I recently purchased a Ford Granada from a local car sales place. On the same day I realised that the ABS warning light was flashing for about four seconds regardless of the engine being started or not. Also an indicator to its right, which I believe is a brake wear indicator, stays on for fourty seconds again with or without starting the engine. The garage the car was bought from stated "This happens with some of them".

So instead of pushing them to investigate this, I had the car taken to Kwik Fit for a free brake inspection and they said "Take it to a Ford dealer".

My father and my uncle then examined the brakes at each corner and found a wire that had broken and been repaired numerous times. This wire had a three pin plug at the end (only two wires connected) which I suspect is part of the warning/indicator system for the brakes.

The car will be taken back to the garage but I would like to know (assuming I have given enough information!) what the mentioned wire is.

Paul Winstone.

Thanks for your email, I'm sorry your new car has started off with a problem of this sort because it could be a fairly expensive rectification job.

from the sound of it you have a problem with the ABS indicator wires, which if they have been cut and repaired will continually give problems of the sort you describe, and the only way to cure it properly is to fit new ones (and they are not cheap) that's why people sometime try to repair them.

It sounds as if you also have a problem with the Disc Pad wear indicator wire, and these should not be cut and repaired either (but these or significantly cheaper to replace) no reputable garage would attempt to "repair" either of the warning wires.

If the ABS warning light comes on and stays on or intermittently comes on it will almost certainly be an MOT failure. (does the car have a current MOT ?)

My advice...take the car back and request that the faults are rectified free of charge and don't take no for an answer, if it's a large car sales place ask to speak to the Managing Director, put your problem calmly and fairly and request his urgent assistance in getting these rectification's done, a polite but firm approach usually brings good results.

If the MOT is less than 14 days old, and you don't get satisfaction, you can contact your Local Department of Transport Testing Centre for advice.

Without seeing the problem it's very difficult to be totally accurate, but I would think my comments will be valid in this case.

For your own safety, if you keep the car, get these problems checked and fixed as a matter of urgency.

Good Luck

Bill@okdiy.co.uk