Mondeo Ghia (The Grandad Mobile)
Discussion
I'd like to start this off with a warning. This is quite possiby the least PH car that I have seen on PH. If you are allergic to beige and wood trim then look away now.
So why do I have it I hear you ask (probably not). I do a few motorway miles and long journeys. Ive always preferred bigger cars that are more comfortable and refined. I had a 2001 2.0 Focus Zetec which was great but was noisy on motorways, unrefined, slow and drank fuel. Add to that I was paying £285 a year road tax for a Ford Focus which made me cry.
So a motor trader friend of mine acquired this. Its a Ford Mondeo 2.0 Ghia Auto. Saloon. With a biege interior. Not going well is it. Bear in mind however that its bloody quiet at speed, refined, comfortable, has lots of toys and is fairly economical. Done Ipswich to Dover with a couple of short journeys on £18 of petrol which I calculate to be 47mpg. Not bad!
Its done 90k too so nice and low mileage and sailed through its MOT with a washer pump, two sidelight bulbs and a PAS pump (£25 off ebay). Only minor issue I can find is the Autobox drops a little oil now and again but as long as I keep on top of the oil doesnt bother me. When I service it I'll look into it.
So here are the pictures after a deep clean (needed it after a jaunt to Paris!). Steam cleaned all the carpets and engine bay to make it extra clean although if I keep it for a year or so I'm going to change the interior colour lol...
Before the steam...
After...
(And the main reason I've changed is it stops me modifying so I can finally afford my own place!)
Awaiting a slating!
So why do I have it I hear you ask (probably not). I do a few motorway miles and long journeys. Ive always preferred bigger cars that are more comfortable and refined. I had a 2001 2.0 Focus Zetec which was great but was noisy on motorways, unrefined, slow and drank fuel. Add to that I was paying £285 a year road tax for a Ford Focus which made me cry.
So a motor trader friend of mine acquired this. Its a Ford Mondeo 2.0 Ghia Auto. Saloon. With a biege interior. Not going well is it. Bear in mind however that its bloody quiet at speed, refined, comfortable, has lots of toys and is fairly economical. Done Ipswich to Dover with a couple of short journeys on £18 of petrol which I calculate to be 47mpg. Not bad!
Its done 90k too so nice and low mileage and sailed through its MOT with a washer pump, two sidelight bulbs and a PAS pump (£25 off ebay). Only minor issue I can find is the Autobox drops a little oil now and again but as long as I keep on top of the oil doesnt bother me. When I service it I'll look into it.
So here are the pictures after a deep clean (needed it after a jaunt to Paris!). Steam cleaned all the carpets and engine bay to make it extra clean although if I keep it for a year or so I'm going to change the interior colour lol...
Before the steam...
After...
(And the main reason I've changed is it stops me modifying so I can finally afford my own place!)
Awaiting a slating!
davamer23 said:
Although not as popular or practical I always preferred the saloon Mondeo's looks. Looks nice and clean after your efforts too.
However, doesn't that have the same engine as the focus, now in a larger car with an Autobox and the same tax cost?
I must admit its not as practical the bike wont go in the boot for a start. Its a completely different engine - Focus had a Zetec E and the Mondeo uses a Duratec. Uses less fuel believe it or not even with the extra weight, autobox etc. Tax costs are the same however to be expected with a larger car.However, doesn't that have the same engine as the focus, now in a larger car with an Autobox and the same tax cost?
Liquid Tuna said:
What are the autoboxes like in these generation of Mondeo? I know the Mk1 and Mk2 autoboxes were known as just about the worst box ever made by anyone - you were lucky to get 40k miles out of one! What are they like in the Mk3?
Well I believe its the same box. I don't think the autobox itself was bad rather a lack of cooling. The MK3's have an oil cooler and other revisions with the box and don't seem to be as bad.The way I looked at it is that a clutch and flywheel is £300 for a manual (dual mass). A second hand box can be had for the same price. Its either that or if I really could be bothered a manual conversion could happen!
Thanks for the comments guys - not quite the slating I was banking on!
