Ford Problems

You need to have a paint specialist inspect it for an opinion on whether it’s a problem from the factory or not. Phone Graeme Cuthbert on 0422 444 335.

Never take anything for granted, it pays to check and check again if you’re not certain that the work being carried out on your car is what is supposed to be done. Never feel afraid to ask questions, and always remember that you are the customer, the one who has spent the dollars to buy the car.

It's a problem that crops up occasionally on Falcons of that era, but your car is now eight years old, the warranty has run out, and you bought it secondhand, so the chance of getting any compensation is very slim. Because of the number of failures you have experienced you could try your luck under the consumer affairs laws, claiming that the vehicle was unfit for the purpose for which it was sold to you.

147,000 km out of a clutch when you’re towing every day is a pretty good result, so I wouldn’t complain about that. There’s very little difference in terms of towing between and auto and a manual, but by rights you should have had an auto serviced twice in the distance you’ve done in the Courier and that servicing would have been more expensive than the cost of replacing the clutch in your manual.

It's not an issue that has come to our attention here at Carsguide, which would suggest it's not as common as your mechanic believes. As for a recall, they're usually associated with safety issues and the failure of a headlight switch would not normally fall in that category. Car companies do, however, have low-key service rectification programs in which they fix cars when they have a widespread failure problem with a particular part. That would be the way they would address a failure such as the one you experienced, but only if it was widespread and only if the carmaker had a community spirit.

Caltex make what they call Vortex Premium Diesel, which is claimed to remove deposits that build up over time in injectors and keep the engine running at its best. They claim that Vortex Premium will give you better performance and use less fuel, but I stress that’s the company’s claim.

It’s obviously frustrating and of course will affect the resale value when you come to move it on. There’s not much you can do about it; perhaps you could consult the consumer affairs people to get their opinion on whether Nissan should provide some compensation for what would seem to be an issue with their cars. One way of reducing the wear on seats is to slide the seat back before getting out, that way you won’t rub the seat as you exit. It’s the same when you get in, if the seat has already been slid back you won’t rub across the bolster as you enter, and of course you then have to slide the seat forward to your normal driving position.

Certainly you could try Ford, but I doubt you would have much success. You know that it was a government vehicle so I would contact the government transport department and enlist the help of the people there.

Your car has probably got worn lifters and the heavier oil helped shut them up, but being new Laurie's problem is likely to be something else, like piston slap.

No, he’s not. You wouldn’t change the coils unless they were breaking down and causing the engine to misfire. You can change them at any time, not just when you change plugs.