May 13, 2008 04:01 PM
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Ford Fiesta 1.4D ZXi
Silver stone
June 2006
The car was supposed to be delivered with a leather steering wheel(to be provided by the dealer). Imagine my shock on delivery date, when I see that my car came fitted with a non-leather steering wheel. After 3 weeks of telephonic discussions, Ford finally got the leather steering wheel fitted . This small incident was only the start of my “Go Fida” experience.
September 2006
Air Conditioner stops cooling .
The car overheats when the AC is turned on .
Takes shaman ford one day to diagnose
They replace the radiator fan assembly and circuit breaker .
All this on a car that is only 4 months old!
November 2006
- Suspension starts making loud noises. Shaman finds the right rear shocks faulty, and replaces them.
December 2006
- Noise resurfaces. Shaman replaces left rear shocks.
June 2007
The fuel injector becomes noisy
Fuel injector problem detected during improved air duct fitment at shaman .
1 injector bush is replaced
July 2007
- Another injector bush is replaced
July 2007
- Going by the number of replacements in one year, I thought it wise to opt for extended warranty. Pay Ford Rs. 9250 for Fiesta Extended warranty plan(21-07-07 until 20-06-09)
September 2007
Once again, the air conditioner stops cooling .
The car begins to overheat when the AC is turned on .
Takes shaman ford one day to diagnose
They replace the radiator fan, assembly and a circuit breaker . AGAIN!
December 2007
January 2008
2 more fuel injector bushes are replaced by shaman
Air conditioning cooling becomes weak.
Under acceleration, there is a metallic noise from the engine compartment
Leak in the Exhaust Gas Recirculation(EGR) Valve is found
Takes around 7 days for shaman to get the part from Chennai .
January 2008
- One morning, the driver discovers a pool of diesel under the Fiesta. We realize that the car is leaking diesel only when the engine is running. Shaman diagnoses the problem to an ill-fitted bush. It is fixed back with Teflon tape!(picture's attached)
February 2008
By now, the car is pretty unreliable and no one from the family is ready to take it as a highway companion.
I request Mr. Piyush Harsora to get someone from Ford to check the car and make sure there are no defects or problems with car . Car is sent to Shaman Ford Workshop Lalbaug in the morning and checked by Mr S. K. Agarwal . He is the Regional Service Manager for Ford India . He finds the car to be perfectly fine . Car returned in the evening .
February 2008
- Once again, the air conditioner stops working . This time it is the A/c evaporator and cooling coils that are found to be defective. After a lot of insistence, the part is replaced and the car returned back to me at 2100hrs on the same day . Dashboard is not fitted back properly . Also Horn cover on steering wheel is loose .
April 2008
May 2008
We find a pool of diesel under the car again! I get in touch with Mr Piyush Harsora of Shaman, who sends a Mr Parsuram to check if the leakage is diesel. Mr. Parsuram confirms it is Diesel No follow up from Shaman or ford. Call up Mr Piyush Harsora on Wednesday 08-05-2008, to be told that he has spoken to the Ford Regional office and they are handling the matter.
Call up Mr S.K Agarwal from FORD on Friday(09-05-2008) and am told that replacement engine head will only be with them by Monday(12-05-2008). He has no answer as too why I was not kept informed about the matter and why I have to be the one chasing them for information.
Agrees to provide a loaner car and extend warranty till 2010 . Existing extended warranty runs out in 2009 so they are only offering 1 year more which is worth Rs 5000 .
In a nut shell
Cost of spares replaced and to be replaced under warranty:- Rs 108, 222(including cost of engine head).
Is this what we have to expect of a Ford Fiesta that isn’t even 2 years old? This is shabbier quality than an Ambassador. Why are we paying premium money for a small sedan, when it requires so many visits to the garage.
I never get feedback from Ford or from Shaman. Only after chasing them innumerable times does someone get back to me.
Diesel leakage is a major problem and a safety hazard too! Who is to blame if the car catches fire, or worse still, with occupants inside? Ford really doesn’t care a damn .They should have gotten the engine and electrical system thoroughly checked the first time itself .
They are behaving as if they are doing me a favor by rectify their mistakes . I was told that I should be happy with one years extended warranty as they do not normally do this and that it is will cost Ford a lot of money!
The most humorous part is: I received this SMS from Ford a couple of days back “Dear Fiesta Owner, refer a friend to buy a Ford Fiesta by 31 May 08 and get a Rs.10, 000 Gift voucher from Tanishq. SMS SUPER to 56263 today.”
