RE: Focus RS owners offered 'free repair'

[VR6 Eug]

Jonesy23 said:

VR6 Eug said:

Open deck block with no real strengthen webs is a recipe for disaster, but what really amazed me is that the engineers thought that was ok and even more odd is problem didn't show up when the car was put through testing, so is fords rigorous testing process not that rigorous?

You mean an open deck die cast block like so many others, say for example the Ecoboost V6 block?

Nothing wrong with that at all. I think people don't understand open deck blocks.

Of course if the problem is that people have been building them wrong then all the testing in the world won't help.

Nothing wrong with an open decked block but when there is hardly any webbing meat at all between the cylinders and the block, you have to ask, how long will it last and i know there are many RS owners who would tell their woes of cracked blocks, knackard cylinders and broken head gaskets that would say the 2.3 lump isnt the best fords made ..as you said nothing wrong with open decked but make sure its designed properly and tested to destruction before selling the customers a lemon that could rupture some poor guys wallet...

[ubbs]

Dave Hedgehog said:

facelift cars suffer from a gearbox crunch, mines just had a new revised syncro box fitted

I seem to forget how many times my 8p rs3 was recalled for brake updates. The a45 had zero problems in 3 years pre facelift though.

[lord trumpton]

The mk3 focus rs is a total disaster for ford imo

Aside from it being a bit dowdy looking and disappointing in the performance dept, it suffers from diff issues, tramlining and now seemingly global engine design issues.

I think in time it will be remembered as the time when ford dropped the ball with the RS.

No wonder there are loads taking root on AutoTrader etc. Shame really as on paper the recipe looked good.

[Robert-lhcbq]

Msportman said:

Take a look at this:


http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-technolog...

The internet has many more complaints of not only this but other issues on this car.
I know people vent their anger when things don't go as planned but the basic underpinnings of this performance model are weak to say the least.

Meanwhile, 2 years after that article was written, tuners have been tuning with great success and the 'weak' RDU copes fine with above standard power....

[Robert-lhcbq]

lord trumpton said:

The mk3 focus rs is a total disaster for ford imo

Aside from it being a bit dowdy looking and disappointing in the performance dept, it suffers from diff issues, tramlining and now seemingly global engine design issues.

I think in time it will be remembered as the time when ford dropped the ball with the RS.

No wonder there are loads taking root on AutoTrader etc. Shame really as on paper the recipe looked good.

Diff issues? First I've heard. Issues with the open diff on the front??

[LaurasOtherHalf]

IanJ9375 said:

LaurasOtherHalf said:

Anyway, enough of the off topic chat-all I'm trying to suggest is I don't want to run one of these modern über-hatches without a warranty. When you think of the technology they have compared to just under 10 years ago it's astounding. Some of them are bordering on GTR technology.

Yep it might be a hatch but there's some expensive replacement parts on all of these cars now whether it's some clever drive unit or a DSG box etc
The extended to 5yr warranty on the RS was £320 - a bargain price to be fair with the benefit of also being applicable to the "approved" Mountune tuning packs

Yep, when me and my best buddy were hitting the 'ring a heck of a lot back in 09-10 I we both had brand new cars, mine an R26.R and he a GTR. I loved both of them but to think that less than 10 years later we're driving around in hatches that can push the GTR is unbelievable, especially compared to what the hot hatches were like back then.

The price on the RS warranty is great. If i were to change the Type-R i think it would be to the Golf R or Focus RS, where I live the 4WD would really be an attraction.

If I'm honest it's mainly the huge practicality and load area of the Honda that means the others would be a compromise as I use it for work on occasion. That and the fact that due to depreciation I'd be probably looking at £10k to change anyway!

[st33ly]

Off topic but Focus RS related> What happened to the zoomer thread of the guy selling his "mates" Special red edition RS that he had a £1000 deposit on and was flipping it for £2500. HAHAHAHAHA! It was proper lunch time entertainment today. Funniest post on here i've seen in a while.

[Red 4]

st33ly said:

Off topic but Focus RS related> What happened to the zoomer thread of the guy selling his "mates" Special red edition RS that he had a £1000 deposit on and was flipping it for £2500. HAHAHAHAHA! It was proper lunch time entertainment today. Funniest post on here i've seen in a while.

He's been sectioned.


















For buying a red one.

[IanJ9375]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

Yep, when me and my best buddy were hitting the 'ring a heck of a lot back in 09-10 I we both had brand new cars, mine an R26.R and he a GTR. I loved both of them but to think that less than 10 years later we're driving around in hatches that can push the GTR is unbelievable, especially compared to what the hot hatches were like back then.

The price on the RS warranty is great. If i were to change the Type-R i think it would be to the Golf R or Focus RS, where I live the 4WD would really be an attraction.

