I’m pleasantly surprised at how the Fiesta is running in its 13th year. Reliability has been top-notch.
BHPian Shreyfiesta recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
UPDATE : 13 years/1,30,000kms periodic service completed.
An update after quite a long time. The Fiesta is reaching close to 80,000kms, which is very less since my last update. For the truth to be told, we rarely drive this car nowadays. Dad received a new official car earlier this year (Scorpio Classic) and my i20 is being used for family commute. The Fiesta did only a bare 3,500kms last year.
The car has been completely fuss-free, although with a few issues here and there, nothing extraordinary to report. I got the annual service done yesterday since it was almost one and a half year since the last service. We took the car to Kairali Ford Palarivattom for 13 years/1,30,000 kms scheduled maintenance. The service advisor only recommended what is genuinely required and as always, we strictly said no to some of the avoidable expenses.
Our Fiesta waiting for its turn to be assessed by the service advisor.
Issues listed :
• Gearshifts from 2nd to 3rd had become very hard and were not as smooth as they were earlier. I was suspecting a faulty synchro ring.
• Steering at some occasions had a screeching sound while turning the wheel at low speeds or idle.
• The brake pads for the front tyres had worn out to just 3mm and had no life left. A replacement was required to take care of rotors’ health.
• Wiper blades were in need of replacement since last monsoon, they were making a lot of streaks actually. The Global Fiesta uses 26″ x 16″ size.
Recommendations/solutions :
• Ford recommends timing belt replacement at 12th year/1,20,000km as per schedule. We had already changed it once at 65,000kms about three years ago. The rubber is healthy for another few years, hence decided not to replace again.
• For the hard gearshifts, the shifter cable has been adjusted and the issue seems to be rectified now. Also, the gear lever play has been reduced to an extent.
• Steering rack has been lubricated to reduce the friction between gears, this in turn has completely eliminated the sound. The steering is alright now.
• All four brake pads have been replaced. This time we opted for imported Ford Motorcraft pads instead of locally-made Fomoco ones. The previous set of pads lasted for more than 30,000 kms.
• Wiper blades have been replaced. Ford supplies Motorcraft blades only for the Global Fiesta, they’re super expensive too. The new blades doesn’t look as good as the previous set of blades (OEM Bosch).
Costs involved :
1. Cabin Filter (CN1Z-19N619-A) – ₹ 165
2. Brake Pad Kit (8V5Z-2V001-A) – ₹ 2,922
3. Wiper Blade Set (LU2Z-17V528-A) – ₹2,086
4. Oil Drain Plug (97JZ-6730-A) – ₹ 117
5. Air Filter (K2MZ-9601-A) – ₹ 360
6. Oil Filter (7S7Z-6731-E) – ₹ 161
7. Engine Oil (Motul Specific 913D 5W30) – ₹ 1,115
8. Transmission Adjuster (GN1Z-7A601-A) – ₹906
9. Tire balancers (6R3Z-1040-H) – ₹ 173
10. 3M Rodent Repellent (optional job) – ₹ 977
- Total parts cost = ₹ 8,982
- Total labour cost = ₹ 5,919
- Campaign discount = ₹ 1,014
- Total expense = ₹ 13,887
The Motorcraft brake pads have sharper bite compared to Fomoco ones, they are more stable too. Slightly on the expensive side though.
My car had Bosch wiper blades earlier, have to wait and see whether the replacement is as effective as the stock ones or not.
Ford supplies Motorcraft blades only for the Global Fiesta. The Ecosport wipers don’t fit on this car. Instead of the U type lock, the Fiesta uses the press type locking system.
The surgically clean engine bay.
Verdict :
It’s been almost four years since Ford’s exit and the company still cares about it’s existing customers. Majority of the authorised Ford service centers in Kerala are still functional. My experience is pretty decent. I cannot say that it has been groundbreaking, but there has been no noticeable decline in quality of service. The parts and labour costs are the same as they were when the brand was active in the market. Even some cheap spare parts are readily available and the workshop was brimmed with old Fords getting serviced – so kudos to Ford India and its service partners.
Chart explaining the labour charges for different Ford vehicles.
I’m pleasantly surprised at how the Fiesta is running in its 13th year. Reliability has been top-notch, with only few issues in this course of time. No breakdowns at all, touchwood! Construction quality is so good that it still genuinely feels and drives like a new car. It’s just the tyre replacement that’s pending now. The car is currently on a set of 195/60 R15 Bridgestone Ecopia EP150 (MY2019) now. Though they have a fair amount of thread life left, but the rubber has lost its elasticity and flexibility due to the hardening. A replacement is on the cards.
Washed, waxed and polished, the veteran stands strong and healthy among the crowd of newer Fords!
A recent pic of the Fiesta with my i20 standing nearby.
Signing off until the next update, thank you.
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