Just to add.... If the pressure plate was faulty, does it fix itself for a couple of days and then break again? This problem has been on going now for about 3 weeks. Its perfect for a couple of days and then it stops again. Like you say.. mechanical things don't repair themselves for a few days and then break again !

Thanks Hammy but the waters are clear! I have replaced the slave cylinder and the master cylinder too. It has been bled and bled several times. I have been driving the car since Friday and it has been running perfectly (Sunday now) and went down to the shop this morning .. no problems ... got back in and ..... won't go into gear! I personally think in the back of my mind that it is a hydraulic problem, like trapped air but everyone else says its a faulty pressure plate. I have really had enough of this car now ....

Hmmm Thanks for your advise on this so far... The problem with the car is sometimes it will drive perfectly for a day or two and then all of a sudden it just won't go into gear. If you start the car with the clutch depressed, you can drive it but the clutch is not completely disengaging from the flywheel when you try to change gears. So its almost like driving the car with no clutch at all. Then the next day the car is perfect again. I have had second, third and fourth opinions from different mechanics and the all say that it sounds very like the pressure plate is faulty. This can happen but not very often. The mechanic who fitted the part is very reluctant to take the transmission apart again because he is not sure what the problem is and he says he has fitted lots of clutches and never heard of this problem before. I will call Ford when they open again after the Christmas break and see what they say. Thanks for your replies and Happy Christmas to you all.

I have been plauged with my car since the day I bought it and it has cost me a small fortune to keep it running. The latest is I had a new Clutch kit, Flywheel and hydraulic release fitted about 4 months ago at a cost of £1,000. The parts were all genuine Ford parts bought from the local Ford dealer. My local garage fitted the parts and not the Ford Dealer as it would be even more expensive. Two weeks ago, I went to put the car in gear and it wouldn't work. To cut the long (expensive!) story short, it turns out that the clutch kit is faulty and not doing what its supposed to do. Where do I stand now, can I take the car into Ford now and ask them replace the faulty parts as it is a big job to change the clutch and I have already paid for it to be done once? I don't want to have to pay for it twice because of the faulty goods supplied. Any assistance is appreciated