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Additionally, a recent 600 mile trip netted me 35mpg on one tank, and 33 overall... And a lot of this was sitting in traffic, stop-and-go for a full hour on the DC-area I-66 heading out to Manassas, VA yesterday during rush hour. I have no explanation for this mileage, but there you go.
Perhaps these things really DO loosen up as the miles pile on?
-SHOV6
After more investigation, I think it's best to stick w/ the stock intake (maybe a less restrictive K&N filter in place of the OEM paper one, tho). There.... I've save quite a few bucks w/ that decision.
Next.....
Does anyone know if installing more powerful headlight bulbs in place of the stock ones will harm the plexi glass type light covers? I've been told this is so but can't find any documentation to back up the claim.
What of the claims by some manufactures (like PIAA) that their bulbs put out more/brighter light than stock/other manufacturers. Is this true or just hocus pocus? TIA
Pros: Practicality of four doors and a hatchback, responsive steering, comfortable ride, ample interior storage, user-friendly controls, standard six-CD changer, available stability control. Cons: Build quality needs improvement, lots of body movement when cornering, no headrests for rear passengers.
"Several recalls" for the 2000 and 2001 model amounts to exactly two for my 2001, neither of which I have done yet, and neither one particularly bothers me... Though they are both going to be taken care of when the car makes its FIRST VISIT (aside from oil, in 14k miles) to the shop next week. Assuming that there will be more recalls for the 2002 is specious reasoning at best, as it sounds like they've pretty much ironed out all the wrinkles by now.
All this horrible body movement while cornering you mention... WOW... Guess the editors of Car and Driver and Automobile Magazine(s) don't know what they are talking about when they both appointed the Focus to their "best of" lists. Automobile actually named TWO Focii to their list, out of a total of 14 vehicles (10 of which were cars, so that's 2 of 10). Sorry, but I am more inclined to believe them than you... And myself, who finds no such problems. More body roll than is absolutely necessary, perhaps, but that's a different thing than that which you complain of.
And I just turned a 35mpg tank on my round trip to Hartford today. Sorry, I still don't have anything to complain about, especially since the "check engine" light snuffed itself after a week.
-SHOV6
Drivin' a ZX-3 and lovin' it
P.S.- I can't recall ever using ANY headrest in ANY car for more than a few seconds, so I don't understand that complaint, either.
Shov6 - I too had questions about the build quality issues because the interiors are put together really well. The only issue that I've seen, that is build quality related, is the trunk alignment of the sedans are sometimes not lined up perfectly.
Gandalf - how do you know the 2001's or 2002's suffer from "abominable quality control"? Not really a well founded statement. If you had said that about the 2000 model year, I could see that from the recalls and intial bad press.
Just wanted to find out whatever happened to autumn orange metallic as a paint choice on 2001 and 2002 ZX3s. It appears Ford dropped the color after the 2000 Model Year. I have a ZX3 in that color and I think it looks great!! You dont see that color too often. In fact, our dealer had to get it out of state and when he did a search only 2 were found. This was back in April 2000.
Besides ignition problems which was resolved , and recalls, the car is doing fine with only 11,300 miles. Well the mileage isnt too great though. In the city, I get 20-21 and highway, I touched 30 mpg sometimes.It is an automatic.
Regards
Off topic:
The new Dodge Neon SRT-4 will have 205 horses and priced under $20,000. Whoa.
Does anyone even remember a car (if that word can be used) called a "Dale?" I think it was shown at the '74 LA Auto Show. It turned out to be a scam by a transvestite who was later caught by the cops for fraud. It was a three-wheeler with what appeared to be a two-cylinder BMW motorcycle in the rear. They only made three of them before being found out. The Peterson Museum has one of them on display. The reason I mentioned the Chrysler turbine car and the Dale is that I have a brochure for each! Talk about trivia!
Shov6 - I'm envious of your 35 mpg on your trip to Hartford. What was your average crusing speed. Averaging 75-80 driving from LA to Phoenix I only get around 28-29 mpg. I have gotten 32.1 once at lesser velocities on local freeways.
Wonder when we'll hear anything more about the SVT Focus?
Wonder if Chrysler will offer the 7 yr 100K engine warrantee on that turbo Neon? Wonder if they'll offer that in the PT Cruiser?
Even though driving at a lower speed is part of it, keep in mind that this wasn't straight highway... Stop-and-go traffic did play a small part in this most recent trip.
On the other end of the spectrum, a recent mostly-city tank was as low as 22mpg. I have a somewhat heavier foot around town.
