Ford Fiesta : Test Drive & Review

Czarcarsm · 1st August 2016, 21:31

I own a 2012 Fiesta Titanium Dual Clutch Automatic. Petrol version. Has put about 74000 Kms to date. No issues so far. Last month I did Kochi to Bangalore. 5 passengers including 3 kids. May be 50 kgs of luggage in the boot. I got about 15.5 kmpl.
This is a great car. Smooth and daring at the pedal even at this old age. Beautiful engine. It's a shame that Ford couldn't win the market with this.

Arsi · 16th October 2016, 00:54

Hello guys. It has been quite a long time with my 2011 Ford fiesta. I have clocked 66000 kms and I am starting to get a little more conscious about my car's health. Recently, I have faced some issues like EGR valve clogging, coolant leakage, etc. - all have been addressed to by Ford A.S.S. I am still skeptical about the following issues:

1 - Emission has increased and the blue smoke is often excessive. Idling is not static and the car stutters while the gas is lightly stepped on or the car is in Cruise mode. Although, the stutter vanishes when I floor the gas pedal. FE is also heading south of 14 kmpl. Are these the symptoms of clogged injectors? How do I clean them? (Replacement = Rs. 35k each

)

2 - I notice a grunting sound from the left wheel as I turn towards right at considerable speeds. No such sound is heard in the otherwise direction. (Bearing issue?)

3 - Do I need to replace any other consumable fluid? Any other maintenance that I need to perform at this stage?

Grateful if you help.
Keep Revving.

WorkingGuru · 16th October 2016, 10:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arsi

... Recently, I have faced some issues like EGR valve clogging, ...

EGR accumulating soot isn't uncommon for a >65k km driven vehicle. So IMO Nothing major to worry there.

Quote:

1 - Emission has increased and the blue smoke is often excessive. Idling is not static and the car stutters while the gas is lightly stepped on or the car is in Cruise mode. Although, the stutter vanishes when I floor the gas pedal. FE is also heading south of 14 kmpl....

IMO This could be an issue with a cut in the (most likely the rubber section of) turbo pipe. Ask the SA / Jr Mechanics to check the turbo hose the next time you go for service.

Quote:

2 - I notice a grunting sound from the left wheel as I turn towards right at considerable speeds. No such sound is heard in the otherwise direction. (Bearing issue?)

No, any sound while turning isn't necessarily the bearing. If you notice the car making a loud hum at speeds exceeding 50kmph, then that could be a wheel bearing issue.

Quote:

3 - Do I need to replace any other consumable fluid? Any other maintenance that I need to perform at this stage?

AFAIK, till 90k kms, you're fine as long as you have your oil change on time, or if your usage is mostly within the city (or any place where the engine is subject to high revs at low gears too often - like hilly areas ) then maybe 10-15% before the (I guess 10,000km) recommended interval.

Since the car would've been a good compaion since a while, its but natural to feel like giving it some TLC. WRT mechanics, I personally recommend people to stick to mineral oil, oftentimes using something just good enough is the right thing to do. Maybe a polish & paint protection, again I guess you try it yourself & use some reputed brands that the car polishing threads recommend, it'll make you feel more connected to the car, rather than simply giving it off to 3M or some workshop.

Edit : If you choose to go for Synthetic, I'd recommend Liqui Moly 0W40 Fully Synth oil, or if its hard to source, then Mobil1 Delvac.

Arsi · 16th October 2016, 14:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by WorkingGuru

IMO This could be an issue with a cut in the (most likely the rubber section of) turbo pipe. Ask the SA / Jr Mechanics to check the turbo hose the next time you go for service.

So, according to you injector cleaning should be ruled out? I personally want to go for it at this stage but I am skeptic about the mechanical proficiency. I have heard that people from Bosch do it quite professionally.

WorkingGuru · 16th October 2016, 16:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arsi

So, according to you injector cleaning should be ruled out? ...

For now, yes. Excessive dark smoke from the exhaust can quite likely be due to a cut in the turbo hose.

Swapnil4585 · 16th October 2016, 18:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arsi

1 - Emission has increased and the blue smoke is often excessive. Idling is not static and the car stutters while the gas is lightly stepped on or the car is in Cruise mode. Although, the stutter vanishes when I floor the gas pedal. FE is also heading south of 14 kmpl. Are these the symptoms of clogged injectors?

In agreement with WorkingGuru, clogged EGR is not a reason to worry. Any drop in power you notice? Would advise to have the fuel filter, fuel lines checked at this point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WorkingGuru

For now, yes. Excessive dark smoke from the exhaust can quite likely be due to a cut in the turbo hose.

