Hi everyone,
I bought a second hand car in May this year from a private garage with good reviews and lovely people. The car is a 54 plate Fiesta LX but had only done 12000 miles when I bought it (now on 19000). The engine looked as new (as I think you'd expect it!) and I've got all the paperwork to prove age and mileage etc. The salesman/mechanic also printed out the past MOT certificate too to prove it hadn't had to have any major work done (only bulbs changed). Almost as soon as I drove it the engine management light came on so I took it back and he plugged it in. It showed a cylinder 1 misfire so he changed the spark plugs and manually turned the light off and told me to bring it back if the light came back on. It did and I took it back and he changed the coil pack and manually turned the light off again, and told me to bring it back if it came on again.. It did. I took it back and he changed something else (sorry I can't remember what it was now!) and away I went. The light kept coming back on so I went back three more times and he changed all three bits again (he said just in case the first ones he put on were faulty). But still the light is on. It drives relatively okay, sometimes it does feel like it's not accelerating as it should but only for a very short while then it's okay. The mechanic said he'd rand a few mechanic friends and even the ford garage but they are all stumped as to what the problem could be. Then more recently it's started to lose engine coolant too, and now I've found that milky liquid in the oil cap (which I think someone said could be just condensation or could be linked to the headgasket going?) anyway I wanted to know if these could be linked as the mechanic is saying he won't pay for the head gasket as the car isn't under warranty now and the ongoing problem with the injector/EM light couldn't be linked to that, therefore it isn't covered. I'm a student and can't afford to replace it, and I bought this car with literally the last of my savings thinking it should be reliable due to the low mileage! (Haha).
Any advice much appreciated!! Thanks!

 

What was the fault code? They have a habit of having rain water leak through the holes in the bonnet under the washer jets, the rain water then runs down the air filter housing straight into the spark plug wells which will give you a misfire. Solution is to silicone them in or buy some updated ones with a rubber seal on them. Mayo in the oil cap could be condensation, do you do short trips?

 

My eyes!!!

 

No idea what the fault code was, sorry! he did telle that but it wasn't raining or anything in the first few weeks of it being fixed, and he said there was no indication of it being wet. My regular journeys are between 5-7 miles, although I've just driven from Bristol to Leicester so not all short trips?
Thanks for the quick reply!

 

Be easier to advise if we knew what the fault code was/is.

If the car has had a misfire, and been driven for any length of time with a misfire, it can cause damage to the catalytic converter, which in turn puts the MIL on.

 

Hmm okay I'll try and find out what it was!

 

Take the plug leads out and make sure there isn't any oil or water in the well where they sit.

 

How long is your warranty period? Make sure they aren't fobbing you off until it runs out. Ask that it goes to Ford to be checked to see if the issue can be resolved if they are struggling to solve it.

Keep a record of when it has gone back to the garage and what has been done so that IF they try and fob you off when the warranty period expires and the issue has not be resolved, then you can argue that the issue was there from the start and so they have a responsibility to sort it.

 

Hey Matts1, thanks for your reply - that's more what I was asking! When I bought the car it came with just a months warranty, so it has run out now. However the engine management light has been on since I got it so he does have a responsibility to sort that issue. My question is, do you think the head gasket problem is related? He's trying to ask me to pay for it and I don't know if he is fobbing me off or if it is really a separate issue!