23rd Jun 2010, 15:29

You aren't alone. I bought my Ka 6 months ago, expecting to find it a good reliable city car that wasn't too bad on petrol. Well before I got it home, it over heated, because the thermostat had gone. So I've now replaced that twice as Halfords sold me the wrong one. It also needed a new drive belt and oil filter. That I can expect for a car that someone bought purely to put miles on it, and had obviously not loved it.

So then within my first month, I then started having a cylinder 2 misfire. That took a lot of research and buying new parts to finally fix that (apparently it's a common fault), but that took new spark plugs, new leads, a new lambda sensor, and ignition pack before that finally went right.

Then 20 weeks later, whilst arriving back from holiday and picking my car up at the airport for a two hour drive home, my alternator seizes and eats my new drive belt.

Since then it has settled down; I did have to do a wheel bearing last week.

My advice is, don't buy a 2003 model. As that's what I have, and it's the year all the parts changed. First they get more expensive, A LOT more expensive, and also half the time you don't need the newer part, it's the older model you need.

As for the brakes, it's something I've noticed with all Ka's now I've been able to drive quite a few. My cousin's Ka has just had new brake pads, and her brakes were exactly the same as mine.

Now although I don't mind that all cars have faults, I've been so unlucky. Any 'common Ka faults' I seem to get. My tuner pack on my stereo has also just gone, which is also apparently common.

I'm lucky my mechanic dad does all the work on my car, but nothing is simple. To do something like the drive belt, means taking the bumper off the light out. To get the alternator changed, we had to drop the engine. Nothing is simple, but I hear all Fords are like that.

I for one, as soon as I can sell this heap of rusting junk, will get rid and never go near buying a Ford again!!!