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28th December 2021, 18:56
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| BHPian  | Life with a 2005 Ford Ikon 1.3 Flair - Lessons after 6 years and 25,000 km of use (and abuse!) Hello everyone! Welcome to my first ownership thread on this esteemed forum. As a 25 year old enthusiast, I consider this as a great opportunity, to share my love and passion for cars, as well as share my experience. This forum has been a source of invaluable information to me and I hope my contribution will help many others with their car queries. There are now 3 cars in the garage, my 2005 Ford Ikon, a 2009 Honda City AT and a tuned 2010 Skoda Laura 1.9PD TDI MT. I will make dedicated threads for the others, but I wanted to start with the Ikon, as it was the car in which I perfected my driving skills, made many rookie mistakes & done some crazy experiments - which we will cover in this thread, with as much detail as possible. The main aim of this thread is to cover my Ownership experience of the Ikon - the buying, driving experience, maintenance and servicing, handling the December floods, crazy experiments and everything in between! The beginning: The story with my Ford Ikon started on an unassuming evening in February 2015. I was a fresher in college and reached home to find out that my dad had 'gone to see a car for me'. I had just turned 18, in December of 2014 and I was super excited on hearing this! (Yes, I got my LLR on my birthday and got my proper Driver's license in Jan of 2015) Fun Fact: I was crazy (and still am) about the mk1 Skoda Octavia vRS and dreamt of having that special car (in red or yellow) as my first car! I was hoping that my dad had gone to see a vRS, as I had shown him a few on OLX the previous day. However, my dad had other ideas... Like any sensible person, my dad knew that a vRS in the hands of an 18 year old enthusiast, is an excellent recipe for disaster - hence, he had gone to see a 2005 Ford Ikon, which he thought would be a good starting point for me to learn driving - in a safe and controlled manner. I was a bit disappointed, and the fact that it was an Ikon with the 1.3 ROCAM and not the coveted 1.6, made matters worse. However, the car looked sinister in black, came with an aftermarket end-can and a massive subwoofer, which did help boost the 'flair' of this pretty boring Ford. After a short drive, and a promise that I would get a vRS 'soon' if I could prove that I am a safe driver, negotiations were done and on 6th Feb 2015, we took delivery of what I call 'Black Panther' - my 2005 Ford Ikon Flair in Panther Black! It was a 2nd owner car and had 50,750 km on the Odo! Attaching a few photographs from my early days of Ownership.  En route to an International Conference  With the custom end-can exhaust  Photoshoot after college Driving Experience: My initial driving days were focused on perfecting the mystery of the Manual transmission! Yes, I was determined to drive an MT, but was forced to practice only on Automatic cars (the City was automatic and we previously had an automatic Santro). Days went by and as I got more comfortable with the car and its driving characteristics, I started exploring the limits of the massive 70 BHP and colossal 90 NM of torque  'A wheelspin a day, keeps the problems away' became a motto with this car and I spent the next few months red-lining at 6000 RPM, launching, cornering, pushing the boundaries and understanding the limits of the car and myself. The car was an absolute riot and fuel efficiency was abysmal, lol. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction - this was a statement waiting to prove itself. The motto was a really important part of my misery in future, as we will cover soon. So far on the maintenance side, new spark plugs, engine oil and a new air filter was all that was needed. My free flow end-can was replaced back to stock, as my college authorities were not pleased with my loud car. This incident triggered a thought to make my car, the loudest Ikon in Chennai, and this is something which I accomplished in 2021! Anyway, back to 2015 and sadly the December floods trapped both my cars. The water level was luckily not that high, but had risen up to almost 3/4th height of the wheels. Luckily, apart from wet carpets, both cars escaped with minor repairs, but that is where things started to go south with the Ikon... Attaching a picture after the water level had reduced a bit.  The water level reached the seat bolts Post Flood problems: The City had escaped pretty much unscathed, the only thing that needed fixing was some brake cylinders in the rear drums and the AC Compressor whines when switched on (till date, it works like a charm, but is a bit noisy) - but this is for another day and another thread. The floods had not been kind to my Black Panther and one by one issues started cropping up. Firstly, it was the rear wheel bearings that were groaning, a few months later the starter motor failed and next was the steering rack! All these issues were fixed (either replaced or repaired) with the help of my local mechanic. We also replaced the brake pads and rear brake shoes. For a few months, all was good until one fine day, I entered college with my car puffing white smoke from the engine bay! A coolant pipe had broken and turned my engine bay into a dry ice machine! The culprit was an elbow hose on the side of the engine, which is apparently a common failure point on these engines. After this incident, things were good for a while, we replaced the suspension at all 4 corners and that transformed the ride quality of the car. By this time, I had the car for over 3 years, but there was still no vRS to be seen on the horizon...  