Ford Problems

It's hard to make recommendations without knowing much about what you want. The choices of vehicles for a family of four are many and varied, as you say. I would consider a Kia Sportage SUV, Toyota Camry mid-sized sedan, or a Ford Falcon is you want a large sedan. You would certainly be better off shopping for a one to two-year-old used car.

Thanks for the tip. These days there are many electronic problems that can cause a stoppage. You remind us it can be something completely different and much more basic.

Ford spokesman Stephen Kruk replies: "Vincenza owns a 2011 Fiesta with 68,000km and we have offered a partial refund of $10,000 as a dealer trade. We review each customer request for support on an individual basis as each customer experience and their vehicle is different. Comparing customer outcomes without the facts would not make any sense. We have determined that Vincenza's experience warrants our support and have worked with her to get to a successful outcome".

The deal you have been offered is the same one that has been offered to many other owners in your situation, so you're not being treated differently to others. 

You won't get a refund, or simply be given a new car in exchange for yours. The simplest way out is to weigh up the offer of the discounted price on a new car, together with the trade-in the dealer might offer you, and see if that works for you. If you don't want to go down that path you could join the class action lawsuit that is in train over this issue, but that's likely to be a long drawn-out process and you would need to be patient.

It sounds like the seller might have known there was a problem, and decided to get out of it. There have been reports of problems with the gearbox. You could approach Ford about helping out with the repairs, but because it's out of warranty, and you bought it secondhand from a private seller I don't fancy your chances of success.

It sounds as thought the air-conditioning may not be working. Take it back to the dealer and have them check the system for you.

Your best course of action is to take it back and ask that it be fixed at their cost. It's all down to negotiation I'm afraid, but if they are reputable people they should come to the party.

When a globe in one of the indicators goes out the other indicator on the same side as the one that has failed will flash quickly. At the same time the indicators in the instrument cluster will flash quickly and the audible indicator will click quickly. Turn each of the indicators on and check that they are working. If they aren't it suggests a deeper problem, which could be a fault with the cluster. One thing for sure it won't fix itself. If you want to get a second opinion take it to an auto electrician.

There are known problems with the double-clutch gearbox in the Focus and there is a class action under way from some unhappy owners. But I have had success for several CarsGuide readers in getting their cars right.

Orange peel was once considered the sign of poor quality in a paint job, but today it seems that it is ok to serve up. The response you got intimating that it was ok because it was only a ute is a sign of the malaise that's overtaken the car industry today. It's not acceptable, and anyone buying a new car should look closely at the paint job before signing up and handing over their cash.