for service at Ilango's workshop on the 3rd of Jan.

Parts were sourced from Mahavir Automobiles, G.P Road, Chennai (had a tough time with these people; will explain later).

The parts changed are mentioned below:

1) Suspension Change - New Gabriel Struts at Front & Rear

Front Struts - Rs.3750
Rear Struts - Rs.3500
Strut Mounting - Rs.400 each (Total of 4)
Mounting Kit - Rs.850 each (2 sets)

2) Clutch Overhaul - New clutch plate/ cover assembly/release bearing - Rs.6000

3) Gear Shaft Oil Seal (Left & Right) - Ford OE ones - Rs.280/-

4) Front Brake - New brake pads/caliper kit

TVS Caliper Kit - Rs.390 + Rs.140 for the O-Rings in brake piston
TVS Brake Pads - Rs.1100

a small info here, the TVS Caliper kit O-rings for ikon were over-size and did not fit. We bought Mruti 800's O-rings for 140 bucks and they fit perfectly. So, if anybody is changing this for ikon, please get O-rings from MGP

heard from my mechanic that, 800's O-rings fit well for his Astra too.

5) Rear Brake - New brake shoes/new brake cylinder

TVS Brake cylinders - 800 (Left & Right)
FBX Brake Pads - 850 (Left & Right)

6) New Tie-rod Ends at the Front - Will update the price later
7) Accelator Cable - yet to be changed (pending due to lack of time) - Rs. 350/-

8) Broken left rear view mirror dummy - Rs. 150 - Yet to be changed

9) New Filters - Petrol/Oil/Air -All three replaced
Air Filter - Rs.390/-
Will update the rate for the other two soon

10) New Oils - Engine/Gear/Clutch/Brake oils - all replaced.

Engine Oil - Shell Helix Fully Synthetic - 4 lts - Rs.2,850/-
Gear Oil - Valvoline - 3 lts - Rs.540/-
Brake/Clutch Oil - TVS Girling DOT 3 - 2 lts - Rs.220/-

11) New tyres - Michelin XM1+ 185/70 R13 at front (4,200 per tyre)
- Good Year 175/70 R13 at rear - 3 Months Old

Total Spares Cost - Rs.23,000/-
Service Labour - Rs. 3,000/-
Engine Oil/Brake Oil - Rs. 3,100/-
Spares Courier/Transportation - Rs.500/-
New Tyres/Wheel Balancing/Alignment - Rs.9,150/-

Put together, I had spent 11 days and nearly 38,000 rupees for my car and when I got it back on the day before Pongal, I was a happy man.

Pros:
1) The clutch was as smooth as butter and I am able to do wheel spins not only in 1st but also in 2nd gear
2) The suspension is now very good and car handles my bad village roads with much ease than it used to before
3) Mileage - has certainly improved (drove 148 kms in 2 days - 80% bad village roads + 20% highway with AC on all the time) - 13.87 kmpl
came to Chennai this morning from Pondy - Fuel indicator is just a split point below Full mark - will update this mileage info soon
4) Ride is super smooth - thanks to Helix Synthetic Engine Oil

Cons:
1) Front suspension squeak noise still prevails - audible at speed breaks
2) Belt Tensioner/Alternator Bearing not available as OE parts (made of steel) - Plastic alternator/tensioner pulley was available but unable to fit
3) Much annoying vibration from Dashboard, will be taking car back to workshop to get this fixed.
4) Sourcing parts was little bit of trouble - Ikon parts not easily available in Pondy.

Had to courier/ change parts from Chennai to Pondy almost 3 times for few of the spares - Unnecessary time/effort/money spent here.

Future Plans:

1) Tinkering Work/Paint job
2) ICE for the ikon

very much confused on which one I should take up first. Guys, please advice!

Also, need info on where I can get Fog Lamps for my car (round type fog lamps). I checked out shops at Pondy, but they have Local makes. I am looking for brands like Lumax which would last for long time.

Pardon me all for the very lengthy write-up! Thanks for your time!

 

[ilango[speed thirst]]

Very well written!
Ikon parts are available in pondy , but costlier and time consuming .
Clutch plates were readily available , even brakes . we didnt bother to ask them!! hehe

That is one good fuel efficiency for a 1.6L engine.

Last option given by him is my work , so what do you suggest paint job or ice ing the car.

i

 

[HoLySaTaN]

here are few pics, which I managed to click at the workshop:

 

[HoLySaTaN]

hurray!!!!

the ikon's all set for the next round of ramp-up!! this time, it will be ICE!!!

Went to the airport to receive my colleague's mom who came from US few hours back!!

was waiting at the arrival for more than an hour and then she shows up with my long expected goodies. Here they go:

1) Alpine CDA-117 CD Receiver
2) Rockford Fosgate R300-4 Four Channel Amplifier
3) Rockford Fosgate R500-1 Monoblock Amplifier

(also with these a pack full of snickers have arrived)

Now that, one half of ICE is ready, I ll have to arrange money for the other half which is still pending Front & Rear Components/Woofer/Wiring Kit.

Spent all the money I had on service.

Please help me God!!!

Meanwhile, few pictures of the player/amplifiers for you:

 

[ilango[speed thirst]]

Congrats !!
time for some fibre glass work again!!