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Ford Focus Hatchback ZX3 - Part XII
Part twelve, coming right up!
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carlady/host
Let me remind you, friends, that you may only post
photos for which you personally hold the
copyright. I must scribble all other photos because
of copyright law. May I also ask you not to post
using different colors? Not all of our users have
monitors that make color easy to read. Thanks!
To catch up, start reading here.
carlady/host
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Comments
in your previous post you were mentioning an 'oil suction device' I can use to remove factory tranny oil.
Have used one before?
Where can I find it?
I tried all the auction places. Nothing. Suggestions?
zinker looks great! as you stated,it is amazing how inferior products win out. has more to do with marketing than any single influence.sad,but true.
on their car yet?? if so how easy (or difficult)
was it?! i am very interested in knowing!
Jimmy
If you want to upgrade you can fit 5"x7" in front and rear.
My advice would be to replace the front speakers only, and use the component speakers (separate woofer,tweeter and outboard crossover).Systems like that can cost between $100 - $700 a pair, and can sound much better than only decent stock speakers.
If you are replacing the speakers only, and you don't want to add a power amplifier, make sure that the speakers you will buy will be efficient (at least 91 dB).
There is a lot of good speakers out there so shop around, internet can be very helpful.
Good luck.
And the most important, SPEAKERS GRILLS DON'T COME OFF!!!! So you must do a little surgery there and remove the door panels.
system? i am still impressed with the stock sound
quality.like the z itself,it is a very well-balanced packaged.first car i have owned,where i have no desire to replace the speakers.listening to
music on a daily basis has been a life-long passion
of mine.ive found the stock speakers to be very natural-sounding,producing no listener fatigue.of
course,selection of speakers is a very personal
preference.the stock speakers to my ears are very
neutral,adding very little coloration,if any to the music.bass response is very adequate for its size.
Treva: I live in the East Bay and I've seen just more than 10 Z's since it came out. I mainly drive up and down 880.
http://www.evisteon.com/
http://www.visteon.com/
Also, that column was getting sort of off topic I guess...
Hope you guys are having fun with your new cars. Watch out for incompetent drivers - I've nearly been hit twice in two days in my new GTI. As a European, I continue to believe that American drivers lack basic driving skills. I know I'm not supposed to say that - it will cost me a lot of sympathy and it's not terribly 'PC', but nonetheless... after a year in the US... I'm starting to be convinced! Also, it seems that new shiny cars attract careless drivers like nothing else. (just today, a van nearly hit me while I was standing still waiting for a left turn light - I saw him in my mirror waving like an idiot at strike pickets outside ATT, and his van sverved right behind me at full speed. Fortunately, he realized his mistake at the last moment. There were also two police cars parked near by... but that did not seem to procure him any sense at all!
Moron. I hope he hits a tree next time he pulls such a stunt... Ahhh... sorry guys... I just had to vent it...
what do you mean there is no more Civ. vs. Foc. forum? Last time I checked it is still there.
silver bullet,
I must disagree with you. I'm not a Honda warshipper and nobody attacked me there. Those guys could be quite harsh, but so what?
I'm not one that easily offended and enjoy a heated debate. I thought this is the purpose of the boards like this.
I can be wrong, but in my opinion it makes the discussion alive.
Constant "I'm so happy, this is the best car on the surface of the Earth" can become tiresome quite quickly.
And I don't think it's a lovefest 24/7 here at all. A lot of people use it to discuss and share the problems and the bugs. Far from perfect.
This is what I am talking about.
Why do you call an intelligent(and unintelligent sometimes inbetween) argumentation a fight?
There is no war going on. Nobody is gonna be declared a winner.
For me it seems like a lot of people are afraid to post simply because they are afraid to offend somebody.
I'm not advocating a name calling, but c'mon.
And alfaromeo,
yes, american drivers are bad drivers.
just say it as it is. Please,don't try to apologize in advance. If you offend somebody by this, hey everybody is different and have their own opinion and freedom to express them.
Add my ZX3 to your manual column. It must be awfully boring to drive, or should I say "steer", the automatic. However, I can see the advantages of the auto in stop-and-go traffic.
9000+ miles on my Focus since taking delivery just after New Year's Day. Running flawlessly. My only complaint is with various fit/finish problems, such as a poorly adhered black strip on the rear hatch, which was replaced under warranty. The part actually arrived within a week.
I still have seen relatively few ZX3's in the Longmont/Boulder Colorado area. I don't quite understand why, because it's a wonderful car. Maybe the dealers just can't get them from the factory.
MrBrook
My problem with that forum was that it lacked the key ingredient of being intelligent. There were one or two posters who 1) felt it their responsibility to respond to EVERYTHING, 2) never conceded ANYTHING, no matter how well the opposing point was made, and 3) made unsupportable statements and got mad when you pointed out the flaw in their logic.
So I just left. Wasn't worth it.
As for this forum being a "love-fest", far from it. I think folks here are pretty blunt with their comments and criticisms - as it should be. I still feel this forum offers a prospective buyer tons of useful feedback, as well as helpful advice to those who took the plunge and bought a Z.
Ok, now everyone stop picking on the automatics. Nobody has poked fun at the 5 speeds. We all have our personal preferences, and that doesn't make them wrong, stupid or boring. We buy what we want. Aren't we all on the same team??
That battle was of the truly epic proportions.
No casualties though.
I'm here 'cause I like this board.
My point was that it doesn't have to be 'sterile' in order to be fun, useful and pleasant place to discuss good and bad experiences.
