Ford Falcon 2008 Problems

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.

It seems a little odd that a new bulb hasn't fixed your problem, especially as the other tail-light is working properly. If both tail-lights had failed, the first thing to check would be the fuse or relay that controls that circuit. But since it's only the light on one side that's affected, that probably won't be the case (both the BF Falcon's tail-lights share a single fuse).

The BF Falcon launched in 2008 was the first local Ford to use CAN BUS electronic technology and that could be the cause of your problem. If the computer isn't sending the correct, coded signal (as opposed of just a stream of volts) to the component in question (in this case the tail-light) then the light may not work. A scan of the vehicle might throw up some more clues.

If it's not that, that leaves you with a bad connection (possibly a bad earth) within the wiring for the troublesome light or perhaps even a problem with the bayonet mount into which the globe clips. Don't rule out something as unlikely as the new globe being faulty, either. It's happened before. Spray some terminal cleaner into the globe mount and see if that restores power to the light.

Fords of this era are notorious for electrical problems, including brake-light switches that fail and even body computers that crash, taking many functions including the central locking with them.

Check the system to see which LPG company developed the system for Ford and take it to them for checking. If you are unsure which company made it contact Mercer Industries (03 8788 1000).

I wouldn't be at all concerned about LPG being available, but I would strongly advise that you do your homework on where you can buy LPG before you leave home. The distribution network of LPG in country areas has never been as comprehensive as it is in cities, and that's what you've found.

Talk to the dealer about recalibrating the transmission to avoid the problem. They should have a fix for it.