[deetjohn]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Ecosport horn connector is not the same as Fiesta. I thought it was the same but I ended up with the wrong connector.

That is definitely news but I am not surprised.

Ford is the master of making parts which look similar but are different. For someone who isn't initiated, it will look like part sharing to save cost but Ford spends money to design, build and store it differently.

Wonder why they do it?

Get this! Even the tow hook cover on the front bumper is different for both Figo and Aspire. They look mighty similar but is different. And let's not even get to the bigger items like the bumper, grille etc. which are all different. Its like the old tagline for the ketchup from Maggi.


By the way, if you need someone to buy that horn connector for the Fiesta, I am all ears.

[deetjohn]

Got some goodies for the Fiesta.

Bought a new blind for the window from Amazon. I used to have the suction type ones earlier for the rear which I used for more than 2 years. While the utility was great, it always looked bad from the inside. It was too large for the rear window and used to cover a bit of the door pad too. It provided great privacy, cut out the sun and was easy to see through from the inside. But was a hassle while cleaning the car or for rolling the window down.

I have been looking for the magnetic ones for a long time. But it was hard luck to find one for a popular car like the Fiesta. Finally stumbled upon them at Amazon.in for INR 1100. The brand is called Autofact and the seller and the product had nice reviews. And return was always a possibility if I didn't like it in person. But it is okay and I am keeping it.

The good bits: there is no branding on it and the cloth and stitching looks good. And as they cling onto the door frame rather than the window glass, the window can be rolled down now.

The not so good ones: the frame isn't flush fitting when compared to the OE ones available on cars like the Rapid for instance. And the visibility from inside isn't great compared to the ones I had earlier. For instance, I cannot read the display at the petrol bunks through it. The bunks here are completely trustworthy unlike Bangalore and people usually don't step outside the car while refueling. I had real difficulty in reading the meter when I filled up today.

Do note the car got 3M CR90 for the windows and CR70 for the rear windshield.




I am not planning use the ones for the front though. It gets a zipper on both sides for watching the mirror or for paying toll. I put those on but didn't even take the car out from the parking. I am not going to be comfortable driving with those on I guess. Planning to give that away now.




And with the new ISL season on, got the following made from vistaprint.in. These guys are amazing. I designed these on their website last Sunday and I got them home on Tuesday. That's hammer time for something which is custom made. kudos!!

1) Water proof sticker for the car. Haven't decided where to put it. Got 5 as that is the minimum quantity, but only one will be going on the Fiesta. Will give away the remaining.


2) And this one is a tee for me. Have booked the tickets for the inaugural match here at Kochi along with friends.

[VKS]

^ The shades looks very good to me, will order it right away. It might sell away fast for the popular car we have

Also wanted to ask you about the Michelin Primacy. How is it performing ? I have the same confusion as you, between Michelin and Continental. The stock GoodYear have become very hard and needs a replacement.

[deetjohn]

Originally Posted by VKS

Also wanted to ask you about the Michelin Primacy. How is it performing ? I have the same confusion as you, between Michelin and Continental.

If you have access to well paved winding roads, Continental is more rewarding on the Fiesta. But for everything else, Michelin got the upper hand.

Tyre mileage and robustness used to be Michelin's Achilles heel. Now, they have fixed both and how!

[VKS]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Tyre mileage and robustness used to be Michelin's Achilles heel. Now, they have fixed both and how!

Thank you for the feedback.

I stay at Pune and honestly I donot find the roads as good as Chennai or Hyderabad where i used to stay before.

There are many winding roads close by but well paved, not at all.Think I will stick to Michelin in that case for comfort.

I havennot driven much, it is 25k in 3 years. I never thought Goodyear's will become hard so early even though there is some thread life left on the tyres.

[deetjohn]

Originally Posted by VKS

There are many winding roads close by but well paved, not at all.Think I will stick to Michelin in that case for comfort.

This is what I meant. A surface so good that it reflects the afternoon sun.



One of the finest B roads around here and it was perfect on Sunday - totally deserted. The Fiesta was made for roads like these.

[deetjohn]

The car took a small hit, maybe something I could have avoided with a little more patience.




There is no paint loss, but there is a dent. And that made the already bad panel gap of the rear door a bit worse. Couldn't bear it, so I have given it to Marvel Motors here for correction. They said there is no need to open up the door pad and it can be fixed using the puller.



Coming back to the incident, a Linea (now you know the reason for the dent and why the Fiesta couldn't brush it aside ) came from the opposite side on a very narrow lane. Usually, regulars on this road stop at the intersection when they see traffic from the opposite side. But the Fiat was an outsider and soon we were standing side by side. I had to climb atop the slab but it had a hole. So I panicked a bit and the cars brushed each other while passing.

Hindsight says we shouldn't have attempted to pass there at all. But it was always going to be difficult to make the handful of two wheelers following the cars to move for reversing back. Anyways, let's just hope that Marvel does a good job.

Also, as you can see from the pics above, the felt lining of the rear wheel well is sagging a bit. An underbody pressure wash is done once a month, but it really shouldn't sag like that. Need to find a fix for it.

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

This is what I meant. A surface so good that it reflects the afternoon sun.
One of the finest B roads around here and it was perfect on Sunday - totally deserted. The Fiesta was made for roads like these.

The Fiesta is really awesome on these roads, I took it out on a similar road at night, a totally deserted stretch with good quality marking. It's wonderful and unlike my punto there's no racket inside the cabin. The sound insulation is great and the rev band is much wider than the MJD.

Six years on and 1.1 lakh kms done, it has got a new set of shocks, the ride and handling are as good as it was when it was new. A really good buy, considering we chose it over the Verna in 2011.

[deetjohn]

Got the car back the next day and Marvel did a good job.



