Ka Servicing Requirements

F

ord have given the Endura-E equipped Ka a 10,000 mile service interval, although this has been lengthened slightly for the new Duratec equipped 2003 Ka. However, for the purposes of this document, I’m making the assumption that you have an Endura-E Ka.

Perhaps I’m cynical, but having a long service interval seems more biased towards getting running costs down rather than the fact that the mechanicals and fluids are capable of going the distance. This is especially true of those brands that have a 20,000 mile or two year service interval: would you really want the same oil in your engine for two years? Personally, I certainly don’t, at least not without checking the oil, no matter how clean the engine and how good the oil quality is to start with.

Regular engine oil changes are fundamental to preserving an engine’s life. Engine oil’s primary function is lubrication, although it also has other duties including cooling. Over time, the condition of the engine oil deteriorates such that it is not so effective at its duties – this is most marked when the car is used for short stop / start driving when the engine is not allowed to be bought up to temperature, as discussed here.

The Endura-E gets noisier when the oil has started to deteriorate, and the tappet noise becomes much more pronounced, and you can listen to this here.

The cost of having the oil and filter changed by Ford’s Rapid Fit service mid-way through a service is around and about that of a tank of petrol, so I recommend that all Ka owners get their oil changed half way through their service interval. I also recommend that you use genuine Ford parts: especially the oil. The oil Ford is actually rather good stuff.

Kermit’s Service History

The Ka was designed to be inexpensive to service, and when this is considered, it is of no surprise that the tried-and-tested Endura-E engine was originally selected for the Ka. And since the Ka shares many components with the mark four Fiesta, when it needs to be serviced, this helps reduce costs, too. Of course, air conditioning and ABS are rather more sophisticated than the engine per se, however these are often treated as individual items when or if they need repair.

Looking at the table, this includes ordinary servicing, additional repairs and some modification work. At the time of writing (high summer 2005) we’re still using the original air conditioning fluid.

Mileage	Service Work	Cost
6,591	10,000 mile service	£121·04
11,200	K & N air filter	£12·00
11,679	15,000 mile oil change	£26·94
17,746	20,000 mile service	£143·46
23,289	25,000 mile oil change	£26·95
26,724	Blue Vision light bulbs	£19·13
28,446	30,000 mile service	£184·99
28,446	Rear Tyres	£91·63
31,081	Front Tyres	£91·63
33,836	Back Box	£30·00
35,159	35,000 mile oil change	£32·00
37,543	New front brakes	£115·94
38,313	MOT test	£40·70
38,435	New battery	£39·99
40,140	40,000 mile service	£126·70
41,281	Front suspension arms	£282·63
41,674	PowerFlow exhaust	£215·57
50,120	50,000 mile service, rear tyres, strut brace	£271·01
53,430	ABS sensor	£163·99
54,964	55,000 mile oil change	£29·99
60,604	60,000 mile service, MOT, ignition leads, suspension fitted, track control rod.	£567·00 cough
63,990	65,000 mile oil change	£50·00
69,770	70,000 mile service	£117·98
70,892	TMAP Sensor replacement	£120·67