Ford main dealer diagnostic price ?

emmbaasee

How much should i expect to pay for a full diagnostic from a Ford main dealer ?. The car has failed the NCT on exhaust emissions.:rolleyes:
99 Focus 1.6 petrol 95000 miles
Low idle was (780rpm) co 0.13 vol%
High idle (2830rpm) co 0.48 vol%
Lambda 1.02
Low idle was ok but went over on the high idle. co max is 0.30

Found a MINOR air leak around the inlet manifold which i will address.
No other air leaks found so far after extensive examination.
Rubber vacum hose hidden behind the inlet manifiold is fine.
Had a new back box fitted on the exhaust a while ago but can't find any leaks.

Drove the stones out of the car to the nct centre with Diptane in the tank.
I might just have to let Ford run a test to see if they can pick anything up but i really don't want to give them any money. Half an hour on the diagnostic machine should be enough i think.
If anybody has any suggestions i'd appreciate it.
Budget is the main issue as the car is so old. I don't want to part with any money if possible. Cheap fix to get it through the nct is my main aim. Nothing is cheap i know !
Thanks

George Dalton

You would have to be out of your mind to consider taking a 99 Focus to a main dealer for diagnostics.

MidlandsM

Flog it

Hal1

Service it.

George Dalton

From looking at the figures it most likely needs a catalytic converter.

The lambda figure of 1.02 indicates that it is running slightly lean, if you have fixed the air leak on the intake side this should rectify that issue at least. It may then be worth retesting it to see if the CO figures improve, but I wouldn't hold out too much hope.

emmbaasee

George Dalton wrote: »

You would have to be out of your mind to consider taking a 99 Focus to a main dealer for diagnostics.

I fully agree. Thats why i was asking how much they would charge for a diagnostic. To see could i bring myself to throwing good money after bad. I was curious more than anything. Thanks:)

Supergurrier

Terraclean ?

Might work and cheaper than paying a similar sum to have your local fraud dealer tell you its one thing or the other which may be unrelated

emmbaasee

MidlandsM wrote: »

Flog it

I'd love to but its keeping me on the road at the moment. Tough economic times and all that...

emmbaasee

Hal1 wrote: »

Service it.

Yes, i think i will. Not long since the last one mind.

Mar4ix

call to nearest ford dealer, and ask, how much will cost to do diagnostics. , i think asking should be free.

dar83

Lillis O'Donnell offered diagnostic check for €40 last time I was in there and saw the sign...

Not exactly a major outlay in the grand scheme of things, but not exactly throw away kind of money if you're tight for the cash.

emmbaasee

dar83 wrote: »

Lillis O'Donnell offered diagnostic check for €40 last time I was in there and saw the sign...

Not exactly a major outlay in the grand scheme of things, but not exactly throw away kind of money if you're tight for the cash.

Seems fairly reasonable. Many thanks for the reply. I can live with €40 to maybe point me in the right direction. I'll give them a call:)

scamalert

dar83 wrote: »

Lillis O'Donnell offered diagnostic check for €40 last time I was in there and saw the sign...

Not exactly a major outlay in the grand scheme of things, but not exactly throw away kind of money if you're tight for the cash.

theres couple kinds of diagnostics,the one for 40e might be just regular pc diagnostics to see if theres any electrical faults,that said id rather find any small garage that specializes in pre nct checks and show them the sheet and ask them for advise how to pass with high emissions,as most likely that's what you will get for 40e as an answer.

dar83

scamalert wrote: »

theres couple kinds of diagnostics,the one for 40e might be just regular pc diagnostics to see if theres any electrical faults,that said id rather find any small garage that specializes in pre nct checks and show them the sheet and ask them for advise how to pass with high emissions,as most likely that's what you will get for 40e as an answer.

It was a scan and fault code diagnostic. I'm trying to remember why at the time I asked them about it, but the guys in there are pretty good anyway, they'll only charge you the labour for the time you take up, so if the scan takes 25mins you'll probably only pay €40-50 anyway. I guess it depends on how you approach them though, like most things with main dealers.

I do agree with you on the advice though, there is no majo need to go near Ford themselves in this instance, I only replied to give the Op an answer to what they asked initially.

To the op: www.lod.ie

creedp

George Dalton wrote: »

You would have to be out of your mind to consider taking a 99 Focus to a main dealer for diagnostics.

Dont mean to hijack thread but interested in your view re: whether there is anything a Ford Main Dealer can pick up on a diagnostic that an Indy cant? I have a 5 year old s-max that had an intermittant problem with the brakes/power when cold - the brake pedal loses servo and the power drops with esp light flashing or on solid. This can be overcome by turning off ignition and starting again - sometimes it could take 2/3 attempts to sort it. I had decided to go to an Indy for service as now heading for 5 years old and when I explained to mechanic he advised if anything wrong he would pick it up on diagnostic. However, the diagnostic showed up no fault so apparently no problem wiht car. However, this problem still exists especially if car is not garaged during this cold weather.