My only issue with the interior colour is keeping it clean! Really should invest in some mats. Might be my next purchase!
Im actually impressed as to how much of an improvement it is over the MK2 Mondeo. Feels easily as well built as a Passat to me. The doors thunk and its well equipped. Win win!
Im actually impressed as to how much of an improvement it is over the MK2 Mondeo. Feels easily as well built as a Passat to me. The doors thunk and its well equipped. Win win!
tbc said:
This is basically the same engine I have in my x-type
Mines just crept over the 100k mark and it's still smooth and sweet as a nut.
Does the business on the roads and a smooth mile muncher on the motorway
Is it? I thought the 2.0 in an X-Type was a V6 lump - basically just a 2.5 Mondeo engine with a shorter stroke. This is the Mazda derived 4 cylinder 145ps lump.Mines just crept over the 100k mark and it's still smooth and sweet as a nut.
Does the business on the roads and a smooth mile muncher on the motorway
Podie said:
Leather seats often come up cheap on eBay....
That they do but I'm yet to see a decent beige one. The saloon interiors are different as the rear bench is different, and to change to black involves changing seatbelts, carpets, side trims, dash, seats etc.Lot of work!
Mr Tom said:
I thought you said you were getting this to stop you modding ones... Starting already 
Did you pay shed money for it?
Cheers
Yeah I did. Cant help myself Did you pay shed money for it?
Cheers
I swapped the Focus in for it. Focus was worth possibly around £700 so I dont feel I've done that badly out of it. Cant beat a bit of shedding!
Its still going well!
Battery decided to be a paperweight yesterday (a heavy one at that) so needed a new one but still going strong other than that. Still getting decent mpg - it just does exactly what it says on the tin.
In fact did what I didn't want to do and spent some money on it the other day. Genuine set of carpet mats and a 6006 cd that it should have come with from the factory rather than the single disc someone put in when the 6006 let go.
Battery decided to be a paperweight yesterday (a heavy one at that) so needed a new one but still going strong other than that. Still getting decent mpg - it just does exactly what it says on the tin.
In fact did what I didn't want to do and spent some money on it the other day. Genuine set of carpet mats and a 6006 cd that it should have come with from the factory rather than the single disc someone put in when the 6006 let go.
I'm off to France tomorrow for a bit of an explore (cheap day trip) so just giving the car some checks over. Seems like I have a minor coolant leak from the expansion tank. If I wasnt doing over 300 miles tomorrow I'd have run it for a bit longer to make sure but cant risk it.
Looks like Ford have fitted the black plastic cap to fit in with the rest of the engine bay, however in doing so have made a weak point on the tank.
Shiny new one! Under £50 from Ford. Debating a second hand unit but really not worth it - my local dealer had sold 45 this year, clearly an issue.
All working and bled up lovely with no leaks!
Looks like Ford have fitted the black plastic cap to fit in with the rest of the engine bay, however in doing so have made a weak point on the tank.
Shiny new one! Under £50 from Ford. Debating a second hand unit but really not worth it - my local dealer had sold 45 this year, clearly an issue.
All working and bled up lovely with no leaks!
Quick update:
Drove my dads Focus the other day - discovered it has lane change indicators! The only thing I miss about my Vectra C. Looked into how hard it is to fit into the Mondeo, found later cars seem to have it from the factory. The good news is it can be fitted to the pre-facelift cars with a simple change of the GEM module. £10 on eBay and I now have lane change indicators! So much simpler just to tap the stalk and get three flashes.
It seems to also have added:
3 second flash of the indicators when unlocked
Seatbelt warning bong (doh) - although I suspect it was deactivated on my original GEM.
Auto re-lock if a door isnt opened.
A bong that sounds if the door is opened and not in park.
Overall not a bad mod for £10!
Drove my dads Focus the other day - discovered it has lane change indicators! The only thing I miss about my Vectra C. Looked into how hard it is to fit into the Mondeo, found later cars seem to have it from the factory. The good news is it can be fitted to the pre-facelift cars with a simple change of the GEM module. £10 on eBay and I now have lane change indicators! So much simpler just to tap the stalk and get three flashes.