Trying to look cool at college Few months passed by and then I started hearing a groaning sound from the front of the car, I assumed it was the front wheel bearings and kept on driving, but the sound kept getting louder. A visit to my mechanic revealed that my front wheel bearings had gone, and so had my driveshaft! Yes, remember my motto... well it had finally taken its toll and the effect was accelerated by the floods. Anyway, with a chunk of money already spent on the car and no vRS in sight, this too was fixed. The year was now 2019, I had graduated from college and had been working for 1 year. Over these years, the car had been fairly reliable (obviously, with all parts changed) and apart from that pesky elbow hose, which gave up another time, all was good. Black Panther was now at 70,000 km and was running well. The Major repair: The car which was meant to be my 'learner' had now been with me for 4 years and while a vRS would have definitely been nice, I had grown to like the Ikon for its compact size, nimble handling and the fact that I could take it anywhere and park it anywhere without bothering too much. In 2019, the 'perfect' Skoda came for sale, a 2010 Laura TDI with only 34k on the odo! We jumped at it and the Ikon was supposed to be sold in exchange... however, the dealer offered us INR 40,000 and also suggested that we keep the Ikon as a 3rd car, a decision that I was overjoyed to make! Exactly 1 month after taking delivery of the Laura, the clutch in the Ikon had become quite hard and the vehicle would start juddering after just a 15 minute drive in traffic (Yes, the motto was to blame again). Also, to make matters worse, the engine started to overheat (again) and I thought it was the elbow hose (again). To our shock, it was apparently a coolant line inside the engine that had failed. This was bad news for any car, but especially for a car worth so little, as the cost of repairs could not be justified. The Ikon had become more of a family member (to me, lol) and after a lot of discussion at home, I ended up paying INR 40,000 to my dad and officially bought the car! The go ahead was then given for the repairs (thank God for depreciation!) A long list of parts had to be changed and the total bill came to... drum roll please... INR 21,550!  The car equivalent of heart-out surgery The work needed the engine to come out and a week later, the car was ready! Among the parts changed was the clutch, a new battery (3rd one since I got it), a complete fluid flush and a few other odds and ends. By this time, we had changed/refurbished the suspension, brakes, steering rack, power steering pump, driveshaft and the clutch! Special mention to my Black Panther, for waiting till I got another car, before requiring the engine out repairs! From that day, till now, the only other replacement was the AC Evaporator coil and touch wood, the car has been running fine since then! Experiments: This is where things get interesting. So, I too fell prey to the Covid game, as I lost my job due to the virus. I used this as an opportunity to start my YouTube channel to document life with these cars as well as review new & used cars in an un-biased fashion. Now, the thing about YouTube is that to reach success or fame on the platform, especially as an automobile vlogger, you either need to drive a like a maniac, buy the cheapest worst version of an exotic car, have a girl accompany you on reviews or do some stupid experiment  to gain views.The latter was my only option and not wanting to risk the Laura or the City, the task fell on my Ikon. Now after the flood, I had removed the cat-con and mid-muffler from the exhaust due to corrosion. So, the car was basically straight-piped with a stock back box. Inspired by the chapri boys, I wanted to install a bike silencer on my car, but not just any bike, an aftermarket Royal Enfield Goldstar silencer!  At the welder's place The dimensions matched and the next thing I knew, my car could be heard at least 300m away on a cold start! It was extremely loud and after a few weeks of driving like a moron, I had made a few videos and went back to stock. The experiment had served its purpose and my video was featured on Cartoq - a google search on Chennai's loudest Ford Ikon will bring up the video.  Looks surprisingly stock, but makes an unholy racket! Now, my next experiment is using 195/60 R15 wheels on the car. I have just done the 'mod' but will probably make a few videos and revert back to my R14 setup, as there is only a few mm of clearance between the arches and the bumper - YouTuber life is fun!  Yes, it is too big! Conclusion: 6 years and 25,000+ km is pretty long enough to understand a car quite well and the words that I use here are a culmination of all the experiences over an eventful history. From perfecting my driving skills, understanding and pushing boundaries, to fun drives with friends and family, to taking me to college and to work, the Ikon has seen it all. The journey was not smooth, with almost every mechanical component changed or repaired due to my early driving experiments, the 'wheelspin a day' motto and general crazy things we enthusiasts try. As I enter my 7th year of Ownership, the 'josh' machine still ticks all the right boxes as a cheap and practical car. With most Ikon's in miserable condition due to negligence, it is rare to find an Ikon in good running condition. We bought the car for 1.2 lakhs and have easily spent over 2 lakhs in maintenance, servicing and up-keep. The fact that my car is still running in good condition (despite all the use and abuse, from my side and 10 years from the previous 2 owners), is a testament to the build quality of these old Ford's and I am glad I got my initiation into the driving world, with this machine! And yes, when I look back, my dad probably did the correct thing in getting me this car, a vRS would have costed 5x more to fix considering all the craziness of an 18 year old or I'm sure I would have binned it somewhere while exploring the limits! Moral of the story: Always start small, then the experience & growth will be appreciated better! Attaching a few more pictures to sum up my extended ownership!  At work  During my final year at college  At night with the upgraded lights  Looks much better than today's horrendous compact sedans! |
