The passenger side central locking unit seized and had to be replaced. Cost: £109.76. (Solenoid and labour)
The original remote key fob wasn't working when I purchased the car privately. Now I use a 2004 Mondeo remote key fob (3 buttons), and now I can open the boot with it too! (Only had 2 buttons on the 1997 key fob!)
I owned a 1990 Ford Orion 1.6 8 valve beforehand, which because of its engine type; had, or felt like it had more torque than the Mondeo. You have to really let the revs rise on the Mondeo to get it anywhere fast. That's the trade off between an 8 valve and a 16 valve I suppose. The Mondeo's ace card though is its smoothness and refinement. It's silky smooth, especially on my low mileage Verona model. The brakes are more than up to the job too, offering plenty of feel and feedback for normal road use. The boot space is phenomenal and the interior in general is very well put together. My only gripe is that my car never came with the P6000 CD system!...Hardly a gripe is it??
Your Mondeo has 16 valves too. Higher pull comes from that Orion lower weight.
Hello, I said the Orion had "8" Valves! Not "16" The power in the CVH lump came in earlier than the Mondeo giving it the feeling it was pulling harder/quicker. The downside was that the Orion ran out of steam at about 4000rpm, where as the zetec is still making power above 4500rpm!
Remember, the Orion CVH (Dual carb model) didn't come with a restrictive catalytic exhaust system (Which as we know restricts most engines by 10-15%) So the engine pretty much 'breathed' easier through low revs. With Mondeo's you can actually 'hear' the engine struggle until it starts singing higher up the rev range! (It would be interesting to see the dips and troughs on a Dynograph actually, to prove this)
Maybe Ford should take a tip fom Honda's V-tec engines, where as 8 valve are used in the lower revs, and then all 16 kick in afterwards (Usually from about 3000rpm)
Anyway, all this is relative! My Orion cracked 125mph down the M6/M1 last spring! (On the clock!!) Unfortunately when I slowed down the engine was pinging like mad. Orions aren't meant to rev at nearly 5000rpm in top for 40 miles!!!) It was never the same again, hence me buying the Mondeo. Funnily enough I only ever got 115mph out of the Mondeo! Maybe that's the weight, you were on about mate!
If your thinking that I have waffled on about my Orion, on a Mondeo review, then I apologise. Its just that the old girl gave me so much driving pleasure, that its hard not to sing her praises.
To everyone who knew her in the quaint village of Frodsham, she was known as the "H reg Minta!" RIP.
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