How would a cut in the turbo hose lead to excessive dark smoke?

WorkingGuru · 16th October 2016, 21:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swapnil4585

...How would a cut in the turbo hose lead to excessive dark smoke?

Just saying from experience.
I have a Linea & once noticed excessive smoke from the exhaust. Service advisor noted to check the turbo hose for leaks & it turned out to be true. He said it's a noted issue with the MJD & this is most often the cause.

sriramv.iyer · 17th October 2016, 21:20

Wanted to share an epic 77777 kms completed moment

(Crossed 78K as of date) - I have a 2012 Ford Fiesta TDCi Titanium+ in White

Ford Fiesta : Test Drive & Review-img_0010.jpg

No words sufficient to mention how much fun I am having with this car! Amazing body control, steering, ride AND handling - I had tons of fun pushing it during my travel in Ghats. People outside should be wondering why I was grinning ear to ear while driving the car.

The other car that I have, the previous generation Honda City (2011) pales in comparison for the ride, steering feedback and pure joy of driving. iVTEC rush is indeed available, but the wallowy steering does it for the Honda City.

I have been thinking of buying a fancier car for a while, but, will not exchange the Fiesta for sure. (Father loves the Honda City, and it will stay as well) - I was telling my friends that people will have to kill me to take the Fiesta from me.

What could be better? Such a chassis deserves a more powerful engine!

--
Some quirky points:

1. I was talking to a Volvo salesperson a while ago - He was telling me that the S60 has doors made of steel with Boron and only Merc S class has it (Not even C/E). I then remembered that Ford Fiesta (new model) has doors made of Boron Steel! (take it Merc C / E!)

2. Audi A4 advertised that the ORVMs are attached to the door to improve aerodynamic nature and reduce noise - So does Ford Fiesta (I think Nano also has this

)

3. Usable voice control - Though the commands I use max are "Dial Name" and "Redial" - The A/C commands are plain stupid

4. HEAVY Doors - Mentioning this again because, the doors are super strong and close with a thud. Amazing side impact protection!

5. Brilliant OEM music system!

There are a lot more nifty touches that make me fall in love with this - But even if we remove all of of these, just the brilliant chassis, amazing lively and weighted steering and the superb ride and handling will make it a full paisa vasool for me.

From a man, completely fallen head over heels for this:

Ford Fiesta : Test Drive & Review-img_9398.jpg

PS:- You don't see a lot of new Ford Fiestas for a reason (not just that they didn't sell well, but the owners have to be blackmailed for them to be put in used-car market)

Arsi · 18th October 2016, 01:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by sriramv.iyer

PS:- You don't see a lot of new Ford Fiestas for a reason (not just that they didn't sell well, but the owners have to be blackmailed for them to be put in used-car market)

Blackmailed! So true. Being possibly the only kinetic blue fiesta in the entire region (have never seen or heard of another), I was offered a lucrative 9 lacs at 40k after 4 years. And I straight away rejected the offer.

Arsi · 18th October 2016, 06:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swapnil4585

In agreement with WorkingGuru, clogged EGR is not a reason to worry. Any drop in power you notice?

No noticeable drop in power. Although, the car stutters just when the accelerator is very mildly pressed.

rock18 · 21st October 2016, 00:36

My 2012 Fiesta has problems reading USB drives. It plays a song for sometime and shows "invalid file format" error and then it gets stuck with indexing. I need to remove it and plug it again to make it work again.
Is there any solution for this?
And also is it possible to update the firmware for the Ford Audio?
Mine is a non Sync version. Can we enable Sync with a firmware update?
Please provide your suggestions.

hypermiler · 21st October 2016, 20:45

Just clocked 65k KM today with my petrol Fiesta. I have been facing a peculiar problem the last few months...

The temperature reading (just above where our ODO is) tends to gradually increase a lot particularly at crawl speeds (1st or 2nd gear) while driving during peak hours.

A typical Chennai afternoon would see the temperature gauge showing 33 degrees. But once I reach a heavily congested area and slip to crawl speeds, it climbs to 42+. On a couple of rare occasions, climbed up to 45 degrees and the compressor auto cut-off. Had to switch off the AC for sometime and then once the temperature climbed down, the AC started working properly.

