Most relaible Oz Ford ever built?

[T-Pak Addict]

XF's weren't a bad car, they were pretty good but had silly things that always need doing. Door handles, Demister switches, The plastic where the door handle activates the rods in the doors, Alloy T piece in the alloy manifold & a few other problems that I can't remember of the top of my head... Most were easy fixes tho...

[GASWAGON]

AU's are far better than the old unleaded XF.......One thing that happens with XF's is the cam lifters **** themselves and the only way to replace them is pull the motor out and then take head off and then the cam out the front of the block...

The SOHC EA-AU can have all lifters replaced within a few hours.....Such a great donk to easily play with and try different cams in and easily fit extractors to aswell!

I can do a full service on a SOHC donk in 30 minutes!

[Davehoos]

new car buyers only want an economical item for 3-5 years is correct.
these buyers also need there to be a used car buyer for these plant items to recover the purchase cost.

My BF11 XT wagon cost me $10K including rego at a dealer at 4 years old 102 000Km.new tyres-fully serviced EX university..why whould you buy a $30K falcon.

XF was an amazing fleet vehicle that kept Australian families on the road.
unlucky to be around when the economy was stuffed and companies chased all the dollars they could. I worked for the opposition in a multi dealer at the time we had no drama selling smaller cars.

I had mates that did 500 000Km as company rep vehicles, then handed these out to friends or family and then these cars did another few hundred K with items like $150 auto transmisions-water pump, visco fan, drive belts and pulley and radiators-harmonic balancer, rear disc calipers and hand brake cables.

[mr smith]

Aussie sold = 1986 Telstar GL. 450000 and no break downs. few sets of tyres and brakes, one radiator.
Awesome.
Aussie made = My 66 XR Fairmont was the best.

XA = Good
XD = *****
XF = Average
BA = Good
FG = Very good
FG II = Average

[GASWAGON]

Originally Posted by Davehoos

new car buyers only want an economical item for 3-5 years is correct.
these buyers also need there to be a used car buyer for these plant items to recover the purchase cost.

My BF11 XT wagon cost me $10K including rego at a dealer at 4 years old 102 000Km.new tyres-fully serviced EX university..why whould you buy a $30K falcon.

XF was an amazing fleet vehicle that kept Australian families on the road.
unlucky to be around when the economy was stuffed and companies chased all the dollars they could. I worked for the opposition in a multi dealer at the time we had no drama selling smaller cars.

I had mates that did 500 000Km as company rep vehicles, then handed these out to friends or family and then these cars did another few hundred K with items like $150 auto transmisions-water pump, visco fan, drive belts and pulley and radiators-harmonic balancer, rear disc calipers and hand brake cables.

Yes probably a great car but they ran a carburettor so were fairly thirsty compared to EA-AU EFI.......Cant beat an AU on a good sequential vapour gas system!

[T-Pak Addict]

Originally Posted by EF_6

One thing that happens with XF's is the cam lifters **** themselves and the only way to replace them is pull the motor out and then take head off and then the cam out the front of the block...

They suffered from the odd ticky lifter but pull the motor out... seriously

I just loosened off the rockers removed the valve stems and removed the lifters... Number 1 was a ****** to do tho....

[XR Martin]

Originally Posted by mr smith

Aussie sold = 1986 Telstar GL. 450000 and no break downs. few sets of tyres and brakes, one radiator.
Awesome.

Yeah those first and second gen FWD 626/Telstars were built to last, still see heaps around. I actually think its the most common car that I see thats over 25 years old.
I had an 1983 model and beat the hell out of it and it wouldnt die.
Built when the Japs over-engineered everything, now everything is just built down to a price.

[FERG_51]

Originally Posted by T-Pak Addict

They suffered from the odd ticky lifter but pull the motor out... seriously

I just loosened off the rockers removed the valve stems and removed the lifters... Number 1 was a ****** to do tho....

Used to do heaps of cam and lifters on XFs back in the day, got real good at it. Made a tool for hooking the lifters out and then picking them out with a magnet. Pull the bumper off remove radiator and condenser, timing cover and pull the cam out through the front. Those XF cams were rubbish, oddly XD/XE never suffered from the same issue, very good cars in their time.

