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My New Ride


TheFlyingFox

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Hey guys, parted with the Volvo about 2 weeks ago and got this last week. Its a 2011 Ford Fiesta. It is very small but handling is very very sharp. I get better miles as well :) The stock sound system is excellent. i really miss the immense acceleration and braking of the Volvo. Intereior quality is no where near the Swids. Quality as in the finish is not there. Seems to be solid though. However i think it will hold well for 5 years without any trouble. Which is why i got it. I checked a couple of Japs and they really didnt work for me. My dad has the same model so i knew its a good car .

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Congrats from a fellow Ford owner.

Now that you got a Ford, remember the following rules:

Rule No. 1: eBay.co.uk is your new best friend

Rule No. 2: eBay.co.uk is your new best friend

Rule No. 3: eBay.co.uk is your new best friend

Not kidding dude. I have got down spares for the Focus off eBay for prices which would make Japanese car owners commit Hara Kiri.

Example:

  • A set of OEM brake pads will cost Rs. 5000 including shipping. So just for kicks, I got a set of Brembo pads instead, that cost me Rs. 9000 shipped + Rs. 200 in tax (yes... two hundred!)
  • A spare remote key (including internal electronics) cost about Rs. 4000 shipped. And you can do the programming yourself. If you just want to replace the fob only, it will cost about 1000 shipped. I have three remote keys for the car :)
  • Ignition coil - Rs. 5000 shipped
  • Bosch Yttrium spark plugs - Rs. 1000 each shipped
  • A CV joint kit (joint + Boot + clips + grease) cost Rs. 2700 without shipping. I didn't buy it yet cos the rubber boot will go bad when stored. I am planning to replace it when the car reaches 50k mileage.

You made a smart choice so now be smart in maintaining it. Get down the parts which generally wear out with use - like brake pads, spark plugs, injectors, CV joints etc. and keep them with you. Then you got nothing to worry about.

For your accelration issue, I can suggest replacing the stock air filter with a K&N drop-in filter (not a cone filter). Costs about 8000 off ebay and another Focus owner had splendid results after that. The K&N filter can be cleaned and reused.

Edited by Crosswind
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Congrats from a fellow Ford owner.

Now that you got a Ford, remember the following rules:

Rule No. 1: eBay.co.uk is your new best friend

Rule No. 2: eBay.co.uk is your new best friend

Rule No. 3: eBay.co.uk is your new best friend

Not kidding dude. I have got down spares for the Focus off eBay for prices which would make Japanese car owners commit Hara Kiri.

Example:

  • A set of OEM brake pads will cost Rs. 5000 including shipping. So just for kicks, I got a set of Brembo pads instead, that cost me Rs. 9000 shipped + Rs. 200 in tax (yes... two hundred!)
  • A spare remote key (including internal electronics) cost about Rs. 4000 shipped. And you can do the programming yourself. If you just want to replace the fob only, it will cost about 1000 shipped. I have three remote keys for the car :)
  • Ignition coil - Rs. 5000 shipped
  • Bosch Yttrium spark plugs - Rs. 1000 each shipped
  • A CV joint kit (joint + Boot + clips + grease) cost Rs. 2700 without shipping. I didn't buy it yet cos the rubber boot will go bad when stored. I am planning to replace it when the car reaches 50k mileage.

You made a smart choice so now be smart in maintaining it. Get down the parts which generally wear out with use - like brake pads, spark plugs, injectors, CV joints etc. and keep them with you. Then you got nothing to worry about.

For your accelration issue, I can suggest replacing the stock air filter with a K&N drop-in filter (not a cone filter). Costs about 8000 off ebay and another Focus owner had splendid results after that. The K&N filter can be cleaned and reused.

Thanks Croswind for the valuable input. Car has done only 30k and is still under warranty. Not even a brake pad has been changed. The only hitch i think is when going passed 60kmph i can hear a bad razor sound (Faint though). Could be the tyres as well, Still on Continental. Hard to imagine a razor gone at this mileage.

Ill keep my eyes out on ebay :) Thanks again.

Edited by TheFlyingFox
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Thanks Croswind for the valuable input. Car has done only 30k and is still under warranty. Not even a brake pad has been changed. The only hitch i think is when going passed 60kmph i can hear a bad razor sound (Faint though). Could be the tyres as well, Still on Continental. Hard to imagine a razor gone at this mileage.

Ill keep my eyes out on ebay :) Thanks again.

I hope you don't have the German made Continental SportContact 2 tyres. They are great at wet/dry handling but they are bloody noisy, uncomfortable, give very poor acceleration and wear out very quickly. They are meant for autobahns and not chinese-built highways and concrete roads here in Sri Lanka.

