Who owns a Mondeo ST220 / ST TDCI?

Vita · 12 Sep 2014 at 19:58

Battery died. Original ford item so it lasted 8 years which is not bad. It didn't give any signs what so ever! Which is strange. New battery which is 72AH and not 80ah as the ford one was. Will this make much of a difference?

It's a Bosch S4.

Got my new disks and pads to go on tomorrow too.

Dav4 · 12 Sep 2014 at 20:00

Makhaira said:
Nope, you've got a problem there I'm afraid!

What problems can cause it to burn more oil than normal? i know theres no bad oil leaks or anything. never seen any oil on the floor

Makhaira · 12 Sep 2014 at 20:07

Erm, I'm no auto expert by any means, but I think general areas to check are:

- Leaks (which you say you've done)
- PCV
- Compression check
- Various seals/gaskets on the engine (no idea which, I'm sure someone in here will).

I guess from the fact you're confused that there isn't an obvious blue smoke issue?

Dav4 · 12 Sep 2014 at 20:11

Makhaira said:
Erm, I'm no auto expert by any means, but I think general areas to check are:

- Leaks (which you say you've done)
- PCV
- Compression check
- Various seals/gaskets on the engine (no idea which, I'm sure someone in here will).

I guess from the fact you're confused that there isn't an obvious blue smoke issue?

the exhausts smoke a little in the morning for 5 mins but i presume thats just like any normal car when the temp is lower early morning. certainly no blue smoke though.
i know the mechanic could not see any leaks when he serviced it and said it all looked ok.

MassiveJim · 13 Sep 2014 at 12:04

Dav4 said:
the exhausts smoke a little in the morning for 5 mins but i presume thats just like any normal car when the temp is lower early morning. certainly no blue smoke though.
i know the mechanic could not see any leaks when he serviced it and said it all looked ok.

Same for mine

High oil consumption but no obvious signs of a leak or a problem. (that is the mechanic checking it not me)

Vita · 13 Sep 2014 at 12:08

Brakes changed today. Don't seem to be stopping all that well..Still need to be bedded in.

R220 · 13 Sep 2014 at 13:19

Dav4 said:
Are ST220's known for drinking oil? had mine serviced about 7/8 weeks ago with oil and filter change and while checking my dipstick today noticed it was below the minimum
since its service i have probably done around 1600 miles which should not effect the oil that much surely

Top it up, thats about 1 - 1.2 litres between min and max iirc then see how it goes as it is possible the garage who serviced it didnt put enough oil in. Mine uses around half a litre every 6 months, but thats because i have a small leak around sump gasket (very common)

Philz0r · 13 Sep 2014 at 20:43

Bought some rear droplinks for the st220, the ones i bought are apparently the right ones but when i've gone to fit them, they are too long.

I put them on just to see what would happen. Nothing seems to be different but should i put the old ones back on for now. Looking on google st220 uses smaller drops that are a nightmare to find.

Howard · 13 Sep 2014 at 22:58

I got mine from Ford, they're only £50 for the pair. All the pattern parts I found were too long. I didn't fit them because it didn't seem right.

Imy · 15 Sep 2014 at 09:43

Someone smashed into the back of me this morning - my first ever accident

Still shaky a little. Of course the guy tried to blame me at first but eventually realised the reality of the situation. He's suggested to go outside insurance (depending on quote).

Here's my damage:

Managed to clip the black trim back in but it's damaged so needs replacing. The one on the right is MIA and the bumper needs at least a re-spray.

Makhaira · 15 Sep 2014 at 11:48

Looks like the lower right of the bumper is cracked? If I remember right, the rear bumpers are daft money for what they are, think they're about £600 or so.

I'd tell him where to go if he wants to go outside insurance, he's only trying to save his own bacon, and you're better being covered for anything else that emerges.

You should notify your insurer (notify only!) that you've had a bump, and let his insurance pick it up.

teenwolf · 15 Sep 2014 at 12:06

Dav4 said:
Are ST220's known for drinking oil? had mine serviced about 7/8 weeks ago with oil and filter change and while checking my dipstick today noticed it was below the minimum
since its service i have probably done around 1600 miles which should not effect the oil that much surely

RAGGED

Howard · 15 Sep 2014 at 12:07

Makhaira said:
You should notify your insurer (notify only!) that you've had a bump, and let his insurance pick it up.

This.

Imy · 15 Sep 2014 at 12:30

I'm taking it to a body shop I trust tomorrow to see what they think. If they say it's just a re-spray and new inserts then I was going to give him the option to just stump up the cash. It wasn't a particularly big shunt so there's a good chance it is just cosmetic damage. Or do you think I'm being a mug for even doing that?

I don't suppose you could do an arrow to where you think the crack is and I'll check it out?

If there's even a whiff of new bumper being needed then I'll go through insurance anyway.

On a side note, does it look like someone did the bumper fix on my car?

Makhaira · 15 Sep 2014 at 12:34

Right hand insert section above the exhaust, left hand bit of that. Might be seeing things though.

Honestly, I think you're being a mug. If any of the plastic mounting points have developed a crack then it'll cause you a problem.

If the rusty circles I can see are washers and screws, then yes, someone has done the bumper fix.

Imy · 15 Sep 2014 at 14:37

Are the mounting points something the body shop will be able to check easily? Is there anything special I should be telling them to look at?

I've cleaned the "wound" a little and taken some more photos. Unfortunately the lighting is poor.

The paint is broken in a few places but can't tell if it's cracked anywhere.

OhEsEcks · 15 Sep 2014 at 15:49

You won't know the full extent until you get it in the shop and the panels removed. Stuff could be bent / buckled behind the bumper depending on how hard you were hit. Which is why I always go through insurance. Got rear ended once and I thought it was just a case of a new rear hatch and bumper. Turned out the rear sub frame had been bent / twisted and the rear side quarter was buckled. Insurance write off.

Imy · 15 Sep 2014 at 16:27

If I do go insurance route, can I choose where it gets repaired? Do I need to get approval before starting repairs or do I just go ahead and send them the bill?

Rybo89 · 15 Sep 2014 at 20:28

Bugger insurance for that, tell the bloke that you want it in writing and signed that he will pay for your car to be sorted.

Then go get it sorted. Bugger headache of insurance for something so little, doubt anything is bent there, there is nothing behind that bit of the bumper , other than the exhaust and that doesn't look like it has been knocked back.

Imy · 16 Sep 2014 at 13:50

After work yesterday I discovered the bumper was sticking out a bit on the side:

It appears a lug on the bumper is broken where it clips onto the body.

Cheapest quote I've had that I'm happy with is £360 and the other driver has said he'd pay that but they won't know of further damage until the bumper comes off and he doesn't sound willing to pay any more than that.

It was a very low speed collision so I'm fairly sure damage should be limited to the bumper but not 100% sure.

If I took it to a normal garage with a ramp, could they determine the full extent of the damage without removing the bumper?

Edit: just spoke to my local garage over the phone and they said if the bumper wraps under the boot floor even a ramp won't help. Do you guys know if the bumper does obscure the view from underneath? I don't even have a jack.