Hi, Be aware, If it gets narky, the seller may say that the fault was outstanding before the car was purchased, and the warranty commenced, make sure you're up to speed on this, it's a common cop-out; aftermarket warranties are an absolute minefield. The next one'll be 'wear and tear', that's an old favourite. But like JonCris' said, tell an independant air-con place the truth (hell, maybe 2 or 3 places) and ask for a free estimate, although to be honest, I can't imagine their 'approved' place being cheaper than anywhere. Sadly though, if it helps, it's usually a leak in the system (maybe pipes) that causes a failure, which in turn, buggers the compressor. Terry

Jesus H. ... sound like a lovely bunch of people. If it's an authorised dealer, I'd write to the UKHQ with details. I've said it before to people, but the top echelons are generally very understanding, and in cases I've dealt with, can be very good at sorting problems quickly and finally, I'm sure they'd be interested to hear of your experiences with the dealer. Address it to the MD personally. Personally, that's about all the advice I can give you, but certainly, leaving the ESP light on, on a Mk4 Golf (I'm guessing) is terrible, I could be wrong, but given that the sensors are usually tied in together, that could also denote ABS failure, potentially very dangerous. Even the real cowboys I know would sort that, rather than just remove the bulb. Terry

Agree with what Petrolhead's said here, But before you do anything, I'd be tempted to take a flick through the Yellow Pages for a Gearbox specialist; High-mileage or abused versions don't tend to get near the dealer as much, so it may not be a common problem to them, whereas a gearbox specialist may see it every day with that particular box, and be able to offer an informed solution. Worth a thought, but otherwise. Again. What he said (!) Edit : If there's endfloat, it should have been picked up during a flywheel change by Ford if they're worth their salt. Terry

Hi Lucy, If it helps at all, I'd be happy to value your car via PM, so at least you have figures to deal with. I hope I'll be corrected, but a lot of these deals are so hopelessly sewn-up that you may find moving heaven and earth to make the settlement figure the best option in the long run, even taking a personal loan to cover it may be better than their interest rates. Terry

Hi Wooley, Dents in the brake disc, I'm not sure exactly what that entails. As a rule, and certainly from their point of view, It's not a recognised fault; brake discs don't dent, they may warp, or have undue wear, but not dents, I'll take it that they were warped, and that would require a replacement or a skim at least. The problem is with servicing, and always has been, that it means different things depending on where you take it. Most places regard servicing as clean oil, oil filter, sump plug washer, spark plugs, air filter, pollen filter, maybe fuel filter, fluids top-up, distributor cap/arm, and a visual check of the brakes etc. There are tell-tale signs though. Spark plugs tend to get discoloured around the bottom of the ceramic end after about 10k miles, sometimes less (assuming they need to be changed at the interval) the sump plug washer should probably be recognisably brass, the oil filter should be close to it's original colour (a decent garage will write on in marker when changed), and the air filter should be still relatively yellow-ish in colour and not covered in crap. (depending on the car and conditions). To be brutally honest, I don't think there's a lot that you can do currently. Next time the car goes in for service, mark the filters with a permanent pen, just a dot or similar, if they're not changed, you know. I am curious about the electrics though on a 2002 Corsa, I've never heard of issues with them, seems like a lot of money. Terry

What that man above said... If you brought a car to me with those issues, I'd immediately investigate any hydraulic clutch system, and my second port of call would be the input shaft/release bearing. The problem is (and I hate to say it, but I can understand it) the non-Ford servicing. Ford and associated will come up every day, against back-street-servicers who do more harm than good, and I understand that. However, posting your brother's credentials, along with a nice letter to Ford UK HQ, might have decent results. They're surprisingly understanding at the top if you're nice. Good Luck, sounds like you've been through the mill. Terry

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Hi Boo, Account One is my current account, totalling £1200-odd, Account Two only has around £160 owing. I know what you mean, it seems like a waste of time really, but I'm paranoid about doing the wrong thing at this stage!

Bloody MCOL.. don't acept Visa Electron. I'll ring them tomorrow. All done though, and waiting to go!

My apologies if I've missed the relevant FAQ guys, I've been looking, can't find the Info. As topic really, I've two accounts with the Halifax, opened within seconds of each other. Up until now, I've dealt with the claims seperately, but the LBA expiry is on the same date, so I was wondering if there's any advantage/disadvantage to combining the MCOL procedure, the outlay isn't a problem. I also have a Credit Card with the Halifax, LBA dealine runs out the same day as well! I'm guessing that'd be an entirely seperate entity though, and would be required to be seperate, but no harm in mentioning it. Thanks for any pointers Tel

Good Point James! Just had to re-jig... harder than it looks, making all this fit in...