Ford Problems

CONTACT Ford Customer Assistance for a plausible explanation. There is clearly something wrong with either the wheels or the caps themselves that is causing them to fall off.

I ASKED Mark Lynch of Carcool for his opinion. He thought the fault could be either the ambient temperature sensor or a faulty climate-control unit itself. The ambient sensor behind the front bumper tells the climate control the outside temperature. If this goes open circuit, the control will assume that it is -50C and will switch to full heating. The climate control unit itself could have a faulty component, dry-joint in the board, or bad connection plug. Try changing the ambient sensor and clean its connector. If it fails again, replace the climate control head.

FPV told us that Tickford built 39 TL50s -- 25 in 2000, 11 in 2001, and three in 2002.

IT COULD be one of a number of things, but it is most likely the pressure control solenoid in the valve body, experts at AW Automatics say.

GENERALLY, LPG cars are just as safe as long as the LPG system is correctly installed and maintained. Dedicated gas Falcons are developed by Ford and the systems are well designed and safe.

WE ASKED tyre expert Russell Stuckey for his opinion. The Dunlop SP9000, SP Sportmaxx and Goodyear GSD3 all deliver good road holding and are fitted as original equipment, which is a good guide to the quality of a tyre.

THE size issue really comes down to your budget. Tyre dealers generally try to convince you to fit wider tyres, because they will increase the footprint of the tyre on the road and that will improve the braking and handling of your car. The downside is that wider tyres will cost more, and that is more dollars in the dealer's pocket. It is a good idea to fit wider tyres, but but only if you can afford them. It's worth looking around at various tyres, as some modern 205 tyres are actually wider then the older ones fitted to your car and you get some of the benefit of the wider tyre while fitting the original size. Tyre makers have been adding silica to the mix for some time now, it reduces the tyres' rolling resistance, which reduces fuel consumption. The question you need to ask is how much silica is added to the tyres. Some tyre makers use only a modest amount, others more. It is best to stick with a recognised brand and you should get the benefits.

YOUR aunt's MGB is a classic treasured by many people around the world and some people know they can make money from supplying parts to repair and restore them. Unfortunately, your Capri isn't yet regarded that way and parts are more difficult to find. Car companies generally hold spares for about 10 years, but might then sell the remaining stock and tooling to parts suppliers that continue to make and supply parts. Try the Capri car clubs and see if members can help you. eBay often has hard-to-find car parts for sale.

CONVERTERS make no internal changes to the engine when they convert it to dual-fuel, and plenty of cars out there are running on LPG with no problem, so I wouldn't be worried about engine wear, if that's your concern. The most popular -- and the best -- system is an air-valve system. Impco has a nicely developed kit that is easily installed for about $2200.

IT IS taking so long that you would have to suspect that they don't know the cause of the problem, or that it might require a radical solution, such as replacing the car. You should vigorously pursue Ford for answers, and maybe think about having them give you a new car if the answers aren't forthcoming.