[gemithomas]

30K service bill came close to Rs.4700/-. This included Rs.600/- odd for the oil sump cover (that had a small scratch) and around Rs.500/- odd for checking brake drums/disk. I had sent the car with our driver since i was too busy on the scheduled day. I'm sure i cold have saved atleast the later part of the money had i been there. The good thing is that one of the front shocks were changed under warranty and the car now feels much better. The new diesel filter had made the car feel like brand new for around 1000km. The engine felt very refined and power delivery was much better/smooth. But now i think things are settling back to normal.

A week after the 30K service i realize that the a/c is not cooling when the car is in idle. Luckily i think of checking the radiator fan and find that its not working. Turned the digital odo into diagnostic mode and drove the car back without a/c keeping an eye on the temperature. Called up the nearest a.s.s that was just around 30km from where the car was. Being a Saturday they offered to tow the car but would not check it until Monday. When i enquired if i could send in the car on Monday morning i got one of the most depressing answers i could have asked for. The guy was not sure if he could check it on monday since he does not know about the booking status for monday!!! That was enough talking to him. I decided to risk driving down to the Trivandrum A.S.S that i normally visit. Driving in diagnostic mode with an eye on the temperature i drove around 70km in the early morning hours so as to reduce the probability of a engine heating issue. Reached the service centre at 8:30 A.M. The A.S.S. was still not open and people where just arriving being a Monday morning. Luckily i found my usual service advisor and he took in the car without making me wait for the a.s.s to be fully functioning. I walked out of the a.s.s. in 15 minutes and got a call from the service advisor that the car was ready by 11.00AM. Now thats called Customer Service The car got a new radiator fan and fuse at around Rs.4300/- (covered under warranty) in just under 2 hours. My learning points

• You really need to personally know someone at the a.s.s. Else they would teat you like crap.
• The Diagnostic mode is a blessing in such circumstances.
• If at all your a/c is not cooling properly first check the radiator fan.
• If the radiator fan is not working immediately turn off the a/c to avoid engine overheating.
• You can drive cautiously even without the radiator fan. But traffic jams / slow moving traffic could cause an overheat. SO keep and eye on the temperature.
• The worst thing any car company could do is remove the temperature needle from the dash console.

The car is running fine now. The xm1+ are fantastic. It has made such a big difference to the way the car drives. There is some noise (like a non greased pulley moving) when the a/c is turned on. Will get it checked some time later.

Thats it for now. Drive safe.

[whitelion]

Originally Posted by gemithomas

A week after the 30K service i realize that the a/c is not cooling when the car is in idle. Luckily i think of checking the radiator fan and find that its not working. Turned the digital odo into diagnostic mode and drove the car back without a/c keeping an eye on the temperature.

Driving in diagnostic mode with an eye on the temperature i drove around 70km in the early morning hours so as to reduce the probability of a engine heating issue.

I think you have used the trick which AnilisAnil has posted. I admire your presence of mind to recall that in that situation.

Originally Posted by gemithomas

I walked out of the a.s.s. in 15 minutes and got a call from the service advisor that the car was ready by 11.00AM. Now thats called Customer Service

Yes thats called as Customer Service. Hope Other Dealers and *** take lesson from this and behave accordingly.

Originally Posted by gemithomas

My learning points

• You really need to personally know someone at the a.s.s. Else they would teat you like crap.
• The Diagnostic mode is a blessing in such circumstances.
• If at all your a/c is not cooling properly first check the radiator fan.
• If the radiator fan is not working immediately turn off the a/c to avoid engine overheating.
• You can drive cautiously even without the radiator fan. But traffic jams / slow moving traffic could cause an overheat. SO keep and eye on the temperature.
• The worst thing any car company could do is remove the temperature needle from the dash console.

This is another tidbit of Gold. Hats off to you Gemi. These sort of things had made your thread most popular and have created many Fans like me. Keep on posting by finding some time out of your busy schedule so that we can follow your footprints.

[Diesel lover]

Originally Posted by gemithomas

Turned the digital odo into diagnostic mode

Hi Gemi,

I am trying to get the odo into diagnostic mode but till date I am not able to. I thought that only the titanium version had this feature because Anil Saini Car is a titanium one.

Since you were able to turn the odo into diagnostic mode, can you please explain the steps as to how to do it?

Mine is a 1.4 Zxi Figo.

[gemithomas]

@Dielsel lover: Here are the steps

• Put the key in
• Turn it one step
• immediately (within a second) after turning press and hold the button that shifts between trip-DTE-ODO
• Turn the key to the next position (where you start hearing the beeps) while holding the button down.
• The display will show "gauge" and all your needles would move to the right extreme and back
• Lift your hand from the button
• You can toggle betwwen various options using the button.