[Kieron]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

Yeah those first and second gen FWD 626/Telstars were built to last, still see heaps around. I actually think its the most common car that I see thats over 25 years old.
I had an 1983 model and beat the hell out of it and it wouldnt die.
Built when the Japs over-engineered everything, now everything is just built down to a price.

I also had a first gen Telstar, had to replace rings at 96,000 and by 108,000 all CV joints had been replaced. Even had the oil pressure sender fail which allowed the oil to **** out all over the place, heavy on front tyres too, was glad I unloaded the thing, unfortunately I bought a EA 4spd wagon, another heap :-)

[vbvbvb088]

I have often thought the one falcon that you could buy new and last forever - base XA auto / 3.3 XE GL auto.

[THE SLUG]

Another vote for the AU. Ours has been in the family since 2006, and was bought brand new by family friends. It was a work car for the family friends and they flogged the crap out of it. We bought it with about 130,000kms on it. As my Dad was in charge of servicing up until a couple of years ago, the thing barely got serviced, maybe every 30,000kms or so. Even so, whenever it was changed, the oil came out golden and it ran and drove perfect. It's my car today with almost 180,000kms, and it continues to run and drive perfect, and still pulls like a freight train! Fantastic car, never had any problems and I can see it lasting for years to come!

[GASWAGON]

Well i am pretty wrapped today because I have worked out my lpg convertor freezing problem thank to help from 'Bushbasher' in the LPG section...

My radiator was blocked and i got a new one for a lousy $100 not too far away and had it fitted within half an hour..... How easy do you want it?

Then I also changed then thermostat to a single stage type which took all ten minutes... Again, how easy to work on?

Took the car for a decent drive to town today and it runs better, the temp is higher than it used to be and its getting better fuel economy....I'm bloody wrapped!

[Davehoos]

I hadn't thought of ford laser as austrailian.
It was built in homebush.

KE-KF was trouble free.I have serviced some with big milage.
most owners for these models had no problem having air conditioner repaired as the rest of the car was good.often brand new a/c kits to old models.

the factory engines may have been oil burners when first released but better made rebuilds or jap import parts gave very little trouble.

At the time my mate had a panel shop supply business and all in the industry made the claim that don't bother stocking repair or parts to reproduce as it was a throw away car.they still sell KA/KB parts.

[FGII-XR6]

I was defiantly around. as for the taxi industry I know quite a few cab owners would love to be still able to run AUs as they were so reliable. cost of repairs is minor, downtime is costly

Originally Posted by Kieron

Wouldn't make any difference. Buyers of new cars typically don't want them for more than 4-5 years, the bulk of Falcon buyers are fleets who will almost always get rid of them before 100,000k's.


Interesting to see the AU come out on top, would be also interesting to see if the AU voters had experience and/or knowledge of the XF, these are few and far between nowadays but the taxi industry lamented the day the could no longer be used as a cab - had family members in the industry from mid 80's - 2010.

[iCat]

I can't speak for any other model but my xf's, before i started fiddling with them, were pretty good. When something broke it was due to old age, nothing every broke 'just because'. And always an easy fix.

But after fiddling with my ute, well i can see why ford didn't do what i've done

[GASWAGON]

Well im bloody wrapped again today......have fitted two single stage thermostats to both my EF's which was waaaaay easy.....Now both cars are running perfect temps with no lpg convertor freezing to worry about..

Also ran into a bloke i used to go to high school with at a new bursons store not to far away and he gave me an $85 oil sendor for $58....

So now i'll be going to him for all my parts and oils etc.....I hav'nt seen him for 15yrs!

Also got a shiftkit.com.au coming for the second car so will fit that next week and hopefully get a few more k's out of the BTR on that car?

[janddbone]

Overall for the average person an AU. For me personally an ED.

[40RDT]

Alot of people saying AU's so far, not many BF's which worries me a bit haha

A lowish km AUIII Xr6 might be on the cards and then I can retire the FPV to weekend duties

[FNQracing]

Its a little ironic that many of the reasons why the AU are so loved now are the very reasons they were hated when they were new - simple, low tech, rugged. A kind of a modern day HQ Holden. Not quite the thing buyers want in a new car.

