ONSLOWE

On my second service they did not bother changing the filter (not even a finger print on the dusty cover !!) and although I paid for the brake fluid change they didn't bleed the rear brakes !! I noticed as there were no spanner marks on the rear bleed nipples. I complained and the Foreman insisted it had been done over the phone so I took it back and after seeing the car he agreed the rear brakes had not been done. He re bled the brakes and though he insisted the filter had been changed (there is no way it was !!) he re changed the oil. All this was at a Ford main dealers at full price. Trust

Due to a collision I need to replace the mirror glass and the plastic mirror motor housing on a Zetec with heated mirrors. Do you know if you can get the parts separately and how does the glass fix to the adjuster mechanism (the glass is gone and broke off part of the bracket behind so I cannot see how it would fix together) ? The outer shell is unmarked but looks like I may need the part with the motors due to the braket that holds the glass shearing off :cry: I have Ford TIS but it doesn't show the detail. Cheers for any help.

I have a 04 2 ltr TDCI and I have all sorts of suspension noises! When it is wet the left front suspension top mount makes a creaking noise when turning the steering wheel which wears off after a couple of miles. Also the front right suspension gives 1 loud knock just after I have set off but nothing whilst driving, the engine undertrays rattle about as well so I have had to jam some pieces of rubber in the gaps. Ford found nothing wrong (probably didn't look) at its service. As they are intermittent faults the dealers aren't really interested, probably just bad build quality, there seems to b

To get the EGR changed I told them the car would start but did not have enough power to pull away and would not rev, there were no problems logged by the cars computer!. I mentioned that a sharp tap with a screwdriver on the Valve housing fixed the problem. Firstly they tried a software only fix but the problem reoccured so they changed the valve. I told them the TSB and they reluctantly changed the valve. There are 2 types of valve, the newly modified one did not fit my car as it is an early build date so they ordered a new "standard" valve and fitted that. So far (6000miles) it has been OK.

I have an 04 Max and when I took mine in for an EGR change (problems occurred at about 16000 miles) it was discovered that the newly modified valve did not fit the older CMax. They had to order a new original version of the valve so get them to check chassis numbers etc when they order the part !! I have had no further problems in the 5000 miles since the valve swap. On the subject of the service the main dealer I went to didn't change the oil filter just the oil !! Also they changed the brake fluid without bleeding the rear calipers :evil: I had to go back and get the job done properly by t

I had a look under the car and they are covered in undisturbed dust and rust with not the slightest spanner mark on them not a dribble of fluid anywhere. When I used to do my own brakes there was usually a bit of spillage and always some tool marks on the bleed nipples. I checked becuse I expected them to take a shortcut, its happened before at other dealers. Cheers

I have just paid £35 pounds to have my brake fluid changed at my dealers but don't think they have done the job ! None of the caliper bleed nipples have been disturbed, can the fluid be changed by just working at the ABS pump ? Will confront dealer on Friday but need to know my facts, it looks like they just siphoned the reservoir and refilled to save time. Thanks in advance, Onslowe

I bought a "plug & play" electrics kit (Bosal but is also supplied by Witter) from Towbars direct Tel 01925730005 for £59.08 including postage. To fit it you need to remove the interior boot panels, connect a pair of plugs to each set of rear lights (piggy back connectors dirctly plugging in to existing plugs) plug in a relay and connect to an existing 12v supply that is taped to the existing loom. This does not include the 12S socket kit but does provide connection for reversing lights. The rear panels were the biggest problem as they break easily, job took about an hour to complete. Jus

jr9 -I got my valve changed approx 8 weeks ago with CD42 upgrade, can't find my notebook with exact date as the wife has been tidying up :( and the car has been OK since. My Max still has 14 months warranty left as it was registered late despite being early build so I'm not panicing too much at the moment. Hope you have no further problems.

I was told the same by my dealer, they had the car apart and tried to fit the newly modified part but it would not go on so they ordered a new "non modified" valve and fitted that along with the software update. So far no problems but exactly the same advice as jr9 so there appears to be the same problem at more than 1 dealer. My car is a 2/12/2003 build date.

I had the exact same problem, only in warm temperatures. If you get a torch and look up above the pedal beyond the pivot pin and push rods you may just see the offending spring in what looks like a nylon holder. Get out the Copaslip (so it doesn't melt !) and cover the spring and holder and hey presto no more annoying creaking :) Well it worked for me, apparently the previous owner had the same problem and had the spring changed, according to the service reciepts, but it looks so hard to get too I wonder if they just greased it, hence the problem returned. Hope this helps.

Matertech is of course correct when he says the 12N does not have a 12v supply. The spare supply behind the panel in the boot (Red, large gauge and connecterised but taped to the loom to keep it secure) is used to feed the relay unit when fitting a plug in kit (Witter but probably Fords own unit) for 12N electrics. It may well be fused at 30 amps but I am not sure if it is ignition switched, the 12N kit instructs are pictorial only so do not give many details, so may not be suitable.