Even the new PPF that 3M claimed wouldn't go yellow has gone a bit yellow now. That is what I have on the wheel arch. It is better compared to very first ones that I got though - those are on the running board. Those look very yellow - not sure whether you can see that from the pics.


But the bits that came with the car from the factory - like the ones just before the rear wheel well and the boot are perfect - just like day 1. Wonder what make are those. Thinking back, I don't think the PPF films make a lot of sense for cars with solid white paint. Except for maybe small bits like on the edge of the doors. Besides, if you do get a scratch, its the easiest paint to get corrected as well. And not to mention the cost.


Got a wash done at DBS after getting the car back. Lot of tar marks all over the car. I will get a premium wash next time to get it cleaned up. Also, its time for an interior detailing. I have never done it since I have got the car. While it is not bad as I am very particular about interior cleanliness, there are a few spots from spilled food (can't help ) which a professional detailing shop should be able to correct.


Went for a drive with some friends on Sat and these were shot at around 6 AM. There were 5 in the car and it was a snug fit. I normally keep the max count to 4 as that is the most comfortable for the people inside and the car too. But the Fiesta fared well. To my surprise, the engine was pulling well and wasn't bogged down by all the weight.

Except for a very steep incline in one of the village roads which I crossed in first. The Ford was feeling the weight in second so I stopped the car mid way, shifted to first and we crossed it peacefully. But the car was its usual self on the highways and that is surprising as I can feel the difference in behavior when I tank up. The Fiesta does feel hunkered down on the road right after the tank is filled up. Maybe because the tank is sitting so low and that really brings down the center of gravity.

Even though I have praised the stock lights of the Fiesta, I don't think I have put these pics up before.

The park and fog lights are on and both of these are aftermarket.



Low beam - stock bulbs.

Low + high beam - stock bulbs again.


Needless to say, it does the job.

[pkrish]

Originally Posted by anachronix

Did you mention, Momo, Revenge, Matt Anthracite, 16" wheels!?

Something like this?

Attachment 1376766

Bumping an old post -

Anachronix,
Any word on the driveability after switching to 16" wheels? I had read somewhere that there's less room for rim diameter up sizing. But in the picture they look fine. Do the tyres touch the body when car goes through any deep potholes at higher speeds? Any thoughts / suggestions?

I might be getting new set of tyres soon for my ANF, but was also thinking whether to go for 16" alloys or stay with stock alloys.

[anachronix]

Hello Krish.

Yes, the tires do touch the body a little if the car is taken through road dip/bump at high speeds. It usually happens when I am absolutely careless about these things on the road.

Running on the 16" for nearly 50K KMs and on my second set of tires. There is no other issue that I have been facing after the upgrade.

The ideal tire size for 16" is 195/50 R16, but thats not available in India.

Originally Posted by pkrish

Bumping an old post -

Anachronix,
Any word on the driveability after switching to 16" wheels? I had read somewhere that there's less room for rim diameter up sizing. But in the picture they look fine. Do the tyres touch the body when car goes through any deep potholes at higher speeds? Any thoughts / suggestions?

I might be getting new set of tyres soon for my ANF, but was also thinking whether to go for 16" alloys or stay with stock alloys.

[deetjohn]

Originally Posted by pkrish

Do the tyres touch the body when car goes through any deep potholes at higher speeds?

Originally Posted by anachronix

Yes, the tires do touch the body a little if the car is taken through road dip/bump at high speeds. It usually happens when I am absolutely careless about these things on the road.

195/55 R16 is just fine. Look at the difference in circumference compared to the stock size below. As good as it gets.



The tyre rubs against body due to the offset of the aftermarket alloy wheel. The wheel is pushed out and that's why things become a little hairy when you push the car with a bit of load on the road. Remember that the Fiesta comes lowered from the factory and the suspension travel is very less.

195/50 R16 will give a bit of room between the fender and the wheel well but the GC will reduce further and the car will touch ground when the road surface is bad.

The best option is to fix 16" alloys which has the same offset as the stock wheel. For example, the 16" alloy wheels of the new face lifted EcoSport will be a very nice fit for the Fiesta. If I can get hold of them, I am very keen on an upgrade too.

[pkrish]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

195/55 R16 is just fine. Look at the difference in circumference compared to the stock size below. As good as it gets.

Attachment 1707908

The best option is to fix 16" alloys which has the same offset as the stock wheel. For example, the 16" alloy wheels of the new face lifted EcoSport will be a very nice fit for the Fiesta. If I can get hold of them, I am very keen on an upgrade too.

ohh I am again in confusion since you both said 16" alloys are fine majority of the times. I was a happy guy thinking 16" wheels are too big for fiesta, so money was safe.

Btw you meant this alloy below right? Do you think they would look good on a fiesta?

[Porschefire]

Originally Posted by pkrish

Btw you meant this alloy below right? Do you think they would look good on a fiesta?

Nope, these are 17in alloys offered in the Titanium+ variant of the Ecosport and I am sure these will not fit on the Fiesta unless you go for really low-profile tyres!

I think deetjohn was talking about these 16in alloys on the Titanium variant.



I feel these alloys will look simple and classy on the car. The older Ecosport Titanium wheels will look sportier imo. For me personally I'd go for a multi spoke design like this -

[deetjohn]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

I feel these alloys will look simple and classy on the car. The older Ecosport Titanium wheels will look sportier imo. For me personally I'd go for a multi spoke design like this -

Yeah, the 17" of the Titanium will be too big for the Fiesta. Too bad, since the best looking alloy from Ford is the 17" they had slapped on the Platinum edition of the EcoSport.

The new 16" looks very unassuming in comparison. And that's one reason why I am hoping that it will makes it way into the classifieds.