My lovely reliable focus...

[Bailes1992]

Yeh. :blink:

The PATS system forgot my key even existed


*sigh*

[Gary406]

ahhh crap, sorry to hear you have problems mate ....

[steve_earwig]

Oh bugger Hope it's not too expensive to fix.

[highlander]

Cars, eh

I think I might actually cry if anything else goes wrong with either of my 406s - the Coupe is in the garage today getting a new aux belt and brake shoes (to sort the handbrake), and I think the brakes have seized on my old saloon (the engine turns over, and I can put it in gear, and the handbrake comes off nice and easy, but she won't bloody move an inch).

[jamjar1383]

o dear, i wish i still had my diagnostic laptop stuff i could re program the key for you but alas it wasnt getting used enough to justify me keeping it.

[Welly]

I'm still laughing at the 'smilies' on the AA form at the bottom

They'd be better going with>>>>>>>> [ ] [ ] [ ]

You'll soon have that fixered sam don't worry. The car is 8? years old you're going to get bits like this from time to time I suppose.

Let us know how it goes......

[FarmerPug]

ah that reminds me of my days with the clio, spaontaniously not turning off the immobilizer.

[sirwiggum]

The Alfa GTV woudldn't start once because the immobiliser thought it was the wrong key. Repaired by turning the battery on and off.

Wouldn't have another Ford after my last one.

A 1993 Ford Orion 1.8i LX.

I bought this as my first car - a Clio - was written off, and I fancied a bigger car. The prospect of the same engine as the XR3i in a somewhat classy (or so I thought at the time) mini-Sierra Saphhire bodyshell (or a J-Lo Escort to my acquaintances), approx 8 years old but with 70k miles and a reasonable price, seduced me into danger, like a Mermaid to sailors.

The first sign of trouble should have been the coughing and spluttering on the drive from the car dealer back home. I initially gave it the benefit of the doubt that it was maybe sitting for a while round the back of the car dealer (Arthur Daley would even be shocked at that particular one).

Gave some friends a lift home from a night out (as dessy driver), they wanted fresh air but the rear windows wouldn't open.

The next few days after getting it, it would immediately stall after starting. Or, if holding the revs, would get to a junction then stall.

Took it back to the garage, who claimed it was the "wrong type of oil". Changing it ran a bit better, but still had a tendency to stall any time it stopped.

Washed it a couple of weekends into ownership, noticed chunks of the rear arches on the sponge. Turned out to be papier mache and filler Disappointed

It then started drinking a lot of fuel, even when I drove it hard. Mind you, it was difficult to tell because the fuel gauge was broken. I used to just keep it topped up so at least I knew fuel was in it, and estimate based on mileage.
Turned out the fuel tank was leaking like a sieve.

The wishbones were gone, which meant taking off at any anything but a crawl the car would steer itself into the nearest hedge / wall / cliff.

The gearstick was like trying to stir a bowl of boiled sweets. When those boiled sweets have stuck together.

On a trip from England to my university town in Scotland, the headlights stopped working. Not ideal for the Tyne tunnel.

Eventually the offside indicators also gave up the ghost, which gave me an insight into early to mid 20th century motoring in terms of using arms as indicators.

It then started running on 3 cylinders, which actually gave it a cracking engine note, but did nothing for power, effectively downgrading it to a 1.35. It was also Ford's first Hybrid, running on a mix of Unleaded and Oil.

By the time the next MOT came, I got rid of it for a fraction of the price I paid for it. Saved up, bought a small French diesel, and never went back to Ford.

I have to say though, that my partner's 2005 Fiesta seems a bit better built, but even on that her interior keeps falling apart like a cheap Ikea furniture set.

[steve_earwig]

Sounds like a typical Ford to me

I'm still laughing at the 'smilies' on the AA form at the bottom

They'd be better going with>>>>>>>> [ ] [ ] [ ]

I didn't notice them before, how quaint.

How about [ ] [ ] [ ]

[Bailes1992]

In all fairness my Mum has had this car from brand new.
It's had oil changes regularly all it's life. Usually twice every year, sometimes we let it slip to a year. But it was only doing 7-10k a year anyway.
I think since weve had it it's had a new power steering pump, 2 coilpacks, a clutch and I think thats it? Oh and a horn. Nothing too much.
Thing is my Mum dosen't notice faults with cars. She just drives them till they stop
So theres a few niggly things I have. Like the nackered Lambda and the worn track rods (on the case).
This is the first time it's actually stopped working all together.

