1995 Ford Mondeo Pricing and Specs

Ford’s Powershift dual-clutch transmission is one of the most suspect pieces of engineering in recent history. When failures of the transmission first started being noticed, Ford, rather than fix the problem, took the view that owners were driving the car incorrectly and laying blame there. It didn’t end there, though, as the high failure rate of the gearbox soon had the ACCC involved and Ford was subsequently fined and accused of `unconscionable conduct’ by the consumer watchdog.

Fundamentally, the transmission itself was junk. It suffered failures of the electronics and sensors as well as the control module and, in some cases, failure of the mechanical parts including clutch-packs. Symptoms include harsh shifting, a loss of drive, noises and, as you’ve noted, failure to select some gears.

Even worse was the dry-clutch unit fitted to Ford Focus, Fiesta and Ecosport models which would fail even more spectacularly. These were so bad, Ford ended up offering owners of those vehicles a very cheap trade-up deal to the newer model which used a conventional torque converter automatic rather than the dreaded dual-clutch. Unfortunately, the wet-clutch unit in your car wasn’t included in that offer, but the failures are still well documented.

You’re right that the car is well out of warranty now, but I still think you’d be wise to have a chat with Ford’s customer service division to see if there’s anything that can be done to help you out financially. Throwing away a modern car with just over 100,000km on board just doesn’t seem right in 2021. Nor does a transmission that costs almost $10,000 to replace. But I can see your point about throwing good money after bad; on today’s figures, your car is worth about $10,000, roughly the same as the gearbox it requires.

This has been an ongoing problem for car owners for decades now. Car-makers often decide to fit self-levelling rear suspension in cars like station-wagons as it ensures the car doesn’t sit nose-up when it’s carrying a big load. But as you’ve discovered, replacing those adjustable shock absorbers can be a huge pain in the wallet. And, like tyres and brake pads, shock absorbers are often regarded as wear-and-tear items and therefore aren’t covered by a factory warranty. Certainly not a year out from the expiration of that warranty. That said, I agree with you that 55,000km is not the expected lifespan of a modern damper. 

In the past, the solution has been to fit conventional dampers in place of the adjustable ones and live with the loss of the self-levelling function (which most owners manage to cope with). The Mondeo is a much more popular model in Europe than it ever was in Australia, so shopping online in, say, the UK might turn up a set of replacement shocks for a lot less than the extortionate figure you’ve been quoted. Provided you deal with established, reputable online companies, you should have no problems. But if conventional (non-adjustable) dampers are available from a Mondeo without the self-levelling suspension, that would probably be the smart way to go to avoid being in the same boat in another 55,000km.

I’m not sure why you’d need to change the rear springs as well as moving to conventional dampers (not that I’m doubting your research) but even if that was the case, a set of springs is a one-off purchase and shouldn’t cost much. The best bet would be to visit a suspension specialist and have the car measured up to see what dampers will fit and do the job. There’s bound to be something out there from another make or model that will physically fit and provide the damping performance the car requires. Self-levelling suspension is a nice touch, but it’s not an absolute necessity on a car like a Mondeo wagon.

For a start, diesel engines need a specific type of oil which often has a higher detergent content to keep the insides of the engine free of the soot for which diesel engines are notorious. The second thing to consider is what viscosity or grade of oil you need. Most oil manufacturers have a strict recommendation for the turbo-diesel in your Mondeo, and that’s a 0W30 oil. Straying from this viscosity could be asking for trouble as that’s the oil the engine was designed to use.

And don’t be tempted by a cheap, supermarket-branded oil. Always buy an established brand. If in doubt, consult your owner’s manual for more information.