If I'm honest it's mainly the huge practicality and load area of the Honda that means the others would be a compromise as I use it for work on occasion. That and the fact that due to depreciation I'd be probably looking at £10k to change anyway!

Honda did those guys who bought the 2015 version no favours by rolling out an all new updated version 18months later!
From the current crop there isn't a bad hatch out there imho

[Ahbefive]

Robert-lhcbq said:

Diff issues? First I've heard. Issues with the open diff on the front??

Nope it's just people that hate them clutching at straws trying to criticise something they know nothing about.

Apparently everyone here has had one and they all fell apart... yeh yeh...

Edited by Ahbefive on Thursday 25th January 08:05

[LaurasOtherHalf]

IanJ9375 said:

Honda did those guys who bought the 2015 version no favours by rolling out an all new updated version 18months later!
From the current crop there isn't a bad hatch out there imho

I don’t know, I bought mine in full knowledge that a new one was coming soon. I like the fact the FK2 will always be a rare car to be honest and it has its strengths over the new version for me.

I totally agree about the new breed of hatches, from Hyundai to the not yet released Renault there’s something for absolutely everyone.

[IanJ9375]

Robert-lhcbq said:

Meanwhile, 2 years after that article was written, tuners have been tuning with great success and the 'weak' RDU copes fine with above standard power....

Yep I've not seen one failed RDU across the forums but of course those "in the know" said how the M6 would be littered with broken down RS's along it with melted RDU's lol

[SpunkyM]

CedricN said:

This guy is right, this is post manufacturer warranty claims(per 100 cars) from one of the biggest insurance companies in sweden. If you want to buy european buy a Renault, otherwiser buy asian



At least Ford are better than the germans on handling big issues, instead of just letting the customer take the costs of crappy cam chains, IMS bearings etc, but I really wonder if they have a bullet proof solution, only time will tell..

The most misleading thing about this graph is that over 80% of Porsche owners buy extended warranties compared to less than 5% of Kia owners!

[Rawwr]

SpunkyM said:

The most misleading thing about this graph is that over 80% of Porsche owners buy extended warranties compared to less than 5% of Kia owners!

Isn't the standard Kia warranty longer than the extended Porsche one?

[culpz]

Msportman said:

culpz said:

To be honest, i've never heard of any other major issues, other than this head-gasket problem, with the new Focus RS. Certainly nothing to do with malfunctions on the AWD system.

Take a look at this:


http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-technolog...

The internet has many more complaints of not only this but other issues on this car.
I know people vent their anger when things don't go as planned but the basic underpinnings of this performance model are weak to say the least.

After reading that article, i'd say that you've read between the lines, somewhat.

I'm paraphrasing, but it simply states that the system clearly has a function that turns itself off when it thinks it's starting to overheat, in order to prevent further damage occurring. This was also after hard driving over a long period of time, they stated. Ford have confirmed that aswell.

That doesn't sound like a defect, in that regard. It's not great news, by any means, but it doesn't seem as bad as you're making it out to be.

[Dave Hedgehog]

ubbs said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

facelift cars suffer from a gearbox crunch, mines just had a new revised syncro box fitted

I seem to forget how many times my 8p rs3 was recalled for brake updates. The a45 had zero problems in 3 years pre facelift though.

yep, i had the squeaky break recall on my RS3, didn't work, EBC red stuff cured the problem my RS3 also had a recall to install a vent into the wheel arch

and a recall when the engine blew up lol

[caterham2]

As an owner of one of these "dodgy" RS Focus I can report that the head gasket problem was caused by an error in the supply chain by the gasket supplier. The motor as you will know is based on the Mustang Ecoboost engine, also used in the now deceased Falcon
in Australia, neither of which apparently have had an issue. There are 3 versions of the head gasket, first one was dropped almost immediately and 2 other versions used. In the supply chain the supplier gave Ford a batch of gaskets meant for the Mustang head not the distinctly but subtlety different RS version . There is a difference in the coolant transfer passages in the head, thus a different gasket. Most of "the sky is falling" hysteria on the forums is just that. No reputable manufacturer would not address an issue in the appropriate manner.

[Limpet]

At least Ford are admitting there is an issue, and offering their customers a resolution. Ask a random sample of people who had timing chains snap on low mileage N47-powered BMWs how well they were looked after. I seem to recall a representative of BMW even stood there on Watchdog and flatly denied it was a known defect on the engine....

[liner33]

I'm interested to see if these gaskets sort the problem , I'm far from convinced personally , but hopeful

[IanJ9375]

liner33 said:

I'm interested to see if these gaskets sort the problem , I'm far from convinced personally , but hopeful

Why? Everyone gets a gasket, they pressure test to check for porosity of the head and in the event it needs a head it will get one of those also, even a new engine in the event it's gone beyond that.