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Ford Focus Hatchback ZX3 - Part XII
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Miata, thanks for the link to the other Focus board. It was very helpful. And thanks to everyone on this board for always being so very willing and able to help each other out. It's nice to know there are people like you out there!
The short of it - they resurfaced my warped rotors for me a couple weeks ago (and I had been feeling the slip before BUT they resurfaced when the huge SHIMMY came along). I wanted them to replace the rotors but they just resurfaced. I am keeping an eye (ear? foot) on the brakes to see if it happens again...if it does I'll be sure thhis time to get the new ones.
They just love me in that service department (not!) because I am in there once trouble starts only because I do not want to be stuck in a situation like yours. If that means they all run when they see my car coming - oh well
So they won't cover it because you waited so long?
Most of the oxygen produced in the planet's carbon cycle is produced by plankton and algae on the surface of seas and oceans. Like 85% or so.
I love trees and hug them because of personal taste and enjoyment. Nothing more nothing less; no more spiritually superior or inferior to a guy who gets his rocks off riding vibrating hogs.
Jim
Just love intelligent comments.
BTW since there is no visible activity on this board at the moment I propose to send the vice perpetrator to Russia where he can join his party comrades.
carlady/host
NJ
watch,courtesy of ford.
with my tonsils... I just wanna drive and drive"
You made me laugh out loud, thanks.:>)
Congrats and enjoy!
...and please, remember about break-in period!
Thanx for reponses
HTTP://PAGES.ABOUT.COM/FOCUSZX3
There are TWO TSB's regarding the passenger side leak: # 8284 and # 13953
Congrats on finally getting your Z - you're right - getting that phone call felt great
As you can see, Acura leads everyone.
Results of J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study. Problems reported per 100 vehicles.
Acura 91
Lexus 103
Infiniti 107
BMW 118
Toyota 118
Porsche 122
Honda 126
Buick 130
Mercedes-Benz 134
Jaguar 137
Plymouth 137
Saab 138
Lincoln 139
Audi 141
Mercury 143
Cadillac 146
Volvo 150
Chrysler 151
Mazda 153
Nissan 153
Industry Average 154
Oldsmobile 162
Ford 162
Saturn 164
Mitsubishi 166
Pontiac 167
Chevrolet 168
Dodge 174
GNC 175
Jeep 188
Land Rover 192
Isuzu 193
Subaru 199
VW 200
Hyundai 203
Daewoo 211
Suzuki 224
Kia 251
'06 Civic LX coupe
'11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
'13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
Great website. I am glad to see that the Focus is creating decent aftermarket support. You should check out www.batinc.net. They are developing parts for the Focus, and are a great source for any European Focus/Zetec parts you may be interested in. When the 5-door comes this way, I may have to trade in my 95 Contour SE. Later, Wes.
hope it's as trouble free as mine.
by the way, where in NJ are you from? I grew up in Old Bridge. moved to albuquerque in `92.
can't say I miss it too much. Too many people,
traffic sucks, etc..
good luck with the Z.
Skater4: Sounds like you have some great memories at Tinks!! I'll be sure to do a shot for ya
well... it's 3:40 right now... im waitin for my pops to get back from work so I can go get my Z. they wont let me finance it by myself as a 21 year old 1st time buyer... gotta have a co-signer.. I should be goin within the next hour. I'll keep ya all posted.
NJ
That said, I still love my car, but I am REALLY pi**ed off about the gas milage. I am only getting 20-21 mpg. I feel this is ridiculous! I have an auto and the a/c is running a lot, but come on. I just traded an Olds Alero in on my husband's runner and the alero w/ v6 got at least 26-28 mpg under the same conditions. Anyway, PLEASE someone tell me this will improve. I am still under 1000 miles, but was expecting mileage more in the 28-30 range. A Neon I previously owned was still getting 32-34 ragged out with 120K. If this doesn't improve, is there anything I can do about it? dealer wise or otherwise???
Thanks, and don't get the wrong idea, I still love my Kona, but the main reason I wanted a smaller "economy" car was fuel economy. : )
Clint
I totally love my car, but this smell thing really bugs me. I was wondering if anybody has heard of this problem (on a ZX3 or otherwise), and if you have any advice. I'm a little embarrassed about going to the dealer and saying "My car smells like mold when it rains!"
Thanks!!
be getting 20 or 21 mpg. I've been consistently getting around 19. My previous 2 tanks teased me
with 20+ mpg, but the last tank was about 17.5.
The highest I've ever gotten was 24 on a short
road trip. (Interesting to note that the
EPA rating for the Crown Victoria is
17 mpg / 24 mpg).
I wrote ownerconnection and they told me to
drive slower, carpool, or take public transit!
I took it to the Ford dealer and they told me
Ford won't pay for fuel economy diagnostics
before 6000 miles.
I keep hearing these stories of improved
mileage. The guy in the parts department
said his wife's Focus started getting better
mileage at about 6000 miles.
What I don't understand is why I (we) have to
put up with this - my last car, an Acura Integra,
got good mileage right off the lot.
I love the way my ZX3 drives. The package is
super, the AC works great (a big plus in Houston),
and the price is a steal. BUT... until the
fuel economy is up to par I can't recommend it
to my friends.