It seems to also have added:
3 second flash of the indicators when unlocked
Seatbelt warning bong (doh) - although I suspect it was deactivated on my original GEM.
Auto re-lock if a door isnt opened.
A bong that sounds if the door is opened and not in park.
Overall not a bad mod for £10!
Thanks Podie! Ill give that a go - however my seatbelt warning light doesnt come on until the car starts to move. Ill give it a whirl though!
I'm amazed at the amount of positive comments about the interior! The only downsides to it are purely my OCD related 1/ I cannot get the ****ing thing clean and 2/ because its velour it picks up fluff, dirt and god knows what else. You only have to look at it and its dirty. Might need to hire a wetvac!
Economy genuinely isnt that bad and even I cant figure out why. The previous owner reckoned it drunk, however it seems pretty good to me! Strange!
I'm amazed at the amount of positive comments about the interior! The only downsides to it are purely my OCD related 1/ I cannot get the ****ing thing clean and 2/ because its velour it picks up fluff, dirt and god knows what else. You only have to look at it and its dirty. Might need to hire a wetvac!
Economy genuinely isnt that bad and even I cant figure out why. The previous owner reckoned it drunk, however it seems pretty good to me! Strange!
kdri155 said:
This one I've coded mine in;
1.Turn on the ignition to position II so all the dash lights come on but don't start the engine.
2.Using the button on the door handle, lock and unlock the door 3 times (don't open the door).
3.Turn off the ignition.
4.Turn on the ignition to position I.
5.Using the button on the door handle, lock and unlock the door 3 times (don't open the door).
6.Turn off the ignition.
7.Turn on the ignition to position II but dont start the engine - a beep will sound.
8.Lock and unlock the door once as before - a confirmation beep will sound.
This feature will be operational until you repeat the above steps to switch it off.
NB: It will only work once for each time the car is started though. In other words, if you unlock the doors to let someone in or out without turning the engine off, they will not automatically lock when you move away again.
Another thing to consider is the possibility of the swirl flaps giving up and munching the engine after the actuator fails, it's not too difficult a task to remove them Ford did sell a modified inlet manifold but most folk do with and modify their existing one to save money.
I've got the same colour interior but I fitted a set of beige leather look seat covers as my car is used a taxi.
This was coded in by the old owner into the GEM - I've done it to the new GEM 1.Turn on the ignition to position II so all the dash lights come on but don't start the engine.
2.Using the button on the door handle, lock and unlock the door 3 times (don't open the door).
3.Turn off the ignition.
4.Turn on the ignition to position I.
5.Using the button on the door handle, lock and unlock the door 3 times (don't open the door).
6.Turn off the ignition.
7.Turn on the ignition to position II but dont start the engine - a beep will sound.
8.Lock and unlock the door once as before - a confirmation beep will sound.
This feature will be operational until you repeat the above steps to switch it off.
NB: It will only work once for each time the car is started though. In other words, if you unlock the doors to let someone in or out without turning the engine off, they will not automatically lock when you move away again.
Another thing to consider is the possibility of the swirl flaps giving up and munching the engine after the actuator fails, it's not too difficult a task to remove them Ford did sell a modified inlet manifold but most folk do with and modify their existing one to save money.
I've got the same colour interior but I fitted a set of beige leather look seat covers as my car is used a taxi.
Edited by kdri155 on Monday 6th October 20:31
Works a treat! This one has had swirl flaps completely removed so no issues there!
2 months on and I think its update time!
2 new boots on the rear means I now have a minimum of 6mm tread, perfect for winter.
Soaking wet footwell means a lose pollen filter cover and having to dry out the whole interior - excuse for a wet vac.
Now anyone who has driven a MK3 Mondeo must have experienced the terrible headlights. Friend of mine bought some OEM xenon projectors for his but never got round to fitting them. They were in clean condition so snapped them up for £30. How hard can it be. Turns out very.
