My £525 Ford Focus
Discussion
I needed a daily having sold my A3 to part fund my Clio V6 and after a couple of false starts on Gumtree I decided to get the closest decent car I could.
£525 later and I am the owner of a 113K Ford Focus 'Ghia' with an MOT until October. It claims to be a one-owner from new car but I find that hard to believe given there's a sticker in the rear window for a used car place in Ireland. It's got cruise control, auto lights, auto wipers, air conditioning and a heated wind screen which all were a lovely surprise and especially as they all work. Current spend is 99p for a radio code but other than that I really don't think I'm going to be spending any unnecessary money on it - my other cars are for that!
The interior was absolutely filthy so I spent a couple of hours on Friday evening giving it a liberal spraying of all purpose cleaner and a brush then dried it all and applied some dash shine spray.
Things that don't go in its favour are:
every panel is scraped or dented
front suspension is creaking
the armrest has snapped
the gear gaitor is loose
rusty sills
slow puncture/low tread on front tyres (getting 2 x brand new ditchfinders being fitted tomorrow for £65 all in!)
no service history
It's a great feeling again to own a car that you don't give a s
t about.
Untitled by p4cks, on Flickr
Untitled by p4cks, on Flickr
£525 later and I am the owner of a 113K Ford Focus 'Ghia' with an MOT until October. It claims to be a one-owner from new car but I find that hard to believe given there's a sticker in the rear window for a used car place in Ireland. It's got cruise control, auto lights, auto wipers, air conditioning and a heated wind screen which all were a lovely surprise and especially as they all work. Current spend is 99p for a radio code but other than that I really don't think I'm going to be spending any unnecessary money on it - my other cars are for that!
The interior was absolutely filthy so I spent a couple of hours on Friday evening giving it a liberal spraying of all purpose cleaner and a brush then dried it all and applied some dash shine spray.
Things that don't go in its favour are:
every panel is scraped or dented
front suspension is creaking
the armrest has snapped
the gear gaitor is loose
rusty sills
slow puncture/low tread on front tyres (getting 2 x brand new ditchfinders being fitted tomorrow for £65 all in!)
no service history
It's a great feeling again to own a car that you don't give a s
t about.Untitled by p4cks, on FlickrUntitled by p4cks, on FlickrCongrats!
You must give Johnny Raydome your Clio
Looks like a good buy, who doesn't love a good shed?
You must give Johnny Raydome your Clio
I need a proper shed, too. I'm a bit too fond of my A2 to have it bashed about.
You must give Johnny Raydome your Clio
A Megane Scenic could be on the cards, I've got some serious tip-trips on the horizon.
You must give Johnny Raydome your Clio
Is the subliminal messaging working yet?
Let me know when's convenient to pick the Clio up. Thanks.
You must give Johnny Raydome your Clio
Looks like a good buy, who doesn't love a good shed?
You must give Johnny Raydome your Clio
I need a proper shed, too. I'm a bit too fond of my A2 to have it bashed about.
You must give Johnny Raydome your Clio
A Megane Scenic could be on the cards, I've got some serious tip-trips on the horizon.
You must give Johnny Raydome your Clio
Is the subliminal messaging working yet?
Let me know when's convenient to pick the Clio up. Thanks.
Love a Mk2 Focus! Came dangerously close to getting another one myself recently.
every panel is scraped or dented
Oh well
front suspension is creaking
Probably the bushes, about £250 done at a garage. As it wasn't an advisory on the last MOT then oh well
the armrest has snapped
Given the cost/effort, probably an oh well depending on how much you use the arm rest. If in doubt stuff a small pillow in there?
the gear gaitor is loose
Seem to be a common thing on Mk2 Focuses - cost me £5 to replace with a China special. Looks like you're looking about £2.50 if you're happy to wait a few weeks for shipping from HK or £9 for shipping from the UK. 5 minutes to fit.
rusty sills
Oh well
slow puncture/low tread on front tyres (getting 2 x brand new ditchfinders being fitted tomorrow for £65 all in!)
Very nice
no service history
Oh well, give it a service yourself unless you know it's had one recently. Cheap service parts
every panel is scraped or dented
Oh well
front suspension is creaking
Probably the bushes, about £250 done at a garage. As it wasn't an advisory on the last MOT then oh well
the armrest has snapped
Given the cost/effort, probably an oh well depending on how much you use the arm rest. If in doubt stuff a small pillow in there?
the gear gaitor is loose
Seem to be a common thing on Mk2 Focuses - cost me £5 to replace with a China special. Looks like you're looking about £2.50 if you're happy to wait a few weeks for shipping from HK or £9 for shipping from the UK. 5 minutes to fit.
rusty sills
Oh well
slow puncture/low tread on front tyres (getting 2 x brand new ditchfinders being fitted tomorrow for £65 all in!)
