The Ford Mondeo mk5 (from 2015 onwards) has a number of useful features that are disabled in the factory but can be unlocked using free software and a USB cable, without any special knowledge. Here’s how.

You will need a compatible ELM327 cable. There are loads on eBay but it can’t be just any – it has to be one with a manual switch between HS and MS mode. The ones that lack this switch may not be fully compatible. Mine specifically said Designed for Forscan and cost about £15.

The switch wasn’t labelled so initially I had to guess which way was which. On mine, the HS position was towards the label side, so I labelled it with a sticker.

Now you need to download FORScan. There are versions for phones/tablets but to change settings you must download the Windows version. You’ll need the Extended License to change settings but fortunately there is a 2-week free trial. You can install FORScan but don’t activate the trial until you’re ready to use it!

First you need to start the engine and disable the auto stop-start.

Then you need to connect the cable up. The OBD port is under the steering column and has a cap on it.

Load FORScan, click the Connect button at the bottom of the window, and follow the instructions.

If it connects successfully, it will scroll through a list of modules that it has detected. Wait until it finishes, and then click the Configuration & Programming button in the left menu – it’s the one with the chip icon.

In the list of modules, scroll down and select IPC Module configuration. This is the module that controls the instrument cluster. Make sure you choose the one without AS BUILT format. Then click the Play button at the bottom. Flip the HS/MS switch when it tells you to.

Now you’ve got a long list of settings that can be changed. Most of them will require compatible hardware to be installed on the car so don’t be tempted to fiddle unless you know you have that hardware, and be sure you understand every setting that you change. Be sure to make note of anything that you change, so you can put it back if necessary. These are the settings that I changed:

• Auto Lock
• Auto Relock
• Autolocking While The Vehicle Is Moving
• Digital Speedometer Configuration
• Fuel Economy Menu
• Fuel History Menu
• TPMS Menu (Additional change required in BCM)
• Tire Pressure Gauge

In every case, I double-clicked the setting, changed Disabled to Enabled and clicked the tick. Bear in mind this doesn’t actually change it on the car – it just prepares a batch of settings to apply in FORScan.

When you’ve changed everything that you want, click Write, review the changes, and FORScan will change the settings on the car. You can apply them one by one if you prefer. The instrument cluster will go dark for a few seconds before reloading. FORScan will tell you to turn the ignition off and on again. On my car, every time it reloaded, the temperature reverted to Fahrenheit so I had to set it back to Celcius.

To complete the tyre pressure settings, click the Stop button to leave the IPC module settings. Now find BCMii Module configuration in the list and click Play on that. Look for TPMS (additional change required in IPC) in the list and set it to Enabled. Click Write. Turn the engine off and on again.

Some of the new features are a bit hidden. You have to enable the digital speedo by clicking the button at the end of the left stalk (which usually controls the lane keeping assist). The fuel history, tyre pressure and lock settings are in the left menu system. Changing the lock settings with FORScan doesn’t actually enable the lock settings, it just adds new items to the in-car menu so you can enable them yourself.