Checked with Chennai Ford and they mentioned that the radiator fan wires had burnt up and replaced it. Problem still persisted. On the second visit, confirmed that the fan was running, but the engine temp was still increasing. The SA and technician suggested to clean the hoses leading the air to the engine. The SA indicated that some of the hoses would have accumulated dust and dirt. Now, I do not see the AC cut-off and the temperature fluctuations does not vary much. But on occasions, it does climb from 30+ to 42 or 43 degrees, particularly when driving in the afternoons with heavy traffic.

Funny thing is, the moment the traffic clears up a bit and I get to 3rd gear and above, I see decrease in the temp.

What could be the problem?? Any thoughts?

stable rock · 22nd October 2016, 11:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by hypermiler

Just clocked 65k KM today with my petrol Fiesta. I have been facing a peculiar problem the last few months...

The temperature reading (just above where our ODO is) tends to gradually increase a lot particularly at crawl speeds (1st or 2nd gear) while driving during peak hours.

=======

Funny thing is, the moment the traffic clears up a bit and I get to 3rd gear and above, I see decrease in the temp.

What could be the problem?? Any thoughts?

Might be clogged radiator, get it cleaned first than spending on other stuffs, my car had the same issue.

poised2drive · 31st October 2016, 17:29

Hey guys,
I am planning to buy a preworshipped Fiesta 1.5 and my eyes are scouting for one , though they seem to be very rare in the market.

I talked to one of the Car valuers and asked his opinion about Fiesta. He said the Fiesta diesel has issues with Turbo and maintenance is higher.

So I would invite the attention of the owners of this beautiful beast to the problems stated above and any suggestions and advice are most welcome.

By the way, there's a Fiesta Diesel 2011 run for 65000Km available for 4.95 L !

rock18 · 9th November 2016, 21:12

What is the ideal air pressure that needs to be maintained? I recently changed to Continental tyres and kept the pressure at 33psi for all 4 tyres. Car feels floaty. Please suggest the ideal pressure to be maintained.
The recommended pressure in manual is 30 at front and rear incase of single occupancy.
36 and 42 if full load. Since i am filling nitrogen, its not practical to reduce and increase when we need to carry more people.

1st August 2016, 21:31	#1756
Czarcarsm BHPian Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Bangalore,Kochi Posts: 157 Thanked: 436 Times	I own a 2012 Fiesta Titanium Dual Clutch Automatic. Petrol version. Has put about 74000 Kms to date. No issues so far. Last month I did Kochi to Bangalore. 5 passengers including 3 kids. May be 50 kgs of luggage in the boot. I got about 15.5 kmpl. This is a great car. Smooth and daring at the pedal even at this old age. Beautiful engine. It's a shame that Ford couldn't win the market with this.
	() Thanks

16th October 2016, 00:54	#1757
Arsi BHPian Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Srinagar, J&K Posts: 133 Thanked: 147 Times	New Ford fiesta Issues - 66000 kms clocked Hello guys. It has been quite a long time with my 2011 Ford fiesta. I have clocked 66000 kms and I am starting to get a little more conscious about my car's health. Recently, I have faced some issues like EGR valve clogging, coolant leakage, etc. - all have been addressed to by Ford A.S.S. I am still skeptical about the following issues: 1 - Emission has increased and the blue smoke is often excessive. Idling is not static and the car stutters while the gas is lightly stepped on or the car is in Cruise mode. Although, the stutter vanishes when I floor the gas pedal. FE is also heading south of 14 kmpl. Are these the symptoms of clogged injectors? How do I clean them? (Replacement = Rs. 35k each ) 2 - I notice a grunting sound from the left wheel as I turn towards right at considerable speeds. No such sound is heard in the otherwise direction. (Bearing issue?) 3 - Do I need to replace any other consumable fluid? Any other maintenance that I need to perform at this stage? Grateful if you help. Keep Revving.
	() Thanks

