Ford Problems

DON'T assume anything. You'd have to check the accuracy of the GPS unit with the maker, and like all instruments it will have a tolerance. It will not be 100 per cent accurate. Same with the overhead advisory signs. They are a guide only, and their accuracy varies from day to day, depending on when they were checked and calibrated. Again, they are not 100 per cent accurate. Now to your speedo. You are correct in your assertion that the ADR requires speedo readings to be within a band of plus or minus 10 per cent of the speed when the car is travelling at more than 40km/h. On that basis your Falcon is quite accurate, and the Beetle is also within the required band. The critical thing, if we assume the GPS and advisory speed sign are accurate, is that neither understates the speed. That is, if you drove at an indicated 100km/h in either car you would be under the speed limit. By the way, there is a proposal to change the ADR in 2006 requiring speedo readings to be accurate to within a band of zero plus 5 per cent, ensuring no speedo will indicate a speed above that which the vehicle is travelling.

YOU have quite a large choice of cars, even with your limited budget. You need to understand that any car you buy for that sort of money will be old and likely to have gone around the world several times. Don't limit yourself to a particular make and model, but go for the car that's in the best condition. The EA Falcon is one I would probably avoid. It was the first model in a new generation of Falcons and had a few problems with the engine and transmission. That's not to say that all EAs are lemons, but you should be doubly careful about buying one.

YOU don't say how many kilometres your car has done. If it's done plenty it might simply be heavy wear that's causing a loss of oil pressure. Because you say it only happens on hot days, or when towing your caravan, it probably won't show up at other times, such as when you have it checked. Start by making sure all is well with the engine, spark, fuel, etc, and thoroughly check the cooling system to make sure all is well there. Change the coolant and use the recommended coolant, check the fan belt, water pump, and thermostat. If everything checks out you might think about an oil cooler.

THE recall, applying to AUI and AUII Falcons built between June 1, 1998, and May 22, 2001, relates to a steering rack mounting stud. Ford says over-tightening of the stud could cause the stud to loosen. In extreme cases, the stud may fail and affect steering. Two cases of loose studs and one case of a missing stud have been reported, but Ford is recalling all cars to take precautionary action. Vehicles built in the period outlined used a Loctite threadlocking compound, which could be degraded if the stud was over-tightened. Vehicles built after May 22, 2001, are not affected.

WE CONTACTED Ford to check the assertion you can't fit snow chains to a new Focus and the company confirms that they don't recommend it because there isn't enough clearance between the tyre and suspension components. Anyone wanting to visit the snow often should check that the car they intend buying can take snow chains before they pay for it. Reader Daniel Stevens says to buy a set of German-made RUD Centrax chains. These are not secured to the inside sidewall of the tyres so clearance is not a concern. Ph: (07) 3274 3666.

THE BA's brakes were significantly upgraded form the AUIII. The pads are larger, the disc rotors are larger -- 11 mm at the front and 16 mm at the rear -- and the calipers are 40 per cent stiffer, so many factors are affecting what you feel. That should result, as Ford claims, in better braking performance, increased pad life, reduced fade and more solid pedal feel.

TRY regular unleaded and an additive such as Valvemaster, which you can buy at your local servo. You may find your engine will detonate with the 91 RON. If so, switch to premium unleaded and use the additive.

IT'S GREAT to hear you've had a good run. I can't predict how much further it will go, but there's no reason it won't go for quite some time yet. Ford has a bogey of 10 years and 250,000km for their testing. After that, there will be some deterioration. A compression test may give insight into the condition of the engine, and explain the miss.

CHECK to see if the film is on the outside or inside of the screen. It could be a build-up of plasticiser from the plastic interior trim parts and things such as cigarette smoke on the inside of the screen. A windscreen cleaner available from a servo or auto accessories store, should remove any oily film.

TO RUN it at its best on unleaded you should fit hardened valve-seat inserts to the head, lower the compression ratio and retard the spark a little to suit the lower octane rating of unleaded. You're talking about $1000, so I'd think long and hard about doing that on an old car like your XE. I'd run it on unleaded and add an upper-cylinder lubricant.