Long term update: 2008 Ford Mondeo major service

So I racked up another 10,000 kms on my Mondeo, and it was time to visit the dealer again for a service -– a major one this time. The major-service interval for the Mondeo falls every 50,000 km; my car which has done a tad less than 40,000 km, has gone through the major service. For those who bothered to follow the previous long term reports of this car, the story behind doing a 50,000-km service despite car doing only 40,000 kms will be nothing new.

I had reported the creaks from the lower centre dash and a/c issues to the service advisor, a friend of mine now, who agreed to fix it all up –- and he kept his word partially, thanks to those technicians who apparently could not “duplicate” the creaking noise in their workshop environments. The a/c, which had gone from average to worse just a couple of weeks before the car was due for service, turned out to be a leak in the compressor pipe as I had suspected. The dealer then gladly informed me about the unavailability of parts and about the four working days which they would require to ship the parts in from Saudi Arabia. Upon asking for a spare car, the dealer enlightened me that only repairs that take longer than 10 working days to complete would “allegedly” cause the dealers’ heart to melt out in sympathy for the owners, thereby “allegedly” providing them with a spare car or rental reimbursement. However, the promised four-day dilemma had ultimately got extended to nine days before the dealer received parts and fixed the car. And all the while, I was being served by a manual rental Mitsubishi Lancer which cost me Dhs 625, thanks to Al Tayer’s Premium Care Warranty. On the good side though, the air-conditioner now runs better than ever and takes on the 45-degree heat outside without the stress it used to exhibit in the last couple of months –- and I would now term it as above-average rather than just average.

I had asked the dealer to carry out an engine flush, which cost me Dhs 250 –- my first actual non-fuel running cost on the car. The 50,000-km major service cost, if not covered by an extended service plan, would be approximately Dhs 1,400. The improved a/c performance is a great relief, and the car is running as smoothly, as quietly and as fuel-efficiently as it always did.

Original Mileage When Bought: 22,132 km
Latest Mileage To Date: 40,880 km
Latest Average Fuel Economy: 9.8 litres/100 km
Cost of Latest Problems: Dhs 0
Cost of Latest Maintenance: Dhs 0
Cost of Latest Maintenance: Dhs 250

Total Non-Fuel Running Cost Since Bought: Dhs 250

Read all 2008 Ford Mondeo long-term updates