[Diesel lover]

Originally Posted by gemithomas

@Dielsel lover: Here are the steps

• Put the key in
• Turn it one step
• immediately (within a second) after turning press and hold the button that shifts between trip-DTE-ODO
• Turn the key to the next position (where you start hearing the beeps) while holding the button down.
• The display will show "gauge" and all your needles would move to the right extreme and back
• Lift your hand from the button
• You can toggle betwwen various options using the button.

It worked !

Gosh ! I was trying to get into test mode from the time when Anil Saini had posted a video of it.

But it had to happen today

The thing that was stopping the system from going into test mode in my previous attempts was that during step 4, I used to lift my finger off the toggle button a bit early fearing that keeping it pressed for a longer time might reset the trip meter.

This time I kept it pressed and the system went into test mode.

[Diesel lover]

Hello Gemi,

It would be really nice if you can shed some light on the following issues as well. The links are as follows:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post2441047

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post2441460

[RGK]

Wonderful report again Gemi. When I had a/c problem, I checked the Fan and found working. In my case it was condenser failure.

Did you change your tyres because of punctures or due to wear & tear. I think you had Apollos.

Congrats on Ritz DDiS purchase. Last week I travelled in a new Ritz LDI in Delhi and found the car less noisy than Figo. The front seat position was also better.

I think you can share more info about these two cars.

[gemithomas]

Another interesting Figure crossed. And what else a reason do i need to share some thoughts with you. The car is doing fine as of now. The a.c is super chilling and the new radiator fan is doing its job even better.

I have some interesting mileage figures over the last month. Running done on diesel worth Rs.500/- (11.23 litres) calculated based on DTE readings.

Scenario 1:Close to 100% Short 4km Trips - Did 165km giving mileage of around 14.5km/l
Scenario 2:100% Highway with very heavy right foot and shifting gears at around 3Krpm - Did 210km giving mileage of around 18.5km/l
Scenario 3:100% running on rural roads with mild traffic driving normally - Did 190km giving mileage of around 17km/l

The F.E seems to have improved slightly after the fuel filter change at 30K. Here again why dont they change it every 20K with the quality of fuel we get!!

Just checked my fuel log and found that i have filled over 2000litres of diesel (2033 to be precise). Taking an average cost of Rs.42/- per litre that translates to around Rs.85,000/-. The cost of fuel per km comes to around Rs.2.50/- which is pretty handsome considering the number of short trips i do.

I know this has become boring to most of you. But i cant stop comparing things with my Fiat Adventure. If i had done 33333km on it i would have spent around more than double of what i have spent now only on fuel costs. But then the satisfaction of driving and the number of smiles i would have smiled would have doubled too along with the frustrations while waiting for parts and listening to the excuses of the A.S.S guys.

Has the Figo lived up to my requirements of a "Peace of Mind Car"? I would surely say "yes". I hope it continues to be that way.


Thanks guys for reading through. Drive Safe.

PS: I know the Ritz comparo has been waiting long enough now. The car was bought by my brother in law and he has taken the car now. I want to click a few pics before i put up my comparo. Thats whats keeping it from coming up here.

[whitelion]

Hi Gemi, Regarding the "Gauge" hack.

I can manage to do that. What I could make out is Temp C and F, Battery Voltage, RPM. Is it possible to get Fuel Volume in Liters, Instantaneous FE with that hack ?

Please let me Know.

[tj123]

Hey Gemini didn't saw any updates on your Figo since last 2 months on this popular Figo thread hope your are doing fine.

[architect]

Hi Gemi

Congratulations on the new milestone! I am happy to see you happy with the Figo.

Originally Posted by gemithomas

The F.E seems to have improved slightly after the fuel filter change at 30K. Here again why dont they change it every 20K with the quality of fuel we get!!

So Ford recommends fuel filter change at 30,000 km? Fiat recommends a fuel filter change at 15,000 km. In fact, now that I have shifted to a 10,000 km service interval with synthetic oil on my Palio, I was wondering whether its ok to push the fuel filter to 20,000 km as well.

[gemithomas]

Originally Posted by whitelion

Hi Gemi, Regarding the "Gauge" hack.

I can manage to do that. What I could make out is Temp C and F, Battery Voltage, RPM. Is it possible to get Fuel Volume in Liters, Instantaneous FE with that hack ?

Please let me Know.

Not really sure. There are quite a few readings that come there that i have not been able to decipher.

Originally Posted by tj123

Hey Gemini didn't saw any updates on your Figo since last 2 months on this popular Figo thread hope your are doing fine.

The car is doing good. Since the number of replies i was getting got drastically reduced i thought i was updating more than required.

The engine stall issue is really bugging me over the past few weeks but I'm still not sure if i should give her in for "experimentation" by the a.s.s!!!

Originally Posted by architect

Hi Gemi

Congratulations on the new milestone! I am happy to see you happy with the Figo.