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29th December 2021, 07:26
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| Team-BHP Support   | Re: Life with a 2005 Ford Ikon 1.3 Flair - Lessons after 6 years and 25,000 km of use (and abuse!) Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Reviews section. Thanks for sharing! Going to our homepage today  |
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29th December 2021, 11:04
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| BHPian Join Date: Oct 2021 Location: BLR -> Mumbai
Posts: 374
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| Re: Life with a 2005 Ford Ikon 1.3 Flair - Lessons after 6 years and 25,000 km of use (and abuse!) Great ownership thread mate, I'm turning 18 in less than 2 months and looking forward to my first automobile as well. I love cars and motorcycles equally so choosing between a brand new motorcycle and a used enthusiast car is gonna be hard for me. Had my heart set on a Ford Fiesta 1.6 but alas Ford exiting our Indian market meant that any Ford Ikon or Fiesta that I had planned would be completely off the table. Accord V6 was thrown out for high cost of maintenance and abysmal FE and dad has trust issues with VAG cars so no Gen 1 VRS for me. That leaves me with the Gen 1 Honda City 1.5 (wish me luck in finding a clean VTEC in 2022) or Swift Petrol. Wishing you and Black Panther many more happy miles of driving ahead  |
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29th December 2021, 14:26
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| BHPian | Re: Life with a 2005 Ford Ikon 1.3 Flair - Lessons after 6 years and 25,000 km of use (and abuse!) Quote:
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The Hyundai Getz (predecessor to the i20) was also pretty decent. If none of these click, then the good old Swift would make a great choice! Good luck! | ||
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29th December 2021, 18:14
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| BHPian  Join Date: Dec 2021 Location: India
Posts: 82
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| Re: Life with a 2005 Ford Ikon 1.3 Flair - Lessons after 6 years and 25,000 km of use (and abuse!) Quote:
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29th December 2021, 18:26
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| Distinguished - BHPian   | Re: Life with a 2005 Ford Ikon 1.3 Flair - Lessons after 6 years and 25,000 km of use (and abuse!) Nice ownership of a cute car! I still remember the first time I drove an ikon. It was unbelievably claustrophobic (coming from a Safari user that time ) and the ORVMs were the smallest I have seen in a car. Once I started driving it, I loved it!! It's a rarity nowadays. Heck even the fiesta(classic) is rare. This car can be a nice modern classic if kept well. |
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29th December 2021, 18:33
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| BHPian | Re: Life with a 2005 Ford Ikon 1.3 Flair - Lessons after 6 years and 25,000 km of use (and abuse!) Quote:
 Regarding the paint, I have in fact purchased Meguiar's Compound & Polish last year, but am yet to use it - I will try to Polish some life back at least this year. Regarding the air filter, while an aftermarket K&N would be great, I am refraining from modifying this car and rather spending the cash on the Laura - thread coming soon. Regarding my job, I got back into the same company, in a better role  Thanks once again for your wishes. | |
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29th December 2021, 19:32
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| BHPian | Re: Life with a 2005 Ford Ikon 1.3 Flair - Lessons after 6 years and 25,000 km of use (and abuse!) Quote:
 )I do plan to keep the car until it reaches its 'classic' status, as buying a replacement is easy, but keeping these old machines running in tip top condition, requires commitment and is a mark of a true enthusiast. | |
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29th December 2021, 19:38
| #9 | |
| BHPian Join Date: Oct 2021 Location: BLR -> Mumbai
Posts: 374
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| Re: Life with a 2005 Ford Ikon 1.3 Flair - Lessons after 6 years and 25,000 km of use (and abuse!) Quote:
So in my situation I think it's best to buy a slightly ratty City 1.5 VTEC for 1-1.5L and spend 50-60k to get it running well rather than dropping 3-4 Lakh on a Civic 1.8L. But I'll ask out of curiosity how mod friendly is the Civic 1.8L? I know the D15B VTEC engine in the OG Honda City is very mod friendly, Race Concepts Bengaluru have been able to crank out ridiculous hp numbers from the Gen 1 City. | |
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29th December 2021, 19:42
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| BHPian  Join Date: Jun 2019 Location: New Delhi
