AA report. How much does it cost to repair? Is it safe to drive without replacing?
Patrol found the following fault code/s:System : Engine control 1 - 07N / SIM 22U2510 - CAN data buses: CAN communication. Error Message : Communication error.P0137 - Lambda sensor (bank 1, sensor 2). Error Message : Signal too low.Req new lambda sensor bank 1 sensor 2Engine Oil Level Ok. Coolant Level Ok.

A new aftermarket lambda sensor costs around £30-£50.

Shouldn't take more than half an hour to fit.  (Estimate £35 garage labour)

Yes it's safe to drive for the short term.  It won't pass MOT with light on though.

It really depends on what the other advisories are as to whether it's worth repairing and putting through another MOT.

3 hours ago, Marie48 said:

AA report. How much does it cost to repair? Is it safe to drive without replacing?
Patrol found the following fault code/s:System : Engine control 1 - 07N / SIM 22U2510 - CAN data buses: CAN communication. Error Message : Communication error.P0137 - Lambda sensor (bank 1, sensor 2). Error Message : Signal too low.Req new lambda sensor bank 1 sensor 2Engine Oil Level Ok. Coolant Level Ok.

Can I wait till June and see how much it is going to cost the other advisories flagged by mot. Last year had to spend £1500 for repairs, mot and servicing. I do not want to spend £300 to have it replaced by Ford and then it failed the mot and fit for scrap. The car is 23 yrs and is need if a rest. My query is is it safe to wait until June to have it replaced and get it mot as well ? I know it will fail my got with defective sensor but not sure how expensive the other advisories quoted last time going to cost. Find is not the cheapest and my husband insisted of using a Ford dealer. Thanks

I'm not sure why they would insist on using a Ford dealer for a 23 year old car.  I doubt any of the techs working there today will have even done any training on that model.

But yes, the second lambda is just checking how well the catalytic converter is working.  There shouldn't be any harm in leaving it.

It’s my husband who insist of using a Ford dealer. He bought it from new and always use for for mot and servicing. Thank you very much for your reply.

On 12/17/2023 at 8:03 PM, TomsFocus said:

I'm not sure why they would insist on using a Ford dealer for a 23 year old car.  I doubt any of the techs working there today will have even done any training on that model.

But yes, the second lambda is just checking how well the catalytic converter is working.  There shouldn't be any harm in leaving it.

I need some advice pl, Ford wants to do a diagnostic check at £168 and take it from there. These are the advisories flagged last June brake pipe corroded covered in grease or other material near side rear. Brake pipe corroded covered in grease or other material offside rear. Coil spring corroded near side rear. Coil spring corroded offside rear. Power steering component has slight seepage from a component rack. Last year I paid £1070 for the repairs, mot and servicing. Given all the issues mentioned is it worth replacing sensor and most probably it will not pass mot in June. Considering the cars age and my husband is getting on  at 82. Am trying to persuade him to stop driving now the car is packing up. I just want to know whether it is safe to drive short distance approx six miles once a week until the mot expires. Would appreciate your advise pl. I have asked Ford and he would not comment and said he will not accept the AA report he must do his own diagnostic test. The AA said it is ok to drive but replace it before mot as it will fail. Thanks

22 minutes ago, Marie48 said:

I need some advice pl, Ford wants to do a diagnostic check at £168 and take it from there. These are the advisories flagged last June brake pipe corroded covered in grease or other material near side rear. Brake pipe corroded covered in grease or other material offside rear. Coil spring corroded near side rear. Coil spring corroded offside rear. Power steering component has slight seepage from a component rack. Last year I paid £1070 for the repairs, mot and servicing. Given all the issues mentioned is it worth replacing sensor and most probably it will not pass mot in June. Considering the cars age and my husband is getting on  at 82. Am trying to persuade him to stop driving now the car is packing up. I just want to know whether it is safe to drive short distance approx six miles once a week until the mot expires. Would appreciate your advise pl. I have asked Ford and he would not comment and said he will not accept the AA report he must do his own diagnostic test. The AA said it is ok to drive but replace it before mot as it will fail. Thanks

My honest answer is to take it to an independent garage instead of a Ford dealer.  They will be able to repair it much more cheaply and keep it on the road for another year.  Your husband's loyalty to the Ford dealer is admirable, but I'm afraid they are not rewarding his loyalty.

