A Kolkata based dealer and a Chandigarh based dealer offered 18L.
BHPian debuda recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
After using my beloved Ford Endeavour 2.2 AT Titanium (April 2018) for 5 ½ years I decided to sell it in order to buy a new car. As my friends know, I like to buy a new car every 5 years but the Endeavour continued to give me so much joy and exhilaration every time I sat behind its steering wheel that it took me many months to take the final selling decision.
I drove the Endeavour 63,500 km before I sold it. It was the best car I ever owned and it gave me 100% reliable service. Some highlights of my ownership experience are as follows :
1) During my 5 ½ years / 63,500 km of ownership it never happened even once that the car stopped working and I was stranded on the road and had to call for assistance. So all the money I paid for Roadside Assistance was a sheer waste!
2) I sold the car with the original brake pads, brake discs, and battery! This is probably something of a record.
3) Every component of the Endeavour is so well-designed and robust that the failure rate is almost zero. I experienced only the following problems :
a) The IRVM had to be replaced (under warranty) as the auto-dimming function failed.
b) A very minor seepage (quite different from ‘leakage’ as not even one drop of oil fell on the ground) was observed at the transmission output shaft oil seal during the 40,000 km service. Though Ford Service said it was negligible and nothing to worry about, I insisted on a fix. Ford Service promptly obtained a new oil seal and replaced it under warranty. The Endeavour was used for 25,000 km after this and the oil seal remains bone dry.
c) There were some issues with the inbuilt navigation system but they were resolved under warranty.
d) Delamination and swelling of wheel lug nuts is a known problem in many Ford cars. These lug nuts have a steel core covered with a shiny ‘cap’ made of some other metal/alloy for cosmetic purposes. Due to an inherent design/manufacturing defect, the bonding between the inner core and outer cap is not very good and they tend to get delaminated. This is often caused by the use of pneumatic wrenches which apply vibratory torque, something akin to hammering. Once even the slightest delamination takes place, a small gap is created between the core and the cap. Subsequently, water/moisture enters the gap and corrosion starts. Corrosion is a chemical process and the presence of dissimilar metals which are far apart in the Electrochemical Series is the ideal situation for corrosion. The products of corrosion cause swelling of the outer ‘cap’ because it is relatively thin and soft. Once the cap swells up, the wheel wrench can’t fit the lug nut. Furthermore, when delamination is complete, there is relative movement between the core and cap and even when a lug nut is tight it appears loose!
I first experienced this lug nut swelling problem when my Endeavour was just a few months old. Ford Service initially refused to change the lug nuts under warranty claiming that ‘nuts and bolts’ were not covered. But I took up the matter with Ford India and got all 24 lug nuts replaced under warranty. Thereafter during every service, I insisted that wheel lug nuts should be loosened/tightened by hand and not by pneumatic wrench. This minimized further delamination but I did have to change a few lug nuts later.
All in all, as you will see from above, the defects that arose were quite minor and the cost of repairs under warranty was negligible compared to the handsome amounts I paid for an extended warranty up to 6th year. I am sure that Endeavour will continue to provide reliable service to the new owner for many more years.
Before I wind up this post, let me share my selling experience which was quite interesting. After I spread the word about my intention to sell Endeavour through social media and ads in OLX and Team-BHP, I received several inquiries. About 10 individuals, mostly used car dealers, test-drove and thoroughly inspected my car. All were impressed and found my lovingly maintained Endeavour in excellent condition. I also got my car evaluated by Cars24. But all offers fell short of my expectations (which was around 21L initially). I held on, as I was in no hurry to sell.
After a few days some of the dealers (including Cars24) whose offers I had rejected started calling me again and raising their offers. A Kolkata-based dealer and a Chandigarh-based dealer offered 18L. Incidentally, the demand for pre-owned Endeavours is highest in Punjab, Haryana, and NCR as the hot-blooded youngsters there love to show off their Fortuners and Endeavours. I figured that the fair market value of my car is around 20L because the dealers would obviously sell the car to the final buyer after adding a good profit margin on top of transportation and RTO costs for registration in a different state.
Then one day a gentleman from Jamshedpur called and said he saw my ad on Team-BHP and he was really keen to buy as he had read many of my posts on Team-BHP and was sure that my car would be excellent. I too preferred to deal with a gentleman who follows Team BHP and also happens to be from Jampot where my car is registered. The deal was finalised even without physically inspecting the car and I offered to drive the car to Jampot.
Upon reaching Jampot on 24 Nov 23 after my last 300 km tango with my Endeavour, the buyer greeted my wife with a bouquet of flowers. He test-drove and inspected the car and was fully satisfied. He transferred the money and we went to RTO and completed the formalities of name transfer. Everything was completed in a couple of hours!
Don’t all car lovers wish for such deals with fellow car lovers instead of haggling with dealers? Well, I have been thrice lucky, and every time due to the Team-BHP connection. My previous car, an XUV-5oo, was bought by a business school professor from Ranchi who knew everything about my XUV because he had read every word penned by me on my ownership thread on Team-BHP. Incidentally, he messaged me recently saying he was now interested in buying my Endeavour, but the deal had already been finalized.
Another previous car of mine, a Maruti Swift, was bought by a Tata Steel engineer, also through Team-BHP. Team-BHP is undoubtedly the topmost Indian forum for automobile enthusiasts. One has to undergo screening to become a member. This ensures high standards of posts and discussions. My association with Team BHP has been fulfilling on several levels.
My beloved Endeavour will remain in my heart forever. Here are some random pics of the Endeavour clicked by me over the years :
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