Samara's just back from a session at the A.S.S. after all the trouble we gave her on the weekend... and here's a report that should convince anyone with any doubts about the amazing reliability and sturdiness of this beast.
So it all started last Saturday morning, when some over-enthusiastic off-roading ended up with one lower right tail-light getting ripped off, and another loose one (which we took off lest it fall down), and the rear camera disconnected.
Sunday morning, it was time to get stuck in the sand, and some pretty rough handling to get her out.
In the evening, we filled up diesel on NH17, and set off for Varandha. It was getting dark, the heavy rain and fog resulted in extremely poor visibility. Suddenly, after a quick stop for pics, I realized Samara just couldn't pick up initial momentum (although it was OK once she had speed). A few seconds later, I realised my horn was off, and the dash lights went off. We avoided taking any more breaks, lest we lose the lights and get stuck in the middle of nowhere, and reached home finally, safe and sound.
Reaching home, I also realised she was jerking every time I shifted from N into D or R, and the A/C was not cooling. I cursed myself for putting her through all the trouble - I was sure a combination of the rough offroading, some careless 2H-4H-4L shifting, and all the rough driving over the horrible roads had taken its toll.
When I dropped her off at the A.S.S, I was prepared to pay through the nose - the only hope being that most of the damage would be covered through warranty.
The job card read:
Check engine light remains on dashboard
Check A/C not working
Check horn not working
Check all parking lights not working
Check vehicle gives jerk while shifting from Neutral
Fix rear tail lamp
Check reverse camera not working
Check pick up less
Also, I made him add,
Do interior cleaning 3M
Do underbody wash
The parts store told me the tail light bracket was broken, and would need the entire bumper to be replaced - for 30,000 with painting and fixing charges, so I told him to ditch it; I would do it outside with my local mechanic with some jugaad.
Now, the bill:
Fuse, Fuse Assy 15A: 76
Labour: 0 (warranty)
Interior cleaning: 2150
Total with taxes: 2501
Yes, all it took was replacement of one blown fuse
If only I had had the knowledge and confidence to pull over at Varandha and change the blown fuse...
Tomorrow, I will take her to Gargatte Automobiles at Kalewadi Phata, and her tail lights should be back in place soon!
Three cheers for Ford!
3 comments:
You want feedback? This article is too much info about nothing. No big deal, everyone goes through such car maintenance post trips. Nothing to write home about or get so hyper. The title of article is misleading, to say the least. :)
Sudhir, fair enough :)
Except, this isn't an "info" site - it's a site about my happy moments and thoughts and ramblings.
If you did what we did with an Endeavour, then went through the trouble of driving on a steep, narrow Varandha ghat at night with no horn, almost zero visibility and no acceleration and AC, and then ended up having to pay 70 rupees for it, not half your salary cheque, and still thought this was no big deal, I envy you man! You must be living one hell of an exciting life :)
Less hyper, more substance, dude! Much ado about nothing :)
Be fair, have a more apt title.
Besides, you ignored the big tab parts-repair which you will do someplace cheaper. Hence it was 70 rupees. Good luck! :)
Wish you well.
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