SInce you dont have those rare 205/50-R17 tyres in your car, you have much more options than I do.

Just a suggestion - Brake pad change should be a preventive maintenance. If the pads are worn out, they will start eating up the discs. So at 30k, I strongly suggest doing it. I changed mine at 22500km, just because I know how expensive the discs can be.

Edited by Crosswind
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I hope you don't have the German made Continental SportContact 2 tyres. They are great at wet/dry handling but they are bloody noisy, uncomfortable, give very poor acceleration and wear out very quickly. They are meant for autobahns and not chinese-built highways and concrete roads here in Sri Lanka.

SInce you dont have those rare 205/50-R17 tyres in your car, you have much more options than I do.

Just a suggestion - Brake pad change should be a preventive maintenance. If the pads are worn out, they will start eating up the discs. So at 30k, I strongly suggest doing it. I changed mine at 22500km, just because I know how expensive the discs can be.

It says Continental premium contact. How much do you think the brake pads will cost at Softlogic? Also how long can i run on the original spark plugs?

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It says Continental premium contact. How much do you think the brake pads will cost at Softlogic? Also how long can i run on the original spark plugs?

Premium Contact tyres have better reviews than SportContact2 tyres at tyrereviews.co.uk

Brake pads cost 28000 for the Focus at Softlogic. Don't expect it to be anything less for the Fiesta. Changing them is a 30 minute job.

Manufacturer recommended spark plug change interval is 40k. There are compatible NGK plugs in the market but I got down Boschs because they are OEM for Focus. Ford branded plugs cost 1900 each at Softlogic.

Do note that bad plugs at the most, will affect your fuel economy. They won't affect your safety or cause other major issues. Worn out brake pads will affect your safety.

Edited by Crosswind
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Congrats from a fellow Ford owner.

Now that you got a Ford, remember the following rules:

Rule No. 1: eBay.co.uk is your new best friend

Rule No. 2: eBay.co.uk is your new best friend

Rule No. 3: eBay.co.uk is your new best friend

Not kidding dude. I have got down spares for the Focus off eBay for prices which would make Japanese car owners commit Hara Kiri.

Example:

  • A set of OEM brake pads will cost Rs. 5000 including shipping. So just for kicks, I got a set of Brembo pads instead, that cost me Rs. 9000 shipped + Rs. 200 in tax (yes... two hundred!)
  • A spare remote key (including internal electronics) cost about Rs. 4000 shipped. And you can do the programming yourself. If you just want to replace the fob only, it will cost about 1000 shipped. I have three remote keys for the car :)
  • Ignition coil - Rs. 5000 shipped
  • Bosch Yttrium spark plugs - Rs. 1000 each shipped
  • A CV joint kit (joint + Boot + clips + grease) cost Rs. 2700 without shipping. I didn't buy it yet cos the rubber boot will go bad when stored. I am planning to replace it when the car reaches 50k mileage.

You made a smart choice so now be smart in maintaining it. Get down the parts which generally wear out with use - like brake pads, spark plugs, injectors, CV joints etc. and keep them with you. Then you got nothing to worry about.

For your accelration issue, I can suggest replacing the stock air filter with a K&N drop-in filter (not a cone filter). Costs about 8000 off ebay and another Focus owner had splendid results after that. The K&N filter can be cleaned and reused.

How did you get it down to SL. because most of the sellers either doesn't ship to SL or shipping rate is very high

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How did you get it down to SL. because most of the sellers either doesn't ship to SL or shipping rate is very high

Get what down? the brake pads? the rest?

All of my parts were shipped direct by the seller except for 2 items which were hand carried by some friends who came down from UK. None of the hand carried items are in the above list.

Most eBay UK sellers ship worldwide. Their shipping rates aren't too bad either. GBP15 for a 1kg+ package is reasonable. You need to find sellers with reasonable shipping rates..

Edited by Crosswind
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If you're in a hurry, you can use a reship service like Aramex ShopNShip. It's not exactly cheap though. UK sellers normally ship within UK for free and Aramex will bring it to your house. I have had a few items shipped that way, took about 2-3 days for the package to arrive at the Aramex UK address and another 2-3 days to reach home. They charge by weight (at 1lb increments) and they will clear customs for you.

But as Crosswind said, it would be cheaper and more prudent to have service items stocked beforehand. You can find resonably priced International shippers if you dig deep enough.

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Premium Contact tyres have better reviews than SportContact2 tyres at tyrereviews.co.uk

Brake pads cost 28000 for the Focus at Softlogic. Don't expect it to be anything less for the Fiesta. Changing them is a 30 minute job.

