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http://www.svt.ford.com/focus.html
The Toyota Matrix looks like a cross of the ZX3 and a PT Cruiser. :>0
http://carpoint.msn.com/autoshow2001/default.asp?content=media
I agree with silver bullet (again). From my own experience, I've had alot of problems with out of balance wheels and tires over the years. Particularly on my small cars, although it has happened on my large ones too, just not as noticeable.
It could be just one bad tire or wheel causing all your problems. I've tried both alignments and wheel balancing, and almost every time it was the out-of-balance wheel and tire that was the culprit. On my older cars before radials, the vibration was more harsh. On a Pinto I had, I had all the stock non-radial tires replaced with radials, and the vibration was completely gone afterwards. I lived with the shake and vibration in my Vega before that because I couldn't afford radials back then and I really wasn't thinking wheel balance. The car was known for bad rear wheel hop over rough roads and I assumed the problems were all due to that. (I also had a knack for choosing cars? back in the seventies
My experience also showed that tire rotation will prevent alot of vibration and tread wear problems as the car puts on the miles. My Cougar had a bad vibration at 40mph and that was due to my negligence... I hadn't rotated the tires. Just by doing that smoothed it right out. But with your new Focus, it's probably the wheel balance.
Charlie
go to www.focussport.com , they have a lot of stuff.
Your vibration problem should not be occurring. 16" wheels should have no bearing on the problem. The previous two postings regarding wheel balance point to the most likely cause of the problem. It is possible that you have a bent or out of round wheel too. This doesn't happen too often but it does happen. Also: Have you checked your tire psi lately? A couple psi off optimum or worse a couple psi difference between the front tires can make a difference. I've got the 16" wheels on my car and it runs down the highway smooth as silk. It's hard to believe that such a small car rides this nice.
Has anyone else heard this before? If this info is correct, why the frequent changes?
What if, in two years time, you don't activate the ABS?
Comments are appreciated.
I'm sorry to hear about your brake light problems after the recall service. Are the brakes still ok and it is just the light on, or are the brakes themselves on all the time?
Why I ask is that my brother was driving his Focus with his daughter following him and she noticed that his brake lights never went off. They found out there was a problem because the brakes were actually on all the time. I think the calipers were partially closed, sending the signal for the brake lights to come on.
I'm not sure if it was a coincidence that the brake light problem started after they serviced it or if it just happened coincidentally. Let me know what they find out. It could be the same problem my brother had with his car's brakes.
Charlie
Jimmy
Would any ZX3 owners be interested in having your own chat here on Edmunds.com? We'll be happy to set it up for you. Let me know!
KarenS
Host
Owner's Clubs
I was driving to work one fine morn and heard a "whup whup whup" from the back, thought nothing of it, figuring it was merely snow lodged in the wheel (this has happened to me before)... Parked the car, and went about my business. Next night I get back and get into the car, forgetting entirely about the previous morning's problems, and start motoring on down the road. Now the "whup whup whup" has become a "WHUP WHUP WHUP", so I pull over... Flat tire. No biggie, but for the fact that it's about 5degF outside and I am changing my tire in a snow drift.
Next day I drive the thing to my local garage, thinking I simply need to plug a puncture, and he says "hey, lookee here, the sidewall is ruptured and there's nothing I can do". Indeed, the sidewall cords are clearly not as they should be, though nothing is immediately obvious (there's no tear in the rubber or anything). So there I am, with my just-under-two-thousand-mile car, wondering what the heck is going on here... So I drive across town to the dealer and insist they give me a new tire. Naturally, they have no such tire in stock (which, since I haven't mentioned it, is the 16" tire, the Firestone Firehawk)... And the local Firestone dealer doesn't have them either. Great.
So I suggest, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, "hey, why not simply pilfer a tire off of a car that's sitting on the lot?" They say NO WAY JOSE, and unlucky you, you'll have to keep the car here. Lucky for ME, I got the deal with my financing that they will supply me with a rental car for any duration my car is in the shop, and wouldn't you know it, at 4pm on a friday, there are no rental cars left in town and now THEY are stuck!
In the end, they did exactly what I suggested they do... Only better, since they grabbed a whole tire AND wheel off a car in stock and popped it on my car.
