2008 Ford Falcon Pricing and Specs

All the information I can find on this car suggests that the towing limit (with a braked trailer) is 1600kg, not 2000kg as suggested by your source. At which point, you'd need to be pretty careful you didn't inadvertently overload the car by adding a toolbox or other gear to the trailer.

The Mondeo is not really the ideal vehicle for towing heavy loads as it's front-drive layout means it doesn't have the traction a rear-drive car does when towing. A slippery boat ramp, for instance, might pose no problem for a rear-drive car, while forcing a front-drive car trying to haul a boat out of the water to struggle with wheelspin.

That said, the turbo-diesel engine in the Mondeo is a strong, torquey thing, so provided you don't stray on to slippery or loose surfaces, the Mondeo should be able to do the job. Again, though, your 1500kg projected load is almost at the car's legal limit.

It's not just transmissions that cop a hiding when towing, either. Just about everything on the car from the brakes to the cooling system will wear faster when subjected to the extra strain of towing a big load.

Oil manufacturers recommend a 10W-50 semi-synthetic oil for this engine. But not just any 10W-50. Crucially, the oil needs to be formulated specifically for LPG engines which have different combustion by-products and, therefore, require a different additive package in their oil compared with a car running on petrol or diesel.

Your car has covered quite a distance, but modern metallurgy and engine design suggests that 330,000km is not too many kilometres these days, and the engine could have plenty left to give. If it's starting to use a little oil between services, you could consider going to a slightly thicker grade of oil to compensate, but make sure it's still specifically formulated for an engine running on LPG.

Most oil manufacturers familiar with this make and model recommend either a full or semi-synthetic oil with a viscosity of 5W30 or 10W30. So that's what we'd recommend, too. You could probably go to a 20W40 without doing any damage, but why change if there's no need to?

Unless the engine is really worn out and starting to burn oil, there's not much point going to a thicker (heavier) oil. And the reality with this engine (and many like it) is that 250,000km is not actually super-high mileage these days. Back in the 1950s and 60s when an engine was often worn out at the 100,000km mark, things were different, but modern metallurgy and production tolerances (not to mention taller gearing) mean that an engine with 250,000km on board can still feel and perform like a new one. So treat it like one.