Ford Problems

It is not unusual for the engine fan to run for a short time after the engine is turned off, although it's more common on engines with turbochargers, and it's done to cool the turbocharger before it's shut down. I don't believe there's anything untoward happening with your car.

There are no hard and fast rules unfortunately, so you are relying on your skills of negotiation and Ford doing the right thing. I think you should get your money back, but that's being unrealistic. Ford has been doing deals to buy cars back, and that would appear to be your best bet to get out of the car. The dealer would probably offer you $14,500 to $16,500 as a trade-in, but your car is worth more like $18,000-$20,000 as a private sale, which is the minimum I would be trying to get Ford to pay.

Ford claimed the 2.2-litre turbo-diesel would do 8.1 L/100 km on average, their claim for the 2.4-litre engine was 9.4 L/100 km. Be cautious when buying a used commercial vehicle, particularly one that is as old as the one you are looking at. They generally do lots of kilometres, and an eight-year-old one could have done 500,000 km or more. The Transit is known to have problems with turbos, and the timing belt tensioner is a known weakness. If the tensioner fails, it could lead to the chain breaking, and major internal carnage can then happen. If you're serious about the van have it checked by a mechanic who knows them.

You are spot on, there are others with the same problem, and the cars should be recalled and fixed. Instead of talking to the dealer, you would be better off talking directly to Ford through its customer service (13 3673). You could also contact Bannister Law about their class action lawsuit.

I doubt that Ford would buy the car back from you outright, they would be more likely to offer you a trade-in deal on a new car. As a guide I would expect you would get $11,000 to $12,000 as a trade-in on your car. Talk to Ford and find out what they are offering; you can then consider your options. If you feel it's not enough you could go to the consumer affairs people, or join the class action that's being run on this problem.

You will get great value and a classy car in the Suzuki Grand Vitara. The CR-V also goes well and is slightly better value than a RAV4.

Thanks for the tip, it's a good one.

I feel your pain, but you really are stuck with your car, particularly now that you have joined the class action against Ford. You can try and negotiate a trade-in deal on your car, but it’s unlikely that Ford will be willing to deal with you given that you are, in effect, suing them. You are correct in your criticism of the consumer laws in this country, but that doesn't help you in the short term when you need to get out of your car at minimum cost to you. The best course of action is to stick with the class action and see it through.

If you are not sure about the van you're buying then back out of the deal while you have the chance. The next time you decide on a van have it checked by a mechanic.