Turns out to fit them to a halogen equipped car you need the connector from a Xenon car (impossible to find). The leveling and washers arent a problem, can be retrofitted but its impossible to run the existing ballasts and ignitors with the halogen wiring. So onto eBay and picked up another 2 halogen headlights. Also picked up a cheap HID kit and pulled the Xenon loom out, and retrofitted the halogen loom.
Then fitted a HID kit with convertors to the D2S Xenon bulbs and the ballasts to power them.
Plugged them into the car which involves taking the grille out and they refused to power up. Turns out they need a relay to power up, as the Mondeo wiring isnt powerful enough to handle a HID kit. which is a lot of ballache. Total cost so far £40.
Decided against further hassle and cost so swapped the clear lens from the Xenons to my halogen headlights. Car now looks nice and sharp.
Decided to do things properly which has improved the lights one hell of a lot.
LED sidelights from Halfords - believe it or not they're brilliant!
And now the passenger side keeps misting up despite being resealed. Going to see how it fares with some heat in it and a run to Belgium saturday to attempt to dry it out.
Although we have another issue that I think I've solved. 15 turns of the key it took to start the other day. Starter simply refused to engage. Happened for a few days then yesterday and this morning was perfect. Jacked it up with the intent of replacing it as its an auto - I cant bump it. Main power lead to the starter was sodding loose. How its been working for months defys me. All cleaned up and refitted nice and tight, seems to turn over quicker.
Fingers crossed!
To do list : Sort out slightly frayed drivers seat belt, cant source one atm! Fix leak on passenger headlight. Upgrade interior parts.
2 new boots on the rear means I now have a minimum of 6mm tread, perfect for winter.
Soaking wet footwell means a lose pollen filter cover and having to dry out the whole interior - excuse for a wet vac.
Now anyone who has driven a MK3 Mondeo must have experienced the terrible headlights. Friend of mine bought some OEM xenon projectors for his but never got round to fitting them. They were in clean condition so snapped them up for £30. How hard can it be. Turns out very.
Turns out to fit them to a halogen equipped car you need the connector from a Xenon car (impossible to find). The leveling and washers arent a problem, can be retrofitted but its impossible to run the existing ballasts and ignitors with the halogen wiring. So onto eBay and picked up another 2 halogen headlights. Also picked up a cheap HID kit and pulled the Xenon loom out, and retrofitted the halogen loom.
Then fitted a HID kit with convertors to the D2S Xenon bulbs and the ballasts to power them.
Plugged them into the car which involves taking the grille out and they refused to power up. Turns out they need a relay to power up, as the Mondeo wiring isnt powerful enough to handle a HID kit. which is a lot of ballache. Total cost so far £40.
Decided against further hassle and cost so swapped the clear lens from the Xenons to my halogen headlights. Car now looks nice and sharp.
Decided to do things properly which has improved the lights one hell of a lot.
LED sidelights from Halfords - believe it or not they're brilliant!
And now the passenger side keeps misting up despite being resealed. Going to see how it fares with some heat in it and a run to Belgium saturday to attempt to dry it out.
Although we have another issue that I think I've solved. 15 turns of the key it took to start the other day. Starter simply refused to engage. Happened for a few days then yesterday and this morning was perfect. Jacked it up with the intent of replacing it as its an auto - I cant bump it. Main power lead to the starter was sodding loose. How its been working for months defys me. All cleaned up and refitted nice and tight, seems to turn over quicker.
Fingers crossed!
To do list : Sort out slightly frayed drivers seat belt, cant source one atm! Fix leak on passenger headlight. Upgrade interior parts.
Edited by nipsips on Thursday 4th December 15:56
Podie said:
Pollen filter was a pain on my ST220. Ended up adding a touch of sealant over the top of the scuttle (which solved it)
Havin had xenons they weren't that good - even with new bulbs, so I think your option is the best solution to be honest.
Out of curiosity, when you say "upgrade interior parts", what are you thinking of?
Just a few suttle upgrades are planned. So far. Depending on whether I can pick up a cream seatbelt before the MOT. If I cant then may have to find a grey velour or black leather saloon interior (like hens teeth).Havin had xenons they weren't that good - even with new bulbs, so I think your option is the best solution to be honest.