It is still safe to drive with the lambda fault.

 

Those advisories are not as bad as I was expecting.

Corroded brake pipes are a common fault on this model Fiesta.  Eventually they corrode badly enough to leak and then lose all brakes when you press the pedal.  I cannot state whether they are still safe or not without seeing them in person.  They are quite simple to replace and brake pipe is cheap, but the cost at a Ford dealer will be huge because of the labour time involved.

Some corrosion on coil springs is ok.  Eventually the springs corrode badly enough to snap.  That's generally the point where they get replaced.  (Very occasionally the snapped end damages the tyre, but mostly people don't even realise they've snapped until the MOT).  Again, cheap at an indy garage but expensive at Ford.

Power steering rack slight seep - As long as that hasn't worsened past a minor seep, that's still safe and will pass MOT.  Replacing the steering rack would be expensive even at an indy garage.  If you have the other faults repaired cheaply, I suspect this is the fault that will eventually make the car unviable to repair.

1 hour ago, Marie48 said:

Brake pipe corroded covered in grease or other material offside rear.

Be careful with this one as it is a boilerplate MOT comment which unfortunately is rather broad brush. It should actually have a comma after the word 'corroded' which makes corrosion only one of the possible conditions - it might (and often nearly always is) just a case of the pipes being dirty and hence the tester cannot really determine the true condition of the pipes (but has at least confirmed they haven't actually ruptured) because they are limited with how much invasive action they can take. 

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Coil spring corroded near side rear. Coil spring corroded offside rear.

Same again. Take it as an observation. All coils will eventually corrode. Most won't fail though.

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Am trying to persuade him to stop driving now the car is packing up.

It doesn't sound like it is packing up to me, although granted at 23 years old it is getting on a bit! (And I say that as owner of a 10 and 13yr old car and seemingly everyone around me with much newer cars!)

Totally agree with others saying not to use a Ford main dealer - that is a very poor choice to be making with this age of car and nature of issues.

3 minutes ago, MJNewton said:

Be careful with this one as it is a boilerplate MOT comment which unfortunately is a rather broad brush. It should actually have a comma after the word 'corroded' which makes corrosion only one of the possible conditions - it might (and often nearly always is) just a case of the pipes being dirty and hence the tester cannot really determine the true condition of the pipes (but has at least confirmed they haven't actually ruptured) because they are not allowed to perform any invasive action such as scraping the dirt/whatever off. 

While that is true in general, Mk6 Fiesta brake pipes are notorious for rust, especially around the fuel tank where dirt and salt gets trapped and never washed off.  I was genuinely shocked by the state of mine on a car that was just 8 years old at the time, albeit having covered 100k miles.  It did fail MOT and I had to replace two of them.  I really would urge caution with that one on Mk6's in particular.

19 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

While that is true in general, Mk6 Fiesta brake pipes are notorious for rust, especially around the fuel tank where dirt and salt gets trapped and never washed off.  I was genuinely shocked by the state of mine on a car that was just 8 years old at the time, albeit having covered 100k miles.  It did fail MOT and I had to replace two of them.  I really would urge caution with that one on Mk6's in particular.

Yeah that's fair enough, and I didn't want to imply they were necessarily okay. Just highlighting that it is unfortunate boilerplate text picked from a menu that doesn't really say much either way (and so is worthy of a proper non-MOT check, which perhaps I should've added).

Thank you all for your honest opinion and advice. I have been quoted £167 from an independent garage to have it replaced. Strange enough the AA patrol man did reset it and he said it might work. Today the engine amber light has disappeared. Trying to persuade the old man not to use Ford, it’s like talking to a brick wall. Thanks again for your advice, much appreciated.