RTV

My 1.6TDCI also has an intermittant flat spot which only started after ECU update. Getting over 50mpg consistantly, with mixed driving. MPG shot up after the air flow sensor and pipe were replaced.

I've not heard of any manual gearbox problems before!

That sounds like the best of both worlds. I think I'll try one of the rapid depots next time then.

If you only do short journeys then it may be worth using the higher quality diesel like Shell V-Power or BP Optimax as these keep your engine much cleaner. Short journey are not good for the engine. Or try using one of those complete fuel system cleaners. But deffinatley worth goining on a blast once in a while.

The brake gurantee sounds to good to be true, they will replace any worn pads and shoes for the life of the car. Notice how it doesn't cover discs. So I guess this is where they will make their money, every time your pads are worn you can bet that they will only replace them if your discs are replaced also which is their usual rhetoric anyway. I've had to many bad experiences with these "fast fit" companies ripping me off with dodgy advice and incorrect tracking settings and the like. I'm sticking to my Ford dealer as I can honestly say I can trust them and they have the expertise and know

Which ever tyres you go for, stay away from the Goodyear NCT'5 no matter how much they're discounted, they're the only tyres I replaced before they wore out, the grip is bad in the dry and dangerous in the wet.

Diesel in a petrol engine is no problem, your car will be fine I would get them to through in a free service. It's the other way round that can cause problems, modern diesels need the injectors lubricated and petrol may cause damage to them.

That's the trade off when using a sports tyre..They have a softer compound for the grip but it wears quicker...

Gates Ford Stevenage charged me £169 for the 3rd service done at 37,500 miles on our 1.6TDCI. And that's all I payed not a penny more. The only extra item on the major service is the air filter. £450 what's that all about!

Interested to know when the cambelt change is on the 1.8. The 1.6 is 10 years or 150,000 miles.

On our two maxes we have tried the following tyres, Continental Sport contact 2 - Excellent grip but hard ride. Goodyear Excellence - Comfortable ride very quiet, good grip. Goodyear F1 GS-D3 - Excellent grip especially in wet, hard ride. Continental Premium Contact 2- Great grip, quiet and soaks up the bumps, good in wet and dry. Goodyear NCT'5 - Extremely long lasting, crap grip. I'll be sticking to the conti premium contact 2's, excellent tyre, the Goodyear excellence comes a close second. http://www.conti-online.co.uk/generator ... t2_en.html

If you're worried about reliability then why on earth you're considering a Citroen is beyond me! Other than Japanese cars like Mazda, Toyota, Honda, Lexus and Nissan Ford, citroen and Renault are in the bottom leage for Reliability. So if that's your main concern you're in for a shock. At least with Ford the parts are cheap compared to French makes. Extract from what car warranty direct info According to the Warranty Direct data, owners are dogged by problems throughout the car, with axle and suspension trouble being the main complaint. Electrical faults, engine trouble and transmission

I was once annoyed by the creaking door seals but then I used some Silicone spray which cured all the creaks on both our Maxes !

Yes I had this problem a couple of years ago at the second service and then at 50k. As there is no sensor for the rear pads you need to keep an eye on them yourself, you can feel how much of the pad is left by sticking your fingers through the wheels, once they're worn it takes your discs out as you've found out. By doing this I've only needed new pads at £90-100 rather than £250 for the discs as well.

If your warranty is about to end you may want to consider this. Have just taken out a Platinum warranty from Warranty Direct, excellent cover includes wear and tear items such as the cluth and suspension, you can also choose Ford for the repairs. http://www.warrantydirect.co.uk/index.html?wd=1

Alex1, good luck with Seat, I've had two Leon Cupras one from new and had many problems with them, but the main problem was with the dealers attitide to customer service not a patch on my Ford dealers. Both our C-Maxes are coming to the end of there 3 year warranty so we're taking out a warranty with warranty direct which is almost identical to the Ford warranty except it covers wear and tear items such as the clutch and suspension as well, cost £15 per month. Here's the link if anyones interested. http://www.warrantydirect.co.uk/index.html?wd=1

Yes it was totally cured, I've only heard it on one other car and that was our previous Audi A2 TDI which was also cured by the dealer. The A2 problem was descirbed as a Mooing! Doesn't sound like what mr_greedy is describing though. This was a very strong\loud resonance at a specific revs ie 2500rpm and had the potential to really get on your nerves if you were stuck at those revs. Car is in for a service on Tuesday asking for a print out of all warranty work done on both our C-Maxes.

I've done it with 3 maxes now and no porblems !

Found my original post about this from 2005 http://www.ffoc.co.uk/modules.php?name= ... =resonance

Hi Matt, It was so long ago I can't rember exactly which pipe was replaced. At the time there were a few posts about this subject. I'll ask the dealer for a print out of all the warranty work done on our cars. I know how annoying the noise is, it dissapears either above or below 2500rpm. Our Audi A2 TDI did exactly the same thing but louder. Thinking about it, it may have had something to do with the EGR valve, may have been the pipe that connects to it.

Easy just swap it out and put the code in. I swapped out the standard one for the Sony MP3 player. The only tricky part was getting the old one out. I popped down the dealer for that.

Hi chris, Having driven a 320D Estate as a company car I can relate to many of your comments, especially about the power being all or nothing, stalled the car many times at round abouts and then put the car in reverse acidentally which was another annoying trait. I also own a Max now although the lesser powered 1.6 TDCI and am extremely happy with the refined and quiet engine and the vastly larger cabin space and visability, it's also nice to sit higher up rather than lying on the floor!

The resonance at 2500rpm is a known fault which effected early cars, ours was cured 2 years ago and if I remember rightly it was fixed by the dealer fitting some kind of differently designed pipe, I think it was connected to the turbo. Hope this helps.

Same thing happened to us, boot switch also replaced under warranty

No more brake fluid changes ! http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/products/ ... de=S/CABF5