Ford Problems

THE diff problem with the Falcon ute is well-known, and one that dealers should be familiar with. I know of several owners who have had to replace the diff, some more than once. Ford's policy seems to be that they will replace the diff with a new one if the vehicle is under warranty, and with a used one if it's out of warranty. The problem for you is that you bought a used vehicle out of warranty. And you don't have the history of it before you bought it. Talk to the previous owner if you can and find out if they have any knowledge of the problem existing when they owned it and, if so, did they report it to the dealer. Get as much information as possible and persist with Ford.

I'M FAMILIAR with all the brands you mention except Easy Jet, and each is a quality system well developed by a reputable company. Any of the systems would do the job for you, but possibly more important is to choose your installer wisely. Before you commit to an installer, ask them how long they have been in the business of installing LPG systems, the injection system in particular. And ask to talk to a client who has had the same system fitted.

WE'VE had complaints about the diff in the Holden, but not nearly so many from Ford owners. You probably could do the job if you're handy with tools, but if you're not, I wouldn't tackle it.

GHIA is a car-styling company that started in Italy in 1921 and built many fabulous cars on Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lancia chassis. Later the company designed the VW Karmann-Ghia, the Volvo P1800 and several special concept vehicles for Chrysler. Ford bought the company in 1970 and began using the name on its cars. It is generally used to denote the luxurious Fords.

SOME carmakers stipulate a belt change at 90,000km, but it isn't unusual for the recommended interval to be 150,000km. Ford's service schedule is 150,000km or 10 years, whichever comes first. I see no reason not to follow that.

WELCH plugs can corrode, but it's usually caused by a lack of corrosion inhibitor in the coolant. Perhaps the dealer hasn't been keeping the corrosion inhibitor up. I wouldn't accept that the plugs are consumables and not covered.

BOTH have awesome performance, but I would put the Typhoon slightly ahead in that area. The Clubsport is smoother and a little more refined on the road. In terms of fuel consumption, really if you're planning to buy a performance car such as either of these, fuel consumption shouldn't be a consideration. But under normal driving I would expect both to return 15-16 litres/100km. Neither is particularly good in that area. In reliability terms, the Typhoon has had problems with the clutch and there's a question mark over the rear axle, so the Clubsport is probably the better there. Both are exhilarating to drive, the Typhoon perhaps slightly better.

THE XF six-cylinder had an alloy cylinder head on a cast-iron block, a combination that was prone to corrosion, which makes it important to use a corrosion inhibitor and not just plain water. Ford recommends that 300ml of inhibitor be added to the cooling system every 12,000km, and that the coolant be drained and replaced every 46,000km, at which time you should add 600ml of inhibitor.

THE offer from the Ford dealer seems generous, but I would pressure Ford to check the car. It sounds dangerous from your description and I would be pressing Ford to take back the car and fix the problem for you, or replace the car.

I ASSUME the system was fitted by the Ford dealer, because Ford's LPG engine is a dedicated LPG system. Almost all dual-fuel systems fitted to cars after 2003 will be injection systems that start on petrol and switch to LPG after a minute or so of warming up, so yours sounds as if it's state-of-the-art. They operate that way to minimise the starting time and for smoother running during the warm-up phase.