Ford Problems

I DON'T know how Ford can say it covers only the front end for 3000km. I wouldn't take that.

IT'S not a project I would recommend. The modifications to the car would be extensive and there are too many hurdles to jump over to make it cost-effective and legal. For starters, you would contravene a raft of ADRs that would make it illegal, and the testing to make it legal would be expensive. The fuel consumption you got on the petrol isn't too bad, but if you want to save money on fuel consider converting it to LPG, which would be much easier and cheaper, and would cut your running costs.

IT IS a common problem in Falcons, and I would think you have a valid claim to at least part of the cost for that reason. I would recommend you pressure Ford and I would expect they would come to the party. It's really impossible to estimate the reasonable life of a radiator, but I once believed it was good for the life of the car. To avoid the problem occurring again, you could block off the oil cooler connections on the radiator and fit an aftermarket external cooler.

The AU was a much-maligned car, mostly for its looks. If you can accept the styling, the AU is a sound car, but readers of this column will have read many readers' letters complaining about their Falcons. I strongly recommend you get it checked by a mechanic.

YOU CAN contact Ford, but your car is out of warranty and you're unlikely to get a warm welcome. The best you can hope for is that they cover the cost of the parts, leaving you with labour costs. But as you bought your used car at an auction, I think you're wasting your time.

I WOULDN'T buy the BA Falcon with the dedicated LPG system. It's old LPG technology and suffers stalling, stumbling, surging and lack of performance unless it's well maintained. A better alternative is to buy a regular BA wagon and have it converted to dual fuel using one of the latest gas-injection systems that have no drive-ability problems. I get too many complaints about the Falcon to recommend it. The VZ wagon was available with a dual-fuel LPG system developed by IMPCO and using a gas-injection system. That is a good way to go, but I wouldn't recommend buying a VZ wagon and having it converted, because there are said to be problems with the regular Alloytec engine when running on LPG. The Mazda6 is a good car with a good reputation for reliability, as is the Corolla, and I'd be happy to buy either.

FORD offered two engines in the BA Fairlane: the 182kW Barra six and the 5.4-litre V8. The E-gas engine wasn't offered, the only reason being Ford didn't believe there was enough demand. The factory E-gas system would fit the Fairlane, but would need the E-gas six as well and I think that would make it too expensive. Ford dealers have dual-fuel kits that would be better and more affordable. Lots of BA Falcon taxis run on LPG with no problems.

THERE will still be a station wagon and a ute in the next Falcon range, but the Territory was always planned as a family four-wheel-drive and not a workhorse. So, sorry, there will be no Territory ute. And the Crewman lost money for GM Holden and has been discontinued, leaving the four-door ute field to the Japanese imports.

IT IS a common problem. You have contacted Ford's customer assistance number and that is what I would recommend you do if you feel you should get some compensation. Though your car's warranty will have expired, I believe there is an ethical responsibility to provide some cover for serious problems. Go back to the customer assistance people and insist on getting some help. Beyond that, fit an external oil cooler so you won't have the problem again.

IN DEFENCE of Ford, it sometimes happens that an owner will hit a kerb or a hole in the road and damage the wheel, but they should check the wheel themselves to verify if the crack has been caused by driver error or not. That they dismissed your claim without checking isn't good enough, even if your car is out of warranty. It's even more disappointing that they have chosen not to act when the dealer supports your claim. If the dealer is prepared to make a report on its findings I would use it and pursue Ford for compensation.