Ford Problems

All of them would be good choices, but I would prefer the Mazda CX-5 or the Kia Sportage. Either would be fine.

The Mondeo is generally reliable, but the dual-clutch automatic transmission has been troublesome and I wouldn’t buy one myself. Manual no problem, but not the auto. If, as you say, it is under warranty take it back to where you bought it and have them investigate the noise you hear.

The Focus convertible holds its value quite well, but the market value of a car hinges on a number of things, such as age, mileage, condition, history etc. A car that has low mileage, is in good condition with a good service history will carry a higher value than one that has done a lot of kays and has been neglected.

It’s likely the clutches need replacing; it is a common problem with your model. Take it to a Ford dealer and ask them to approach Ford about repairing it under warranty at no cost to you. You could also approach Ford’s customer service people directly. The problem you will have in getting them to fix it for you is that the car is now seven years old and you bought it secondhand.

If only it was that easy. I assume that it’s not giving you any trouble now, but if it is you could get it repaired under the warranty. If it’s not I don’t see you have grounds for a full refund, even though that model has a poor reputation for its transmission troubles. If you had done your homework before buying it you would have found lots of reports on the troublesome transmission.

You were right on the limit of the Everest, close to both the towing limit and the GCM limit, so you needed to be mindful of that when towing and you shouldn't be towing in the overdrive ratios. It sounds as thought the transmission was overheating, which suggests the Everest is borderline for cooling when operating at its supposed limits. Anyone planning to tow in a similar loading situation should consult a towing specialist before they go to make sure they're fully prepared for the trip. Maybe the Everest needs extra transmission cooling. To be fair to the Ford dealers they can't diagnose a problem that isn't presenting itself at the time the car is in their workshop. As a consumer your best option if the carmaker isn't being helpful is to go to the consumer affairs department of your state government.

It's not uncommon to hear of transmission troubles with the Territory. I'd suggest you get a second opinion by taking it to an independent automatic transmission specialist who should be able to diagnose the trouble and suggest a fix.

To have a transmission fail after just 100,000 km is not acceptable, particularly when it hasn't been used for towing. I assume it's a dual-clutch automatic, which has been troublesome in many Fords around that time. Ford should be showing some interest in fixing it for you; at the very least they should be offering you part compensation for a replacement transmission. If you can't get any help from Ford's customer service people, go to the Victorian government's consumer affairs department, or think about going to VCAT.

You can purchase keys to replace lost or damaged Falcon keys from places other than Ford dealers. I would suggest you Google 'replacement keys for Ford Falcon' and you should come up with a number of people who could supply the keys.

I can only assume your car has the dual-clutch automatic transmission. If so the bearing problem could conceivably be related to the transmission issues.