[DRIVE_ADDICT]

Is there anyone out here who upgrade the headlamp with higher wattage + relay.. I was thinking of doing it in my Figo. Some says it will burn the reflector i'am hearing this in team-bhp. In my previous car Alto, i have changed the stock bulb to 100W and found no issues like burnt reflector beam etc..

The best remedy is to change to the new model's headlamps and bumper, which will set you back by 15 K. This is what the SA told me today when I gave my Figo for 1st servicing.

I've heard that even upgrading to 110/90 wont solve the problem, as the spread of the headlamps is restricted in the old model. Some have reported blackening of reflectors too after prolonged use.

Originally Posted by DRIVE_ADDICT

Is there anyone out here who upgrade the headlamp with higher wattage + relay.. I was thinking of doing it in my Figo. Some says it will burn the reflector i'am hearing this in team-bhp. In my previous car Alto, i have changed the stock bulb to 100W and found no issues like burnt reflector beam etc..

Many Figo owners have installed Phillips Extreme vision and Osram's nightbreaker of stock wattage of 55/60 and are happy about the increase in the brightness. The manufacturer claims 100% more brightness. However, the light throw is not upto the mark. I am installing either of the above two shortly and will post the pics before and after installation.

If warrany is not priority or if the warranty has expired, its better to opt for Lightforce or Hella external lights with relay and separate wiring harness.

I am quite ok with the stock lamps, for city use. I realised that the driving/fog lamps do help. Folks who do not have the OE fogs could give them a try.

Originally Posted by shuvc

I am quite ok with the stock lamps, for city use. I realised that the driving/fog lamps do help. Folks who do not have the OE fogs could give them a try.

The OE fogs cost about 6000 rs in total. 3500 for the fogs, and 2000 for the cable kit and 500 labour charge. I therefore skipped that. And will go for the Osram nightbreakers once i get free for the holiday season

Any other alternatives to OE fogs? Any good electrician in Bangalore for getting these accesories fitted without cutting splicing the wires?

Originally Posted by shuvc

I am quite ok with the stock lamps, for city use. I realised that the driving/fog lamps do help. Folks who do not have the OE fogs could give them a try.

The OE Fogs just lit up the sides of the road and useless in light throw. Its just good for city use to see the medians and potholes, but useless for highway drives as the light throw is not far.

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

The OE fogs cost about 6000 rs in total. 3500 for the fogs, and 2000 for the cable kit and 500 labour charge.

I have seen some of the bhpians had posted that they cost Rs.2500/- per pair. But 6000/- for these is total waste of money.

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Any other alternatives to OE fogs? Any good electrician in Bangalore for getting these accesories fitted without cutting splicing the wires?

Since your car's warranty has expired, you can search some in JC Road. You can get after market fog lamps which can fit the fog lamp bezel and look exactly like OE fogs.

I had bought one such for my old santro for just Rs.600/- in the year 2006-07, but they were not as bright as O.E fogs.

Consider getting a pair of external Hella or Lightforce round Fogs, which may add Sports aethestics to the car. The light throw will be far and way ahead than stock lamps. But the worry is that these gets stollen.

Originally Posted by HighOctane

The OE Fogs just lit up the sides of the road and useless in light throw. Its just good for city use to see the medians and potholes, but useless for highway drives as the light throw is not far.

Consider getting a pair of external Hella or Lightforce round Fogs, which may add Sports aethestics to the car. The light throw will be far and way ahead than stock lamps. But the worry is that these gets stollen.

I got the price from Quiklane service yeshwantpur. The price is high because the zxi and other models except the titanium dont come with the wiring kit for the fogs it seems. 6000 for those lights. Never.

Why Im worried about getting a good installer because a bad installation can have me up in flames at the most unexpected moments.

Both my cars ie the Figo and ANHC suffer from bad oem lighting. The santro is an exception though. Its got pretty strong and blinding oem lamps. Its probably cause of the reflector shape.

As for Hella you may try and get the fake ones that dont cost a lot and get good bulbs in them. Just need to be careful where you park i suppose.

From JC road I want to search for those scuff plates. Too bad the Ford ASC in the metros are so strict. The Honda ASC in my native place is pretty friendly and they do all these after market installations too with proper wiring.

I am yet to drive with the stock headlamps on the highway, but hope to do it soon. In city driving, I find the fog lamps to be very helpful in lateral throw---lights up the medians quite well.