Out of curiosity, when you say "upgrade interior parts", what are you thinking of?
Planned is changing the clock for a black face, cruise control, and silver surrounded facelift cupholder and ashtray.
Not much admittedly but this may change depending on the seatbelt situation.
Did you? Sods law that I ordered one on eBay today! Thanks for the thought though!
Ill have to take my pollen filter housing off again when its a bit warmer and run a bit of sealant along it. It hasn't leaked since I refitted it but I'd rather not be in the position where you need life vests in the footwells lol.
Ill have to take my pollen filter housing off again when its a bit warmer and run a bit of sealant along it. It hasn't leaked since I refitted it but I'd rather not be in the position where you need life vests in the footwells lol.
My Ghia has rear interior lights and foot well lights too! I know what you mean about the clock, hence changing mine so it doesn't stand out quite so much!
They are great cars tbh and very well built for the money. All of my mates laughed at me when I bought it, however as I constantly remind them if it had a BMW badge on it then they would all say it's a nice car!
They are great cars tbh and very well built for the money. All of my mates laughed at me when I bought it, however as I constantly remind them if it had a BMW badge on it then they would all say it's a nice car!
Time for another update 
She is going well so far! Starter issue turned out to be dodgy connection to the main terminal - removed cleaned and all refitted and has been fine ever since!
Fitted the black facia clock - looks better but there is one with white LED hands - need to try and locate this.
In other news the 6006 has died, decided to keep mucking up loading CD's and just generally being a git.
So I've brought the Mondeo into the iPod generation. I've refitted the 6000 into the dash and plugged a iPod auxiliary adaptor into the CD changer port. This is then wired to come out in the ashtray which can be hidden away when not in use.
Quick clean and we're there! Till summer anyway. More to come!
She is going well so far! Starter issue turned out to be dodgy connection to the main terminal - removed cleaned and all refitted and has been fine ever since!
Fitted the black facia clock - looks better but there is one with white LED hands - need to try and locate this.
In other news the 6006 has died, decided to keep mucking up loading CD's and just generally being a git.
So I've brought the Mondeo into the iPod generation. I've refitted the 6000 into the dash and plugged a iPod auxiliary adaptor into the CD changer port. This is then wired to come out in the ashtray which can be hidden away when not in use.
Quick clean and we're there! Till summer anyway. More to come!
Another update.
Last summer the aircon worked only on the drivers side. Only intended it to be a stopgap car but with how good its been I thought I had better show it some love and affection.
I had the aircon checked as the compressor didnt kick in at all. Turns out the compressor was dead. And I say this now, in electronic format to remind me, that I am NEVER changing one again. Jack the car up, remove the OSF wheel, remove the belt guard, remove the belt - nice and simple. Undo the electrical connector and get a wobbly 10mm on the aircon pipe. Already had the gas removed so cracked the pipe off. Then to get the 4 bolts holding the pump to the engine. 3 have to be done from the top with various extensions and one from the bottom. The pump is located on dowels on the engine but then once free has to me manhandled out of a gap thats not big enough for it. Then the reverse to refit. Took me about 3 hours due to having to attempt to squeeze it between the air con pipes, water pipes, subframe and engine.
Now we have freezing cold aircon! Total cost - £45 including the gas.
Next up - the standard orange rear indicators.
Now clear!
And the side ones too...
Lastly for the time being, the sunglasses holder has never worked. I've been a bit dubious about buying a used one as they are all terrible. However I've managed to find a breaker that offered one at a sensible price!
Thats all for the minute! More bits and pieces to sort out more niggles coming this weekend Ill end up with a new car by the time I'm finished!
Last summer the aircon worked only on the drivers side. Only intended it to be a stopgap car but with how good its been I thought I had better show it some love and affection.
I had the aircon checked as the compressor didnt kick in at all. Turns out the compressor was dead. And I say this now, in electronic format to remind me, that I am NEVER changing one again. Jack the car up, remove the OSF wheel, remove the belt guard, remove the belt - nice and simple. Undo the electrical connector and get a wobbly 10mm on the aircon pipe. Already had the gas removed so cracked the pipe off. Then to get the 4 bolts holding the pump to the engine. 3 have to be done from the top with various extensions and one from the bottom. The pump is located on dowels on the engine but then once free has to me manhandled out of a gap thats not big enough for it. Then the reverse to refit. Took me about 3 hours due to having to attempt to squeeze it between the air con pipes, water pipes, subframe and engine.
