Denis

Reply from my friend at Ford: "unfortunately its VW based, all the platform parts (IP, engine, transmission) are VW and our quality area do not track them, however VW do."

Sorry if this is a silly question but the a/c compressor is driven by the engine directly (via a belt), so how can the alternator rating be an issue?

Mine does the same, every couple of weeks. A friend who works for Ford is currently trying to find out if Ford know about this and what causes it... will update you if he comes up with anything.

After my last 'annual service' (

Hey guys the 'special tool' is an allen key- if the one that Ford clipped to the jack when the car left the factory is missing, the main dealer simply has to use a normal allen key instead. There is no excuse for this sloppy service, if they can't be bothered to perform this simple task correctly what else are they skimping on when they service our engines/ brakes! You might have guessed, all four of my Ghia wheels/ covers have been ruined by the local dealer. http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/style_emoticons/default/thumbdown.gif

I leave mine in auto all year round and so far so good. I'm not sure what happens in the winter months though- when the inside of the car is cold and you're relying on the heater to keep you warm, is the compressor running or not? Because if it's not (ie the a/c shuts down when cold air isn't required) then the system won't be getting much use during that period.

I think the cloudy effect might be corrosion caused by water etc getting under the lacquer... down to the dealers that damaged the wheels in the first place! The good news is that you can have an alloy refinished for about

yeah it doesn't hit you until you arrive back in England does it- roundabouts and/ or traffic lights every second lampost! :)

You would think so wouldn't you, but look at this data from the Ford specs, in particular the 31-60 figures. In that band the auto's seem to be a lot quicker. The far right column is 31-60 acceleration by the way, the headings don't appear on the link for some reason.

Has anyone else had the allen-key effect nut covers damaged (and the alloys too) by dumb Ford dealers levering them off with a screwdriver between the cover and the wheel, rather than use an allen key as the manual says? A lot of damage for the sake of saving a few seconds to go and get the correct tool! http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/html/emoticons/thumbdown.gif

Jusy wondering if anyone knows why the autoboxes in recent cars I've owned (Mondeo and Galaxy) don't make the characteristic whine when moving off like the old Granada/ Scorpio type used to. I used to love the sound of my old scorpio 2.9 but wasn't so keen on the whine. http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/html/emoticons/ChinScratch.gif

Mine does the same... once every couple of weeks or so the trip computer doesn't light up and the green warning light on the dash (telling you to put your foot on the brake pedal to select a gear, auto box) stays on. I've had it into the main dealer twice and even though I've stressed it's an intermittent fault when I pick it up later they just say 'we didn't see the fault'. :blink:

It's not the spare wheel is it? Just that mine has worked loose a couple of times and made some strange noises.

I'm not sure if the V6 has traction control though.... Mine has something called EPC although I haven't found a proper explanation of what this is. The handbook doesn't really explain it.

Out of interest what's a typical dealer charge for this job? http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/html/emoticons/ChinScratch.gif

Well... my Gal came up with the same warning a couple of weeks ago and it was the rear pads that had worn through. My car has done 20k and I thought it was odd for the rears to go first. I was chatting to a friend who has the same car, his is a year older and his rear pads went first too so maybe it's normal. http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/html/emoticons/uhm.gif

Does the 115 auto use the same gearbox as the rest of the range then GSMGuy? Just I get the impression that the diesel version suffers more failures than the others. http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/html/emoticons/uhm.gif

Thinking about this a bit more, I can remember feeling dissapointed with the kick down on my 2.3 whan I first got it, sometimes nothing seemed to happen. I eventually found that to make the car kick down reliably you had to floor the gas pedal quickly and hard- in other words, tell it who's boss! It was a lot better then. http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/html/emoticons/Thumbup.gif

My local Ford dealer sorted the problem out for me, surprisingly it was the rear pads causing the problem, I'd have expected the front ones to go first. I am now

I used to own a T reg 2.3 auto which is pretty much what you've got and it used to go like stink when I floored the gas pedal, there is a definite 'change down' effect. If the box changes normally the rest of the time maybe it's something simple... I wonder if there's a switch on the accelerator pedal mounting that's not detecting the pedal is pushed down fully?

Any feedback on this problem yet guys? Mine has started doing this today, the warning comes on now and then, I am on 19K on original pads so probably a new set of pads required in my case.

My local Ford dealer used (according to the receipt) semi synthetic oil when it serviced my car. They don't quote the exact type of oil though- numbers etc. Does it sound like they have used the correct type? http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/html/emoticons/ChinScratch.gif

I suppose it could wear the remote fob battery down pretty quickly if it was allowed... though I retrofitted remote opening (aftermarket kit) to my last Gal and as the kit connected to the key circuit, I was able to global open/ close the windows. It was very useful in hot weather because you could open the windows when walking towards the car from about 50 yards away.

I managed with just a large screwdriver though several of the yellow plastic clips snapped in the process, possibly because it was a cold day. Could be worth getting some of the clips (10p each) before starting the job or else you may have to put the panel back with some clips missing which might cause more rattles!