I am planning to change to Osram's Nightbreakers soon, and I believe they cost around 1100 INR. There is no risk to warranty by sticking to the stock wattage .

In the coming financial year, I shall evaluate other options. Going for Hellas mounted on the front bumper like bhpiann laxmanrk seems to be a cheaper option than changing the bumper and headlamps. I guess kpzen and others who bought the new model can comment on the efficacy of the new headlamps.

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

The OE fogs cost about 6000 rs in total. 3500 for the fogs, and 2000 for the cable kit and 500 labour charge. I

I got the OE fogs fitted when taking delivery. Rs.3500/- all inclusive. Some one is fleecing people!

I have applied for joining the facebook group. Am trying to map the itinerary posted here with the dates and come up with something which will allow me to travel with the group as much as possible, but that's getting increasingly unlikely.

For me it's a difficult choice. While this is my first visit to the region, should I try and visit as many places in this visit itself, or should I just test the waters, so to speak, and return maybe a year or two later for a more detailed tour - there's always a little bit of Hamlet in our lives, isn't it?

Let's also get a brief idea of the expenses per head. This should exclude the fuel bills, because they would vary based on the vehicles (petrol/diesel, sedans/hatches/SUVs). Also going forward we would need to appoint one or two 'treasurers' in the group (or one in each vehicle if possible) who will be in charge of dispensing money for the common tasks such as eating, refuelling or accomodation and other group expenses. These people should maintain the records with bills etc, and should collect a regular amount from the other participants, maybe at the start of the day or at the end of the day, so that there are equal contributions and nobody misses out or loses out. Plus accounting for the expenditure could be managed well.

Sorry, the timeline to edit my previous post has lapsed, and so a back to back post. Mods, please merge these two if you can.

I did a quick comparo of the two routes:

Route 1: Dombivli - Vapi - Behror - Amritsar - Khajjiar - Srinagar
Route 2: Dombivli - Ahmedabad - Himmatnagar - Udaipur - Chittorgarh - Kishangarh - Sardarshahr - Hanumangarh - Abohar - Sri Muktasar Sahib - Zira - Taran Taaran - Amritsar - Pathankot - Jammu - Srinagar

Route 1 and Route 2 run parellel till Amritsar in terms of distance as well as time (source Google India Maps). Route 1 takes 1822kms and 1 day 2 hrs 21 mins, while Route 2 takes 1826kms and 1 day 2 hrs and 44 mins. So contrary to one of the earlier posts, Route 1 seems to save a bit of time (though I personally believe this saving is negligible). Verdict: Both routes are more or less the same on the distance and time scale.

The change happens post Amritsar. Route 1 from Amritsar to Srinagar via Khajjiar travels 655kms in 11 hrs 13 mins, while Route 2 from Amritsar to Srinagar via Pathankot and Jammu travels 511kms in just 8 hrs 45 mins. So there's considerable distance as well as time saved on Route 2.

Disclaimer: All this is solely based on Google Maps and actual conditions of the roads, traffic, time of travel will have a direct impact on these observations.

[Sheel]

(Personally,) I don't think I can drive w/o fog-lamps on the highways. While toggling between high-beam & low, when both are lit, it lights up the road beautifully. The fogs, to some extent manage this.

And (again, maybe its me) I find the OE head-lamp to have sufficient illumination. Have driven 200 to 300 kms @ night with absolutely no problems & find them as good/bad as other Cars under 10L.

[DRIVE_ADDICT]

Thanks all for your input. Does the new Figo's headlamp actually got better illumination? My cousin gona a get New Figo soon will wait and see it. But i hate the design of new headlamp and bumper so will never go for that option. By the way 16k is way too much for this. Will better go for aux hella with relay and seperate wiring.

[DRIVE_ADDICT]

Anybody booked new face lifted Figo in Yellow color? When my cousin enquired, dealer saying that color is not yet available/released. Is it true?

[supertinu]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Thanks guys.

I feel there is a slight surge post 1400 rpm, and that is more pronounced after 1700 rpm. So I feel staying in 2nd above 1400 is better than in 3rd at 1100 rpm because I get immediate throttle response, when needed. But I am not sure if I am compromising on FE while doing so. But on the other hand, driving at low revvs like 1100 rpm might cause lugging of the engine,which is more harmful. I'm new to diesels, and hence this debate.

I don't get rattles below 1400 rpm, at least, not yet. The car has seen 2580 kms so far.

