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Ford Focus Care & Maintenance

309 messages,  Last post on Oct 18, 2009 at 1:19 PM

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What is this discussion about? Ford Focus, Hatchback, Sedan, Wagon

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#271 of 309 Hatchbacks... by mschmal Oct 19, 2007 (7:46 am)
It now appears that Ford will bring the Fiesta to these shores in 09 as a 3 and/or 5 door hatch. This makes a Focus Hatch unneeded redundancy.   I had a Pro5 and the Mazda3 is a great alternative to Focus.   Mark. Replies to this message: zombietom3 (Oct 19, 2007 8:24 am)
#272 of 309 Re: Hatchbacks... [mschmal] by zombietom3 Oct 19, 2007 (8:24 am)
Replying to: mschmal (Oct 19, 2007 7:46 am) I don't think the Fiesta hatch will replace the Focus hatch. It's addressing the sub-compact more than the compact market space, answering the Honda Fit. The Fiesta is a little lighter, at 2336 lb for AT, but incredibly anemic for the small 1.6L engine. I don't know what power plant the American release will come with, but I saw 74KW at the site below, which converts to 99 HP. 99? I think some lawnmowers can muster up that much power. I think they should have kept the ZX5/ZXW at least through the transition, to give Fiesta a change to grow some power options. From what I saw it will be more than a year before America gets a shot at buying a Fiesta. I will have bought a used ZX5 by then, and better off for it I think. http://www.ford.co.nz/servlet/ContentServer?cid=1132731178955&pagename=Page&c=DF- - YPage
#273 of 309 Re: Oil Smell (leak) [stewharr] by fdeering Dec 07, 2007 (7:01 pm)
Replying to: stewharr (Feb 06, 2007 6:50 am) Did you ever get the problem resolved? i have the same problem. Thanks for any help that you can give.   best, Frank
#274 of 309 Re: ACK...I stand corrected. [mschmal] by focusfriend Jan 06, 2008 (8:11 pm)
Replying to: mschmal (Apr 09, 2007 3:34 pm) you seem knowledgeable... I just bought a 2001 focus for my daughter and it is coming up on 90K. They recommended the timing belt be replaced at 90K. Is this correct? I checked the www.fleet.ford.com site but wasn't sure about the recommended interval.   thanks Replies to this message: zombietom3 (Jan 07, 2008 3:15 pm)
#275 of 309 Re: ACK...I stand corrected. [focusfriend] by zombietom3 Jan 07, 2008 (3:15 pm)
Replying to: focusfriend (Jan 06, 2008 8:11 pm) I think Ford's recommended interval for replacing the timing belt has not changed since at least the '97 Escort wagon 2.0 I had mine replaced at 125k miles but I knew I had pushed the window. You do not want that part to fail on the road so it's better in my opinion to schedule the job. Unfortunately it's one of the few expensive repairs you can be sure of running into with this series. Generally water pump and timing belt are replaced as a pair because the R&R labor to get there is the same, so you are only paying parts plus a tiny bit of labor for the water pump. I had it done at an independent shop and it cost about $650, but I'm guessing Ford probably charges $800 or more.
#276 of 309 Ford Focus Fuel Cap by lwen Jan 22, 2008 (2:04 pm)
The fuel tank cap on my 2001 Ford Focus is stuck. I thought it might be frozen, but now I'm not so sure. Has this every happened to anyone before? Any ideas on how to fix it, or what it would cost to have someone do it for me? Replies to this message: srfn7 (Apr 20, 2008 10:58 am)
#277 of 309 Block Heater by killawavedude Jan 30, 2008 (10:43 am)
Can anyone tell me where I find the block heater cord. I have a 2005 ZX4 S. Replies to this message: rapidrick (Jan 31, 2008 3:10 am)
#278 of 309 Re: Block Heater [killawavedude] by rapidrick Jan 31, 2008 (3:10 am)
Replying to: killawavedude (Jan 30, 2008 10:43 am) I've got an 03 ZTW and had the dealer install the block heater. Was not a simple job; they couldn't get a good seal at the freeze plug and had to re-order until they found one that worked. I think they went through 3 of them. I did get a loaner (more like a moaner...) car, so wasn't THAT horribly inconvenient, but a great investment for the two winters in North Dakota.   Bottom line, unless you are very mechanically adept, I'd leave it to a shop--glad I did.
#279 of 309 Focus 100K maintenance? by 0311vn Jan 31, 2008 (4:50 pm)
The manual says the platinum spark plugs should be replaced at 100K on my 01 Focus that has 97K on it. I noticed the milage has dropped off a little and figured the first thing to do is to replace the plugs. Years ago I used to work a bit on cars. Is there any thing other than changing the plugs that needs attention to car engines that are run by onboard computers? Are distributor points a thing of the past?   If I take the Focus to a mechanic to have the 100K maintenance done, what is the typical expense for that? At 120K when the timing belt is due to be replace, is it still the rule of thumb to also replace the water pump?   At this point, should I go ahead and have the timing belt and water pump replaced instead of waiting to hit 120K? Replies to this message: zombietom3 (Feb 01, 2008 7:21 pm)
#280 of 309 Re: Focus 100K maintenance? [0311vn] by zombietom3 Feb 01, 2008 (7:21 pm)
Replying to: 0311vn (Jan 31, 2008 4:50 pm) I don't think Ford has changed the maintenance interval recommendations for many years. I had my plugs replaced at just over 100k miles and then gas mileage dropped about 10%. After several months of that I consulted with the fleet mechanic where I work, who maintains all our Ford cars and trucks. He said the plugs the shop (not Ford) had installed in my car were too cold and I should replace with Ford (Motorcraft) parts. I did that and got back about half of the lost fuel efficiency. The other half must be lost due to change of commute about the same time I changed plugs.   The mechanic said there is nothing else to a tuneup besides new plugs as the computer will do the rest.   As for the timing belt and water pump, I had them replaced at 127k miles and thought I had pushed as far as I dared. You don't want the timing belt to fail on the road and make an expensive job way more expensive. I paid about $650 for that at non-Ford shop. I don't know if there are any warning signs that the timing belt is weakening/slipping/stretching/???, but maybe some others here know.   I think it's still standard to replace the water pump after spending the $r&$r to get at the timing belt and the water pump is right there.

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