I'm a MONDEO MAN, now !!!

[Incursus]

Quoting: Roadkill

Do you work at one fixed place of work, Chris, or at multiple locations ?

Altran pay 25 pence per mile for me to travel to work and I can claim the other 20p per mile (for the 1st 10,000 miles) off the tax man as expenses tax relief, via a P87 though only if I'm not travelling to the same place for more than 2 years.

Quoting: Roadkill

what do you get out of £85 tyres ?

Actually looking back they were £137 for the pair (fitted).
They were a well reviewed tyre in the mid price bracket, (HANKOOK K425 KINERGY) I try not skimp too much on tyres, safety first and all that.
They were also supposed to be more fuel efficient than other tyres but I didn't notice any difference.
They came fitted at them work, got them from Event Tyres, a fair price imo

I've only done about 4000 miles on them so far they but handle the motorways and wet country roads fine, including an emergency brake last week.
The back end did slip out a little on a muddy round-a-bout last week but I don't know what tyres are on the back, at least one them is a cheap tyre put on by the garage I bought the car from.

[Andy]

Event Tyres are a good bunch, really good prices for what they offer and how flexible they are!

[Incursus]

Quoting: Andy

Event Tyres are a good bunch, really good prices for what they offer and how flexible they are!

Indeed, couldn't fault the guy/company and it saved me wasting precious weekend time getting tyres fitted

[Roadkill]

My cheapie tyres are good.

Quiet enough on the motorways, good in the wet.  Have handled 4 heavy/emergency braking scenarios and cope with country lanes fine.



I could drive the car harder I suppose by why would you, it's a diesel hearse !?

For the record they're 16" "Autogrip F100's" . . . both "E" marked and "DOT" marked . . . Been on the car (front) for about a year, now.

Think I had them in the snow last winter . . don't remember them being particularly bad or good . . .

[Cunning Plan]

Quoting: Roadkill

- My £45 ones have done 20,000 so far and haven't even worn half way, yet . . . what do you get out of £85 tyres ?

Quoting: Andy

£45 a tyre?!

Serious? They must be a Chinese brand of some sort or you get a killer deal.

I paid £30 a tyre for (from memory) 185/70/14 for Firestones all round, then when the front wore first (as they always do), I replaced the fronts alone with 'Khumos'? They would happily do 25/30k on the front.

Those rear Firestones I bought back in 2009-ish are STILL going after 50k on my old Mondeo which has now been scrapped (banger raced) and are now on my Pop's Mondeo which has done a further 20k, yet they still have plenty of rubber left!

[Roadkill]

She passed 210,000 miles today.

No major issues to report - replaced a headlight bulb earlier (in stock in my roll-cab so £ free) and still need to fit the £5.99 washer pump . . . will need to do that this weekend as it's due for an MoT next week . . .

Also, as mentioned will need 1 or two tyres, too.

[Incursus]

Also lost a headlight bulb yesterday, that's the third since I bought her!

[Roadkill]

I think I've replaced two, now, in just under 40,000 miles . . .

[Incursus]

I blame the Auto on/off system and 6am starts...and 26000 miles a significant chunk of that in the dark/dusk/dawn.

EDIT: of course I have no idea how long the bulbs had been on there when I bought it but they blew fairly soon and within a month of each other.

[Andy]

Beat 4 in a month. That's how many I had to replace in the time I owned that cougar. It's not so much shits and giggles when everytime you have to remove the headlight unit. Mind you, blowing bulbs was the tip of the iceberg for that thing!

210k... Nearly at the moon!

[Roadkill]

I'm going for quarter of a million . . . .

[art b]

Quoting: Roadkill

I think I've replaced two, now, in just under 40,000 miles . . .

god them fords are money pits...

[Roadkill]

Just put two side light bulbs in, too !

Off to the MoT station I go . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[Roadkill]

Passed the MoT no problem (in fact the words "amazing" were uttered regarding the condition considering the high mileage)

However, between Chrimbo and New Year the N/S/F spring snapped which left the old girl near-crippled.

The new spring was just £19 but after reading up on it I decided that I didn't have the time (or daylight) to do it myself so I dropped it off this morning to be sorted (should be £40 labour).

Just need to finish fitting the washer pump - B@stard of a job as there's just no room in there - will need to go in from the wheel arch.

[ianjpage]

cool not too bad toget the spring sorted, plus prob a bit safer than trying to do it at home!!

[Andy]

Quoting: Roadkill

Just need to finish fitting the washer pump - B@stard of a job as there's just no room in there - will need to go in from the wheel arch.

Good luck, I know how much of a ball ache it was on my Mk2. Its hid well away on a MK3 too..

[Incursus]

Quoting: Roadkill

Just need to finish fitting the washer pump - B@stard of a job as there's just no room in there - will need to go in from the wheel arch.

Does the pump run both the front and back washers?  I remember when the front pump went on my ..Maestro..I think it was.. we just swapped the tubes over and ran the front washers from the rear pump switch

Quoting: Roadkill

the N/S/F spring snapped

Nothing to do with taking round-a-bouts at 50mph was it?

[Roadkill]

Quoting: Incursus

Does the pump run both the front and back washers?

Yeah.

Quoting: Incursus

Nothing to do with taking round-a-bouts at 50mph was it?

It was more like 55mph, actually . . .

But, No, it just went . . . it made itself known going over a speed bump but it had been noisy just before then and I didn't take the speed bump fast at all.

[Roadkill]

Quoting: Andy

Its hid well away on a MK3 too..

Yep, looks about right.

I've got it disconnected and hanging by the wiring at the mo.

Didn't have a small enough socket (at home) to take the liners out so had to abandon it.

[Cunning Plan]

Quoting: Roadkill

the N/S/F spring snapped

You would think Ford would have learnt from the MK1 and MK2 springs snapping to find a higher quality spring or redesign them.

At least that spring snapped after massive mileage rather than 100k ish (when my old Mondeo's one snapped). My sister's husbands MK2 also had a spring go at 90k. My Dad's Mondeo spring snapped at 110k-ish.

[Roadkill]

Passed 215,000 yesterday . . . already on 215,350 this morning !  

[art b]

250k is looming ...

[Andy]

Nearly made it to the moon!

[Roadkill]

Finally got that washer pump fitted, too.

What a F*cking ball ache !

The eBay seller sent me the wrong pump (didn't notice til I had the old one sitting next to it) so I had to use the top part of the old pump and the bottom part of the new one, dremel-down the connectors and turn one of them through 90 degrees !!

Went to clip it in place and found that the body of the new one is slightly too big so forced it in place . . . . connected it up, tested - all good.

Put some water in and it's leaking out of one of the water pipe connectors !!!



Drained the tank and disconnected the pipe, smeared some araldite on the pipe at the pump then clipped it back on.

No leaks - all working fine.

Total time over three attempts . . . about 4 hours !!!

[Roadkill]

Recent expenditures :

£17 - For a New, genuine Ford Hub cap that I lost to an EPIC pot hole a few weeks back.



£9 - For a second hand Ford aerial "whip" (I managed to loose mine after taking it off so we could rest the Camaro's bonnet on the roof !!!)



£81 - Parts and Labour for the N/S/F wheel bearing.

Current MPG is on 57.1.

Another big milestone is looming.