Mondeo Satisfaction?

[bathurst77]

I thought I would ask users who have had theri Mondeos for more than a couple of months, how they feel about their cars.

Mines a Zetec, and I have had it about 9 months now.
All in all Im sorry I bought it. I will trade it in 3 years without a second thought.

PLUS
Interior Room
Boot Space
Interior and Exterior styling
Automatic Headlights
Steering and cornering at highway speeds
highway cruising power is adequate
lots of goodies and trim makes you feel youre not really in a rep mobile.
info on stereo display

Against
Dealer experience when buying (no four letter word is strong enough)
never heard a word from ford after buying, no surveys, no thank you or follow up letters. Nothing!
Doors leak when rainning (door wells fill with water)
Water runs in when hatch is opened
rear screen washer sprays hatch lip instead of window.
Visability out with thick A pillars and limited rear vision
rear parking sensors too quiet, front ones too loud!
indicator/wiper stalks on wrong side
auto wipers are a gimmick, prefer to have a nomal intermittant and demand flick
non locking fuel cap
cant fill from gerry can if run out fuel (which it did!)
ran out of petrol 2 days after buying due to fuel guage fault (now fixed)
doesnt feel well screwed together for long term reliability etc.
worry about cost of parts and service once out of w'tee
lack of low down power
stereo sound only average
no sat nav
my kids have trouble seeing out of high waist line rear windows so they want to kneel and sit up,
no rear vent outlets
---
After buying 5 fords in a row, (3 new, two used) I think this is my last one.

[bathurst77]

Somehow i lost a couple of lines there.

One thing everyone who rides in it comments on (unless they are "polite") is the amazing variety of noisy rattles in doors and dash (like a 10 year old taxi)

and a couple of others
strange omissions and operation of stereo and trip computer.
- no instaneous fuel consumption.
- DTE a joke.
- have to take hand off steering wheel to change radio from AM to FM or from CD to MP3 and those buttons are on far side and hard to find without looking.

- Dash gauges and digital read out too dark to read easily during day if in shadow and lights not on. (murky hole)

-lack of low down power (sure, diesel or turbo would have been better, but at $5-10K addtional cost, for that I coulda got a Falcon or something)
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[LRsedan]

Judging by that list you will be trading up soon! lol.

My only gripe is the water in the boot.

Yeah the odd rattle, but I don't mind.

Plenty of down low power here! Ha ha... XR5 goodness.

[GRT046]

I have owned a number of Fords over the years and except for an auto Cortina 4 a way back have been generally happy with my purchases.

I am extremely pleased with my TDCi, upgraded with leather, bluetooth and sunroof, and coming from a BA Fairmont 6 have found no lack of grunt and have been agreeably surprised in it's overall perfomance and economy.

I would rank this Ford as my best yet and would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone

[NZ XR6]

Wow, obviously one very unhappy owner.

The only comment I'll make is that I had 3 decent test drives before I bought mine. So I had a pretty clear idea about the pros and cons of what I was buying. Just one comment though, as mine goes OK - are you using 91 or 95 octane petrol? Using 95 (or better) makes a huge difference to performance and economy.

[bathurst77]

Wont be able to afford to trade for a few years yet.
Yeh will trade up to a car that doesnt soak my feet and my luggage eveytime it rains, whos door sills arent going to rust and rot out.
And one that i an listen to the radio without the doors rattling along to the beat and every bump in the road

I use a combination of 91 and 95 and e10 depending on mood price etc.
never really notice much difference in power.
The power is ok one you cruising. its jsut gettng the thing off the line!

[ian b]

I have just gone past the 1 year anniversary with mine.

Only 2 gripes, one when it failed to start and took 3 weeks to fix, and the water running into the hatch when it is lifted after rain, (which Ford seem to think is acceptable)

My biggest regret is the dealer that I chose to buy from, total waste of space!

I need to get the real time fuel consumption readout uploaded and treat the DTE as a toy not a tool to work out when to fill up.

I drove Mondeos in the UK and this version is by far the best, no complaints about power or economy, still getting better than 9lt/100km and blows away most things when I can be bothered.

[BlackLS]

Originally Posted by bathurst77

- have to take hand off steering wheel to change radio from AM to FM or from CD to MP3 and those buttons are on far side and hard to find without looking.


---

Not sure if the stereo remote is the same as the Focus, but hold the middle button down for 3-5 seconds (the button you use to cycle through radio presets)

[NZ XR6]

Originally Posted by BlackLS

Not sure if the stereo remote is the same as the Focus, but hold the middle button down for 3-5 seconds (the button you use to cycle through radio presets)

Yeah its the same in the Mondeo. The stereo controls on the wheel are great once you figure out how to use the buttons.

[FRIKA]

Originally Posted by NZ XR6

Wow, obviously one very unhappy owner.