-SHOV6
2001 5spd
version. I hope they're holding it 'til they get it right. This is their first time with variable valve timing in the US. We'll find out eventually.
There isn't even a 65 zone within a half-hour drive of where I sit right now, that's the fun of living in a metro area in the northeast! To head south on I-95 is a revelation once you are past Richmond, as the hills mostly disappear and it's pretty much ALL 65-70 zones, but 75? We can dream, can't we?
In any event, I can confirm that the car WILL equal or beat its' highway rating if you are going 65-75mph, have the cruise control on, and you have a 5spd.
It sucks to be driving so painfully slowly (when 75-80 on EVERY highway would be my wish), at least I don't have to answer to "the man". My buddy drove up from Long Island to hang last weekend and got nailed for 82 in a 55... We don't even know how much the ticket is going to be! His first ticket EVER, having had a driver license for about 13 years... But I knew he was due for it, that guy drives 75 EVERYWHERE, no matter what the speed limit is.
I just wish I had a BMW M5, a sunny Montana afternoon, and every cop was out at Dunkin Donuts... *sigh*
-SHOV6
P.S.- Am I the only one who's noticed that you can squeeze an additional gallon into the tank after the pump clicks off? I don't mean a little dribble, but a FULL gallon?
Shov6, I'm afraid your dreams of having an M3 to drive in Montana won't come true. At least the Montana part of it. Montana dropped the "reasonable and proper" speed limit a couple of years ago. I think the highest speed limit posted in Montana is now 75. Sorry to have to tell you this.
I took my five speed ZX3 to an indicated 106 one time in early morning on I-10 in Arizona and it was smooth as glass. I thought the electronic limiter would cut in about then. Maybe another mile or two and it would have. I've checked it several times against mile markers and the odometer seems to be spot on. In fact it's actually ever so slightly pessimistic e.g. an indicated 100 mph is actually ~101 mph. Glad to see an accurate speedometer. Don't know why the SVT has a 160 mph speedometer though. The 140 version in the basic Focii is more than sufficient. I read somewhere that the estimated top end of the SVT Focus was 124 mph (or close to that) and was "drag limited." Of course, with Montana joining the rest of the Union what difference does it make. A little (considerable) hyperbole I guess. My 1974 Opel Sport Wagon (those vintage Opels had incredible paint. Lasted forever. Must have been all the lead in the paint) had 74 horses and a 130 mph speedometer though so I guess Ford can isn't the only one guilty of false advertising.
What a shame, that old "reasonable and prudent" thing was such a pie-in-the-sky thing to me that I am devastated that it is no more! Oh, well.
When I am making highway trips I fill the bloody thing up to the rim so I can make more accurate fuel mileage calculations, I don't normally do it, though the "CEL" thing, by which I presume you mean "check engine light," is news to me. Perhaps that's why MY CEL went on a couple of weeks ago? No matter, it has extinguished itself and everything is back to normal.
What is NOT back to normal is that I noticed the bolt holding the door to its' hinge, the bottom one, is loose. Wouldn't have noticed at all if I didn't lift up on the door yesterday, and then it became painfully obvious... It has no effect on the opening or closing of the door and isn't noticeable unless you stare at the hinge (or lift up on the open door!). As the car is FINALLY making its' first trip to the dealer on thursday, they can take care of it when they do the recalls. The Hartford trip happened on the due date for the car's visit to the shop, but I decided a job interview was more worthwhile than taking care of a recall.
Anyhoo, keeping ridiculous speedometers in mind, let's think about such cars as the Countach and BB512 that were saddled with 85mph speedos in the 80's, back when having anything reading higher was against the law. Strange, as my friend's old XR4Ti had a speedo whose NUMBERS stopped at 85, but a needle that would gladly sweep past that much higher speeds... The hash marks were still on the speedo face, and were at 15mph increments, so all you had to do was some simple addition... Or not so simple when you are doing 135 LOL!!!
-SHOV6
...who's never pushed his ZX-3 past 85, no matter what the speedo CAN read
-SHOV6
I used to top off the tanks on my two Neons until I could see it sitting stationery in the filler neck so I too could get an accurate reading. I was listening to "Click and Clack The Tappet Bros" on NPR one day and someone called them about filling to the very top. They responded in the same manner as Silver Bullet. My CEL never came on in the Neons but now I stop after the fourth click of the nozzle. Will uncover the car in the garage tonight and go thru the owners manual. Man that thing is made out of cheap paper!
