[siddheshb]

The pleasure was all ours, Devdath! You are Preeti were delightful!

I hope you enjoyed Zoo Zoo hill, and the peacock we scared the hell out of

Am going to Harihareshwar and Shrivardhan on the Konkan coast this weekend, wanna join?

[vinjaram]

Hey... What do you recommend... Toyota Fortuner or Endeavour???

[siddheshb]

@vinjaram, as you can see from my thread, I am a hugely passionate Ford fan, and in the last 2 years, I have logged 45000 amazing KMs on my Endy. I do lots of driving on city roads (in Pune), on the expressway, and a lot of soft offroading too. I do a lot of long distance drives, usually 5-6 hours non stop. I usually have 3-4 folks in the Endy on these long drives, but we have even stretched to 7 with luggage. Forum rules do not allow me to mention speeds, but trust me, the speedo couldn't have gone much further than some of the places it has gone to As far as in-cabin comfort and luxury goes, including the in-dash entertainment system - with it's GPS, Bluetooth and Rev camera, I really don't think I could expect much more (a browser for the Internet and in-built Skype for video conferences would have been nice )

Have LOVED the experience, every second I have been in my Endy. Without exception.

My only grudge if at all - the mileage. I get around 7-8 max. Bear in mind though, I am always gunning the engine, and I am always with AC on. And it's a 4x4 3L AT.

So in short, don't even think of the Fort - go for the Endy. I am based in Pune too, so you are welcome to come have a look at Samara and I can take you through some of her finer points... !

[vinjaram]

Originally Posted by siddheshb

@vinjaram, as you can see from my thread, I am a hugely passionate Ford fan, and in the last 2 years, I have logged 45000 amazing KMs on my Endy. I do lots of driving on city roads (in Pune), on the expressway, and a lot of soft offroading too. I do a lot of long distance drives, usually 5-6 hours non stop. I usually have 3-4 folks in the Endy on these long drives, but we have even stretched to 7 with luggage. Forum rules do not allow me to mention speeds, but trust me, the speedo couldn't have gone much further than some of the places it has gone to As far as in-cabin comfort and luxury goes, including the in-dash entertainment system - with it's GPS, Bluetooth and Rev camera, I really don't think I could expect much more (a browser for the Internet and in-built Skype for video conferences would have been nice )

Have LOVED the experience, every second I have been in my Endy. Without exception.

My only grudge if at all - the mileage. I get around 7-8 max. Bear in mind though, I am always gunning the engine, and I am always with AC on. And it's a 4x4 3L AT.

So in short, don't even think of the Fort - go for the Endy. I am based in Pune too, so you are welcome to come have a look at Samara and I can take you through some of her finer points... !

Hey Thanks a lots man... Sure will PM you...

[MAS]

Originally Posted by siddheshb

@vinjaram, as you can see from my thread, I am a hugely passionate Ford fan, and in the last 2 years, I have logged 45000 amazing KMs on my Endy. I do lots of driving on city roads (in Pune), on the expressway, and a lot of soft offroading too. I do a lot of long distance drives, usually 5-6 hours non stop. I usually have 3-4 folks in the Endy on these long drives, but we have even stretched to 7 with luggage. Forum rules do not allow me to mention speeds, but trust me, the speedo couldn't have gone much further than some of the places it has gone to As far as in-cabin comfort and luxury goes, including the in-dash entertainment system - with it's GPS, Bluetooth and Rev camera, I really don't think I could expect much more (a browser for the Internet and in-built Skype for video conferences would have been nice )

Have LOVED the experience, every second I have been in my Endy. Without exception.

My only grudge if at all - the mileage. I get around 7-8 max. Bear in mind though, I am always gunning the engine, and I am always with AC on. And it's a 4x4 3L AT.

So in short, don't even think of the Fort - go for the Endy. I am based in Pune too, so you are welcome to come have a look at Samara and I can take you through some of her finer points... !

If i could add the difference in ride comfort that n.devdath experienced between the Endeavour and the Fortuner. Link here - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post2881252

Endeavour is a excellent SUV and you will not go wrong with it.

[siddheshb]

Just back from a 2 day "coming of age" trip for Samara, to Diveagar and Harihareshwar. Lots of off-roading that stretched her beyond where she had ever been taken - and she came back with a lot more than bruises on body paint. Finally, I think she's ready for Rajmachi in the rains!

More later, but yes, I wouldn't settle for any other SUV right now

[siddheshb]

View my travelogue at http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ys-konkan.html

Some amazing pics, and an interesting video of Samara marooned on the beach, and being pushed out of the very deep trouble she got into

[siddheshb]

Samara's just back from a session at the A.S.S. after all the trouble we gave her on the weekend... and here's a report that should convince anyone with any doubts about the amazing reliability and sturdiness of this beast.

So it all started last Saturday morning, when some over-enthusiastic off-roading ended up with one lower right tail-light getting ripped off, and another loose one (which we took off lest it fall down), and the rear camera disconnected.

