[peterjim13]

UPDATE

Sharing a long delayed update:

I will try to briefly summarize what happened since my last post here. Interesting fact that even Ford is reading this forum, as I got a call for mentioning the AC guys role in ironing out the challenge with the "Thud" sound.

So this happened since I dropped the car at the QuickLane in March :

Originally Posted by peterjim13

4. After short drives or city drives especially with AC on - I observed that my radiator fan is mostly on High Speed, and then the compressor goes off.
So the jerk is that of the AC compressor going on and off. (my assumption
.

So this is precisely the radiator fan switching on to high speed mode - and might also be turning of the AC compressor to control heat.

Originally Posted by peterjim13

They suspect that the thermostat is not pumping sufficient coolant to manage the engine temperature as coolant levels are closer to max.

Looks like this is it. I replaced the thermostat and I checked rest of the components including radiator fan, AC compressor, coolant pump etc. All seems to be in place.

Now I see the thermostat in action to switch of the fan when not in need as well as toggling between high speed and low speed.

btw: These may be a regular thing and you may not notice the fan speed - but my mind is now tuned to listen to this since I have been running with this for a while.

Originally Posted by peterjim13

By logic, this should solve it. But I am sad that I had to have the AC guy find it and not the FASS.

This is something that made Ford flag this with the dealer and I have clarified with them about my year long run to solve this.

Summary

The regular "Thuds" are no longer to be seen, but I still see regular activity of radiator fan as soon as the AC is on. Which is normal to me.

But I somehow can feel that the fan is typically on top speed and there is some constant heating up happening around the engine.

This is something I need to look at - my car is slated for the 11 th year 1,10,000 KM service this Nov.

Btw - the car just recently clocked 99,750 on the ODO. Did a few Wayanad and Munnar trips over the summers "touchwood"

[TheEcoBeast]

Originally Posted by jithin23

I can connect you to one person in Chennai who can help you with this(not Idumbakumar) . He supplies Ford parts. I can share his contact in private message and he stays in Porur.

Wonderful! Thanks so much for all the info. Very useful. I am going to Chennai this weekend. Would you send me the supplier contact please? I just sent a PM to you. Thanks in advance.

[d2krish]

Recently my elder brother's EcoSport petrol automatic faced a weired issue that I wanted to share with you all.

Suddenly, the car just refused to crank while it was parked outside. At first the thought-process was the battery was somehow discharged and needed a jump start. The car was on duty and was driven by a chauffeur. As it happened while it was parked, the driver managed to get hold of a mechanic who tried with a charged battery but yet again, the car refused to crank. Also, we found that the car's electrical system is behaving erratic. Sometimes lights are getting on, then getting off after some time. Gear (AT) is locked, rear door is not opening etc. Ultimately, we called RSA and the car was towed to service centre.

Possibilities were playing in my head was
1. dynamo / alternator problem - not charging the battery
2. BCM malfunctioning
3. Something is shorted inside, leaking current

After inspection, the service centre provided a very weired reason for the case, that, due to the battery was completely drained out, all programs in the car are wiped out . According to them, this might happen in case a specific capacitor fails. So the capacitor needs to be changed and all the programs need to be reloaded. Service centre asked for 14k to replace the capacitor.

Now this sounded very strange to me, that, why on earth a drained battery and a faulty capacitor would wipe out programs from a car. Does anyone has any idea what it means? Are programs in this car are loaded on a powered memory which always need power to store its content? And why would some company like Ford (or any other manufacturers) design a car like that?

Being very much confused, I put up the case here, in case, someone can throw some light.

[ReDevil009]

Originally Posted by ReDevil009

Update: The car has been lying with the Ford ASS for over two weeks now, and the SA has called and informed that the expert from Chennai has inspected the vehicle and has informed that the only fix possible is to replace the entire Gearbox, and it is going to cost a "WHOPPING 5.5 LACS" . We are not ready to spend that kind of money on a soon-to-be 6 yr old car whose manufacturer has left the country. We are stuck in this predicament.

Please suggest any alternative solution if there is any like any known FNG or a good Ford ASS who can repair the gearbox. The forward gears engage and work fine. I am thinking of bringing the car down from native in Vijayawada to Bangalore so maybe there are more skilled people here who can help fix this.
Thanks a lot in advance.

We found that a used car dealer in Vijayawada is willing to source a used Ford AT gearbox for 2.5L, but i am wondering if it will very soon endup with issues, as its from quite an old car with lot of mileage. Is there any place i can source an older gearbox from a reliable source in Bengaluru? Or anybody who can repair the existing one?
Please help if anybody has done something similar before.
Thanks in advance.

[ManasN95]

Hello everyone! After dilly dallying on whether to keep the Honda City 3rd Gen, we finally took the plunge and got ourselves a 2018 Ford Ecosport Titanium+ TDCi on 16th August.

