Ford Focus Sedan
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Part 3 topic. Those of you joining us from that
topic are welcome to continue your discussion.
If you're new to this topic, you may want to
follow the above link for additional archived
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Thanks,
L8_Apex
Sedans Host
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Hope that helps, happy holidays to all!
It truly is nice to see Foci Sedan owners posting in here with positive upbeat responses. You know, "Love my Focus, going strong after 800 miles!" "2000 trouble free miles on my ZTS sure am loving it" "This car has been flawless, 8,000 miles strong."
I'll reason that most of these seasonal posts are first time Ford owners. Some how the thought of reading " love my Focus, still going strong after 60,000 miles." seems like something out of a Ray Bradbury novel. But heck, I'm just an angry Protege' owner. Prior to that I was an angry Toyota, and Honda owner.
Must be an anti-Ford conspiracy.
Happy Holidays,
Mark.
1) Does the Focus have a timing belt or a timing chain?
2) The oil is required to be changed every 5,000 miles, but no time limit is stated. Is there a time limit as well as mileage?
3) Does the transmission fluid have to be changed at 30,000 miles or only inspected at that time?
4) At what mileage should the engine coolant be changed?
This information is not answered in the maintenance book.
Thanks for the replies and happy holidays to all.
Floridian
I am going to break my own pledge to ignore the negative posts. I am afraid that I can't let wanton ingnorance go to the wayside.
Glide-- Who said you were just an angry Protege owner??? What was said is that you weren't a FOCUS owner. Hence, when it comes to credibly posting about the Focus...there is little. Are you angry? If so, I suggest counseling. As for not seeing posts about having 60,000 miles and still going strong: you have one now, and has it just slipped your mind that the Focus has just recently begun its second year of production?? How many people put 60,000 miles on their car in a year? I am guessing the only one would be company vehicles. So OF COURSE there isn't going to be such posts. Heaven forbid that people would post from their first hand EXPERIENCE and not from what they guess might be a problem.
Hope everybody had a Happy Thanksgiving!
My 2 cents!
No real need for the personal attacks. Remember, we are talking about an automobile here. Let's try and be adults.
Regards,
Mark.
My 2001 ZTS has zero defects so far(1000mi). I continue to be more impressed. I keep expecting to find cheapness and shortcuts considering all the stuff that the car comes with and the price. But so far have found none. The best feature of the car is that it has the ride quality of a bigger car until the road gets twisty then it feels like a sports car. Ford really got the suspension right.
I have a maintenance question also. Ford recommends 5-20 weight engine oil. I have never seen this oil in stores. Does anybody have any comments on this?
And I just passed 8000 miles this weekend and not a single problem. And NYC driving isn't exactly easy on a car...
peace
When I made my appointment, they just asked me what I was coming in for, so I mentioned the recalls.
Hope that helps...
"From my experience, you can definitely..."
First, there's quite a range in my gas mileage from in town (22-23) to highway (30+). Is this the numbers that others are experiencing?
Second, audio volume jumps from 0 (none) to 1 (loud). Is there any manual adjustment?
Third, has anyone else noticed that the passenger side door/window frame support creates a blind spot when at intersections?
I just hope all the problems with this car are as minor as these.
Best to all.
peace
I don't have the standard Focus stereo so I'm not qualified to speak on your stereo issue, but I have read a few others mention that the stereo does seem to go from off to loud in too few clicks/turns.
As for blind spots, yes, the Focus has very thick pillars which can/do obstruct visibility at times.
peace
Thanks for the info.
As for the stereo, Is the AVC on or off? If its on it might make the volume seem to loud(it does raise the volume with speed) so if its on , turn it to a lower setting, or off. If you havent discovered this feature read the manual, or simply press the menu button until you find AVC+the higher the number that shows, the higher the volume will raise automatically.
Hope that helps..
They are a fun car to drive, nice to look at (unlike the Echo - thats one ugly car), and fun to own. There are some unanswered questions, as there are on all new models. If you want a proven, tried, and historically reliable car, don't buy the Focus. Get a Corolla or something like that. You simply can't get those things in such a new model. However, if you want a car that is cutting edge, superior styling, and a quality car that almost everyone loves to drive, the Focus is for you. Remember recalls do not necessarily equate to poor reliability. I am guessing that the 2001 model will have these recall issues ironed out.
That said, 2001 vehicles are a much safer bet in terms of staying bug free.
I have a 2000 SE Sport Sedan (built in February) and I've yet to have a problem. I live in New York City - a place rough on cars - and I've had 8200 trouble free miles despite my poor driving habits - hey, is it my fault that my foot is so heavy
If, god forbid, my car was totaled in an accident, I'd buy another Focus. In a heartbeat. I'm that impressed with this car.