Anywho it's fixed now.
Few weeks ago I bought a blank key from ebay £8.
So I took it into town to be cut. £5
Removed the ECU and pats and took it to my local Autospark. 20 mins later and £20 cash (back hander) and the key was coded to the PATS system.
Put the car back together, put the new key in the ignition and Horrahh it started Went to pull it back out and oh... Was well and truley jammed in there. Half a can of WD40 and half hour later it wasent budging.
Went back down to the guy who cut it. The guy on the desk was there saying "well you supplied the key it's not our problem". So after arguing with him that hundreds of people have got keys off this guy and they've all worked fine a guy from the back said "Stop fobbing him off, i'l go have a look".
Took him 20 of so mins to get the key out, and the whole thing had been cut wrong. It wouldn't have been too much of an issue on most fords but my Mum has been using this car as a district nurses car so it's on and off all the time. The key has worn like a glove into the ignition barrel causing it to stick. Few mins on the sander and job done. It needs a little wiggle to come out but the guy said it will soon wear in
I've just had my autospark on the phone. He's managed to scource a new transponder chip for my old key, he's going to see if he can get another key coded to my ECU. If he can then it's goign to be £35
After I got 2 keys coded to my car I can code as many as I want

[FarmerPug]

my uncles transit had the same problem when he got a key cut, although he didnt give a shite about they key being stuck as he would have been glad for someone to have stolen it, but eventually after a few weeks use it came out. As for the immobilser i recall some electrical stuff just being ripped out.

[Welly]

The Alfa GTV woudldn't start once because the immobiliser thought it was the wrong key. Repaired by turning the battery on and off.

Wouldn't have another Ford after my last one.

A 1993 Ford Orion 1.8i LX.

I bought this as my first car - a Clio - was written off, and I fancied a bigger car. The prospect of the same engine as the XR3i in a somewhat classy (or so I thought at the time) mini-Sierra Saphhire bodyshell (or a J-Lo Escort to my acquaintances), approx 8 years old but with 70k miles and a reasonable price, seduced me into danger, like a Mermaid to sailors.

The first sign of trouble should have been the coughing and spluttering on the drive from the car dealer back home. I initially gave it the benefit of the doubt that it was maybe sitting for a while round the back of the car dealer (Arthur Daley would even be shocked at that particular one).

Gave some friends a lift home from a night out (as dessy driver), they wanted fresh air but the rear windows wouldn't open.

The next few days after getting it, it would immediately stall after starting. Or, if holding the revs, would get to a junction then stall.

Took it back to the garage, who claimed it was the "wrong type of oil". Changing it ran a bit better, but still had a tendency to stall any time it stopped.

Washed it a couple of weekends into ownership, noticed chunks of the rear arches on the sponge. Turned out to be papier mache and filler Disappointed

It then started drinking a lot of fuel, even when I drove it hard. Mind you, it was difficult to tell because the fuel gauge was broken. I used to just keep it topped up so at least I knew fuel was in it, and estimate based on mileage.
Turned out the fuel tank was leaking like a sieve.

The wishbones were gone, which meant taking off at any anything but a crawl the car would steer itself into the nearest hedge / wall / cliff.

The gearstick was like trying to stir a bowl of boiled sweets. When those boiled sweets have stuck together.

On a trip from England to my university town in Scotland, the headlights stopped working. Not ideal for the Tyne tunnel.

Eventually the offside indicators also gave up the ghost, which gave me an insight into early to mid 20th century motoring in terms of using arms as indicators.

It then started running on 3 cylinders, which actually gave it a cracking engine note, but did nothing for power, effectively downgrading it to a 1.35. It was also Ford's first Hybrid, running on a mix of Unleaded and Oil.

By the time the next MOT came, I got rid of it for a fraction of the price I paid for it. Saved up, bought a small French diesel, and never went back to Ford.

I have to say though, that my partner's 2005 Fiesta seems a bit better built, but even on that her interior keeps falling apart like a cheap Ikea furniture set.

Lovely story there Sir, I was 'there' with you

[sirwiggum]

Lovely story there Sir, I was 'there' with you

I was wondering what the extra weight was.

Put me off Fords, but the girlfriends 2005 Fiesta isn't *too* bad apart from the interior falling to bits.

They all have similar narrow awkward keys, can see how a minor inconsistency on it would cause it to stick.