Ford Problems

You’re buying a used car, it’s not new, so you have to expect some wear-and-tear issues. The older the car, the greater the wear-and-tear, and the more likely it is to have suffered mechanical failures or even a crash. That means you have to thoroughly check the car before purchase, and you have to rely on the honesty of the vendor. If the car has had clutch problems it should be recorded in the service book. It’s the same with the others you’re looking at, check them thoroughly, and if you’re uncertain have an expert check them for you. Of the three others you are considering I would avoid the Passat as a potential money pit, and go for the i40 in preference to the Commodore.

Rear-drive PX II-series Rangers are rated to tow up to 750kg of unbraked trailer, or 2500kg if the trailer has brakes. Four-wheel-drive Rangers, however, are rated to tow up to 3500kg (if the trailer has brakes). I have personally used a 3.2-litre diesel 4x4 Ranger XLT to tow almost 3500kg from Melbourne to Brisbane, and it was a breeze. That particular vehicle was used primarily to tow a large boat, as well as a race car in an enclosed trailer, and it did it very well though the owner had it serviced more often than recommended, and he had the suspension regularly checked for wear.

The problem affects 2010-2016 Focus cars with petrol engines, at this time the transmission in your car is not affected. Once you know what is causing your problem you can decide what course of action you will take.

It’s most likely the crank angle sensor, which is on the crankshaft. Have a mechanic check it.

Due to modern security systems you will need to take the car to your Ford dealer and have them program the new key for you, as it is coded to your car's ECU. You cannot do this at home as dealerships have this software.

Changing the oil in a T6-generation Ford Ranger is no different to changing the oil in any other late model car, whether you have a petrol or diesel engine. If you have never worked on a car yourself before, I'd stress that you would be better off taking the car to a qualified mechanic or dealership to get this job done to avoid the risk of injury to yourself, or damaging the engine of your car. The benefit of getting a mechanic to change your oil is they can check the rest of the car over and let you know about any upcoming issues they spot.

Bleeding clutch hydraulic systems is not a job most car owners should ever need to do. The process involves the same theory as bleeding brakes, where you replace old hydraulic fluid with fresh fluid, helping maintain the performance of the clutch (or braking) system. Mechanics have pressurised bleeding systems so I would recommend having your mechanic or dealership handle this job when they advise it needs to be done.

Headlights in many modern vehicles have an amount of adjustment built-in, but this doesn't mean they're easy to point in the right place. You need to ensure the vehicle is perfectly level, positioned a specific distance from a wall you know is flat and true (perfectly vertical), then you have to measure where the headlights intersect, how high off the ground that intersection point is, and several other factors. The easiest way to adjust your headlights is to get your local dealership or mechanic to do it (mention it as part of your next service if you're curious). If you improperly align your headlights you could blind on-coming vehicles, or not have enough light to properly see the road in front of you, so get the pros to handle it.