The car was immaculately maintained, has all the service records for the entirety of it's 90,000 KMs age, and the price was also fantastic to let go of this deal.

So it all made sense, and the change from Petrol + CNG automatic to Diesel manual, 165 mm GC to 200 GC, basic features to so many features that I am still grasping, and from a Japanese to an American, has been exhilarating to say the least!

I hope to add much value to this thread with my experiences, and will post a small first impressions as soon as I put some 1000 KMs under the belt!

I have a hoard of modifications planned, and I would love to have your inputs for the same!

I am keeping her as it is for now, but the mods will start kicking in soon.

Parting with a recent photo of her, where in we friends took a drive of 150 KMs just for a Misal, and I am hoping my travels with her would be exactly the same - just point in the direction and shoot.

[lord_almighty]

Originally Posted by lord_almighty

I have had an ambivalent experience with Pawan Ford for 2 yrs in running. They definitely are careless in their work and lack attention to detail.

Long ranting post. And suggestions are required too.

This year has not been good for my 10-year-old/ 97km Ecosport. After an easy-going last 5yrs I have had it (the first 5yrs with my brother), the last 7-8 months have been full of niggles causing anxiety.

After acting iffy for a couple of months, AC stopped cooling altogether in Jan. Car had been at Pawan Ford (Again ) for service. FASS quoted 55k with the only solution they always present - replace everything. Took it to Manjeet ji (Cooldays, Lajpat Nagar). He quoted 28K for replacing everything as the compressor was kaput. As per his suggestion replaced Ford's compressor with a Subros compressor. Large dimensions of the new compressor meant a separate fitting and adjustment had to be done for this.

Had been busy a few days and could pay attention only later to a few niggles.

1. Weird sound occasionally - like an empty is rolling in/ near the front axle. Sometimes when braking, sometimes when turning right. Wasn't sure when or why was this happening.
2. Vibrations in brakes/clutch/accelerator which over the next couple of months became far worse.
3. After 2 months empty can sound died and was replaced by a scratchy sound which became far worse suddenly overnight.

Had in between taken the car back to Pawan Ford but they said no issue at all. Finally decided to take it to a reputed FNG in Noida - World of Service.

Disappointing experience again. First, they said the ball bearing and joint on the front right side was the issue. Parts came in pairs, etc and the service cost totals 6.8k. But the sound was back in a couple of days. This time diagnosis was that the brake drum was bent and either could be replaced or straightened in the lathe machine. When enquired, the response was ball joint too was an issue. I just wanted to get things done with by now and chose drum straightening @2.5k.

And a couple of months later sound and vibration were there but mild. Or might have been I was obsessed too much with it. But decided to take it back to Pawan Ford 2weeks back. They found again no issue in driving. However, when insisted they took a look and suggested the replacement of a cracked bush in the middle part of the front axle (not sure of name). Another 5k blown.

Additionally, over the last month have faced the issue of the car losing power 4-5 times. It has occurred each time after I have deaccelerated and geared down in traffic/ turn and then tried accelerating again. Each time, after going to Neutral and standing still or switching the car off, things have been back to normal.

My brother informed me the Clutch had been replaced earlier around 40Km when it died altogether on the highway one sudden day. Now I am not sure whether the vibrations in the Brake/Clutch/accelerator, the occasional noise from the front axle and this loss of power are interrelated or separate issues. Or was it caused by compressor replacement where the belt's tension or load might have changed?


I am planning to make the long trip to Tanish Ford in Gurgaon this weekend and get them to look at the car. In past, they have resolved issues for me but their approach has always been the costly replacement of everything involved.


Not sure if I am obsessing too much over something harmless or if there is a genuine issue. However, I would love to have some genuine clarity and opinion on the issues.

Thanks in advance for listening to my rant and look forward to suggestions.

[White bird]

It's a ten years old Ford, done almost 100,000 kilometers. Things are bound to happen. It's not a Toyota. Ignore minor problems. Keep driving. Its already done it's service. Enjoy your car.

[Taha Mir]

Originally Posted by lord_almighty

As per his suggestion replaced Ford's compressor with a Subros compressor. Large dimensions of the new compressor meant a separate fitting and adjustment had to be done for this.

If there was no such NVH present before compressor replacement, it could be non OE compressor and related parts making the noise.
I've also had compressor failure in my 2013 ES currently at 1L kms. Decided to take the plunge and replace the compressor at Ford for 47k rs since im keeping this car for the long run.
Try to replicate the issue with AC on/off. Or with the AC belt removed to pin point what the issue could be.
As for suspension noises and issues, I got my entire suspension redone at 87k kms since insurance was replacing right side suspension due to an accident and have had zero NVH issues.
Almost everyone running on OE parts replaced at required intervals has faced no such issues.
Try uploading a video of the noise here, someone could help you out.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by ManasN95

Hello everyone! After dilly dallying on whether to keep the Honda City 3rd Gen, we finally took the plunge and got ourselves a 2018 Ford Ecosport Titanium+ TDCi on 16th August.

