S40 (New) AC : It looks like the Aircon has died :-(

[Welton]

Originally Posted by froggyted

Who knows what other components Ford dumbed down

I can help with that; THE SUSPENSION and BRAKES.


You're right about the Ford-sourced a/c condenser it was a thinner aluminium (cheaper) and therefore prone to stone damage and rotting through at bottom edge. Regular clearing away the leaves which get stuck between the condenser and radiator help extend its life (i'm still running with my 11 year old 'Ford' condenser).

[froggyted]

Originally Posted by Welton

I can help with that; THE SUSPENSION and BRAKES.


You're right about the Ford-sourced a/c condenser it was a thinner aluminium (cheaper) and therefore prone to stone damage and rotting through at bottom edge. Regular clearing away the leaves which get stuck between the condenser and radiator help extend its life (i'm still running with my 11 year old 'Ford' condenser).

Thanks for the tip re the condenser Welton, i'll keep an eye on that. Which reminds me, i must put some more washing up liquid down the sunroof drains before winter sets in because i've had a few issues with blockages in recent years (see separate thread for my cheap and effective fix).

What issues with the suspension have you had? As for the brakes, i believe that i'm still on the original brake pads and discs at 63k (unless the dealership i bought the car from replaced them at 16.5k). One advantage i've found of having an automatic is that you can often let the car drop through the gears without touching the brakes when approaching junctions, and this may have contributed to their longevity in my case.