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| Re: Life with a 2005 Ford Ikon 1.3 Flair - Lessons after 6 years and 25,000 km of use (and abuse!) Feels lovely to see another active Ikon thread on the forum, quite a rarity nowadays! There are very few other cars that have the same dynamics as the Ikon, especially at this price point [Used as well as new cars]. The steering feedback is simply divine. This car indeed is a driver's dream, especially the 1.6. Ikon has been an inhabitant of my garage for nearly 22 years now, and will hopefully stay that way. Even I have a 1.3, but my car has the archaic pushrod 1.3, the engine that was called the 'Endura-E'. Lately, part availability has become a bit of an issue, especially for the older engine type in my car, but thankfully, U.K scrapyards could act as a good repository for parts in the future because this car has a lot in common with the Mark-IV Ford fiesta which was a common car there. Do consider a good session of detailing. It can have some amazing results on old, dark coloured paints. Also consider getting a nice new set of badges and logos, they might soon become completely unavailable. These cars are soon going to become 'endangered' since they have reached a stage where most of them require repairs that would cost multiple times of what they are worth, so most owners would prefer to scrap them for parts. If kept safely, they might just become classic cars. This is what a session of detailing managed to do to my car’s faded paint:  Here's the story of mine: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-...ford-ikon.html (2 decades of ownership : A review of my Ford Ikon) Last edited by Sanidhya mukund : 29th December 2021 at 19:47. |
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29th December 2021, 20:16
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| BHPian | Re: Life with a 2005 Ford Ikon 1.3 Flair - Lessons after 6 years and 25,000 km of use (and abuse!) Quote:
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 so hopefully I can keep her running till 'classic' status is reached and beyond.Quote:
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29th December 2021, 20:28
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| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bombay
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30th December 2021, 12:01
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| BHPian  | Re: Life with a 2005 Ford Ikon 1.3 Flair - Lessons after 6 years and 25,000 km of use (and abuse!) Quote:
My dad's first new car is a Ford Ikon Flair. 2006 model. It is by far the most convenient sedan for self driving especially inside conjested cities as well handles good on highway too. It is still with us. On its 4th set of tires. Came with steel rims. However during the latest tyre change, grabbed a set of 5 used alloys from a scrapped Fiesta. Installed Yokohama Earth 1 165/70R14. Though it is one size less wider than the factory fitted 175 width, the speed and load rating are perfect for this car. And to the 2 water loss problems that you mentioned, for the thermostat elbow that gives away in 20k kms, after getting fed up with the China made plastic thermostat body, I ordered one with aluminium body from aliexpress. Does a good job for the past 30k kms. No leak. And the second corrosion prone part of the cooling circuit is the small Ms tube connecting radiator from right side and the thermostat housing. My mechanic replaced it with a brass tube in place of steel and no more leaks.  Last edited by aah78 : 5th January 2022 at 21:00. Reason: Picture inserted in-line. | |
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31st December 2021, 07:15
| #14 | |
| Distinguished - BHPian  Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: AU
Posts: 2,349
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| Re: Life with a 2005 Ford Ikon 1.3 Flair - Lessons after 6 years and 25,000 km of use (and abuse!) Quote:
I also started with a Ford Ikon 1.3L ROCAM and spent ~2L (Half of its initial purchase price) in 4 years. It was a disaster from an maintenance cost perspective for someone who's started their career. However, the car was a gem to drive and made it all worth while. I had the following to say on 31st December 2009 in the below mentioned thread, "For some car makers a car isn't just a commodity and I feel that FORD and FIAT are few such examples in India. You cannot quantify the elements that makes these cars so much fun to drive. May be that's what makes them special. And yes they do have their shortcomings compared to the competition. The informed buyer should compare and make the choice." https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ta-report.html (Only An Icon Can Stand Next To The Ikon - Ford Fiesta Report) I can't believe that I'm reading an Ford Ikon ownership thread exactly 12 years after that!! Good luck with your vlogs and I wish you the very best for your next career move. P.S: I read my own post from 2009 now and laughed how I was raving about the racy engine with 70bhp. | |
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5th January 2022, 14:53
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| BHPian  | Re: Life with a 2005 Ford Ikon 1.3 Flair - Lessons after 6 years and 25,000 km of use (and abuse!) I like the way you have articulated your experience with the Ikon. Quite a chuckable car but the brakes were not up to the mark. We too had a Ford Ikon 1.3 in Grey color from 2006-2014. But quite a rugged car this is. Good decision on keeping this car for a longer time and starting it small. You're lucky to get your own car at the age of 18. Don't worry about spares, at least for the next 5-7 years, Ford will have regular part supply, else eBay UK/EU/Brazil to the rescue. |
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