Ask the Guide

Don't be so sure your car isn't covered by Ford's factory warranty. If it was delivered brand-new (as opposed to built) after May 1 of that year, it's subject to a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, so would still be covered. However, if it was delivered before that date, the warranty would have been three years or 100,000km which has now run out. Even so, given the kilometres and the service record, I think you'd be a good case to have Ford come to the party with some help on the repairs on a pro-rata basis.

From what you've told me, I'm guessing you've only dealt with Ford at the dealership level. Go over their heads and talk directly with Ford HQ's customer service department. A quote for $3500 just to examine the car is, on the surface of it, absurd and should be treated with suspicion. Any competent mechanic should be able to diagnose what's going on and whether or not the engine needs to be replaced. My advice here would be to have the car inspected by your state motoring club (the RACV in Victoria) which can give a cost-effective and independent report on the car's condition (and won't cost anything like $3500). This is also excellent legal and evidential back-up if the case does progress to VCAT.

On the face of it, 62,000km is not a reasonable lifespan for a fully serviced engine and the manufacturer should shoulder at least some of the cost of putting it right. Your last resort should be to contact the ACCC and talk to that body regarding your rights under Australia Consumer Law which covers goods (including cars) that are not built to a reasonable level of quality or are unfit for service. A failed engine at such mileage may well fall into that category.

This is not unheard of, but it's a very dangerous thing to be happening, especially if there are other cars around. Having the car suddenly apply the brakes as if it was mid-emergency has obvious hazards, including actually causing an accident that wasn't about to happen in the first place.

Honda (to name just one manufacturer) has had a lengthy legal battle in the USA over its cars that would confuse roadside items (like rubbish bins) as a car entering from the side, and would apply the brakes suddenly as a result. But it's not just Honda, and a RAM utility we tested recently also had the habit of confusing the smallest leaf or driveway twig with a major obstacle that had to be avoided at all costs.

At its best, it's an annoying (and heart-stopping) phenomenon and at its worst, it could cause a crash. And you can't simply disengage the Autonomous Emergency Braking system as it's an integral part of the car that contributes to its safety rating.

It needs to be sorted out and made safe. That may require the whole system, including its sensors, to be examined and possibly parts replaced. But such an essential safety system demands to be working properly.

You have at least two separate problems here. The first is the error code suggesting the camshafts are out of phase (retarded). This is often the result of the cam-chain having stretched and requiring replacement. Fundamentally, once the chain stretches, the on-board computer detects this and illuminates the check-engine light as well as logging the fault code. If this is the case, the repairs could easily run into the thousands. However, it could also be a fault with the sensor that reads the camshaft position or something else altogether, but the timing chain would be the prime suspect. It could also cause a slow idle such as you've noted.

The second problem is that the check-engine light was either broken or deliberately disabled to disguise the fault with the cam-chain. I'm certainly not accusing the seller of doing this, but it can't be ruled out. And yes, an illuminated check-engine light is a roadworthy item, so the car would (or should) not have passed a roadworthy inspection with the lamp illuminated.

Whether the roadworthy tester is at fault will come down to whether they knew the check-engine light was faulty or not. Of course, if the light was already broken when the car was presented for inspection, that would muddy the waters further.

I sincerely hope you bought the car from a licensed car dealer and not a private seller. If it was the latter, you'll have little to no chance of gaining compensation for what could be a very expensive problem. But if you bought the car from a dealer, then you should have some come-back, especially once you prove that the check-engine light was either broken or disabled at the time you inspected the car prior to purchase. That's partly because of Australian consumer laws as well as the fact that the dealer needs to provide the roadworthy certificate and is responsible for its accuracy.

These add-ons have traditionally been a huge cash-cow for new-car dealers who will urge you into buying paint protection, interior treatments, window tint and more at huge mark-ups in their favour. It's your choice, obviously, but here's the reality: If a car maker can't sell you a car, in 2022, that has a painted exterior finish that will survive in the world, it doesn't deserve to sell you, or anybody else, that car. Fundamentally, any brand-new car should be as durable as possible, fresh from the factory. And if these add-on treatments are so good, why don't car-makers use them at the factory?

Again, it's your money, so your choice, but not buying them won't affect your warranty if something does go wrong with the paint and you need to make a claim.