The only comment I'll make is that I had 3 decent test drives before I bought mine. So I had a pretty clear idea about the pros and cons of what I was buying. Just one comment though, as mine goes OK - are you using 91 or 95 octane petrol? Using 95 (or better) makes a huge difference to performance and economy.

Make it 2 unhappy owners. Sorry cant be bothered writing my list lost motivation.

[bathurst77]

Originally Posted by BlackLS

Not sure if the stereo remote is the same as the Focus, but hold the middle button down for 3-5 seconds (the button you use to cycle through radio presets)

I could be wrong and I will fiddle more when i next go for a drive, but i THINK holding the button changes from radio to cd and back, but not AM/FM or CD/Aux mode. On my BA the corresponding button cycled through all the inputs.

[Zippy7]

Sorry to hear about your gripes.

I agree with some of your comments, but I guess it doesn't bother me as much. Sure, it has problems, but I've never owned a car that hasn't had any problems whatsoever - that includes Mazda, Toyota, Audi, VW, and now Ford.

It doesn't suck as bad when you know you could spend a lot more money and have the same sort of experiences :-)

Cheer up - it could be a lot worse!

[apstar]

There's a new kid on the block Mazda 6 Turbo Diesel!

apstar

[Lord Viykor]

I'm still pretty happy with mine, the water in the boot is a pain but that's about it.

[Katoomba]

I voted 'OK, but could be better'. I can't give a list of things, it's more an overall impression although for daily driving/parking the poor front and rear visibility and overall width of car are factors.

The stereo/bluetooth is a poor system. I don't like the auto wipers which have already scratched the windscreen ... I've started a list haven't I?

One pro: for long-distance or tollway/freeway driving it's wonderful.

Best summed up by: I find myself driving my 2000 Laser more often than the Mondeo.

[apstar]

Well considering this is Ford first model [ 2007 --> ] I have always said the next upgrade is the one that hopefully will have most of the bugs ironed out I may well be wrong but lucky I didn't wait around for it if Ford are thinking of a 2.2l Turbo Diesel (400Nm),active cruise control,sat nav,hill park assist,and anything else that UK and Europe gets then I will trade up

apstar

[Dusty1]

I've voted Good compared to others in price/size class.

I like mine. Sure it's got some issues, but they all have. My BA Futura had a lot of issues, but as it was a company car, I (surprisingly) didn't worry about them too much.

I go the rear hatch sorted, now I have some trim coming off the hatch - now that's p*ssed me off. But I'm not going to get rid of the car because of that. It's not stopping the car from going, and will be fixed next time I drop it in for a service.

I too noticed the issue with going from AM to FM, but I've set up voice tags, and simply say a FM (or AM) station, and it changes for me. Easy.

I lease mine, and I already have two people who are very interested in buying the car once the lease comes up. Can't complain about that!

Further, if they bring out a 2.2l as discussed above by apstar, I will definitely go down that track. The second series will be better than this one, same as those cars that came in after April 08 had the hatch fix. The next model will have some other issues ironed out.

I think people expected too much. No car is perfect to everyone. Everyone is going to find an issue they don't like, and make that the focus of their wrath. I knew a bloke with a Ferrari and he complained that the roof vibrated when up. I wish that was my complaint with my Ferrari!

[allanv6gt]

Great idea this survey.
As of now, 62% think it's *GREAT*.
Maybe it is just bad news that travels wide and fast.

New survey anyone - by model (XR5, TDCI, Zetec, LX).
I'm curious to know what sells, and what owners think about their model. TDCIs seem very popular and positive.

[Katoomba]

Originally Posted by allanv6gt

Great idea this survey.
As of now, 62% think it's *GREAT*.

Statistically that needs to be balanced by period of ownership i.e. would the vote be different after the flush of new ownership has worn off?

I've had mine for thirteen months now and I know my vote would've been different a few months ago.

For an almost $40,000 four cylinder car, I stick by 'could've been better'.

[GRT046]

Originally Posted by Katoomba

Statistically that needs to be balanced by period of ownership i.e. would the vote be different after the flush of new ownership has worn off?

I've had mine for thirteen months now and I know my vote would've been different a few months ago.

For an almost $40,000 four cylinder car, I stick by 'could've been better'.

I have had mine for 15 months and my verdict hasn't changed over that time .... its a great car

[ajay1940]

I suppose that, like any other mass produced item, quality is variable. I've had my TDCI Hatch for fifteen months and have had no problems. Everything works as it should, and I've only been back to the dealer for service. It's quiet, smooth , powerful, economical and rattle free. But, and it may be just me and my arthritis, I'm not happy with the seats. I buy new every three years, and might try Volvo, next time. Any comments on my choice?

[Katoomba]

Originally Posted by ajay1940

...But, and it may be just me and my arthritis, I'm not happy with the seats. ..

