New Ford KA - some rubbish design features!

[MFGF]

My daughter has just turned 17, and so the F household how has only one Audi (my A6) and a recently-acquired Ford KA, which my daugher can learn to drive in. There was no way she would ever get insurance on the TT, so it had to go!

We found a nice low-mileage KA at a local family-run Ford dealer. It is the Zetec trim in metallic silver - just under two years old. It's no ball of fire, but for a 1.2 normally aspirated petrol, it goes ok and is fun to drive.

The first time I came to wash the car, I found the first design goof. As I was drying it off, I opened the bonnet to dry inside the shuts, and noticed that the front top suspension mounts were full of water. The top of the front strut sits within a metal "cup" which has no drain holes, and any water from the windscreen cascades down over these and they soon fill up. The top of the strut and it's securing nut then sit in their own lovely pool of water for as long as it takes the water to evaporate away. There were already signs of rust on the inside of the cups, so I decided it needed fixing.

After mopping out the water, I dried the mounts using my daughter's hairdryer (don't tell her!!), then gave them a good going over with a small wire brush to remove the rust inside the cups. Next I packed them with grease to protect them from any further moisture, then I started thinking about how I could prevent water from pouring back over them. I got two empty 2-litre plastic coke bottles and cut off the bottom two inches from each. I managed to squeeze the bottle-bottoms into the gap by the bonnet hinges, then popped them upside down over the suspension mounts, and voila - my very own bodge to prevent any further water issues.

I have checked the car, and after a couple of days driving, the plastic protectors are still in place, so it looks like a good fix

The other issue I found was that the plastic clips holding the parcel shelf onto the pivot stubs break very easily, and in their wisdom, Ford don't sell them individually - you have to buy a complete new parcel shelf! I wasn't happy about this, so I went back to the dealer I bought the car from, and the sales guy just took one off another KA they had on sale and gave it to me!

This is the first Ford I have had in a long time, and I have to admit it is not designed using German thought and efficiency. I think the new KA is based on a Fiat Panda, so maybe it's Italian design causing the issues?

MF.

[zollaf]

Fix Or Repair Daily !!!

[Guest 2]

Found On Roadside Dead

My sister-in-laws Panda has the same suspension and I see what you mean about the puddle of water around the top - chassis by Italians and Body by Germans!

[macmillions]

Keep an eye out in 5-10 years time for lots of rusty KAs about around the chassis legs then!
Do they still use the wafer thin battery trays that they used to use about 20 years ago? My Grandad had an Escort Ghia that was two years old and the battery tray was rotton. My Dad said it was exactly the same design as to what was on his mk2 Cortina 1600E! And his rotted too!

[ruggedscot]

This is whats wrong with ford thy dont learn - pile up u and punt them out not a concern what happens outwith the warranty.
Id two fiestas and a focus - thought the focus was a decent car Mk1.5 ( a mark 1 with the fancy headlights) The engine was a blinder a 1.6 16valve Yamaha effort and it was sweet.
It was the other things a power steering pump leaking then rust on the tailgate where the silver number plate trim had rubbed the paint away in the corner.The struggles with Ford and the dealers were crap especially one in Edinburgh. Ill stick with Audi VW group cars from now on. The germans know how to make a car.