In the meantime, I think I'm also going to
check the terms of the Texas lemon law. In
addition, I have a "secret plan of action"
(nothing illegal or destructive, of course),
which I will describe and implement if the
mileage hasn't improved by about 7500 miles.
I'm quite curious about the fuel economy variations I keep seeing reported. What can cause that?
Well, there are a few items that can do it. Obviously anything that makes the engine work harder will make it suck more fuel.
Driving fast a lot will do that.
I've seen people who unconsiously pump the gas pedel as they drive. As a driver this may be unnoticible, but it can make passengers nearly ill. Watch your own driving habits carefully or ask passengers if your speed tends to vary frequently. Speed control would eliminate that, and I use mine as much as I can.
It's great fun to see how fast you can get your Focus up to speed, but doing it on a regular basis won't help your fuel economy one bit.
Drag, especially at high speeds, can play a big role. I've heard that the ZX3 has a pretty awful drag coefficient, but that wouldn't account for all the variability we see.
The Kona has that roof rack which surly can't help much.
Driving with the windows down increases drag. At higher speeds. Running the A/C actually should improve efficiency.
Finally, I've seen conditions where the brakes drag a bit on cars (not specifically on the Focus). This puts just a bit of extra drag on the car and reduces efficiency. If this was occuring you might notice one or more wheels are hotter then you would expect after a long drive. You can also jack up each wheel in turn and see if it spins freely. The fronts will have a bit more then the rear of course due to the transaxal.
I'm sure there are more of these simple things that could be causing this problem. And the problem could be due to a combination of several of these "minor" issues adding up.
You can't say that an engine will be broken in exactly X miles. It depends a lot on how you drive it! So one new ZX3 owner might start getting better mileage sooner than you because they are speeding their break-in by (whether they know it or not):
1. Varying engine speeds frequently (contributes to more even wear on the cylinder walls).
2. Avoiding a lot of shorts trips where the engine is cold (rings will not expand as much when engine is cold and break-in will be slow).
3. Avoiding high rpm/full throttle and driving in too high of a gear (which is actually worse - i.e. starting in 2nd, shifting too early).
4. Avoiding stop and go driving, or excessively long trips (engines breaking in develop hot spots because of all that friction. excessive heat=bad for new engine).
All of the above is not to increase your mileage but to speed (and improve) your break-in, which will ultimately increase your mileage. The lower the miles on your car, the more crucial the above 4 steps are (especially the first 500 miles). So there you go!
Frank
Charlie
NJ
the next time you fill up, you divide the amount of gas it took into the mileage since last fill.
of course you have to reset the trip odometer after each fill-up.
did I word that right?
I'm pretty sure that's the way it's done.
Anyone else?....
njxz3- have a blast with your focus, I still think they rock, despite my current gas mileage issues..
carlady/host
I drive pretty conservative. Shift at 3500-4000 rpm between 1-2; about 4000 rpm from 2-3, and then pretty much then shift to 4th and then 5th.
Often I drive at 40 mph in 5th gear when there isn't much traffic. I also drive in 4th gear at 30-35 mph.
Are people driving 50 mph in 4th? Are they driving in 3rd gear at 30 mph for lengthy periods of time? These activities have a negative affect on gas mileage!!
My diesel sound has not appeared for a few days now. I'll let you know if it returns.
I usually get 170-190 miles on from full to 1/2 full. I know this is not very scientific, but perhaps a guide to others. There does seem to be a few posters who are not familar with calculating gas mileage.
For those with a new Focus: Enjoy and welcome. I know you will love your car! Drive Safe and have fun.
ND
Borla exhaust. I know there has been a post or 2 from people who have added the borla system to their car.. good luck. I would STRONGLY suggest that you look at alternatives before going with Borla. They are not as "guaranteed" nor as problem free as they are made out to be. We had a borla cat-back system on our 95 tacoma and it was nothing but trouble. The muffler broke. That's right the "solid stainless steel" simply sheared off. Not just once, not just twice, not even just 3 times, but 4!! After multiple replacements, hey that "million mile" warranty is good for something..we are still trying to extract a refund. To make a long story short, they sent us new parts on 3 occasions, btw all 3 times the parts were different and once the pipe was 18 inches too long, how's that for efficiency. And we shipped back parts (at our own expense) 3 times. We have been waiting 2 months for "accounting to process the paperwork", yet accounting says they haven't received the paperwork. Oh wait, I said long story short: Borla is hell to deal with if anything ever goes wrong. Not to mention the words inefficiency and ineptitude come to mind. So that is my 2 cents on borla. Avoid, or if a problem arises I give you a million mile guarantee you will regret!!!
I have not noticed any other problems with the car. It does not pull, I don't believe there are any problems with the brakes, there are no smells, etc. It is a mystery! I would give some credence to break-in, but I've had my car for 9 months now. I got better mileage in my 10 year old car that I traded in.
I mean, it's not something that's haunting my dreams or anything, it's just disappointing, is all. The car in every other respect is awesome.
The money thing...is think it's an Italian thing for Good luck.
Pat
have any affect on mpg? i dont know, just a thought.