Just bought Puma Thunder today but

[pyperb]

Hi All,

travelled to Stoke from Ireland today to pick up my Puma Thunder, nipped into garage and got 4 new tyres on her and an oil/filter change, she was driving sweet until I went on the motorway to Liverpool and at approx speed 55 mph to 75 mph I can feel vibrations through the steering column and under the seat a bit, so dissapiointed, the last thing I want is to ruin the new tyres I put on and it's spoiling my long journey from Stoke to Londonderry......any ideas ?

The garage was a kinda backstreet garage recommended by dealer and they were only £40 a pop, he did balance them as I asked him too but maybe I get them double checked when I come off boat in the morning in Dublin before my 4 hour drive to Londonderry and maybe get wheels aligned also ? but car seems to drive straight so not sure , also swap wheels back to front to check for bent rim ?

Any suggestions appreciated and I will update youz on my car purchase good and bad (plenty of bad)...took loads of photos whilst it was on ramp....looks rusty but not sure how rusty a 14 year old Thunder should look :grin:

Thanks in advance....

Cheers,

Brian.

 

[tuonokid]

Hi Brian
Congrats on getting your car at last
If I was you when you get off the boat I'd just check the security of the wheel nuts and make sure the wheels aren't going to come off before driving it home steadily. When you get it home you'll have all the tools to check it over yourself but it does sound like a buckled or badly balanced wheel but also could be a number of different things.
As for the rust underneath... welcome to Puma ownership! For me the key area underneath is the area adjacent to the rear beam mounting, including the rear arch, sill, inner sill and chassis rail.
Good luck.
Barry

 

[dingwells1985]

yes as tuonokid said its more than likely a buckled wheel i had the same problem with my last car got a replacement wheel off ebay and once fitted the vibration went away,and yes most 14 year old pumas will have rust underneath mine needed quite a bit of welding i am now in the process of coating the underside with a product called rust bullet it dehydrates the rust and kills the corrosion process hopefully this will protect the underside of the puma for many years to come,good luck.

 

[pyperb]

good to know about the rust killer.....good to have options, regarding the vibrations it seems to have settled now, not sure why, maybe new tyres needed to bed in or as the car was sitting in the dealer lot for a while maybe suspension etc needed to loosen up but the great news is she is driving way better now, really enjoyed that drive from Dublin.....thank you guys

 

[gimmickyflea]

Congrats on your purchase :grin: Get the tracking checked and the car looked over by a competent mechanic - then you know what you have to do to get it back in tip top condition. If you have the cam/aux belt & tensioners done remember to replace the water pump at the same time. It is only a small extra cost that could save you hundreds in the long term. Change the HCV because these regularly fail but only replace with a genuine Ford part. Your Puma can be as good as the amount of cash you are prepared to throw at it but it's worth it! :wink: