G-DIMB Posted May 9, 2011 Author Share Posted May 9, 2011 We've looked around and havent yet found one cheaper. Its Motorpoint of Newport who are selling it and having looked around for the kit the car has got i think its very unlikely it will be cheaper. One local main dealer has a very similiar car (its blue as opposed to silver) and they want £14,499 for it and its done 2000 miles but it too is a ford management car. My old focus was the 2.0 6 speed Zetec S (sp ed) but i found on the uk motorways it did better in 5th especially if you were law abiding and doing 70. I'd get low 60s if i was in 5th but in 6th it would struggle to the mid 50s. I'm told its because at the lower revs the engine needs more power and more power means more fuel. Of course if your in the rev range 2000-2500 it was much better. But then i would have been breaking the law at the speeds it needed to do in 6th to get that. And also if people are wondering why i'm asking this question if i have owned them before. We only keep ours 12 months so i dont get to see whats it like after 3 years etc when they have had a bit more abuse. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
37114 Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 And also if people are wondering why i'm asking this question if i have owned them before. We only keep ours 12 months so i dont get to see whats it like after 3 years etc when they have had a bit more abuse. Paul Mine received plenty of abuse as you would term it and even at 4 years old / 100k miles still felt in first flush of youth. There were a few annoying squeaks from panels etc inside, but otherwise still ran well. I tend to buy my wifes car at 5 years old and sell at 8, and had previously owned Focuses and Fiestas without any dramas. For our own car we tend to use independant servicing on cost grounds, and saw no ill effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Harvey Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I have had mine Since 05 I have had it from new and still get 65 to 75 Mpg and for a 5 year old Diesel is not bad at all. Never had any problem. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PMP Posted May 9, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 9, 2011 We've looked around and havent yet found one cheaper. Its Motorpoint of Newport who are selling it and having looked around for the kit the car has got i think its very unlikely it will be cheaper. Just to clarify my earlier point, I meant the exact same vehicle. The 'supermarket' I was in had a scooby which when you looked on the web the price was about £1500 cheaper than the showroom price. I was asking about cash price discount and the salesman said I can't give you anything off, but if you look on the website ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eddie reffin Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 FWIW, The "facelift Focus" is the car they should have launched in 2005 instead of the one they did-looks much better with the headlights, tailgate and general finish. Things to look out for: Noisy door latches- a lot of them screech when double locked and the only fix is a new latch. 1.8TDCi- EGR valves- oil leaks at the crank rear seal, faulty injectors. 1.6TDCi- the one to avoid, especially at higher miles. You can't drain all the oil from the sump and over time this leads to a build up of cr@p which could cause the turbo to fail. If this happens, then it is likely to also require a new engine (80K plus) Also bad for split intercooler pipes, leaking water pumps, and I have also replaced more that one crank pulley which has fallen to bits! 2.0TDCi- By far and away the best of the bunch. Loads of power which gets delivered smoothly and there are no real issues.Had the odd sticking throttle flap which can cause a non-start but apart from that, it's the one I'd have. Other points to look out for: Stop/tail bulbs are in excess of £10 if bought from Main dealer, avoid cars with Continental tyres as Fords in general seem to eat them! A few have also suffered from wheel bearing assys coming out of the hub- You get plenty of warning however as the ABS light comes on....Oh and we have also had a few with the ABS module going faulty- Brake pressure sensor inside the module. Requires new Hydraulic Control Unit. Be wary of Ford Direct cars as some can be ex hire cars. Easy to tell though as the mileage will be higher. We haven't seen so many recently but I believe there are still some out there. All that said, I do like them but tend to get a negative view of them as we only see the faulty ones! Cheers Eddie ( Ford Master Tech.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Stop/tail bulbs are in excess of £10 if bought from Main dealer Even makes Halfords seem reasonable! The little local motor accessory shop is still the best place to buy bulbs and small items I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Pannier Tank Posted May 10, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 10, 2011 I had a 56 plate 1.8 TDCI ghia as a a company car from new until December last year, it was a fantastic car. Other than servicing it never went into the garage, and when it went in for servicing Buckingham Ford were very good/polite. I've just gone back to Buckingham Ford after many years, no problems so far. Won't go with the MK lot on principle!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eddie reffin Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Even makes Halfords seem reasonable! The little local motor accessory shop is still the best place to buy bulbs and small items I think. Should just clarify that these are not standard bulbs. The loating pins are ofset and the bulb itself is actually painted red! In a couple of years time all that paint will flake off just like indicator bulbs.... Eddie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Should just clarify that these are not standard bulbs. The loating pins are ofset and the bulb itself is actually painted red! In a couple of years time all that paint will flake off just like indicator bulbs.... Is that a deliberate decision to ensure you can only source parts from certain quarters? I've seen it happen with a number of other products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smyles1 Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 I have a Focus 1.6 TD Ghia Estate 43K miles. The engine is superb, uses no oil and I get over 70mpg on a run. I am still using the original tyres but will have to buy 2 new ones later this year. However the bodywork and interior trim is stuck on and in hot sunshine the glue melts. I agree with the comments about Ford Dealers, they are not interested in sorting out problems. I have my servicing done by a small local garage and it is much better than going to the Ford dealership as I am treated as a valued customer and the work is done properly and not by an apprentice. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Williams Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 I have a Focus 1.6 TD Ghia Estate 43K miles. The engine is superb, uses no oil and I get over 70mpg on a run. I am still using the original tyres but will have to buy 2 new ones later this year. However the bodywork and interior trim is stuck on and in hot sunshine the glue melts. I agree with the comments about Ford Dealers, they are not interested in sorting out problems. I have my servicing done by a small local garage and it is much better than going to the Ford dealership as I am treated as a valued customer and the work is done properly and not by an apprentice. Mike Mike, What make tyres are you using? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-DIMB Posted May 11, 2011 Author Share Posted May 11, 2011 I was going to say 43K on a set of front tyres on a diesel is pretty good going. I'm not a screamer or anything like that but i normally get 30K max on the front. Michelins are the best for wear i find. The rears tend to begin to perish before they wear out. Anyway we are now the proud owners of a Ford Focus 2.0TDCi Titanium X Estate in Silver. Cost an extra £500 but SWMBO liked it. Done about 1400 miles. Previous owner was Dagenham Motors. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 I was going to say 43K on a set of front tyres on a diesel is pretty good going. I'm not a screamer or anything like that but i normally get 30K max on the front. Michelins are the best for wear i find. The rears tend to begin to perish before they wear out. Bearing in mind that I have a North American perspective on this, but I would consider 43K miles on a set of tires to be only middlling good. I tend to get at least 80K km (50K miles) on a set of tires (all season or studless winter tires depending on the season) before I consider them to need replacing (which is before they legally need to be replaced). I do rotate them (front to rear) at reasonable intervals (I assume from your comment that you do not) which does even out the wear. This has been consistent over 5 cars (FWD and AWD) and somewhere over 1 million km. The only Focus I've had any experience with was a 1999 2.0L (petrol) one that had been converted into a rally car. It tended to eat power steering pumps and racks, and had all sorts of ignition issues (the latter probably due to the fiddling that had been done to the computer). Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LIRR Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Hi Adrian, Please consider that the mileage alone should not dictate when you should change your tyres. Even modern materials deteriorate eventually and four to five years is probably about as long as I would use any set irrespective of the mileage. My current set is about 4 years old and will be replaced in a few months time with only 14k on them. It may seem like a bit of a waste, but I don't take chances with the family transport. Cheers Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Bearing in mind that I have a North American perspective on this, but I would consider 43K miles on a set of tires to be only middlling good. I tend to get at least 80K km (50K miles) on a set of tires (all season or studless winter tires depending on the season) before I consider them to need replacing (which is before they legally need to be replaced). I do rotate them (front to rear) at reasonable intervals (I assume from your comment that you do not) which does even out the wear. This has been consistent over 5 cars (FWD and AWD) and somewhere over 1 million km. Your tyres must have a very hard compound! I have one car where if it sees 12,000 from a set of front tyres I'm doing very well! The tyres are Goodyear F1 GSD3 Eagles which are sadly being phased out now - real shame as they're an excellent tyre with superb grip and the sexiest tread pattern you can find! Whatever your tyres i wouldn't expect them to be performing anything like new by the time they get to 50,000 miles - the F1's perform well right until they legally need replacing but on my main car (for which the GSD3s sadly are no longer available ) start to loose performance before this point. There was easily 3,0 mm of tread left on the fronts but optimum performance had been lost so it made sense to replace them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Hi Adrian, Please consider that the mileage alone should not dictate when you should change your tyres. Even modern materials deteriorate eventually and four to five years is probably about as long as I would use any set irrespective of the mileage. My current set is about 4 years old and will be replaced in a few months time with only 14k on them. It may seem like a bit of a waste, but I don't take chances with the family transport. Cheers Andy Age is not a big issue for me as I put 50-60K km (30-40K miles) on the car each year. That being said, current tire compounds are such that a tire that is used on a regular basis and is kept properly inflated (or is stored properly) shouldn't be significantly less safe at five years than it was when new. Tire compounds over here may be generally harder due to the higher anticipated mileages and generally rougher roads. It may also be that the tires that come on cars over here are more of an all season tire (some grip in winter) than you get, and may have a deeper tread depth for that reason (and hence a longer life). My last 3 cars (all Subaru Imprezas) all came with Bridgestone Potenza RE92As as the standard all-season tire, which starts a 10mm tread depth and a 260 treadwear value (which is quite high). This is a performance-oriented all season tire - I wouldn't be adverse to driving in winter conditions with it as long as I was being careful, although I prefer to have a winter compound tire (studless by law) in the winter. James' F1 RSD3s are, in comparison, a summer performance tire that will have a much softer compound and a shallower tread depth (about 8mm when new). Not a tire I'd be comfortable using on the mixed gravel and choppy tarmac road that I drive every day, and certainly a tire I'd expect to wear out fairly quickly. Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 James' F1 RSD3s are, in comparison, a summer performance tire that will have a much softer compound and a shallower tread depth (about 8mm when new). Not a tire I'd be comfortable using on the mixed gravel and choppy tarmac road that I drive every day, and certainly a tire I'd expect to wear out fairly quickly. Clearly they wouldn't suit you in those conditions! But on sports saloons on British A and B roads they've been fantastic! Though despite being a summer tire I found they were excellent in the wet so had no issues using them all year round. Only on snow did they prove pretty poor - though then again anything other than proper winter tyres will prove less than satisfactory in snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pennine MC Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 - though then again anything other than proper winter tyres will prove less than satisfactory in snow. Unless they're on a 4x4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted May 13, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 13, 2011 Unless they're on a 4x4 It may depend on the 4x4! My wife's Clio on regular Michelin Energy tyres coped better along our road than some 4x4s with very low profile tyres. My car has M+S rated tyres fitted as standard so I'm not sure if the tyres or the 4x4 transmission enabled me to get to the end of the road. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pennine MC Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 It may depend on the 4x4! My wife's Clio on regular Michelin Energy tyres coped better along our road than some 4x4s with very low profile tyres. Oh I know Tony . This debate has raged on and on on the Kuga forum - I'm sure driving technique has a lot to do with it but generally, owners with 18" or 19" rims havent fared so well as those with 17s. Not to mention owners with 2WD K's who were bitterly disappointed and couldnt understand that a heavy 2WD car would have more problems than a light 2WD car... My car has M+S rated tyres fitted as standard so I'm not sure if the tyres or the 4x4 transmission enabled me to get to the end of the road It'll be a bit of both I think - I have Hankook M&S as original equipment and didnt have any significant problems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Unless they're on a 4x4 Yes and no. I've driven with worn out (to be scrapped as soon as I switched to my winter tires) all-season tires on ice (freezing rain causing a surface that it was difficult to stand on) and snow (4-6" of fresh snow) in my non-turbo Impreza when an unexpected winter storm caught us at a rally (day one - short sleeved shirts, day two - ice, day three - snow and closed highways). While I had no particular problems, including driving 100 miles on an unplowed highway (it was technically closed at the time, but I got onto it before they got around to telling anyone), I had to be extremely smooth and there was no margin for error. With a proper winter tire there is the ability to regain grip - with an all-season (or worse) you are along for the ride when you lose traction even if you are driving all four wheels. One comment that is frequently made over here is that 4WD just allows you to get further off the road before you get stuck. If you are using non-winter tires in winter conditions it is better to have tires with relatively tall sidewalls. The flexing of the sidewalls allows the tread to flex more which puts more heat into the tires. This allows them to provide more grip since the tread blocks are flexible and will squirm more. Any M+S rated tire with a reasonable amount of tread depth should provide sufficient grip in snow as long as you are being careful and the temperature isn't too low (and you have 4WD/AWD or FWD - RWD takes a little more care/skill). I wouldn't suggest driving mountain roads, but in lower, better travelled areas you should be fine. There are a lot of people in southern, urban Ontario who don't bother with winter tires. Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pennine MC Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Yes and no. Noted Adrian - I was being deliberately glib there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium spamcan61 Posted May 13, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 13, 2011 One comment that is frequently made over here is that 4WD just allows you to get further off the road before you get stuck. Adrian I think last winter a lot of 4x4 drivers in the UK discovered that: whilst driving all 4 wheels makes it easier to get going on ice and snow, once you're moving your brakes are no better than anyone else's, you've just got a lot more momentum you can't get rid of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I think last winter a lot of 4x4 drivers in the UK discovered that: whilst driving all 4 wheels makes it easier to get going on ice and snow, once you're moving your brakes are no better than anyone else's, you've just got a lot more momentum you can't get rid of. As well as being able to get going faster, 4WDs tend to be bigger and heavier than regular cars so they have more momentum to deal with... While it is completely off the original topic, this discussion has helped me understand more about why snow tends to cause so many problems in the UK (just like it does in the southern USA). Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pennine MC Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 While it is completely off the original topic, Not entirely, there would have been a few Focuses stuck in the snow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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