Kia Sedan Range

The air-conditioning system is not critical to the car’s operation, only its comfort. As such, if you can find a belt that still drives all the ancillaries like the coolant pump, alternator, power-steering pump and whatever else is belt-driven on this model, then it’s certainly possible. What you have to ensure is that the shorter belt is the correct length and is still properly tensioned by the existing tensioning pulleys. You may have to change pulleys and brackets to achieve this. If you’re lucky, it will only be the air-conditioner itself that is driven by an auxiliary belt, with everything else running off the primary drive belt. If that’s the case, you simply remove the air-con belt and drive on.

In the old days, you simply bought the appropriate belt for the same make and model without factory air-con and fitted that. But more modern cars with standard air-conditioning can be trickier to bypass. But it should be possible, even if you have to take a piece of string the correct length to an auto parts store and go through the various belts to find one the right length. Either that, or find the same make and model at a wrecking yard that was not fitted with factory air-conditioning and use the drive belt pulleys and tensioners from that car. Never use a second-hand drive belt, however.

A shaking through the steering when you apply the brakes is often caused by brake rotors which have warped. Imagine spinning a bicycle wheel with a buckle in it. In a micro sense, that's what a warped brake rotor is doing. When that happens, they fight against the force of the brake calipers and that leads to the shaking you're feeling. You're right not to feel safe as the car is definitely not safe in this condition.

Sometimes the brake rotors can be machined to make them true again, but other times a replacement set of rotors is the fix. Don't forget to get your mechanic to change the brake pads when they fit the new rotors, as new rotors can be compromised by old pads.

Sadly, Aussie cars like the Ford Fairmont just aren't being made any longer. As you've correctly identified over many years and almost 300,000km, this big, rugged, relaxed type of vehicle was perfect for travelling in Australia, but the onslaught of SUVs and the death of the local car-making industry put an end to these big sedans.

There's nothing wrong with a Kia Sportage (in fact, it's a good choice) and you might find the effortless turbo-diesel version suits your needs and preferences quite well. You may also appreciate the higher ride height and easier entry and egress. But what you won't find in any mid-sized SUV is the same dynamic feel of a conventional sedan like your current Ford. This is not to say modern SUVs don't drive well; they do, and improved fuel efficiency and different packaging is all part of where the Australia car-park is going.

If you're not venturing off the bitumen, however, there are a few alternatives to an SUV in the form of some very accomplished medium-sized sedans. The Hyundai i30 Sedan would be one and, if you want to retain the rear-wheel-drive feel and big performance, then the Kia Stinger is another alternative to an SUV.

The other alternative would be to take the time and effort to seek out a later-model Ford Fairmont with fewer kilometres on its odometer and start over again with the packaging you clearly already enjoy.