Yes you are right, there is a slight increase in torque around 1400rpm and post that car pulls well. I dont know for certain about fuel eff but i prefer to stick in 2nd gear with higher RPM mainly for 2 reason, 1st the engine sounds more smoother at higher RPM and 2nd the higher power definitely help in doing slingshots in city traffic

Originally Posted by 9thsphinx

Drove a friend's Figo Titanium TDCI and found the gearbox to be very notchy and vague - wouldn't slot into the right gear at times. I don't know how to describe this feeling, but you don't get that satisfying shift or click when you change gears. Also, on the otherwise very punchy engine, I thought the turbo lag was highly evident. Beats the fun out of calculated overtaking!

Not sure what's the condition of your friends car, but you are right that Figo's gear box doesnt have a slotting feeling, however its far from vague or notchy. I have so far never missed a gear in last 10months or so. If you been a petrol car driver then you will surely feel the turbo lag, but wait till you drive other diesels to really know what turbo lag means

Originally Posted by Sheel

(Personally,) I don't think I can drive w/o fog-lamps on the highways. While toggling between high-beam & low, when both are lit, it lights up the road beautifully. The fogs, to some extent manage this.

And (again, maybe its me) I find the OE head-lamp to have sufficient illumination. Have driven 200 to 300 kms @ night with absolutely no problems & find them as good/bad as other Cars under 10L.

Even i find the stock lights ok along with fogs lit up. In high beam the spread of the stock HL is very narrow and fogs lights do make up for it partially. More illumination would definitely help but then my reference is against my Ikon which is even more bad. Car like Santro has tremendously better HLs though.

[A350XWB]

Fellow Figo owners, I have a problem. I did the second service of my TDCi at 20348kms and had filled up all the fluids including the coolant that time. Now, at 22240kms, which included a trip to Ooty and back, the coolant tank is totally empty. I checked for any leakage, but unable to find any. Now, the question is, is it natural for the reservoir to go empty this fast? (~1900kms) In my 20k experience, I never had this problem. After the second service, the average of the vehicle has increased considerably. I had opted for fully synthetic engine oil this time.
As I drive long distances often, I would like to carry atleast coolant and brake oil (DOT4) with me. Any suggestions on the same (brand etc.)?

[blackfire_9]

The coolant shouldn't vanish so easily unless there is a leak & that's why I would sugest getting the cooling system inspected. However, I am a little confused, did you get the coolant topped up during the second service or did you get it replaced?

Also, the Ford OE coolant for the 1.4 TDCi is Havoline XLC, an Arteco product, but its not available in the open market. What you could do is get about a liter or so from the ASC & keep it in the car.

And hey do update on what the workshop had to say about this incident in your car.

Originally Posted by A350XWB

Fellow Figo owners, I have a problem. I did the second service of my TDCi at 20348kms and had filled up all the fluids including the coolant that time. Now, at 22240kms, which included a trip to Ooty and back, the coolant tank is totally empty. I checked for any leakage, but unable to find any. Now, the question is, is it natural for the reservoir to go empty this fast? (~1900kms) In my 20k experience, I never had this problem. After the second service, the average of the vehicle has increased considerably. I had opted for fully synthetic engine oil this time.
As I drive long distances often, I would like to carry atleast coolant and brake oil (DOT4) with me. Any suggestions on the same (brand etc.)?

[fiat_tarun]

Originally Posted by DRIVE_ADDICT

Anybody booked new face lifted Figo in Yellow color? When my cousin enquired, dealer saying that color is not yet available/released. Is it true?

I saw one in Mumbai yesterday. This yellow does look quite nice. Yet to see the Blue though. I think that will look very nice.

[A350XWB]

Originally Posted by blackfire_9

The coolant shouldn't vanish so easily unless there is a leak & that's why I would sugest getting the cooling system inspected. However, I am a little confused, did you get the coolant topped up during the second service or did you get it replaced?

Also, the Ford OE coolant for the 1.4 TDCi is Havoline XLC, an Arteco product, but its not available in the open market. What you could do is get about a liter or so from the ASC & keep it in the car.

And hey do update on what the workshop had to say about this incident in your car.

Thanks for the quick response blackfire_9. I had a problem with my car earlier where the thermostat assembly cracked and the entire coolant was lost. But that was quite some time back and the parts were replaced under warranty. After that, there was no problem till now. The coolant was topped up during the second service, as it was a few notches below the MAX line. I checked for visible leaks and could not find any. I will be taking the car for inspection and keep this thread updated of the outcome.