Manufacturer recommended spark plug change interval is 40k. There are compatible NGK plugs in the market but I got down Boschs because they are OEM for Focus. Ford branded plugs cost 1900 each at Softlogic.

Do note that bad plugs at the most, will affect your fuel economy. They won't affect your safety or cause other major issues. Worn out brake pads will affect your safety.

Wow 28k for a pair of brake pads. Thats insane. It only cost me 8.5k for the pair for the Volvo. Locally. I ordered a pair today from ebay. Rs.7400/= with shipping. I might order the plugs as well. Then things are complete. Since this is still under warranty do you recon to fit it at softlogic or give it to the normal garage fellow?

Thanks crosswind for the advice.

EDIT : Just ordered 4 plugs. Guess what when you buy 3 or more you get a discount of 3 pounds. Got all four for 15.68 pounds :D

FORD Fiesta 1.4i Duratec 95BHP 08-11 BOSCH Yttrium Super Plus Spark Plug +39

Edited by TheFlyingFox
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Do you think i should change the gearbox oil? if so what type?

40,000km service is the recommended interval for changing gearbox oil. If you dont have any issues, I suggest waiting till then.

Check in Ford Etis system by entering your chassis number, whether you got a 4F27E or a CD4E gearbox. If its a 4F27E, its a sealed type gearbox which needs some dismantling to change oil. I am not familiar with the CD4E gearbox at all.

If its 4F27E, you will need 7 litres of Mercon LV or Dexron VI compatible oil. Agent will use Motul. I suggest letting the agent handle this one because of its complexity. The cost at the agent for this exercise will be more than Rs. 30,000 as I recall. If you really don't want to take it there, only a Mazda expert should be allowed to do it, since Mazda Axela and Demio both use Ford 4F27E gearbox.

Also in an earlier thread, I mentioned the cost of brake pads as 28k. That's for both front wheels (2 pairs of pads - 4 pads altogether). The brembos which I ordered were also for both front wheels. I hope you too did the same.

Edited by Crosswind
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40,000km service is the recommended interval for changing gearbox oil. If you dont have any issues, I suggest waiting till then.

Check in Ford Etis system by entering your chassis number, whether you got a 4F27E or a CD4E gearbox. If its a 4F27E, its a sealed type gearbox which needs some dismantling to change oil. I am not familiar with the CD4E gearbox at all.

If its 4F27E, you will need 7 litres of Mercon LV or Dexron VI compatible oil. Agent will use Motul. I suggest letting the agent handle this one because of its complexity. The cost at the agent for this exercise will be more than Rs. 30,000 as I recall. If you really don't want to take it there, only a Mazda expert should be allowed to do it, since Mazda Axela and Demio both use Ford 4F27E gearbox.

Also in an earlier thread, I mentioned the cost of brake pads as 28k. That's for both front wheels (2 pairs of pads - 4 pads altogether). The brembos which I ordered were also for both front wheels. I hope you too did the same.

Engine: 1.4L Zetec-S VCT HPDC 95PS - Sigma Transmission: 4-Speed Automatic Transaxle - 4F27E

No issue, just wanted to check the interval to change oil. Better leave it to the agents if its a complicated gearbox.

Yeah thanks. I ordered 4 pads :)

Ford Fiesta MK7

**1 x Set (4) Front Brake Pads**

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Hi TheFlyingFox, just a quick question, any particular reason you parted ways with the S60 within a relatively short period of time? I'm contemplating a Volvo myself, just want to know.

Thanks and good luck with your new ride!

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Hi TheFlyingFox, just a quick question, any particular reason you parted ways with the S60 within a relatively short period of time? I'm contemplating a Volvo myself, just want to know.

Thanks and good luck with your new ride!

Hey, I got a perk from the company and thought i could get a newer car. So i sold it. The S60 was one of the most reliable cars i have ever had. I would place it on par with the Liana i had in terms of reliability. I have used Peugeots and they are absolute rubbish yes "rubbish" compared to the S60. These cars are very heavy so the suspension parts wear out quickly. You will be replacing more bushes often than a normal car. Mechanically, ride quality they are brilliant. Stay away from autos though :)

An autolanka forum member came to inspect the car when it was on sale :)

Edited by TheFlyingFox
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Well all i know is parts availability with the agents is rubbish, one of my colleagues had a pretty bad accident and he had to replace some exterior as well as mechanical components.

Guess what ? They dont have any spares at all, what they do is strip one car and give you the parts lol

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  • 1 year later...