Looks great, congratulations on picking up a fantastic machine. I have the TDCI Sports in the same color, and the car is a looker even today. Wish you many thousands of kms and mile munching in the days ahead. A great mod would be a stage 1 remap - will make the already capable TDCI engine a beast with even better torque and driveability.

[ManasN95]

Originally Posted by ManasN95

I hope to add much value to this thread with my experiences, and will post a small first impressions as soon as I put some 1000 KMs under the belt!

So, after driving for around 1000-1500 KMs in a week, here are my first impressions, some might be in comparison with the Honda City 2012 (HC) model.

Pros:

1. Ground Clearance - The biggest pro for me, I don't have to worry about scraping anything anymore.

2. Features - Sync3 ease, Android Auto and Auto dimming IRVM have been the biggest features for me. Other good to have features over City are auto headlamps, automatic wipers, etc - which for me, are good to have as features, but I wouldn't have missed them if I didn't have them. Other features like Hill Start Assist, MyKey etc, haven't been explored by me yet to comment.

3. Steering - In city, it doesn't feel as light as the Honda City, but on higher speeds, it's feedback and weight feels really good. Especially on highways, I feel like having more control over the car, somehow.

4. On highways, it's so assuring to have a stable car, while HC would feel a little under confident on EWays around 100 kmph and more.

5. Because I am sitting high, the view is great, feels commanding. I like this sitting on a bench posture more than sitting on a couch posture in the HC.

6. The mileage economy and hit on the wallet hasn't taken a big dent, it's almost similar. Below are the figures I am getting (only first calculations in all scenarios)
6a. In complete city driving, with poor roads and intermittent traffic, I am hovering around 13-14 kmpl
6b. In free flowing City traffic - I got 17.7 kmpl
6c. In one trip from Dombivli - Pune - Mumbai I got exactly 20 kmpl for the 350+ kms trip, which included insane Mumbai bottleneck traffic as well during a Saturday evening, which is good in my books.
Compared to the HC (which was on CNG and Automatic), I would have gotten atleast 2-3 kmpl lesser than the above figures for sure. So that more or less cancels out any difference between running on CNG vs Diesel.

7. No more waiting on long CNG lines for out station trips (where I would generally get 180-200 km on tankful). Visits to the pumps would be so much lesser.

8. Suspension feels better for higher speeds, takes a lot of undulations and rumble strips in it's stride.

9. Overall the quality of interiors is good, the steering buttons feel tactile, good to use, same is the case with the center console. All are within reach, and once I get the hang of what is where, I would be able to operate most of the things without taking my eyes off the road.

10. Music system is good for my taste, after tuning a little bit. I am not an audiophile, so the current setup is going to be untouched. Call quality is also good enough for me, crystal clear audio.

11. Having an adaptive rear reversing camera is helpful, and the convex ORVMs are a plus point, also being big and wide enough to see the world behind.

12. I always wanted a rear wiper, and now I have got one. So I would definately list in my likes as it also comes with a wash and wipe.

13. I like the diesel clatter, it does feel like now I am driving something, Honda City was extremely quiet (I am taking about the engine noise and vibrations and harshness in the cabin which was next to none). There is evident clatter on starting up, and overall, the harshness is present, but I LIKE it. During the Pune Mumbai trip, I couldn't help but notice that I am feeling less sleepy than I would have in the HC because I needed to be more aware for the gear shifts and the vibrations and engine noise help me in that.

14. Internal space is okay, 1L bottles fit in all 4 doors, 2 cup holders near handbrake and on the rear arm rest.

15. The pull of the diesel motor is addictive in the torque band, especially coming after a CNG car.

Dislikes:

1. The lag around 1500 RPM is terrible, almost feels like engine is gasping for air. The first gear and second gear in some scenarios are tricky, where I do not understand if to stay in 1st gear or up to 2nd, but then it lags horribly. I have heard Stage 1 map will solve this to an extent.

2. The low speed ride quality is horrible, to the point where I almost question my decision. And my Ecosport is with 16 inchers. I can't imagine what 17 inchers must be going through. It's extremely wobbly and feels like a low quality boat getting bashed around waves. Any suggestions, or do I live with it? I am feeling it more so coming from a sedan whose low speed ride is now feeling like a carpet.

3. The intermittent rain sensing wipers feel chaotic, or I am using them wrong. (I haven't had the chance to read the owner's manual yet). They more often than not, work well, but when there isn't lashing rain, but a slow accumulation of droplets, they just don't wipe for a long time. Will read up more about this, but I would have liked a simpler mechanism like my HC here.

