Ford Falcon Problems

The reason for distance and time on services is that short trips put just as much strain, sometimes more, on a car. If you go outside the recommendations, or do it yourself, you risk voiding the warranty and that could be expensive if something big goes wrong.

There are only two things it can be, fuel or spark. You say it's got spark, but is it at the right time. Check the crank sensor and its connections. If it's got spark and it's happening at the right time, the problem must be on the fuel side. Have someone check the fuel pressure to make sure it does have fuel at the engine.

I presume they are putting the new tyres on the front, which is the best place for them, as they're the wheels that steer and brake, and they're moving the old tyres, which I presume are not worn-out, from the front to the rear. Talk to the people who did the work to confirm. I doubt they would fit worn-out tyres to the rear of your car.

Buying privately you would pay $4000-$5000 providing it is in good condition.

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

Alloy wheels do go out of round without necessarily hitting kerbs. I would swap the wheels from side to side and see if there is any improvement, you could also dismount the tyres and reposition them on the rims, and have them balanced at another tyre outlet, you could also approach the tyre manufacturer for help.

Ford has just boosted XR8 production but, sorry, Ford spokesman Neil McDonald says there are "no plans" for a V8 ute. Even the XR6 ute is in huge demand, with waiting lists for popular colours.

I can well understand why you would want to get out of the BMW and into something more reliable. I would urge you to avoid the Territory; the early models have problems with suspensions that will be ongoing for the life of the vehicle. I would certainly go for the Falcon, but would again urge you to go for a BF Series II, which is a much better car than the BF. If you wanted another car to look at I would suggest a Subaru Liberty wagon.

There's no easy fix I'm afraid, the only way to fix it is to repaint it.

It's probably a leaking seal, but you have to first determine where the leak is coming from. The best course is to locate the source of the leak and replace it, but there are additives available that claim to recondition seals and stop leaks. You should be able to find them at your local automotive store.