[wrongwaynorris]

Originally Posted by FNQracing

Its a little ironic that many of the reasons why the AU are so loved now are the very reasons they were hated when they were new - simple, low tech, rugged. A kind of a modern day HQ Holden. Not quite the thing buyers want in a new car.

Love your avatar , go the Trabbi , is that the 601 S performance model ?

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by FERG_51

Used to do heaps of cam and lifters on XFs back in the day, got real good at it. Made a tool for hooking the lifters out and then picking them out with a magnet. Pull the bumper off remove radiator and condenser, timing cover and pull the cam out through the front. Those XF cams were rubbish, oddly XD/XE never suffered from the same issue, very good cars in their time.

From experience it was generally the EFi versions of the 4.1l that had Cam lobe wear issues.
Compared to a head gasket failure and associated cross contamination/over heating on 3.9/4.0l, I would take a cam/lifter replacement any day.

This is the reason why I singled out the Carby fed update XF as the pick of the bunch in my previous post.
Throw an aftermarket manifold, Holley and extractors/system and they were virtually bullet proof.
Even the door handle issues could be prevented with a regular lube and hinge pin replacement when necessary.

[Mr Hardware]

Originally Posted by Kieron

Interesting to see the AU come out on top, would be also interesting to see if the AU voters had experience and/or knowledge of the XF, these are few and far between nowadays but the taxi industry lamented the day the could no longer be used as a cab - had family members in the industry from mid 80's - 2010.

I was a taxi mechanic (of sorts) back in the EL/AU days

Back when we had a fleet of ELs, this one cabbie, who was a cabbie for life, had been driving since the days of HX and XC cabs in sydney, was always banging on "XFs were the best Falcons ever" "Ford should have never stopped making the XF" "XF Falcon was the best taxi" on and on and on.
Time rolled round and his EL was replaced with an AUII. About six months in he said to me, quietly, "You know what Mr Hardware? I used to say the XF was the best Taxi ever made. Not any more. These AU's are the best."

For me, to guage the experience of someone who had personally covered over 400,000klms in an XF and over 300,000klms in an AU, was the defining call of which Falcon is the best workhorse Falcon ever.

[GASWAGON]

Originally Posted by Mr Hardware

I was a taxi mechanic (of sorts) back in the EL/AU days

Back when we had a fleet of ELs, this one cabbie, who was a cabbie for life, had been driving since the days of HX and XC cabs in sydney, was always banging on "XFs were the best Falcons ever" "Ford should have never stopped making the XF" "XF Falcon was the best taxi" on and on and on.
Time rolled round and his EL was replaced with an AUII. About six months in he said to me, quietly, "You know what Mr Hardware? I used to say the XF was the best Taxi ever made. Not any more. These AU's are the best."

For me, to guage the experience of someone who had personally covered over 400,000klms in an XF and over 300,000klms in an AU, was the defining call of which Falcon is the best workhorse Falcon ever.

Bloody Oath!...As far as i can tell the AU is almost bullet proof.....And you can do most repairs yourself in the back yard...... I have two EF's but i will def be upgrading to an AU wagon as soon as i can afford it....Even if I have to pull a motor out and do a 1st oversize and all new bearings etc....

A nice AU3 Fairmont with Tickford wheels,Kings Springs and SVI LPG system......Sweet As and will last nearly forever!

[buickman]

Mechanically XC/XD Iron head x/Flow 6 cyl.