Sunday morning, it was time to get stuck in the sand, and some pretty rough handling to get her out.

In the evening, we filled up diesel on NH17, and set off for Varandha. It was getting dark, the heavy rain and fog resulted in extremely poor visibility. Suddenly, after a quick stop for pics, I realized Samara just couldn't pick up initial momentum (although it was OK once she had speed). A few seconds later, I realised my horn was off, and the dash lights went off. We avoided taking any more breaks, lest we lose the lights and get stuck in the middle of nowhere, and reached home finally, safe and sound.

Reaching home, I also realised she was jerking every time I shifted from N into D or R, and the A/C was not cooling. I cursed myself for putting her through all the trouble - I was sure a combination of the rough offroading, some careless 2H-4H-4L shifting, and all the rough driving over the horrible roads had taken its toll.

When I dropped her off at the A.S.S, I was prepared to pay through the nose - the only hope being that most of the damage would be covered through warranty.

The job card read:
Check engine light remains on dashboard
Check A/C not working
Check horn not working
Check all parking lights not working
Check vehicle gives jerk while shifting from Neutral
Fix rear tail lamp
Check reverse camera not working
Check pick up less

Also, I made him add,
Do interior cleaning 3M
Do underbody wash

The parts store told me the tail light bracket was broken, and would need the entire bumper to be replaced - for 30,000 with painting and fixing charges, so I told him to ditch it; I would do it outside with my local mechanic with some jugaad.

Now, the bill:
Fuse, Fuse Assy 15A: 76
Labour: 0 (warranty)
Interior cleaning: 2150
Total with taxes: 2501

Yes, all it took was replacement of one blown fuse

If only I had had the knowledge and confidence to pull over at Varandha and change the blown fuse...

Tomorrow, I will take her to Gargatte Automobiles at Kalewadi Phata, and her tail lights should be back in place soon!

Three cheers for Ford!

[siddheshb]

Samara and I loved our newly discovered spot on the Mulshi-Lonavla road so much that we went again this week - this time with family and some cousins from Mumbai. The weather was lovely - a light drizzle, and fog. And although it meant the view was completely white-washed, the atmosphere was just heavenly... time for some quick pics.

[MAS]

Wonderful pictures Siddhesh (as usual).

It has always been a problem with baby parts and Ford. Somehow the Ford's A.S.S is happy to change parts instead of getting damaged ones back to shape.

But, please don't mind me saying that you are living dangerously. Without the tail lamps, there is absolutely no light to warn the people behind you, except for the number plate lights. The reflectors are also on the tail lamps. Please please get the lights fixed at the earliest possible convenience. I'm scared to even imagine you driving your dark coloured Samara in foggy conditions without talks lamps or reflectors.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by siddheshb

Samara and I loved our newly discovered spot on the Mulshi-Lonavla road so much that we went again this week

Nice pics Siddesh, and please replace those tail lamps, Samara looks so battle scarred without them...

[siddheshb]

@MAS, @Devdath, yes, replacing the tail lamps is absolutely high priority - in fact, I have not been driving Samara much to office these days, since I do not want to be out at night without them. Yesterday's trip was in the afternoon

I checked the fittings and the damage to the bumper Saturday evening - the mounts have been almost completely broken, so the mechanic will need to do some jugaad to get them fitted back. I do have some ideas on what will work, so not too concerned right now.

By the way, the rev camera had got disconnected, and after reconnecting, it now it transmits mirror images Had not noticed it until a car seemed to overtake me from the footpath when backing into a parking slot! The A.S.S said it will take 2 min to fix that problem.

[siddheshb]

An update - got my tail lights fixed by my favourite neighbourhood mechanics - Gargatte Automobiles at Kalewadi Phata - and they did a superb job on it! Even though all the mounts were broken and unusable (at all), the lights are fitted absolutely spot on, using some screws, a little wire, and some surgical mastery. They also sourced and fitted one broken bulb holder, ensured all wiring was restored to normal, and as a bonus, also perfected the position of the rev cam.

The total bill: 650
Ford A.S.S estimate: 30000
Total savings: 29350
The relief: Priceless!

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by siddheshb

The total bill: 650
Ford A.S.S estimate: 30000
Total savings: 29350
The relief: Priceless!

See, that is what you get to gain when you know a good mechanic in the open market.



It is this "commitment" that is severely lacking at the ASC who could have easily charged you 5k INR instead of 30K INR by doing the same thing.

[siddheshb]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

It is this "commitment" that is severely lacking at the ASC who could have easily charged you 5k INR instead of 30K INR by doing the same thing.

More than the commitment, it's the strategy the ASCs have of doing "no jugaad". In my case, the way they saw it - mount broken, cannot be repaired, so get a new bumper!

Last time my Ikon needed a 500 rupee induction coil to get the charger for battery working, Ford ASC quoted 20K to replace the entire ignition block.

Net net, my philosophy: if you are in warranty - go to an ASC. Else, go to your fav local guy.

Mods: With 2 years and 45K KM, should we move this thread into the Long Term Ownership section?