Ford Fairmont Problems

The control for the heater/air-conditioning system in those model Falcons is notoriously unreliable. I would be looking there to find the fault, it probably needs replacing.

I would try an auto air-conditioning specialist as they would have to deal with this issue regularly and I'm sure would have worked out a solution.

You should be getting around 13-14.0 l/100 km in town and 9-10.0 L/ 100 km on a trip, so clearly all is not well. The first thing to do is to ensure the spark plugs, leads, air filter, throttle body are all functioning correctly, and replace them if it's suspected they're not. Have the dealer check the exhaust back pressure, catalytic converter and oxygen sensors to make sure isn't running unduly rich or have a restricted exhaust. Look at your driving conditions, for instance, do you mainly do short runs around Ballarat that might not allow the engine to warm-up properly.

If it is in good condition and has been serviced from new it will go the distance, but that implies that you will keep up the servicing and not neglect the car at all. Should you fail to maintain it the car will deteriorate quickly, no matter how well it drives now. And a word of caution, it is not possible to say that you won’t strike trouble in the future, but the BFII is a solidly built car that should stand the test of time.

That’s a lot of water to lose. If it were a head gasket that had failed I would expect the engine to be running roughly, a spark plug to be showing evidence of water contamination, and coolant in the oil. If its running normally and there’s no sign of coolant in the oil than its fair to assume the mechanic was correct and its not a head gasket. Falcons of that vintage are renowned for failing the transmission oil cooler, which is in the radiator, and if that happened coolant leaks into the auto trans. Also check for external leaks, damage to the radiator etc.

It's not an issue that has come to our attention here at Carsguide, which would suggest it's not as common as your mechanic believes. As for a recall, they're usually associated with safety issues and the failure of a headlight switch would not normally fall in that category. Car companies do, however, have low-key service rectification programs in which they fix cars when they have a widespread failure problem with a particular part. That would be the way they would address a failure such as the one you experienced, but only if it was widespread and only if the carmaker had a community spirit.

Check and adjust the park brake, they're notorious for causing a noise similar to that you are hearing.

Carmakers claim that you don't need to change the fluid or service the auto trans for "life", but what "life" means is anybody's guess.  Auto trans service specialists strongly suggest that the fluid be changed as often as every 20,000 km, much as it used to be. It's more critical if you are towing regularly, but 40,000 km on a car that is being driven normally would be a good guide to when you should consider having the fluid changed.

We have had a number of reports on the effects E10 has on cars, and yours is similar to others we’ve received. Rougher idling is an expected outcome with the fuel, even the biofuels people admit to that, and other owners have reported starting problems. It’s still early days for E10, so it’s advisable to be cautious until we know more about it.

If you talk to suspension specialists like Pedders they will tell you it's a common problem. The springs Ford used are quite long and they're compressed into a small space so they can distort and foul the strut as yours has done. You can replace them with factory originals from Ford or use aftermarket springs from someone like Pedders. They cost about $190 per set of two springs, or about $390 fitted with a wheel alignment. I don't like your chances of getting new springs out of Ford.