Q I suppose is should I go to a main dealer for a further diagnostic or should I return to Indy and get it re tested? It will need to be serviced again in about 2k kms .. would I be as well off getting it serviced early at a main dealer and getting diagnostic as same time?

Nissan doctor

creedp wrote: »

Dont mean to hijack thread but interested in your view re: whether there is anything a Ford Main Dealer can pick up on a diagnostic that an Indy cant? I have a 5 year old s-max that had an intermittant problem with the brakes/power when cold - the brake pedal loses servo and the power drops with esp light flashing or on solid. This can be overcome by turning off ignition and starting again - sometimes it could take 2/3 attempts to sort it. I had decided to go to an Indy for service as now heading for 5 years old and when I explained to mechanic he advised if anything wrong he would pick it up on diagnostic. However, the diagnostic showed up no fault so apparently no problem wiht car. However, this problem still exists especially if car is not garaged during this cold weather.

Q I suppose is should I go to a main dealer for a further diagnostic or should I return to Indy and get it re tested? It will need to be serviced again in about 2k kms .. would I be as well off getting it serviced early at a main dealer and getting diagnostic as same time?

Can you describe the brake pedal loosing servo? Does the pedal seem to go a bit hard and vibrate with an accompanying noise?

I'd be suspecting a wheel speed sensor issue. It sounds more like your mechanic just did a fault code scan, which is not diagnostics.

To answer your question though(not meaning to jump in in front of George), but any decent independent garage will be more then capable of diagnosing faults as well as, and often better in fact, then a main dealer.

George Dalton

If the independent garage has a good diagnostic system as opposed to a cheap generic system then they will pick up the same faults as the main dealer tool. The only additional features the main dealer tool has would be for programming keys and ECUs and performing software updates.

Some independents also have this capability but generally only specialists in a particular make will offer this service (for example Blackchurch Motors in the case of Ford) because the cost of providing this level of coverage across all makes would be prohibitive for most small to medium sized independent garages.

creedp

Nissan doctor wrote: »

Can you describe the brake pedal loosing servo? Does the pedal seem to go a bit hard and vibrate with an accompanying noise?

I'd be suspecting a wheel speed sensor issue.

To answer your question though(not meaning to jump in in front of George), but any decent independent garage will be more then capable of diagnosing faults as well as, and often better in fact, then a main dealer.

No the brake pedal goes hard and you have to stand on the bloody thing to get it to stop. No grating/vibrating through pedal. The most noticeable think first of all was the fact that the car was very much down on power. I have no difficulty returning to the same Indy so long as whatever it is can be diagnosed. I was just concerned that when the previous diagnostic showed up clear, there was no point re-testing.

Nissan doctor

creedp wrote: »

No the brake pedal goes hard and you have to stand on the bloody thing to get it to stop. No grating/vibrating through pedal. The most noticeable think first of all was the fact that the car was very much down on power. I have no difficulty returning to the same Indy so long as whatever it is can be diagnosed. I was just concerned that when the previous diagnostic showed up clear, there was no point re-testing.

As I said though, a code scan came up clear. That doesn't mean that a problem couldn't be found. If however, he is relying on a fault code alone then you may be wasting your time.

creedp

George Dalton wrote: »

If the independent garage has a good diagnostic system as opposed to a cheap generic system then they will pick up the same faults as the main dealer tool. The only additional features the main dealer tool has would be for programming keys and ECUs and performing software updates.

Some independents also have this capability but generally only specialists in a particular make will offer this service (for example Blackchurch Motors in the case of Ford) because the cost of providing this level of coverage across all makes would be prohibitive for most small to medium sized independent garages.

Thanks for the info. Problem is I suppose I dont know which Indy has the higher spec diagnostic.

creedp

Nissan doctor wrote: »

As I said though, a code scan came up clear. That doesn't mean that a problem couldn't be found. If however, he is relying on a fault code alone then you may be wasting your time.

I was a little disappointed with result because the primary reason I went to garage was to get brake/power issue diagnosed and I was assured if there was a problem it would be picked up on diagnostic. I then asked to have car serviced at same time. Afterwards I was told there was no problem with brakes, etc and if there was a problem it would have been picked up.

Nissan doctor

creedp wrote: »

I was a little disappointed with result because the primary reason I went to garage was to get brake/power issue diagnosed and I was assured if there was a problem it would be picked up on diagnostic. I then asked to have car serviced at same time. Afterwards I was told there was no problem with brakes, etc and if there was a problem it would have been picked up.

I think the problem is the mechanic, not the equipment so.

creedp

Nissan doctor wrote: »

I think the problem is the mechanic, not the equipment so.

As I said I was looking to confirm that a diagnostic run by an independent garage could pick up same issues as a Ford dealer which means I dont have to go back to a main dealer which is important given how tight the finances are these days