They're definitely rock hard and the cloth covering has an awful, scratchy feel to it (the sort of thing you don't notice on the test drive). It's almost impossible to get hair off the cloth.

Also the arthritis in my knees, ankles and hips is exacerbated by the cramped cockpit area. I really wish we could have the popular American option in cars of the auto selector on the steering column like we did many years ago.

I guess I've just fallen out of love with it as we do with some cars. My 2000 Laser has now done 270,000 kms, only had one dealer service (the after sales - all others done by Kmart), never had a warranty claim, no rattles, no leaks, I can see out the windows for parking, no tears or wear in the upholstery, readily available wiper blades, tyres etc etc etc. I'm really glad the dealer didn't want to trade it because of the mileage.

[NZ XR6]

Originally Posted by Katoomba

They're definitely rock hard and the cloth covering has an awful, scratchy feel to it (the sort of thing you don't notice on the test drive). It's almost impossible to get hair off the cloth.

I guess seat comfort is very subjective. I have a bad back, and find the Mondeo very comfortable. But the cloth is a bit of an animal fur magnet, although it vacuums OK.

Originally Posted by Katoomba

Also the arthritis in my knees, ankles and hips is exacerbated by the cramped cockpit area. I really wish we could have the popular American option in cars of the auto selector on the steering column like we did many years ago.

One of the reasons I like the Mondeo is the feeling of spaciousness behind the wheel. I recently drove a VE Commodore rental, which felt more cramped than the Mondeo, plus I couldn't get the seat low enough (I'm 6 ft 2). Maybe you might find a soft roader like the Territory a more comfortable option?

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by NZ XR6

Maybe you might find a soft roader like the Territory a more comfortable option?

Just stay away from the SR model, they decided to use concrete instead of padding.

[Katoomba]

Originally Posted by NZ XR6

I.... Maybe you might find a soft roader like the Territory a more comfortable option?

I really do think that those small 4wd-shaped cars such as the Rav4, Honda CRV etc are probably the best vehicles for older people with problems such as arthritic joints - easier to get into and more more comfortable sitting position, better visibility.

Come to think of it, I think my father-in-law's Honda CRV has the auto gear selector on the column and no centre console.

[TITO]

My wife's Mondeo Zetec with leather is perfect [for us] its roomy two kids in the back love it its got class and style. Everything works rev alarms are loud enough the aircon is great no rattles, power is good and its just a nice car.

[Dusty1]

Originally Posted by Katoomba

I really do think that those small 4wd-shaped cars such as the Rav4, Honda CRV etc are probably the best vehicles for older people with problems such as arthritic joints - easier to get into and more more comfortable sitting position, better visibility.

Come to think of it, I think my father-in-law's Honda CRV has the auto gear selector on the column and no centre console.

The Escape/Tribute (do they still sell those?) have column shift autos.

Good to see Tito enjoys his Mondeo. Good work!

[bathurst77]

Yeh i forgot to mention the struggling aircond.

[Katoomba]

Originally Posted by bathurst77

Yeh i forgot to mention the struggling aircond.

Hmm ... so did I. Perhaps because it's autumn. It's interesting that some folks have found the a/c acceptable yet others do have 'struggling' systems despite having them recharged.

Mine's just OK if the car has been garaged but leave it in the sun for an hour or more and it takes an hour or two to at least get the interior to a comfortable level. It never gets cold despite how long the temp is set to 16.

Once again I compare my 2000 Laser: thirty minutes on full and my nose starts to run it gets so cold.

(I'm becoming increasingly negative about my Mondeo on this forum so I think it's time to say farewell. Thanks for the company over the past year or two and good luck.)

[Dusty1]

Originally Posted by Katoomba

Hmm ... so did I. Perhaps because it's autumn. It's interesting that some folks have found the a/c acceptable yet others do have 'struggling' systems despite having them recharged.

Mine's just OK if the car has been garaged but leave it in the sun for an hour or more and it takes an hour or two to at least get the interior to a comfortable level. It never gets cold despite how long the temp is set to 16.

Once again I compare my 2000 Laser: thirty minutes on full and my nose starts to run it gets so cold.

(I'm becoming increasingly negative about my Mondeo on this forum so I think it's time to say farewell. Thanks for the company over the past year or two and good luck.)

I was getting negative and just realized that it's a car. It's not a Rolls or an Aston Martin, so I use it for what it is. I can guarantee you that there are shitty things with them that their owners off too. If things as small and me off, I live with them now. The a/c is not as good as the one in my BA Futura, but it's better than in my HT Kingswood that didn't have any. My hatch doesn't pour water in the boot, but there's some trim coming off now - I'll get it sorted at the next service. My missus drives it more than me, and none of these worry her, or my child.

I reckon in life it's important to try to stay positive. Otherwise small things take too much of you. All the best Katoomba, sorry you've had such a experience.