Where did you get the 12v supply for the 12N ? Did you use the 12v "spare" supply that is taped to the loom on the opposite side of the luggage compartment ? If not then you may be able to use that though I am not sure if it is ignition switched. Cheers

Mine's still stiff on a morning, though the wife hasn't complained, but then she does't use it as much as she should :D The C-Max that is :oops: Seriously though mine is much better in warm temperatures, though I find fourth gear is a little on the noisy side, whining when doing 30-40 mph on a steady throttle. Good luck

If anybody has the standard Ford C-max roof bars but needs to fit older cycle carriers where the U-bolts are not wide enough to straddle the bars you can use the Thule kit872 (T-track adapter). The kit consists of 3 T-bolts that fit inside the groove in the top of the bar (no nuts included but my original bike carrier nuts fitted) the threads then protrude about 25mm above the bar. The kit cost me £7 including postage from :- http://www.skidrive.co.uk

Mastertech, thanks for reposting the info, I had seen the original but thought "Focus C-MAX 2003.75 (06/2003–) " meant that my dec 2003 build was included though "Build Date: 14.02.2004-01.03.2006 " clearly indicates that it isn't. It still leaves me wondering why they changed the design of original EGR. Will they be uprating the valves that fit the earlier cars ? Anyway the car is now back with me, hopefully fixed, new non-modified valve fitted and CD 42 uploaded, I hope :)

After having EGR problems, CD41 upgrade then a couple more stalling problems I finally got booked in for an EGR change. After the wait for the new part it finally went in today for fitment. Shock, horror, but no surprise the part does not fit :x My car is apparently a Dec 2003 build (but registered Aug 2004) and the new modified EGR only fits post March 04 build cars. This means I am going to get a new none modified EGR and CD42 to try and fix the stalling problem. According to Ford the EGR may be sticking because of over fuelling so the new software may stop this. Obviously if the old EGR wa

I fitted a Bosal bar and the cut is not visible though is approx 60mm x 45mm, easily done with a steak knife :) I suggest for single electrics you use a Witter plug in unit that attaches to existing wiring loom and requires only 1 wire to be cut behind the panel in the boot (panels are a bit of hassel to partially remove) and would be simple to put back to normal if required, also easy upgrade to twin electrics. I doubt a dealer would notice the bumper cut without being shown. Do not buy a PCT towbar as the cut needs to be in a very visible location at the top of the black portion of the bumpe

Has anybody tried one of the small solar trickle chargers in an effort to keep their battery topped up? Maplin's and Machine Mart sell chargers that plug into the cigar lighter socket and feed an admittedly feeble 150 milliamps to the battery in sunny conditions (£20-£30). Judging by the size of the unit (350mm x 120mm x 15mm) and the fact that they come with suction cups for attaching to glass I thought they might go in the bottom of the rear side window or top of dash at front. My C-max gets used for many short journeys so any way of topping up the battery without removing it would help.

The valve my dealer ordered did not turn up and is on back order. I rang Fords customer care and they said they hope to get up to date with the orders in 2 weeks :x Also I was informed that CD41 was unlikely to cure the problem on its own (I can vouch for that !). Does driving style have anything to do with the valve sticking ? I tend to drive mine using the bottom end grunt as much as possible, not many revs, I think the wife drives it more like a petrol (she gets much worse MPG than me) and the valve has not stuck when she drives, but 3 times for me. It always sticks after a short journey, e

EGR :evil: has stuck again though this time not immediately on start up. I had managed to drive off and had just pulled out from a junction onto the main road when I lost all power, potentially very dangerous. I sharp tap on the EGR got me going again but I will be ringing my dealer on Monday to get it sorted. I am concerned that as I now have it running again (for how long ?) there will be no fault codes and I will struggle to get the dealer to take any action. I do not want to have to wait for it to happen again and then get the car recovered to the dealers just to prove my point. Will I get

Yes go and get them, find out any problems and let us all know how the experiment went so that we can follow your lead :wink: Do the new Xenons work OK with plastic lenses ? I heard a rumor they might degrade the plastic if system fitted to normal headlamps. Good luck

Trust nobody except yourself ! I have had similar problems with Renault dealers where I have had to diagnose the problem myself, leave explicit instructions and then reconnect all the pipes / wires that they have left loose, all just so I keep the warranty conditions intact. It has come to the point where I am reluctant to take my car to the dealers for annoying faults for fear that they will create a more serious problem as in your case. I suggest you drop them in it with higher management at Ford, if you can find any contact details for them. Good luck

Economy was approx 48 MPG on a decent motorway run no more than 80MPH (upto 53 MPG on country roads doing 55 MPH when stuck behind slow traffic) but about 35 MPG on usual town driving / school run, according to the computer. I didn't think that was too bad and it ssemed to tally when I did the brim to brim calculations. I will have to start checking again now that the problem has reared its head again. What would you class as "poor".

I have a theory that the valve sticks if you immediately turn the ignition key all the way, engaging the starter motor without pausing slightly when the dash lights do the test function (like having to wait for one of the older diesel generation glowplugs to warm up). This can only be true if the EGR moves immediately when power is applied (I know it does a series of "pulses" when the engine is turned off but does it do anything on power up?). My reasoning for this is that if it is halfway through a set up routine when the power is diverted to the starter motor it might "freeze" :( On both occ