SO... Horror story ends with me having a new tire and wheel and it cost me nary a penny... Just the aggravation of changing a flat in the snow and cold. The ancillary point here is that the local garage I went to originally suggested that Firestone was about to issue a recall of these Firehawk tires, too, though that seems a little TOO convenient for my tastes.
Anyhow, obviously not FORD's fault, and I couldn't be happier with the outcome. Happy motoring, all!
SHOV6
Today at the Toronto auto show the ZX5 was displayed and it will be sold in US as well as Canada.
My mileage sucks!! Granted I've less than 2,000 miles on my ZX3 and I've only done "around town driving" and it has been cold, however, 18MPG!!?! Consistently. I'd be happy w/ mileage in the 20's.
My previous car (a four cylinder ford product) never got below 23MPG in the 10 years I had it and I consistently got in the mid and upper 30's on the highway.
I love the ZX3's other attributes and it is fun to drive, but the mileage for a 4 banger is really crummy. Not a happy camper in the mileage dep't.
Pat
than in zx3, in terms of gas mileage auto or 5spd. it also has been more livelier and tractor-less . cheap parts are more than likely to
blame for the ills plauging the current zx3. the zx2 has 35,000 mi.
not one complaint. i sometimes regret trading my 5spd. zx2 for the zx3.
the gas mileage that varies from one owner to another is pathetic. it is
a real problem and not an isolated issue.
I keep the tire pressure at 35F/33R. I drive it pretty easily with about 70% highway. Shift at 2500 or so. The shift light comes on way too early so I ignore it.
My previous car (still have it) is an 87 Escort GT with 165K miles and it still gets 3-5 more mpg than the Focus. It is geared about the same but the Focus weighs about 400 lbs more and has 20 more HP.
The mileage hasn't gone up. I think if you drive the car hard, the mileage drops very fast.
Someone in a store parking lot told me his son has one and got in the teens for mileage. The dealer changed the O2 sensor as some have the wrong one installed. Hard to believe that it wouldn't get a check engine light.
Gary
My gas mileage with automatic transmission gets 27/31. The 31 came on two trips north from Maryland to Massachusetts, 450 miles, I-95 all the way. I would agree that the mixed driving is about 27, and it would be lower if I were sitting in bumper to bumper traffic. I also do feather the pedal to get the most out of it, but once up to speed I cruise with the traffic (65-70mph).
I probably would be complaining more if I had been driving Civics and other small cars with great mileage all my life. But I also remember the vans, big V8s and even some sixes that never could make 20mpg. It's a compromise, and considering the ride and room inside, it works for me.
Silver Bullet: You've probably already tried this, but a change in service depts might solve your A/C problem. My brother had that same problem, and they pulled his car apart to fix it, but fix it they did, including replacing the entire carpet.
Charlie
I am not knocking the Focus - I really like it, but if MPG is a major factor, the Echo delivers what is advertises. You may want to consider it??
But first, here's my latest "Z Report"....
***Dlvrd last Jun.
***Autumn color zx3.
***5spd.
***Air.
***Mobil-1 Synthetic oil (switched to @3000mi.)
***25/31mpg. (70% city/30% hiway).
My Z is now at 6000 miles. Still flawless.
From "Day One", not a defect, not a failure.
Has never been in to Ford shop (except for oil-chnge or recalls).
The Z is sure-footed, handles road-curves like a cat.
Bottom Line: Would I recommend a Z? Answer: for this price range,YES.
MY BIG QUESTION:
(We all know Oil Co. opinions -- but what do YOU guys say?) Should I .....
(1) "Change my Mobil-1 synthetic oil/filter at reg intervals."
(2) "Just change filter."
(3) "Change nothing."
(Note: The last one, (3) makes me real nervous).
Thanks for any and all opinions....
zx3
11,300 miles Automatic * Power Everything * Factory DC Player
16 inch Factory Alloys * dona Blast Mountain Bike * Factory Roof Rack
Factory Water Proof Seat Covers * Every available factory option
SELLING FOR $13,000 (o.b.o. within reason)
I have ordered my new car so I must sell. I am in the callas area! (214) 629-3061 or prince@myfirstlink.net.