4. Now, this car was meant to be 30% Ciy and 70% highway use, so we kept manuals open as an option after using a smooth Automatic for 4 years. Man, am I struggling or what!! The clutch is hard, (might have started to wear out), and although driving on EWay for most of the time was okay, that 1 hour of driving in intense bumper to bumper traffic has given me a minor swollen ankle. I agree, that I am not in a best of physical conditions to not let this affect me, but this is going to be a worry for me. But I think all I can do about this now is start doing ankle strengthening and mobility exercises and get it checked with another Ford ASC to see how much the clutch play and hardness can be improved. (When I got her checked before purchase at Ford, they said that it's normal hard for the KMs run - 90,000, and replacing the clutch unit would only make it 20-30% better not more.) So I have to take this in my stride I guess.

5. It feels like the car is missing a 6th gear on highways. I observed that she does 95 kmph at around 2k RPM which feels gruff, also highlighted by the fact that I am accustomed to the smoothness of the petrol automatic. Going beyond 100-110 kmph would mean even more roughness, but then I guess this is to be expected of a diesel, but as I said, a 6th gear would have been nice. I may try putting in a better engine oil, using some products like Liquimoly Ceratec so see if it gets a little smoother.

6. The sitting position is a little hard to find, because the car is used both by me and my Dad, so each one struggles to find the settings they want in the first instance of getting in.

7. Doors do not open full 90 degrees, which my Mom would have liked for better ingress.

8. Strictly 4 seater, compact dimensions means no 5th healthy adult allowed. Doesn't matter to us as we rarely travel with the need of carrying 5 people.

9. Half the boot space (feels like) compared to the City. Not sure about how much luggage would she really gobble unless we go on a multi day trip - so comments about scarcity or not only after we do.

10. Contrary to the common opinion on this forum, I do not like the all black interiors of the Ecosport. Unfortunately, I can't even change the seat covers due to air bags, but I would have absolutely loved putting tan coloured seat covers which would have looked really good on the blue body shell. Any options?

11. A-pillar view blockage, as is highlighted by everybody.

Mods Planned:

1. I have already installed the 70Mai A510 which was pending from a long time.
2. Stage 1 Map
3. Cosmetic modifications aplenty - grill, body stripes, rear spoiler, some contrast styling in the interiors, maybe tinting the headlamps and fog lamps to look like S variant (I am unsure of this).
4. Maybe better looking alloys, I hate the current flower type alloys, but beggars can't be choosers, right? Although I can choose a different alloy design, maybe also go for 15 inch alloys if that improves the low ride quality by a good margin.
5. High beam and fog light bulb to better ones. The previous owner had installed HIDs in the low beams and they are fantastic (pending some fine tuning). I would like to have all the best possible bulbs in the high beams and fogs as well.
6. Some small things like a vacuum cleaner, good upkeep chemicals, tyre inflator etc - whatever required basics to get her ready for cross country trips I have been dreaming of.

All in all, it has been a mixed bag for me, but I am sure once I start racking up the miles, I would start liking the Ford more than now.

My next update would be of a separate ownership thread combined with travelogues hopefully.

[Phantom 510]

Smaller 15 inch rims would certainly help in improving the ride quality. Going one inch smaller is the best way to tackle the ride quality issue in your case IMO.

[abaliga]

Originally Posted by ManasN95

So, after driving for around 1000-1500 KMs in a week, here are my first impressions, some might be in comparison with the Honda City 2012 (HC) model.

.

My family used to own a 2019 Ecosport TDCI Titanium Plus until about 18 months back and I agree a 100% with your observations, Ecosport Diesel is not a great car to drive in the city because of the hard clutch, turbo lag and harsh low speed ride, exactly the reasons why we swapped it for an Octavia, However, it was absolutely trouble free to own for 4 years and we got very good service despite Ford moving out. I did find an enthusiast who took it off my hands for a decent price and did not low ball me by giving the excuse of Ford leaving India, I wish Ford did not leave India in a haste! I doubt they will make a come back though.

[ManasN95]

Originally Posted by Phantom 510

Smaller 15 inch rims would certainly help in improving the ride quality. Going one inch smaller is the best way to tackle the ride quality issue in your case IMO.

I'd like to know if anyone has done this, and how big of a difference does it actually make, to justify the cost plus I don't want the wheels to look odd.

[Phantom 510]

Originally Posted by ManasN95

I'd like to know if anyone has done this, and how big of a difference does it actually make, to justify the cost plus I don't want the wheels to look odd.

It will certainly work out well. Rims might look slightly smaller but the overall diameter of the wheel (rim + tyre ) could be maintained easily. There are online tyre Upsize calculator whr you can compare the current set up with the future setup.

[cosmodan]

Anyone tried installing dashcam taking power source from IRVM (Auto Dimming)?
The model which I am referring is Titanium Sports.