Now we have freezing cold aircon! Total cost - £45 including the gas.
Next up - the standard orange rear indicators.
Now clear!
And the side ones too...
Lastly for the time being, the sunglasses holder has never worked. I've been a bit dubious about buying a used one as they are all terrible. However I've managed to find a breaker that offered one at a sensible price!
Thats all for the minute! More bits and pieces to sort out more niggles coming this weekend
Ill end up with a new car by the time I'm finished! I will do! Yeah I must admit its something I'd like but this just keeps on delivering. Its perfect for my needs really. I do 1-2 miles into town and back a day, then 3 miles to the gym and back in the evening, and the odd occasional euro blast. Fingers crossed it will give many more years of service but I doubt I'd look anywhere else for a replacement. A friend of mine has a Passat - it doesnt feel as well built, doesnt drive as nice and certainly is more troublesome.
More updates...
On the downside turns out the air conditioning is still leaking. Hisses when you turn it off which is a sign that the gas is low, and there is bright green fluid coming out of the compressor. Unsure at this stage whether it is just the seals on the pipe to the compressor which I should have changed, or its the compressor itself. Also cant seem to get the power steering pump to stop weeping oil. Debating whether to bodge it with a bottle of stopleak or whether to fit a new union and bottle. Which even then I'm not sure its going to cure it...
Anyway more positivity!
Started off the day like this:
Silver clock had gone back in as the black one I fitted had a bulb blown and the hands never lit. Made it quite difficult to read at night! Also one of the centre vents had no fins on the back meaning that the air went every which way but what you want. Purchased some new chrome vents on eBay...
Bought a new clock on eBay as well but had to swap the glass as the new one was scratched.
All fitted! (Minus the centre vent):
Before I put the dash back together I had an issue with the auxillary input I added. If you charge the phone while you are playing music you get alternator whine through the speakers. But if you charge a different phone it doesnt do it, or charge the phone via a different method it doesnt do it.
Decided to insulate the cable which travels under the console with tin foil and insulating tape.
Whether this will work I have no idea but you dont know till you try!
Next up - replace the roof rack trim...
New genuine Ford spark plugs, havent tried it at speed yet but its a lot smoother it seems at lower revs...
New centre caps...
And finally the interior is back together!
Next up, PAS pump leak fix and Air con fix!
On the downside turns out the air conditioning is still leaking. Hisses when you turn it off which is a sign that the gas is low, and there is bright green fluid coming out of the compressor. Unsure at this stage whether it is just the seals on the pipe to the compressor which I should have changed, or its the compressor itself. Also cant seem to get the power steering pump to stop weeping oil. Debating whether to bodge it with a bottle of stopleak or whether to fit a new union and bottle. Which even then I'm not sure its going to cure it...
Anyway more positivity!
Started off the day like this:
Silver clock had gone back in as the black one I fitted had a bulb blown and the hands never lit. Made it quite difficult to read at night! Also one of the centre vents had no fins on the back meaning that the air went every which way but what you want. Purchased some new chrome vents on eBay...
Bought a new clock on eBay as well but had to swap the glass as the new one was scratched.
All fitted! (Minus the centre vent):
Before I put the dash back together I had an issue with the auxillary input I added. If you charge the phone while you are playing music you get alternator whine through the speakers. But if you charge a different phone it doesnt do it, or charge the phone via a different method it doesnt do it.
Decided to insulate the cable which travels under the console with tin foil and insulating tape.
Whether this will work I have no idea but you dont know till you try!
Next up - replace the roof rack trim...
New genuine Ford spark plugs, havent tried it at speed yet but its a lot smoother it seems at lower revs...
New centre caps...
And finally the interior is back together!
Next up, PAS pump leak fix and Air con fix!
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