So Ford recommends fuel filter change at 30,000 km? Fiat recommends a fuel filter change at 15,000 km. In fact, now that I have shifted to a 10,000 km service interval with synthetic oil on my Palio, I was wondering whether its ok to push the fuel filter to 20,000 km as well.

I think 15k would be good considering the kind of running we do and the conditions our car are in. Have you felt any difference with the synthetic oil?

[Sweet Chariot]

Hi guys, Just got my sweet chariot from 20k service and approximate bill of Rs 3600. the funny part was the a.s.s did a neat job but had polished the tyres only on the left 2 and forgot to do so on the right two. i asked the sa to tie the wheel caps with a strap as they had removed them and he instrcuted his tech to do so and they billed me rs 45 for a strap that big bazar guys give away free to all.

the reason i was forced to leave my figo for an early service was due to hits that she took last week, we had to been to sulya (Dakshina Kannada) from bangalore and had a terrible time driving on the pot hole crater like road. my front left rim did take a hit when i had to take my sweet chariot on 2feet/10 feet long pool where i could see the headlamps immerse in the water for a sec and then come out. the roads were so horrible that we had lot of hits under chasis and oil sump did take a hit twice and thank god it was only brusies and not a major one.

[gemithomas]

Well. I know i'm guilty of not updating the thread as frequently as i am supposed to. Work has kept me busy from taking time for detailed posts.

The car has crossed the 42K mark. I've had a few minor dents. Once from an idiotic man who reversed into my car and then my brother reversed the figo into a van and then i managed to opene the passenger door into a pillar.
Planning to keep things as it is for the time being.

The Stalling issue had become bugging with the frequency increasing. I got an updated version of the software during my 40k service. Eventually i found that it was the "GC" update [earlier Figo's originally came with the GB version] and what i needed was a "GD"[the very latest that arrived at the a.s.s a few days after my service]. Had another visit to get the same and they adjusted the clutch position also. The stall has not happened after around 700km of running. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Post update i have a feeling that the third gear has become more usable. It pulls decently from as low as 25-30km/hr till around 80km/hr effortlessly. I also feel that the engine noise has reduced a little bit.I'm really not sure if it is just a psychological feel since i know about the "GD Upgrade".

I think now its time to give some grading out of 10.

A.S.S : 9
1 mark goes because they are reluctant to accept problems that are due to the product / their capabilities. They are always happy to help if you have a good relation with the people at the a.s.s. And they almost know what they are doing.

Parts Availability : 10
Have not experienced any delay / confusion over parts. I had an incident of a radiator fan not working. Drove into the a.s.s at 8:30 AM without any prior appointment and drove out at 11:00 AM with a new fan and fuse. I'm pretty confident this would not happen with any other a.s.s.

Follow Up by Ford : 9
Ford has been very serious about the customer feedback. They have been very serious about the facebook page on figo. I have quite a few experiences of ford calling me back when ever i have posted a concern on the page. And the solutions have come through. Its not just script written dialogues that happen.

Engine : 7
The 1.4 TDCi engine that comes on the Figo really feels dated among the modern variants of the Fiat engines available across different cars nowadays. It lacks in top end performance. It makes more noise than what it really should at a given performance level. It is not that great at mileage figures. You could go as low as 12 and as high as 22 based on your driving conditions and distance you travel at one go.

Suspension : 8
While it is a great handler it could do with a little more comfort and sound deadening. The thud while jumping in potholes make me feel that something has broken off.

Steering : 9
Excellent feedback. 1 point reduced for its infamous tendency for the rack to give away quite early.

Ground Clearance : 5
I really dont know how they calculate Ground Clearance. With 4 good built people on board you would believe they measured the highest point while giving the 169mm readings.

Headlghts : 3
Pathetic is the least to say. Enough for city / interior roads. But on highways at nights you would feel terribly handicapped. The white streaks are not worth the investment. Though it increases spread and depth the white light is nowhere to be seen when a vehicle comes in your opposite direction. The Fog lamps are really good and worth the money.


NVH levels : 7
The car could surely do with some better sound insulation within the cabin. There are many instances where i turn around to see if he glasses are turned down due to the outside noises that easily enter the cabin.

Build quality : 8
Except for the plastics everything else seems to be built well. The consistency in the issues faced by almost all owners seem to show some good quality check!!!

Thats all for now. Please keep the replies and queries flowing in. It seriously gives me motivation to write more.

EDIT:

@ sweet chariot: Thanks for your update. Sorry to see the damage. Hope its not of concern.

[dhanushmenon]

Would like to know more about the "GD" software update. What kind of software is this? And how do they update it? Do they update it into the instrument console or do they do it with the engine control? And if i take my car to the SC, in how much time will the update be finished?