Dear Sir/Madam,

This is in regards to my purchase of my Ford Figo from Metro Ford, Bangalore on the very last week/day of March 2010.

I did a lot of research on the current Cars available (Maruthi Suzuki RITZ, Chevrolet BEAT, Fiat PUNTO, Volkswagen POLO, Skoda Fabia, Ford FIGO), and after a lot of comparison I finally decided on a Ford Figo in the last week of February 2010.

I had initially placed the booking order for a Ford Figo Petrol Titanium (Squeeze - the high point of my Family's decision to opt for a Figo) with an assurance that the Car would be delivered to me in 4 - 5 weeks from the date of booking. Later I was informed that the delivery would be delayed due to the unexpected high number of bookings by another 4 - 5 weeks. This put me in a quandary as I already had my Auto Loan Approved & Processed by my Bank with the repayment mode on Advance EMI facility, where the bank deducts the 1st EMI (Rs. 8654) right at the time of the Loan disbursement. And any delay in delivery would have meant further EMI deductions even without my Car delivered to me. So, I reached out to Ford India and was advised to speak to a Sales Manager (one Mr. Sreedhar) by Mr. Vikramjit Ghosh - Ford India New Launch Manager. Mr. Sreedhar then informed that due to the unexpected high number of bookings the delivery across India would be delayed by another 4 weeks or so. I explained to him that this was unacceptable to me as this would mean paying my Bank for the Loan without having the car delivered to me (a loss of about 3 months EMI). Mr. Sreedhar then suggested that he has a Ford Figo Petrol Titanium (Diamond White) that can be delivered to me in a day or two. Due to my commitment with my Bank, I had to compromise and accept this though my Wife and Daughter were very unhappy that we would not be getting the colour we wanted.
Finally on the last day of March 2010, I took delivery of the Car in haste (without proper pre-checking and testing the Car). I had requested for Metro Ford to let me check out the Car as soon as it was delivered, but they declined citing psychological factors of having a Customer look at the Car right after it was offloaded from the dispatch truck. Metro Ford Bangalore rushed through the delivery and registration. It never occurred to me that this would affect me later, I went ahead with this due to the fact that if I had delayed the registration by even a day then my Bank had an option to renegotiate the Interest rate to one higher than the we had agreed upon before (a catch 22 situation).

I ran a quick pre-check to check for any damages after the registration, but never did get the time to test drive the Car before taking delivery of the Car on the last day of March 2010. I took delivery of the Car and I was happy to drive it in the City for a day or two. It was only when I took the Car for a long drive (on a highway - 300 Kms in all) on the 3rd or 4th day after delivery that I noticed the below mentioned issues, which I took up with Metro Ford keeping Mr. Vikramjit Ghosh in the loop. Metro Ford Sales personnel informed me to wait till the 1st Service period and then have all this checked and rectified. Then Mr. Prashanth Kumar (GM - Service & Spares) and Mr. Vasu (Service Manager) from Metro Ford Service called me and asked me to bring the Car over for a detailed check, and he also informed me that Metro Ford Sales personnel were incorrect in informing me to wait till the 1st Service period, and that I have all the right and necessity to bring the Car down to the Service station for a detailed check without any delay. I did take the car for a detailed check and the below mentioned issues have been addressed as mentioned:

1. Under scraped atleast 4/5 speed breakers in Bangalore City and Bangalore-Hassan Highway – that too at very low speeds and just 2-3 People in the Car– Metro Ford Service states that this is expected due to higher than normal road humps in Bangalore. - This issue is still present
2. Sometimes this car hardly moves in second gear and also sometimes in first gear!! Press the accelerator, drastic loss of power and pickup takes some time for the engine to rev up and get pickup - when we require to move from the 3rd, 4th or 5th to either 2nd or 1st depending on the driving requirement. Metro Ford Service states that this is expected due to the engine design, mileage expectation and RPM requirement for a certain speed in relation to gear ratio. This is hard to accept, as frequent and sudden changing of gears on the go is a necessity and a requirement in Bangalore traffic - This issue is still present
3. Engine sometimes feels very noisy, sometimes it does not!! Regardless of it being in first/fifth gear - this again was stated by Metro Ford Service as well within expectations as all Ford Petrol engines create this noise. I find this a bit hard to accept as I have been driving a Car for quite a few years now and any odd sound from any Car is quickly noticed by me, and I have also checked out the same with a few of my other colleagues and friends who have a Ford Petrol and they say that their Ford Cars do not create any of the sounds that I mention of. - This issue still persists
4. Sound coming from inside the gear box when shifting gears, Gear Lever operation is not smooth and slips - Metro Ford Service stated that there found nothing wrong - issue still persists.
5. Applying breaks at low speed makes noise - Metro Ford Service stated that they had checked this and as there was dust/dirt in the Brake cylinder they had cleaned it and should not be facing the issue again. I have checked it again and the sound still persists, especially when I driving over a steep slope and have to release the Brake to move up again.
6. Head Light – Low Beam – shadow on/from right side of headlight beam. Head Light – High Beam – not much difference noticed from Low Beam. - Metro Ford Service stated that they have checked the Headlights and everything seems to be Ok. I pointed out that the fault remains to the Metro Ford Service Personnel who had come to drop off the Car to my residence after the checkup. - This issue is still there
7. Rear window does not close completely (yes I am talking about closing). Even if I apply a lot of force and close it, I can still put my nails between the glass and the top beading. This looks like a serious security issue - Window glass problem might (should) be due to mis-alignment of door-channels and/or Glass. Metro Ford Service did check this and found that there was indeed an issue with the windows sliding down, but this was common with all Ford Figos and the only way to avoid it was to ensure that I close the windows fully and completely without any gap. - This again is not something that should be existing even with the Windows rolled down a little.
8. Sound from Back right window side/seat – Metro Ford Service stated that they had identified the issue to be with a Back Seat Latch which they had ensured proper lubrication. The sound is still present though the creaking sounds are lower and are present only when I go over a Road Humps or Pot Holes with the Car fully loaded - Issue still persists sometimes
9. Odd Thud Sounds coming from Front Shocks/Suspension (mostly Left) when going over Road Humps, Pot Holes - Ford India states this is normal - This issue still persists.
10. During my previous interaction with both Mr. Vasu and Mr. Prashanth, I have been reassured that all my issues would be considered as a priority and would be checked thoroughly and rectified. I only hope that reassurance does not turn out to be a frustration and/or a disappointment as this our brand New car and coming from a middle class family, the Car in good condition is of primary importance to me & my family.
11. Car sways when driving at high speeds, steering drags, driving feels very rough

Note: Points 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 have been reported right after a few days of taking delivery of the Car. Points 9, 10, 11 and 12 are new and have come up right after the last few Checkups.

I have had my Car checked about 5 times now + a free 1st Service, and most of the issues that I mention above are still present. Metro Ford & Ford India both state that there is no issue with my Car and all Ford Figos have the same performance. But I as a Customer feel that I have been given a raw deal and have been offloaded a defective car at time of purchase & delivery.

Please advise me on how to go about having my issue redressed.

Thank you,
Sudhakar G K
destiny.karmic@gmail.com
+91-99807-24648