[supertinu]

Originally Posted by A350XWB

Thanks for the quick response blackfire_9. I had a problem with my car earlier where the thermostat assembly cracked and the entire coolant was lost. But that was quite some time back and the parts were replaced under warranty. After that, there was no problem till now. The coolant was topped up during the second service, as it was a few notches below the MAX line. I checked for visible leaks and could not find any. I will be taking the car for inspection and keep this thread updated of the outcome.

Coolant doesnt go empty unless there is a leak. Unfortunately with no temp gauge on Figo you cannot even monitor the temp. I would strongly recommend that you dont drive the car unless you are sure there is still coolant in the system. As far as i know the car temp is monitored based on the coolant temp (atleast it is on my Ikon) and if coolant goes empty then the temp gauge also cant tell much. Just be cautious to avoid any damage to the engine.

[A350XWB]

Originally Posted by supertinu

Unfortunately with no temp gauge on Figo you cannot even monitor the temp.

This is one irritating omission on the car. I really miss the good old gauge when it comes to situations like this.

Originally Posted by supertinu

As far as i know the car temp is monitored based on the coolant temp (atleast it is on my Ikon) and if coolant goes empty then the temp gauge also cant tell much. Just be cautious to avoid any damage to the engine.

I don't know about this, but when the thermostat assembly and the hose ruptured on my car, all the coolant was leaked out and the over-heat warning indicator did come ON. Maybe because the assembly itself was exposed to the hot engine at that time.

[supertinu]

Originally Posted by A350XWB

This is one irritating omission on the car. I really miss the good old gauge when it comes to situations like this.


I don't know about this, but when the thermostat assembly and the hose ruptured on my car, all the coolant was leaked out and the over-heat warning indicator did come ON. Maybe because the assembly itself was exposed to the hot engine at that time.

Very true, dont get whats the deal with not having a temp gauge. Not just for warning but even in cold climates it helps in knowing if the diesel engine is really getting to it operating temp or not.

Good to know that the indicator worked with the assembly broken. Its probably okay if the service center is close to your place, otherwise call and confirm with them before driving. Doesn't hurt to be over cautious in this case.

[A350XWB]

Originally Posted by supertinu

Good to know that the indicator worked with the assembly broken. Its probably okay if the service center is close to your place, otherwise call and confirm with them before driving. Doesn't hurt to be over cautious in this case.

I live around 3Km away from Lathangi Ford service centre on Bannerghatta Road. On a cold morning, I can reach the service centre before the engine gets hot. That's what I did last time when the hose and the thermostat assembly broke. I could touch almost all of the engine parts, when I reached the service centre (It was just warm).

[blackfire_9]

Originally Posted by supertinu

As far as i know the car temp is monitored based on the coolant temp (atleast it is on my Ikon) and if coolant goes empty then the temp gauge also cant tell much. Just be cautious to avoid any damage to the engine.

You are correct, the coolant temperature is what is used as an input for the temperature sensor. As for the gauge, you could drive in the test mode once in while to keep a tab on the kind of temperatures your engine's reaching.

Originally Posted by A350XWB

I live around 3Km away from Lathangi Ford service centre on Bannerghatta Road. On a cold morning, I can reach the service centre before the engine gets hot. That's what I did last time when the hose and the thermostat assembly broke. I could touch almost all of the engine parts, when I reached the service centre (It was just warm).

That's one of the biggest advantages of an all-aluminium engine & precisely why most high-performance engines use this material or magnesium. Aluminium is light & is great at giving up heat to the cooling system. Even after a drive of about 20 kms on the highway, I could put my hand (albeit only for a couple of seconds) on the silver heat shield in a Figo's engine. Don't ever try doing that on a cast iron engine like the 1.5 dCi, Alto 800, Indica etc

[nusser1]

Originally Posted by akshay380

Experienced Fords tough build first hand.. Had parked my car under some coconut trees when a big leaf fell right on the hood with the heavier end making a direct impact. There was a large thud and I ran to the car anticipating a dent. Surprisingly there was none. Not even a scratch on paint.
A similar case had happened with my friends Swift and it fared very badly with one large dent. Mighty impressed!

Funnily enough I had a huge dent when a branch fell on my Figo's roof from around 6 floors high and it totally smashed it However the watchman in my building just tapped it from the inside and it just flew back into shape

Actually have pics of it because i found it so incredible