Feb 23, 2009 05:17 PM
16978 Views
(Updated Aug 09, 2009 11:03 AM)
Been driving the new Ford Ikon TDCi for six months now.During this period I have driven around 6000 km and just completed the second service. In my blogs on Mouthshut and other sites the most frequent question I have asked are about cost of running and maintaining a Ford car.
Fuel consumption:
I have been maintaining a daily journal on distance covered and fuel consumption. The average consumption is 17.5 kmpl. This is not at all bad considering that I drive with the AC on and windows closed at all times and that my driving is mostly commuting to office and driving within the city. The company claims 20 to 28 kmpl but that economy is achieved by driving long distance on 5th gear on highways.
Cost of service:
The first service (after 3 months) did not cost me anything. The car wasreturned after a few hours. It was just routine checking and tuning of engine.
The second service (after 6 months) cost Rs. 3015. Consumables include Meshfilter, Gasket, Oil filter, fuel filter, engine oil – total cost Rs. 2124..Labour Rs. 567 and the rest in cess and service tax. They service guys noticed that the windshield blade wipers were a bit worn out and replaced them free under warranty saving me Rs.500.
I read a recent article in Autocar magazine about thecomparative cost of spares of Dzire, Loganand Ikon. The cost of spares of Ikon has come down considerably and now isslightly more than Dzire and much less than Logan.
Problems with the vehicle:
Minor problems were attended to immediately.The most serious problem I encountered was rattling of therear spoilers. In the Ikon the edges of the spoilers are glued to the boot.Because of the high humidity in goa the spoilers got unstuck twice and had to be re glued. Again, because of high humidity and rain during the monsoons, the doors have to be greased more often to remove the “squeaks”.
A slight misalignment of the remote boot opener wascorrected.
The windshield wipers malfunctioned once as they were nottightened correctly in the factory. I went to the service center just as it was about to close down for the weekend. They corrected the fault immediately. I did not notice the blades were worn out. The service guys noticed it and replaced it free during 2nd service.
Quality of service:
The quality of service at Ford is much better than my experience with Maruti-Suzuki – mainly because they are not swamped by too many vehicles. Timely reminders about service appointments and reminders a day before service. A good customer lounge and awillingness to listen to problems. A minor glitch was during the second servicewhen I was promised a call after completion of service. The call never camethrough and I had to wait for nearly three hours in the customer lounge. Theirexplanation was that they found that the silencer had a small rattle and ittook a lot of time fixing it. No explanation why they did not call me.
Performance:
For the first six months the Ikon TDCi has performed verywell. Pickup, fuel consumption, comfort levels, quality of parts are good and stilllooks new. However, the AC does not coolenough during midday and hot afternoons – at higher settings the fan noise is abit too loud. At other times the AC performs exceedingly well.
Doest it climb steep slopes with the AC on? This depends on the rpm of the engine. If therpm is above 1800 there is absolutely no problem. A problem arises is the rpmdips to less than 1400 (like when climbing a steep slope on 4th gearand coming upon a slow moving bus with no chance to overtake) the engine tends to stall. Either the AC hasto be switched off or drop to a lower gear. Foot and hand brakes are good andreliable.
Conclusion:
So far so good. Extremely satisfied with mydecision to go for a Ford Ikon Diesel.