Anyhow, whatever you decide to buy, good luck with it!
peace
If you are very practical minded, check out crash test results from Europe. The Focus did very well. The test is much tougher than in the U.S. After seeing what was left of a 2000 Honda Civic, I won't mind a couple of trips to the service center.
By the way, If you are a Protege owner, you don't want to go there -- The Focus beat the Protege.
Anyway, I had driven it 51 miles when I hit a bump and the back end of the car felt like it was hopping around or something. It made the car feel like it was going sideways, and it wasn't even windy outside then.
I took the car back to Enterprise and told them my situation. They replaced it with a Chevy Malibu and that was that.
I did like driving the Focus though. It was a nice ride. I think I would have liked an SE Sport model better for its power and features though.
I'd say you will see credible consumer publications recommending it again at that point. It really is a nice automobile. It just that it's a Ford.
Regards,
Mark.
THe oil filter (at least on the base engine) is behind the block and almost impossible to get off unless the car is on a rack. Figure on taking it to a shop.
I noticed the blind spot just this morning. I'm told it goes along with the padded pillars mandated for crash protection.
I drive a '00 LX and the only thing that's actually broken is the clutch spring. It rides great and has enough pep once you learn to spool it up a little. The doors squeak and a gasket popped off the rear door (easily fixed but annoying), so Ford had a few things to improve, but it is a great car to drive, and roomy besides. The engines are held over from the Escort, so there should be fewer problems there. I say, whatever you buy, enjoy it and let the dealer fix the snags.
Re mileage, I get 30 mpg (mixed driving) all the time, but people I've talked to at the pump get the 24/30 spread with the auto/DOHC engine.
('00 LX, 8months, 8700 miles)
But I have only one of several million cars. On the other hand, Comsumer Report just gave it a worse than average rating on reliability in their 2001 book. I think that data is far more telling on the future of the FOcus.
I for one will buy the extended warranty before my three years are up or sell the car prior to the warranty running out.
Some say that seats are very uncomfortable in the sedan over long stretches. I personally don't have this problem, but perhaps that's cuz I'm a little fella (5'6").
Also, about the car feeling like it was going sideways; my only real issue with the way the Focus drives is the large amount of rear suspension travel. If your rental car was out of alignment (and I've come across more than a few like that) then this agravates the problem further. My wheels were out of alignment when I got it from the dealership - I had splash guards installed at the dealer and the the wheels ended up out of alignment - and, with NYC's bumpy roads, I had a similar experience to what you describe. Once I got the wheels aligned, though, the car drove great.
peace
1) They smelled funny (a Ford preservative?), though obviously the scent wouldn't persist. (The older of the two had 500 miles on it.)
2) No way to get both CD and cassette into the dash.
Maybe I would have thought differently had I taken one up to Bangor for the week, but this is an awfully small list of gripes, especially considering how much I complain about everything else.
BTW, your radio may not be working if you accidently released the front plate of the tuner section. Snap it back in place and the radio may work again!
I also had reliability questions, having suffered with a first year '86 Taurus (anyone interested in this sure-to-be valuable future antique?), but I was won over by the Focus' tight ride and sharp look.
I've only just passed 3000K, so I'll catch all the possible recalls at the 5000K servicing, but no problems so far. My kids like the soft, wood-like turn signal sound, which somewhat off-sets the startling auto lock noise. And the first time the seatbelt alarm I thought the Enterprise was going down in flames.
Of course, the real test is how well it keeps starting and running, and what kind of shape it's in in three years.
Best to all.
My 2001 ZTS has just reached 1000 miles in a month with no problem except this which is really my fault.
Also, the old Escort 91-99, were not as bad as they are made to be. In my family there are 4 of them and they run fine. One lasted 110 K and only the alternator died at 90K
Frankly, I am getting sick of this buy foreign or you are stupid mantra. Yeah Yeah, I know it has never been said in those exact words, but that is the prevailing thought for a few of you and it is annoying me to no end. We are told that foreign has a better build quality than the Focus. I have found that the Focus cuts fewer corners than the foreign cars do. Better stereos, better interior quality, and so on. Than there is the better re-sale. It is way to early to tell that. Better long-term reliability. Last I checked long term meant long term. That is over a length of time. Not just one year. All this foreign is better is carry over from 10-15 years ago when foreign was undeniably better than the American makes. However, the gap has been closed with a number of different models.
I can almost hear the click of keyboards in response. "AHA, that proves it. You admit that American makes were inferior to foreign in the past. See...even you admit it." Back to Economics. Economics says that if there are two equally priced products that are similar in market appeal and one is inferior to the other, the inferior one will not sell. The maker of that inferior product has two choices. Improve their product in order to make it competitive or go out of business. Last I checked, the Ford Focus was outselling all the foreign makes. Well, I guess there can only be a few smart people.