EM-AIL FOR PICTURES!!!
Until your warranty runs out change the oil at the required interval. After that you might consider increasing mileage between oil changes. My feeling is that the break even point is at 10,000 miles for doing it yourself vs the dealer doing a dino oil change. Mobil 1 has been well documentated for holding up for the long term.
Pat
Pat
-Gary
I think you are now just as guilty of berating the good-mileage-getters as we have been of you mileage naysayers... I don't have a light foot, I don't live in the flatlands, and I don't necessarily follow every speed limit sign... And my math skills are up to snuff, as well. On the highway I am routinely getting over 28mpg, and once as high as 31 or 32 (?? I'd have to go back and check to be sure), and this involves driving through the Adirondacks, Catskills, and two other mountain ranges between my home and my folks' place in downstate NY... At exactly 8mph over the posted limit, so that's 63-73 depending upon the location.
Now I will say that the mileage IN TOWN is pretty low, down in the 20-21 range for the one tank that I did that was exclusively local, below-50mph driving... so that piece of evidence leads me to believe that gmzx3 is exactly right... The second you lean on the thing AT ALL, the mileage plummets.
In case it needs to be said, those of you with automatics and those with the 16-inch wheels should expect lower mileage than those with the 5spd and the 15-inch wheels... I am stuck in the middle, with the 5spd and the 16's. Furthermore, the more options your car has, the worse off you will be, simply from a weight standpoint... Although it wouldn't seem like it would make a big difference, keep in mind that an additional 100lbs of electric motors for the windows, mirrors, various ABS/traction control hardware, etc. has the effect of adding up to another whole person. A SMALL person, to be sure, but more weight=worse mileage. Not to mention that on a car this light, 100lbs is a larger difference, percentage-wise, than it would be on, oh, a Lincoln Town Car.
SHOV6
I have done a little math before, comparing the difference between an average of, say 20mpg vs. 30mpg, and over the space of a whole year, the difference in out-of-pocket expenses is relatively small... Even with the cost of gasoline the way it is, it would be no more than $300 over the space of a year, or about $25/mo, assuming you are spending $1.50/gal for regular unleaded. Keeping in mind, of course, that this is a rather extreme example of differences in mileage, and is probably about twice as large a gulf as is really accurate (as in nobody REALLY expected their car to average 30mpg overall, did they? I expected 25, and that's pretty much what I get on average, and those who are doing worse claim in the lower 20's for the most part, so this $25/mo difference is wildly wrong, it's more like $10/mo).
To ME, this car is worth the (absolute worst case)additional $25/mo over anything else in its' class, for the superb combination of handling, styling, space efficiency, quality, and overall vehicle dynamics. If you don't agree, fine, but if you DO think that the $25/mo would be better spent elsewhere as in $25/mo more on a car payment for a Corolla or whatever, then you don't really like the basic car all that much after all. Perhaps you should have gotten a boring, nasty-handling, strange-looking, squirrely, nightmarish Toyota Echo instead. Then you could crow all day long about mileage....
SHOV6
Keep in mind... The BMW line of cars has a computer that calculates when an oil change is due, based upon the number of starts/stops, engine speeds, coolant temperature, trip duration, and total mileage... And the car in a recent C&D long-term test needed its' first oil service at, get this, 18,441 miles. Even if you chop THAT particular example in half, you still would be over 9k before you needed an oil change... So, in brief, I am only going to do the recommended service interval and not worry a whit about Jiffy Lube's assertion that I need it done every 3k. Perhaps they have a vested interest in our getting a $25 oil change every three months?
And there, my friends, is how you can offset the cost of the lower mileage than you all expect.
Above that, I love the cargo net and the AS works very well. I was surprised to see that most of the people drive this car with automatic transmission. In G. 95% drive this car with manual transmission and so do I.
I had no problems so far (no recalls or other stuff)
k. that's it. Thanks again for the useful information and keep on writing :-)
The carpet mats I'll use in the (hatch)back to protect the floor there. I didn't order the rear rubber mats, thinking that they get hardly any use, but it's an option later on if I need them. It's my driver's side that's been getting all the wear this winter. Too bad they didn't offer this option when I first bought the car.
Charlie