17th October 2016, 21:20	#1763
sriramv.iyer BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 845 Thanked: 739 Times	Re: Ford Fiesta : Test Drive & Review Wanted to share an epic 77777 kms completed moment (Crossed 78K as of date) - I have a 2012 Ford Fiesta TDCi Titanium+ in White No words sufficient to mention how much fun I am having with this car! Amazing body control, steering, ride AND handling - I had tons of fun pushing it during my travel in Ghats. People outside should be wondering why I was grinning ear to ear while driving the car. The other car that I have, the previous generation Honda City (2011) pales in comparison for the ride, steering feedback and pure joy of driving. iVTEC rush is indeed available, but the wallowy steering does it for the Honda City. I have been thinking of buying a fancier car for a while, but, will not exchange the Fiesta for sure. (Father loves the Honda City, and it will stay as well) - I was telling my friends that people will have to kill me to take the Fiesta from me. What could be better? Such a chassis deserves a more powerful engine! -- Some quirky points: 1. I was talking to a Volvo salesperson a while ago - He was telling me that the S60 has doors made of steel with Boron and only Merc S class has it (Not even C/E). I then remembered that Ford Fiesta (new model) has doors made of Boron Steel! (take it Merc C / E!) 2. Audi A4 advertised that the ORVMs are attached to the door to improve aerodynamic nature and reduce noise - So does Ford Fiesta (I think Nano also has this ) 3. Usable voice control - Though the commands I use max are "Dial Name" and "Redial" - The A/C commands are plain stupid 4. HEAVY Doors - Mentioning this again because, the doors are super strong and close with a thud. Amazing side impact protection! 5. Brilliant OEM music system! There are a lot more nifty touches that make me fall in love with this - But even if we remove all of of these, just the brilliant chassis, amazing lively and weighted steering and the superb ride and handling will make it a full paisa vasool for me. From a man, completely fallen head over heels for this: PS:- You don't see a lot of new Ford Fiestas for a reason (not just that they didn't sell well, but the owners have to be blackmailed for them to be put in used-car market)
	(3) Thanks

21st October 2016, 00:36	#1766
rock18 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 310 Thanked: 55 Times View My Garage	Re: Ford Fiesta : Test Drive & Review My 2012 Fiesta has problems reading USB drives. It plays a song for sometime and shows "invalid file format" error and then it gets stuck with indexing. I need to remove it and plug it again to make it work again. Is there any solution for this? And also is it possible to update the firmware for the Ford Audio? Mine is a non Sync version. Can we enable Sync with a firmware update? Please provide your suggestions.
	() Thanks

21st October 2016, 20:45	#1767
hypermiler BHPian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Chennai Posts: 99 Thanked: 201 Times	Re: Ford Fiesta : Test Drive & Review Just clocked 65k KM today with my petrol Fiesta. I have been facing a peculiar problem the last few months... The temperature reading (just above where our ODO is) tends to gradually increase a lot particularly at crawl speeds (1st or 2nd gear) while driving during peak hours. A typical Chennai afternoon would see the temperature gauge showing 33 degrees. But once I reach a heavily congested area and slip to crawl speeds, it climbs to 42+. On a couple of rare occasions, climbed up to 45 degrees and the compressor auto cut-off. Had to switch off the AC for sometime and then once the temperature climbed down, the AC started working properly. Checked with Chennai Ford and they mentioned that the radiator fan wires had burnt up and replaced it. Problem still persisted. On the second visit, confirmed that the fan was running, but the engine temp was still increasing. The SA and technician suggested to clean the hoses leading the air to the engine. The SA indicated that some of the hoses would have accumulated dust and dirt. Now, I do not see the AC cut-off and the temperature fluctuations does not vary much. But on occasions, it does climb from 30+ to 42 or 43 degrees, particularly when driving in the afternoons with heavy traffic. Funny thing is, the moment the traffic clears up a bit and I get to 3rd gear and above, I see decrease in the temp. What could be the problem?? Any thoughts?
	(1) Thanks

31st October 2016, 17:29	#1769
poised2drive BHPian Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Vijayawada-HYD Posts: 493 Thanked: 1,337 Times	Re: Ford Fiesta : Test Drive & Review Hey guys, I am planning to buy a preworshipped Fiesta 1.5 and my eyes are scouting for one , though they seem to be very rare in the market. I talked to one of the Car valuers and asked his opinion about Fiesta. He said the Fiesta diesel has issues with Turbo and maintenance is higher. So I would invite the attention of the owners of this beautiful beast to the problems stated above and any suggestions and advice are most welcome. By the way, there's a Fiesta Diesel 2011 run for 65000Km available for 4.95 L ! Last edited by poised2drive : 31st October 2016 at 17:31.
	() Thanks

9th November 2016, 21:12	#1770
rock18 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 310 Thanked: 55 Times View My Garage	Re: Ford Fiesta : Test Drive & Review What is the ideal air pressure that needs to be maintained? I recently changed to Continental tyres and kept the pressure at 33psi for all 4 tyres. Car feels floaty. Please suggest the ideal pressure to be maintained. The recommended pressure in manual is 30 at front and rear incase of single occupancy. 36 and 42 if full load. Since i am filling nitrogen, its not practical to reduce and increase when we need to carry more people.
	() Thanks