And all of us have different backgrounds and understandings of what is appropriate and tollerable.
BTW at the "the other forum" I saw some less than intelligent postings from the ZX3 side too.
I think that those other forum guys don't tolerate subjective feelings too much and need to be nailed with facts and links to prove them to change their opinions. And I respect that.
They simply don't accept have trues, hard to prove facts or unproven records.
And the Focus is too new to argue about relibility(a big selling point for the Civic)
The headline reads:
Ford Teams Up With General Mills to Create the Cheerio Edition Focus
Full article can be found here:
http://www.edmunds.com/edweb/editorial/exhaust/cheerio.html?id=nl
(note: this is satire)
re: drebe73/visteon
-thanks 4 posting the direct link to the focus article!!
Gabe
I have 3600 miles or so on my ZX3 (I'm on a small island so it doesnt get driven very far every day), and so far no problems.
I have noticed the diesel like rattle at low rpm's in a lower gears (usually 2nd seems the worst, under 2000 rpm), and the chattering when in neutral, so I see I'm not the only one after reading some posts. I also have a small buzzy rattle coming from under the dash, but am not sure what it's coming from. I only hear it when on rough roads normally.
Ok, a couple questions...
I noticed on the passenger side doors there were a several light scratches (I think from rocks from driving on a dirt road?). The Rain X Fast Wax I have seemed to hide some of them, and lessen the others... any other good polishes that could hide these? Also, where can I pick up some mudguards for all 4 wheels? They might save my paint because there are lots of dirt roads here, plus I think they might look pretty good.
One more... Are there any pics yet of the fully equipped 2001 ZX3's?
Brian
Brian
I've followed the posts concerning the gearbox sound often described as a "diesel" rattle. If the sound you all are describing is what I've noticed in both of our ZX3s, I'd have to say it was normal gear rattle. This type of noise is relatively common in gearboxes designed to run ATF lubes for low friction reasons (read: better fuel economy). Try running a synthetic lube like Redline MTL to see if you notice a change in this "rattle"; ATF doesn't offer nearly as much "cushioning" as heavier, conventional gear lubes.
how come it rattles.
I'm not the only one complaining about that noise
and not aware of any other car currently on the market having the same problem.
For the record, I've got an Autumn Orange 2000 with a 5 speed, and every option except smokers package. Had to order it and it took forever (about 13 weeks). Whole thing ran just over $14,000 w/o sunroof. The roof cost an extra grand. I've never enjoyed a car this much and am extremely pleased.
BUT . . . here's my punchlist.
1. The steering wheel is just the smallest bit off center. Took it to the dealer and they aligned the thing. Now it's the same amount off center the other way. I'll let them try again.
2. The Ford oval on the steering wheel was cracked when it was delivered, so the dealer ordered a new one. Two weeks to get it.
3. The driver's seat creaks annoyingly from the left hand hinge on the seat back. Dealer thought I was hallucinating until they drove it and it made them crazy too. They ordered parts. Two weeks again to get the parts. I'll take it in soon to get the oval and seat parts put in.
That's it. Everything else works fine. Got about 4000 miles on it, changed to Mobil 1 at the first oil change (3000 miles) and get about 30 mpg in about 50/50 city/highway. Gives me a charge to drive and gives me my exercise getting the brake dust off the front wheels! Every time I get behind the wheel, a grin spreads from ear to ear, and my day gets brighter and brighter. It just don't get no better than this!
Yes, let's share opinions about cars (not people) and let's remember that no one drives the best car or the worst car on the face of the earth and that there is no need to defend one's ride to the death. The right car for you is the right car for YOU. Thanks for being such a fun group.
carlady/host
Please don't scribble this one.
Splash Guards.
You can get them at:
http://www.icollection.com/stores/default.asp
in the store directory go to accesories,
then 2000 models...
Looks like only the front ones are available for the ZX3. The sedans and wagons get the rear ones too.
http://www.streetracing.org/article/products/wheels/fusel/
americans drove during the big one.you can be-
lieve what you want + say what you want, thank
the u.s.for fighting and dying for that right.
okay, you're the first one.
BTW the U.S. rocks
God Bless America
I think I've decided to go with a spoiler type roof. There a little less expensive than the retract-inside-the-roof kind. Here's the kicker. There knockig 20% off of everything in August because it's between model years (I know he's not yanking my chain here, 'cause I talked to him a month ago, and this wasn't the case [he didn't know it was me]).
So, my options with prices:
Inside the roof - $1295 ($1035 w/ discount)
Spoiler w/ cloth slide - $895 ($715)
Spoiler w/o cloth slide - $795 ($635)
I'm tempted to go with the last option for obvious reasons. My question is this...What are the advantages of having the inside slide cover. I don't have leather, so that's not a consideration. I guess cloth fade might be a worry, but it is tinted, and I do live in Seattle.
So, what's the story with the cloth slide thingy?
http://www.webasto.com/
and what is the big one?
Somebody tell me. Do automobile manual transmissions have clutch brakes. On a heavy truck, to get the gears to stop spinning, you have to depress the clutch all the way to the floor which engages the clutch brake. If your having trouble engaging reverse, try that. If that doesn't work, put her back into neutral, let out the clutch, then push the clutch in at try it again.
Oh, Drebe73. Thanks for the radio link!
Pat
And yes, we yankees are lousy drivers. Almost as bad as Okanawans. Also have driven in Thailand, Germany (east and west), Austria and of course Canada. Now the Canadians, well, I wouldn't go to that one. Let's face it, drive like they drive where ever you are,
Pat