Ask The Guide

There’s no good reason to not buy a Falcon, parts will be available for many years yet. There’s the Commodore, but it too is out of production. Other than that there’s no similar sized car available for you. You need to think about getting an SUV, such as a Toyota Kluger, Kia Sorento, Mazda CX-5.

My best advice to you is to not buy an old used BMW; they will only soak up whatever money you might have saved up. An ageing BMW with high mileage is a money pit; it will cost plenty to service and keep on the road, whether you use a dealer, which I would not recommend, or an independent mechanic. Buy a well-respected Japanese brand, such as a Toyota Corolla, Mitsubishi Lancer, or Mazda 3.

Were you able to demonstrate the problem to the dealer? If not go back and do that, so that they know what it is you are unhappy about. That way they might be better equipped to fix it. It could be a problem with the calibration of the computer controlling the transmission, or it could be an internal problem with a clutch or the oil pressure within the transmission.

It’s most likely the rear suspension bushes, a known problem with the Falcon. Have them checked.

Cars go into limp home mode for many and various reasons. It’s not everyday that the ECM has to be replaced, but it’s uncommon either. I wouldn’t be overly concerned about it doing it again. It’s possible that it could, but you’ll never be far from help from a Ford dealer if it does happen to fail again.

You have clearly been given the run-around by whoever told you that. Talk to your dealer, and ask for a mechanic to go for a ride with you to observe what it is that is bothering you. That way they might be able to understand your complaint and fix it for you. If you feel very strongly about it, ask for a Hyundai technician to go with you.

The Michelins would probably give you a more comfortable ride, and the road noise should be better. Before ditching your Bridgestones you could try lowering the inflation pressure to 32 psi and see if that makes your life more pleasant.

They’re obviously not there to hold down heavy items, more to prevent the shopping from moving around.

It is very low kays for the brakes to be wearing out, but Brembo brakes are performance-oriented brakes and you would expect them to wear out faster than regular brakes. I would consult a brake specialist for an opinion.

In defence of the dealers it’s hard to diagnose a problem that isn’t there when they do their checks. Without anything to guide them they are taking a stab in the dark by changing parts they “think” might be causing the problem. If it is happening every time you drive the car I would suggest you have one of the dealership mechanics go on a drive with you so you can demonstrate what it is you’re concerned about. That way they might get an insight into what the problem is. Other than that, try an independent brake mechanic, and see if they can fix it for you.