[FGII-XR6]

Originally Posted by buickman

Mechanically XC/XD Iron head x/Flow 6 cyl.

you mean the one with the push rods that loved bending then jumping out of the lifter? I used to carry a spare push rod and tube spanner (to remove the rocker cover bolts quickly) I had it down to 15 minutes to replace one . yea real reliable

[FGII-XR6]

A lot of my initial AU experience was as a cabbie, you couldn't kill them ( and some drivers tried hard). then they started to retire the AUs due to statutory age requirements and the new great BA started to replace then , to call this a backwards step would be an under statement. the true test of a car is the taxi industry and the AU took everything we threw at them

Originally Posted by Mr Hardware

I was a taxi mechanic (of sorts) back in the EL/AU days

Back when we had a fleet of ELs, this one cabbie, who was a cabbie for life, had been driving since the days of HX and XC cabs in sydney, was always banging on "XFs were the best Falcons ever" "Ford should have never stopped making the XF" "XF Falcon was the best taxi" on and on and on.
Time rolled round and his EL was replaced with an AUII. About six months in he said to me, quietly, "You know what Mr Hardware? I used to say the XF was the best Taxi ever made. Not any more. These AU's are the best."

For me, to guage the experience of someone who had personally covered over 400,000klms in an XF and over 300,000klms in an AU, was the defining call of which Falcon is the best workhorse Falcon ever.

[GASWAGON]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

A lot of my initial AU experience was as a cabbie, you couldn't kill them ( and some drivers tried hard). then they started to retire the AUs due to statutory age requirements and the new great BA started to replace then , to call this a backwards step would be an under statement. the true test of a car is the taxi industry and the AU took everything we threw at them

Definatley..... I rememeber when i was 18 with my XF S Pack on LPG my mates used to bag me because i loved LPG and Fords and they used to say i was just driving a taxi car....

I always said that the taxi co's must have used Fords for a good reason....

Now 20 yrs on I know alot more and realise that Fords are generally pretty tough, parts and servicing are cheap, and they're suited to LPG alot better than the Holdens.

[Kieron]

Originally Posted by Mr Hardware

I was a taxi mechanic (of sorts) back in the EL/AU days

Back when we had a fleet of ELs, this one cabbie, who was a cabbie for life, had been driving since the days of HX and XC cabs in sydney, was always banging on "XFs were the best Falcons ever" "Ford should have never stopped making the XF" "XF Falcon was the best taxi" on and on and on.
Time rolled round and his EL was replaced with an AUII. About six months in he said to me, quietly, "You know what Mr Hardware? I used to say the XF was the best Taxi ever made. Not any more. These AU's are the best."

For me, to guage the experience of someone who had personally covered over 400,000klms in an XF and over 300,000klms in an AU, was the defining call of which Falcon is the best workhorse Falcon ever.

Thanks mate, "XF's should never stopped been made" was exactly what was being said in the WA taxi industry back then too, hence my question, my old man was in the industry for a similar period and had an XF wagon that was unbreakable, that included the auto trans which was a $500 recon vs around 2k for the EA onwards 4speader, which was originally a rubbish box.

On the 4speader, what are AU people getting out of them with just normal servicing? I recall Ford built them with a 250,000K life which is fairly impressive given the average k's/year is 15-20K for most people.

[FERG_51]

[QUOTE=BENT_8;4927353]From experience it was generally the EFi versions of the 4.1l that had Cam lobe wear issues.
Compared to a head gasket failure and associated cross contamination/over heating on 3.9/4.0l, I would take a cam/lifter replacement any day.

This is the reason why I singled out the Carby fed update XF as the pick of the bunch in my previous post.

I did plenty of carb XF cam and lifters, and got sick of fixing oil leaks from rocker cover and rear main seals, and the door hinge/handle issues, from this point of view the AU kills the XF.

[buickman]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

you mean the one with the push rods that loved bending then jumping out of the lifter? I used to carry a spare push rod and tube spanner (to remove the rocker cover bolts quickly) I had it down to 15 minutes to replace one . yea real reliable

Never heard of that issue my wife’s uncles 1979 XD Auto is still going strong from new with only a top ball joint, radiator, alternator replacement on top of the door handles and my XE never gave any problems at all but I suppose it’s the luck of the draw you get duds in any model.
My 2010 FG has not given any quality issues like my old AU Ghia in climate control modules the ball joint that holds the boot strut snapping of radiators that suffered electrolysis rust forming early in the boot top rubber mount replacement for IRS in 4 ½ years of owning the car but there are member son here that whinge about the FG but so far I’ve no issues at all with the car.