-SHOV6
silver_bullit: Page 219 of the '00 owners manual actually talks about "Filling the Tank." I'd thought I'd seen it somewhere but sure couldn't remember where. Glad I found it. Anyway, it reads: "Use the same filling rate setting (low-medium-high) each time the tank is filled. Allow three automatic click-offs when filling. Always use fuel with the recommended octane rating of a known quality gasoline, preferably a national brand." I give it four "clicks" when I fill my ZX3.
Wow, I guess I should have read the manual more than once! And I thought it was just going to make my "check engine" light come on!!
-SHOV6
Anyone have any Troll repellent??
A little more trivia. As you know, the ZX3 comes standard with the single disc in-dash CD player. Since I have yet to buy a CD (since I don't own a CD player - I'm sure the day will come when I join the 20th - let alone the 21st - century) I ordered the car with the cassette player that comes with in the LX sedan. This was a no cost option. The funny part is that it costs $150 to upgrade from the cassette to the CD layer if you have an LX but did I get a $150 credit when I went from the CD to the cassette? Nooooo. Guess you can't fight city hall, or the optioning of a mass produced car. I'm sure this wouldn't have been a problem had I ordered a Corniche!
My friend has a Contour SE and his rotors are warped so badly that the whole car shakes, alarmingly so, any time the brakes are applied above 45mph. It even makes NOISE. Since the Focus has some things in common with the old Contour, I wonder if it has the same brakes?
-SHOV6
Just a little shudder with my brakes, please.
As for the warped rotors... Mine aren't really very bad at all. The only time you notice it at all is with very light braking coming up to a stop, and even then it's only barely noticeable.
-SHOV6
shov6: good info on the EBS rotors. Where are they available? I'll certainly consider them should I develop the warped rotor problem. The problem may not have a chance to manifest itself should Ford decide to start producing the SVT Focus. That will be neat. Then I could have the opportunity to replace four rotors! I have a friend who's job (PR guy for the Irwindale Speedway - a half mile oval just east of LA) gets him a car to drive (albeit one with signs all over it advertising the speedway). His first car was a Contour and he just got a ZX5. He said he put a different kind of pad on the Contour that really reduced the brake dust, and was going to put the same kind on the ZX5. I'll have to ask him the name.
Anyway, those pads were totally squeak-free, and the compound of the pads, while not dust-free, was a less-difficult-to-clean compound that just sprayed right off with water if you didn't let it sit too long.
-SHOV6
P.S.- Another way to help your rotors warp is to have the lug nuts improperly torqued. Perhaps you can ask your shop/dealer to NOT use the air gun to put the bolts back on if they have to remove your wheels. Not that they'll necessarily DO that, but you sure can ASK.
Seriously, anyone else get over, say, 27mpg average? I thought I held the record, but it appears that snaptab has got me beat.
-SHOV6
In order to bring up my average, I am going to start having my car helicoptered up to the top of Mt. Washington and coast down. I should beat 150mpg easy using this method. Unfortunately it does cost a LOT of money to rent a helicopter...
-SHOV6
With 6,500 miles and an automatic I'm only averaging low to mid twenties around town and upper 20's to 31 highway (speeds 65-75mph).
Seems mileage varies greatly w/ the X3s. When it's really cold out my city mileage is dismal in the low 20's and in the warmer months 24-26. Hwy mileage never exceeded 31 and is usually 29-30mpgs. (I mean my dad's Caddy and minivan get 29mpg hwy!)
Maybe after some more miles things will loosen up and mileage will be a bit better but I'm not holding my breath. Granted there are many variables in getting good mileage but I think I'm pretty 'easy on the gas' and generally drive for good mileage (except for those 80mph sprints in the interstate). I suppose I've been spoiled since my previous car (excort, 5spd) NEVER got below 27mpg and usually averaged 30 city and 38 hwy winter and summer. Oh, well. the X3 is a vastly superior car to the escort and that compensates somewhat. Overall, though, I'm very happy w/ the X3 so far.
Although I did just get the oil changed at the local jiffy lube-type place, and the guy at the shop was working REALLY hard to get me to spring for an "oil system flush". I pointed out that I doubted the car needed it at only 15k miles, but he then berated me for waiting "over three thousand miles" to get my oil changed... It was, in fact, five thousand miles. Now I know they are trying to beat the idea into your head that you "NEED" to change the oil every three, and I have fallen for that line before, but I think it's just a waste of good oil (thanks to various things I have read by experts in the field, the 3k thing is total nonsense)... But still, to practically INSIST on a full system flush?
Hard times, I guess. The terrorists have already won.
-SHOV6
anyone have a hard time getting a dealership to work on that problem, even with the bulletin?
TIA