I spent 2 hours driving to buy a 65000 mile mondeo titanium x today the car was very nice but on checking through the paper work I found out it had not had the critical beacause it's a power shift 6 speed automated manual 30000 mile/3 year gearbox oil and filter change which costs £300 the salesman kindly rang the dealers for me and apparently the owner didn't have it done as it was an extra £300.
I can't understand why someone would have a 3 year old 30k car but not spend £300 on critical maintainance which works out at £100 a year to make sure a 4 grand gear box doesn't blow up, well for me It was a wasted days holiday and £25 in petrol down the drain and no car
I can see you were frustrated with this but let me just say...
A modern synthetic oil/trans fluid would have no problems for a decade in that application if the car is driven normally. The engine oil has to bear combustion wastes but the transmission oil is in a much more benign environment.
What really caught my attention in your post was that this costs £300... Thats sound like a p*ss take cost for whats involved.
How many look beyond the stamp?
The cost is so high because the transmission oil is £20 a litre and it takes 7 litres when the salesman saw the fully stamped service book he presumed it had been done and only checked beacause I asked I only know about it as my mate has the same type of gearbox in his Audi and had to have the same oil change done
If the first owner had no intention of keeping it long term it's quite understandable really.
Couldn't you of knocked the £300 off extra for it? Or got them to do the oil change in the deal for buying it?
Vag group DSG?Originally Posted by Michael 38
I took my wife's four year old VW Polo to an indy garage for its annual "service" (ie oil and filter change) and MOT. The money that I saved paid for an air con service on both our cars! Penny pinching for a dealer stamp in the book? My indy used a good quality oil of my choice and a genuine filter. All the other points in the main dealer "service and inspection" were covered in the MOT, apart from the obligatory white spray grease on the hinges (which I can do myself without getting it all over the door shuts and panels!).
Strell they offered to do the oil change but it should have done 35000 miles ago so any damage has already been done also my 2 local ford dealers told me to steer well clear if the oils not been changed, mcfasty yes it's the vag dsg
Tixntox local garages near me won't touch ford power shift gearboxes as they are very complicated and require specialist knowledge and equipment so it's ford main dealers only
What year? I have that box in my 14 plate T5, my stealer tells me box is sealed for life.
No, it's built by Ford/gertrag. Similar dual clutch set up of DSG but only used in Fords and Volvo.
A 65000 mile mondeo is out of manufacturer's warranty anyway.... it looks like you're buying from a dealer, can you get the service done and take an extended used car warranty? Just a suggestion.
In my experience (I'm the group buyer for 7 Ford dealers), hardly anyone bothers getting the "expensive" gearbox service done. I avoid them if not done.
I would ordinarily agree with you however that gearbox is plagued with issues which are stemmed from poor early maintenance.
A mate of mine is a VAG specialist and has his own Indy garage in Bath and he sees loads of issues with this box with very little mileage on them.
VVVVVVV
Apparently different box.....my bad, however similar with same faults
You should splash out on a few full stops/punctuation marks.
Paddy I could have proberly have got an extended warranty but I'm sure they would worm their way out of fixing any transmission issues due to it not having had the ford specified oil changes, I think due to the horrendous costs associated when these gearboxes go wrong I am best steering clear
I'm sure another one will turn up.
If you knew it was that critical why didn't you ask the dealer to check whether the gearbox service had been done before you went?
Completely agree.
Good luck on your hunt!
What is that Mon Deo you speak of?
Fas est ab hoste doceri
You know the BMW 3 Series which you see everywhere? The Mon Deo is a rarer, more spacious, cheaper version of that at a much lower cost.
No. I wouldn't either.
For the vast majority of the population cars are nothing more than white goods. This attitude is further amplified by the PCP merry-go-round. The reason drivers don't spend a couple of hundred bucks on maintenance for a 3 year old car is because they'll be handing it back soon and its someone else's problem. If it's not PCP, then the average drivers are used to paying a relatively small amount for a 'service' (an oil/filter change is not a service) so they will balk at a £300 bill for preventative maintenance when nothing is actually wrong.
Long gone are the days of W123/124 reliability, cars are now built to have a shorter life span. A friend of mine is a workshop manager in an Audi main dealer. He says 60% of the work he does is warranty!
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