Honda Fit GP 1 was sold last December and bought this Ssangyong Tivoli crossover assembled by Micro in this January. It's equipped with 1.6 petrol engine and Japanese Aisin automatic gearbox. 250km drove within last couple of days and happy about the car!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9My6BDnDmC3RWJGNDhGUjM0Y2s/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9My6BDnDmC3MnN4anJEWkZ0TUk/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9My6BDnDmC3bDdTaEhYQ2FVUFU/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9My6BDnDmC3Mmt1SVprMU0zX00/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9My6BDnDmC3MjhSVWZreDZvOXM/view?usp=sharing

Edited by WCW
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  • 4 years later...

@Gandalf I'm far more of a Subaru guy than a Ford fan to be perfectly honest but the modern Ford ownership experience was brief but pleasant one

 

In terms of the safety I don't think very many other cars come close to the Fiesta in that particular class of car nor in the same price/size/age bracket.

IIHS Top Safety Pick in it's day with 7 airbags (including a knee airbag) & Euro NCAP 5* 

https://www.iihs.org/ratings/vehicle/ford/fiesta-4-door-sedan/2011

https://www.euroncap.com/en/results/ford/fiesta/10922

 

I owned it for less than a year and it was quite reliable. I had a coolant hose pop out once - they're attached with a clip so it was just a matter of clipping it back, fill up and go.

Admittedly i'm fussy about preemptive maintenance and had just a tonne of things done after I bought the car  - so all the fluids, filters, plugs, belts, shocks, rubber bushes, tires, etc etc. In a sense that probably held me in good stead.

The car shares a tonne of parts with the Mazda Demio & older Mazda 2 so those work perfectly if the original FoMoCo bits are unavailable.

There are a number of places like Rainbow Motors who stock aftermarket bits but I got a little lazy and had Mazna Motors source things. Some parts I did order online and like @Crosswind had mentioned earlier in this thread are quite reasonable.

Body parts are a little tricky i found out when i wanted to replace a faded reverse light. Api Singhe Motors in Delkanda has bits but they sell at a premium to a Japanese car part.

Keep in mind the Softlogic imported ones were made in Thailand but the Fiesta was assembled in a number of places including China, which means that cheap cosmetic bits, interior plastics or even larger items like lights etc are freely available on AliExpress as well if you want to chance it.

 

My one grouse is with the automatic gearbox. It's a lowly 4 speed (4F27E) which has a Mazda iteration as well ( FN4A-EL)

It's not like the disastrous Ford PowerShift dual clutch units in that this is a box that can be serviced. Overhaul parts are readily available from various reputed transmission component manufacturers and can be purchased online.

That said, the gearbox isn't perfect. There are many online accounts of rough shifts, flares etc. It has a manumatic (tiptronic) option as well but the shifts can feel a little sluggish. Keep in mind it was a seperate transmission controller unit as well.

Personally if I ever bought one again, i'd get a manual instead because the engine despite being a simple 1.4L 4 pot, was fine and I felt would have been far more responsive and fun to drive with a manual.

The chassis and driving dynamics are what you would expect from a European designed car, but keep in mind this isn't a premium offering. The cabin is quiet so the NVH levels felt marginally superior to the newer generation Mazda 2 which @Supra_Natural owns which I got to use parallel to the Ford.

There is sufficient sound deadening and the it has factory fitted steering mounted ICE controls.

On the highway it's very smooth and despite it sitting a little tall it was unaffected by crosswinds nor was it unsettled by undulations elsewhere. Never had an issue with ground clearance either. It felt surprisingly refined for a car of that class and the ride was quite compliant.

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4 hours ago, Gandalf said:

Many thanks @AVANTE Always wanted to see whats @Crosswind 's opinion on 2011 fiesta sedan (Saw in a post him admitting its a shitty car and i know he won't say that without strong reasons!) @Devinda_Z Another ford lover ?

Oh also @Gandalf the driving position is nice in that you sit a little higher than most other similar small sedans. The car is narrow and the steering is light so it makes for a nice city car, especially if you don't want a hatchback.

I got double digit fuel economy on the highway but in town I remember it being disappointing - again i'd blame that 4 speed automatic which personally I feel let down what was quite a decent car. A friend who drove it very regularly really enjoyed it so there are those who aren't fussed by the gearbox too much but for me personally the automatic on it is a deal breaker. So if you can find a manual I reckon it would make a good sub 2.5 Mn compact sedan purchase.

Do be warned though, it's not a run of the mill Japanese car so not every shop in Panchikawatte or Delkanda has parts than can be bought over the counter at a moments notice so there could be lead times to contend with when sourcing parts, especially these days with these various supply chain constraints/disruptions.

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