Want To Buy Xr6t.. What Should I Look For?

[Guest intehnet]

Hi guys,

I'm thinking of giving the Lancer GSR the boot in a while and getting a XR6T..

Is it worth holding off and buying a Mark II, are the only enhancement the 6 speed tranny (stronger?)

How much can the 5 speed handle?

I heard there has been over boost problems and shuddering problems. When do these occur? When the car is brand new, ie; is it safe to buy a 2 year old 50,000km example, or is that when the problems surface?

Are there anyway to tell if the car has had these problems or will have?

I'm a bit scared of buying one because I've read on these forums people have been VERY upset with fords servicing and after sales support. I just can't afford to buy one and get stuck with a lemon..

Have all these problems been fixed in the MarkII?

Any information would be great, I've got about 5-6 months before buying one will be financially viable (equity maaaate).

Thanks for your help blokes, can't wait to slap on an APS upgrade kit and smoke my mates Gen3 Clubby

[Guest AAiek]

Hello Intehnet,

I have a standard auto XR6T and have had significant diff and vibration issues. My vehicle is 7 months old with 14K on the clock and has had 4 diffs, tailshaft, driveshafts and the rear cradle replaced in attempts to remove vibrations. Result = failure

IMHO MK1 diffs are crap and will all need replacing eventually. Gear whine will eventually develop in all cases, and excessive pinion endthrust causing backlash is common in most vehicles. Quality control of these issues is very poor. Even replacement diffs are outside tolerances when they arrive from the factory.

The other issue to deal with is finding a dealer that has some idea how to fix these issues. The one I have been using in Brisbane has struggled to fix my vehicles' problems and has literally run out of ideas; as I have run out of patience. Dealers have limited experience in balancing drivelines.

My vehicle has been in the workshop more than one month out of seven it has been registered.

When the car is working properly it is a pleasure to drive. It's just the thought of 'what's going to f##k up next' that is constant in your head.

Remember also that if this continues, MK1's will end up with a certain reputation that will be as strong as the AU rep, or the early gen3 rep.

Other issues such as brake shudder, gearbox, wastegate problems, I am yet to strike.

Think long and hard about an XR6T as a long term vehicle. One gets the idea that once they are superceded, Ford will give less of a sh## than they do now.

AAiek

[TurboDewd]

Ive owned a Nov 03 build auto XR6T since new, its been fine, done 10,000km.

However, in the past couple of months I had 2 instances of 'something' whereby when I went to accelerate and the engine sputtered like a dog till I pulled over and rebooted it - then it was fine. Maybe this is overboost, I dunno, apart from these 2 minor instances Ive been completely happy with the car.

[Guest intehnet]

have these problems been addressed by the markII?

or is the only change the 6 speed?

[Turbo6man]

If you are in the market six months from now for a new Mk II check what the reports are like on these forums about the build quality and any problems that may still be present. I would not consider a Mk I under any circumstances. Go the premium brakes if you are into towing or do lots of mountain roads or track work. Otherwise the standard brakes work fine in everyday driving for 90% of people.

[stang]

Mate if you looking new you will probably get better resale value with a Mk2 when the time comes to sell. As well as if you are buying a manual the mk2 has the 6 speed.

On the other hand I dont like the drink holder in the mk2, some people had problems with the lid on the drink holder on the mk1, I didn`t and think it looks more complete. I have a September 03 have never had brake shudder or anyother mechanical problems apart from the steering clicking which is common and going in for warranty for.

The lower the k`s the better,check oil, service history any signs of mods if you go 2nd hand especially check brakes for shudder.

regards

Stang.

One last thing always and I mean always go shopping with the fussiest person you can think off. Get them to check for chips, scratches,scuff even if you buy new.The reason for this is they won`t be blinded by the wan`t and sparkle.

My car was new it had a scratch on headlight ,dealer threw in headlight protectors hoping I wouldn`t notice. I did and it was replaced.Scuff on rear tailight was replaced. the tiny chip in the icc near the top of the dash was the only thing I missed. Will get it fixed myself.Make sure everything is checked out before you drive the car out of the dealership or at least noted by dealer when you pick up the car.

After all this I love my car, oil change every 7,500k`s.

[sykes]

Mate, mine is an Oct '03 build and have only had one issue and that was the potentiometer onthe throttle body which threw the car into limp mode and was fixed quite quickly as I managed to get it to the dealer when it was faulting.

Apart from that it has been a dream car and has absolutly no other problems. I have even done a few hot laps around the track and apart from a bit of fade and a slight shudder while the fade was apparent, one the brakes cooled back down slowly! it is all still fine.

Although I will be upgrading to DBA 4000's and QFM pads very soon and giving it the lowering treatment that is all I am going to do as I will be trading upto a F6 or GT in 6 to 12 months.

So if you would like give me a PM when you are ready and I could very well be ready to sell myself! By the way I have about 17500'ks on it now which is quite good for the age of the car.

Michael

[doublek]

I have had mine for about 2 months now. it is a december 2003 build and I love it.

I have some brake shudder on really heavy braking at speed, the power steering at lock can shake sometimes, gear does not go into reverse untill I accelerate (sometimes) but really this is about the extent of it.

others on here have had other problems of course but if you single out a particular brand of car and have people writing onto a forum, they are going to outline the problems as well as good features.

I would say that sometimes people are also very picky. you spend $50,000 for a car I guess you can be, but seriously, IMO my problems can be found in any car and I do not even see them as being problems really.... others may.

I would say get a second hand t with low k's on the clock, good NRMA inspection and you will be sweet.

Good Luck

[Guest intehnet]

ok so it seems to me anything around the 2003 mark works ok.. is that just because it's newer, or because they fixed a few problems?

I think I might hold off for a mark 2, see what they are like..

it's good to see some people are happy with their XR6T, I was getting really put off by the bad tales of early mark 1's

[ZAP]

intehnet,

Remember you will always see more bad stories about cars as we are the very VOCAL members who have been pi$$ed off by Ford and want to tell everyone about them. Its the old saying a happy customer will tell 10 people, but a unhappy one will tell 100 or more...the internet makes is 10,000 or more for the unhappy ones.

I would say that the people (myself included) that are unhappy are a minority, but anyone who is currently happy can change with a simple problem that the dealer cant/wont fix.