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Official Press Release Information Below
News Release
Ford Motor Company's new Fiesta is one of the easiest-to-repair vehicles in a lineup of cars that are known for ease of serviceability, said the head of Ford Parts and Service Division.
Philip E. Benton, Jr., division general manager, said the principal reason for Fiesta's excellent maintenance and serviceability features is that these concepts were part of the original design.
"These were no hang-on ideas," Mr. Benton said. "Even during the early market research, the main goal was to design the vehicle on a framework of reliability and durability and to give Fiesta the lowest repair rate of any car built by Ford anywhere."
Fiesta serviceability features fall roughly into three categories - scheduled maintenance, potential do-it-yourself operations, and procedures which normally would require the attention of a trained technician.
"Ford Motor Company has made major strides in scheduled maintenance in the last few years," Mr. Benton said. "Using today's suggested parts prices and estimated average labor rates, since 1973, Ford has reduced by 65 per cent the average estimated cost for scheduled maintenance during 50,000 miles of normal driving.
"Fiesta incorporates most of the scheduled maintenance improvements which make Ford vehicles among the best in the industry. And compared with competitive makes in its class, Fiesta is clearly ahead in both the number of requirements and in the time or mileage intervals between many of those requirements."
The new Fiesta owner's manual requires 44 total operations during the first 50,000 miles of normal use. By comparison, 1977 scheduled maintenance procedures for four of Fiesta's major competitors range from 93 operations to 152. Many requirements common to these competitors such as replacing points, replacing fuel filter, inspecting PCV hoses, inspecting the ignition system and checking clutch-pedal free-play have been eliminated altogether on Fiesta.
The intervals between many other requirements are equal to or greater than Fiesta's competitors.
"We estimate that over the 50,000-mile maintenance period, Fiesta scheduled maintenance costs will be less than $175," Mr. Benton said. "That's certainly competitive with our present Ford products, and I'm sure is equal to or better than those of our competitors."
For the do-it-yourselfers, Mr. Benton pointed out the following Fiesta serviceability features which should make car servicing attractive to them:
- A front-hinged hood that is self-supporting and out of the way when raised.
- A large engine compartment with all engine elements, including the transaxle, easily accessible.
- An easy-to-find and remove crankcase plug for oil changes.
- An easily replaceable Motorcraft oil filter.
- Four spark plugs that can be changed from the same side of the vehicle, connected to numbered spark plug wires for easy identification.
- A battery held with a single clamp and a unique attachment system for battery cables.
- See-through reservoirs for brake fluid, battery water, front and rear windshield washer fluid and overflow tank for coolant recovery.
- Easily replaceable ceramic fuses in a convenient passenger-compartment fuse box.
- Tool-less replacement of all external light bulbs, except the license-plate bulb and headlamps, which need only a Phillips-head screwdriver for replacement.
- Tool-less removal of windshield wiper blades.
In addition, all the car's suspension components, steering system and ball joints are lubricated for life. Differential bearings, service brakes and clutch all are self-adjusting.
Fiesta's one-piece electrical wiring loom eliminates 40 per cent of the normal number of electrical connections. Ford-developed multi-pin electrical connectors with patented "go/no-go" connections are used to prevent incorrect assembly of electrical components. A printed circuit assembly on the back of the instrument cluster eliminates the normal clutter of wires and connections.
"Perhaps the most important service feature," Mr. Benton said, "is that more than 5,300 Ford-franchised dealers will sell and service Fiesta. That fact alone plus maximum parts availability through a highly sophisticated and highly computerized national distribution system should make the Fiesta one of the easiest imported cars to get serviced anywhere in the United States."
When a dealership or other professional technician takes over, he can perform more than 75 per cent of the most common service procedures in less than one hour, Mr. Benton said. This is important both to the owner who has to pay for the work and to the professional service technician who can then get on to other assignments.
Service technicians will be aided by these Fiesta service features:
- Front brake disc pad wear can be inspected visually.
- Front brake disc pads can be replaced without removing wheel hubs or bleeding the brake system.
- Rear brake linings can be inspected without removing wheels or brake drums.
- Front suspension MacPherson struts are mounted with four bolts for quick replacement of shock absorbers.
- Front suspension components can be repaired without bleeding brakes.
- Rear shock absorbers are mounted outside the coil springs for ease of repair.
- The steering system retention-track control arm is secured to the steering knuckle with simple clamps.
- The steering gear assembly is grease-lubricated for better leak resistance.
- The clutch, transmission, timing cover and oil pan all can be serviced without removing the engine.
- The exhaust system is routed under the rear axle and features a quick-release mounting for simplified replacement.
- All engine seals and gaskets and all engine accessories can be replaced without removing the engine.
- Four out of five transmission oil seals can be replaced without removing the transmission.
- Transmission overhaul, if ever required, is made easier by the one-way assembly of the gear train. There is no bearing setting requirement in the transmission.
- There is good access to clutch housing bolts and the clutch cable can be replaced without tools.
- The windshield wiper motor is mounted on the firewall in the engine compartment for easy service or replacement.
"Even body repairs have been thought out ahead of time," Mr. Benton said. "Smooth body styling lines and large, well-placed openings in internal panels have been arranged for easy sheet-metal repairs. More than 20 panel areas can be spray-painted separately. The car has no soldered joints on the body sheet metal and all badges and moldings are bonded to the bodywork to eliminate punched holes and sharp retention clips."
The grille can be removed by taking out just three screws. Front and rear aluminum bumpers are interchangeable, and are retained by only two bolts each.
Front wheel arches and rocker panels are sprayed with tough plastic to protect against stone chips.
ISSUED BY THE PRESS OFFICE - FORD MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED
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