Ford Problems

Unfortunately, it sounds like you have one of the dreaded Powershift dual-clutch transmissions in your car. If that's the case, then this type of transmission behaviour is all too common and, we're sorry to tell you, is a sign that the gearbox is about to die.

Ford was hauled over the coals by the ACCC back in 2017 for 'unconscionable behaviour' regarding this transmission and its approach to dealing with consumer complaints about it. We'd be talking to Ford Australia's customer service department as it will have a standard procedure now for dealing with such problems.

All that said, your car is well and truly out of warranty now, but Ford knew years ago that it had a major problem with this transmission, so it's worth asking about compensation or help with repairs. The other piece of advice is to not sink too much money into the car, as the trade and consumers know it's a ticking time bomb and, as a result, this model is worth very little as a trade-in.

This all depends on whether the 2005 Focus is a Mark 1 or Mark 2 version of the Focus. So that's the first thing to ascertain. If they're both Mark 2 cars, then there's a very good chance that the boot release will be the same in either (and, therefore, interchangeable) as we're talking about the same car.

But even if the 2005 Focus is a Mark 1 model, it would still be worth physically checking to see if the release latches are the same. That's because even though the Mark 1 and Mark 2 Focuses were different cars, many manufacturers (Ford included) carried over some mechanical parts (such as latches and cables) from previous models to save on development costs. A good example of Ford doing this was the succession of 1980s Falcons including the XD, XE and XF models which all used the same exterior door handles. So compare the latch you have with the latch on offer and make sure it operates in the same way and direction, uses the same mounting points and will connect to the same cable. If so, you might just be lucky.

It shouldn't matter how old a safety recall is, it's a safety issue, so it needs to be fixed. That's why there's no actual time limit for these repairs to be made.

Here's the official response from the Department of Infrastructure: “There are no time limits applied to vehicle recalls by the department. It is expected that if a vehicle is presented for an older recall, the manufacturer will repair it as per the original recall notice”.

The potential spanner in the works there would be if the manufacturer is no longer represented in Australia or, if the parts required were no longer being made or otherwise available. In any case, this would definitely be worth chasing up with Ford as the recall was for potentially faulty brake lines which could cause a catastrophic failure with horrendous results.

By buying a manual Focus, you neatly sidestep the biggest problem with this car, that of the perennially faulty DCT transmission. As a rule of thumb, the advice is to never buy a Ford with this transmission, purely because its failure is a question of when, not if.

The irony is that the rest of the car was actually pretty reliable, so as long as the recall for a potential fuel leak caused by a blocked carbon-canister has been attended to, you stand a good chance of buying a reliable car.

A misfire under load is often suggestive of an ignition or fuelling fault. You can check the performance of the fuel pump to see that it's delivering the volume of fuel it should, but don't ignore things like dirty fuel filters as a cause of poor fuel delivery.

That said, this engine is particularly susceptible to failures of the ignition coils. In fact, most mechanics who know their way around this engine will suspect faulty coils before anything else. It's not a terribly expensive fix even though there is a separate coil for each cylinder, but nine times out of ten, this will be the problem in a misfiring Falcon or Fairmont. The other piece of advice is to ensure you only use the genuine Ford ignition coils rather than a cheaper, knock-off coil.

Clearly something is wrong here because wheel bearings should have a much monger lifespan than 12 months. I'd start by checking that the wheel alignment (yes, rear wheels need to be aligned, too) is correct and not putting weird stresses and strains on suspension components which could include the bearings. While you're at it, check the condition of the suspension bushes, too, as these can also allow alignment to become a problem.

Do you tow heavy loads with the car? This can also place huge stress on things like bearings and cause them to wear faster. Also, who replaced the previous set 12 months ago? Can you be sure they didn't over-tighten the new bearings, causing them to wear faster? Were the new bearings a good quality or a cheap replacement? Has the supplier of the bearings received the same complaint from other customers, suggesting a bad batch of bearings could be the cause? I've personally seen a brand new wheel bearing collapse in under 20km because the surfaces had not been hardened properly during the manufacturing process.

Finally, given the wild weather this continent has been experiencing, have you driven through flood-waters at any stage. Unlike fresh water, flood-water is often full of tiny silt particles which get into the bearing and then act as griding paste, causing the bearing to fail super fast.

Your Everest would have come brand-new with a three-year/100,000km warranty which has now well and truly expired. So you can forget about Ford contributing to the cost of repairs.

Roof racks cop a pretty hard life in some cases, and damage to their coating or paint is not uncommon. Even if it's just the effects of UV radiation (rather than physical damage) roof racks are in the direct firing line of the sun's rays for a lot of the time.

The best advice would be to get an automotive spray painter to repaint the roof rails in a durable product that matches the original finish. This shouldn't be difficult for any professional shop and would return the car's appearance to new, providing the rails are the only blemished areas.

This is a classic case of how long is a piece of string. Without knowing things like the car's condition, its service history, mileage and its specification, it's impossible to hazard a guess. These things sell for anything from $500 in rough, running condition with no registration nor roadworthy certificate, all the way up to $40,000 for an immaculate V8-powered, highly optioned version. So, somewhere between those two figures is your answer.

But assuming a six-cylinder car in decent condition with average mileage, with a RWC and no damage or serious wear and tear, you should be looking at something like $3000 to $8000. Sorry I can't be more specific than that.

This sounds like a case of the air-conditioner freezing up over time. It can be caused by a few things, but essentially, it will start out cold and then gradually lose effectiveness till it's hardly blowing air at all, and that air is no longer cold.

It's caused by a build-up of ice in the system which blocks the air flow and prevents any further chilling of the air coming into it. To check this, next time it happens, jump out, open the bonnet and see if there's ice forming on the air-conditioning pipes under the bonnet. If that's the case, an air-conditioning specialist should be able to identify the problem and sort it.

All versions of the Ford Territory form this era used the inline six-cylinder 'Barra' engine from the Ford Falcon. This engine used a timing chain rather than a toothed rubber belt. The chain should be good for the life of the engine and should not need replacing.