Ford Falcon Problems

It’s really hard to say, particularly because the “end of the day” is a very long way off. Any appreciation you might see will be many years away. Both could well appreciate eventually if you’re prepared to wait long enough, but the 2012 Pursuit might be the better choice simply because of its lower build number and supercharged engine.

The extra air will make the tyre circumference a tiny amount larger but it will make such a marginal difference to the speedo reading that you won’t notice.

Ford spokesman, Neil McDonald, replies: “We checked with the engineers and both the rear and side widows use tempered glass which can show up the heat-treatment pattern with polarised sunglasses.  You need to get the right angle and the right light but you can see this on every piece of rear and side glass in every manufacturer’s product”.

Larger wheels are used mostly for styling and image reasons, plus the fact that the carmakers can charge more for them. As for the ride, larger wheels go in tandem with low profile tyres, which ride harder and are less comfortable.

For a V8 auto ute I would definitely go for the Holden. Ford has given up on developing the Falcon but Holden is still committed to the Commodore and keeping it fresh and relevant.

There have been changes made to the design of the oil cooler and claims that the problem has been fixed, but it’s an on-going issue that should have been properly addressed a long time ago. Recalls are made where the safety of a vehicle is affected; they aren’t done for design faults that don’t impact on a car’s safety. That said, Ford should have fixed the problem and updated cars, so owners don’t have to face expensive repair bills. Call Ford’s customer assistance people and lodge a claim with them for the repairs to be covered under a goodwill payment. You could also contact the consumer affairs people in the ACT to get their advice on what action you could take.

As you say this is a known and well-documented problem, one you would hope Ford takes responsibility for. I'm not aware of any class action being taken by owners against Ford over the matter, you are doing the right thing by going to fair trading/small claims for a resolution.

The Sorento has just been voted the 2015 Car of the Year so it gets The Tick from me. There is an all-new CX-9 next year and a Santa Fe update soon. Today, the order is Sorento, Outback, Santa Fe and CX-9.

Your car and also your mate’s car are both old and you’re filling them with new bowsers that have a higher flow rate that the old tanks can’t handle. It affects lots of old cars, and some not-so-old ones. One way is to avoid using the full flow rates, instead only use ½ to ¾ of the full capacity of the pump, but that can be hard with the filler located down behind the rego plate on the bumper. Your idea of using a hose and funnel so you stand while filling up should be easier, you just need to judge when you’re getting near full and slacken off so you don’t lose too much fuel if it overflows.