Very nice
no service history
Oh well, give it a service yourself unless you know it's had one recently. Cheap service parts
helix402 said:
Have fun changing the pollen filter!
Looks fiddly, but doable in about 30 mins?https://youtu.be/yMc-C1AxYeQ
p4cks said:
Sounds about right. It’s not too bad when you’ve done it once. Thought I'd give it a service so just been on carparts4less for
oil filter
air filter
sump plug washer
pollen filter
4 x spark plugs
all for £22.51 delivered
I should have 4L of oil lying around that I can also use to save money
Today will have the £65 front tyres fitted (local place) and maybe a £15 wheel alignment (National Tyres with 50% discount code)
oil filter
air filter
sump plug washer
pollen filter
4 x spark plugs
all for £22.51 delivered
I should have 4L of oil lying around that I can also use to save money
Today will have the £65 front tyres fitted (local place) and maybe a £15 wheel alignment (National Tyres with 50% discount code)
We all love a cheap fix, and this one was approximately 3p
The armrest snapping at its plastic hinges is a known problem and mine was no different, a new armrest comes attached to the centre console and there was no way I was going to pay for/fit a new one.
I went on YouTube and watched a video on plastic welding so thought I would give it a go, which turned out rather satisfying.
You'll need a soldering iron, a tie wrap or something of similar plastic qualities, a few paperclips.
Before:
Untitled by p4cks, on Flickr
During:
Untitled by p4cks, on Flickr
After (it's not pretty but it's probably much stronger than the original):
Untitled by p4cks, on Flickr
Untitled by p4cks, on Flickr
Et voila:
Untitled by p4cks, on Flickr
The armrest snapping at its plastic hinges is a known problem and mine was no different, a new armrest comes attached to the centre console and there was no way I was going to pay for/fit a new one.
I went on YouTube and watched a video on plastic welding so thought I would give it a go, which turned out rather satisfying.
You'll need a soldering iron, a tie wrap or something of similar plastic qualities, a few paperclips.
Before:
Untitled by p4cks, on FlickrDuring:
Untitled by p4cks, on FlickrAfter (it's not pretty but it's probably much stronger than the original):
Untitled by p4cks, on FlickrUntitled by p4cks, on FlickrEt voila:
Untitled by p4cks, on FlickrEdited by p4cks on Tuesday 4th June 12:47
Service done, although I forgot my phone so couldn't take any photos.
Needless to say it was quite clear that it hadn't had a service in some time... the air and cabin filter were filthy!
Total cost of the full service was £33.01 (managed to get 4L of oil from Tesco for £10.50 as I didn't have any spare in the garage)
Needless to say it was quite clear that it hadn't had a service in some time... the air and cabin filter were filthy!
Total cost of the full service was £33.01 (managed to get 4L of oil from Tesco for £10.50 as I didn't have any spare in the garage)
I've just had to scrap an 06 Focus because water leaked into the spark plug chambers, filling them with water.
This in turn caused a misfire, which evidently then took out the ECU.
Apparently Ford published a recall / modification to solve this issue which I believe involves fitting seals around the windscreen washer jets.
It might be worth checking you don't have any water ingress to the top of the engine when it rains or when you wash your windscreen.
This in turn caused a misfire, which evidently then took out the ECU.
Apparently Ford published a recall / modification to solve this issue which I believe involves fitting seals around the windscreen washer jets.
It might be worth checking you don't have any water ingress to the top of the engine when it rains or when you wash your windscreen.
p4cks said:
Service done, although I forgot my phone so couldn't take any photos.
Needless to say it was quite clear that it hadn't had a service in some time... the air and cabin filter were filthy!
Total cost of the full service was £33.01 (managed to get 4L of oil from Tesco for £10.50 as I didn't have any spare in the garage)
Good job. It’s very common for garages to never change pollen filters that are a little bit hidden-and still charge the customer for one. Needless to say it was quite clear that it hadn't had a service in some time... the air and cabin filter were filthy!
Total cost of the full service was £33.01 (managed to get 4L of oil from Tesco for £10.50 as I didn't have any spare in the garage)
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