2012 Ford Focus Titanium

[geraintthomas]

Been a very productive day today.

I wanted to sort out the brake wobble. It's down to some surface contamination on the disc, so I thought I'd try and give it a vinegar bath to remove the rust.

You can see it here



Quite clear when off the car



Found a plant pot tray the exact size of the disc though!



Some Tesco's vinegar always does the trick on rusty parts



After about half an hour of soaking (per disc), a good amount came off:



The wobble is better, but it's still there along with an annoying squeak with each rotation. I'll see if it goes eventually as the brakes get used, which logically it should. If it doesn't, it'll only cost me about £40 for a new set, so no biggie.

While I was there, I thought I'd use the time to freshen up the calipers.



Using some silver hammerite



I made sure to stay well away from anything that wasn't solid metal, aside from the retaining clip. I've learnt the hard way in the past when I had calipers seize up. I played it safe here as I just want them to look a little better behind the wheel



Which they certainly do





The rear drums were coated in black hammerite:









Far better on the eye.

Whilst I was in the wheel well, I pulled back the liner and replaced the cracked fog lamp.



(And yes they're my kick-a** allen keys)



And done





The passenger foot well carpet had fallen since I bought it. The hole had ripped so it had nothing to hold on to.



I added a dab of super glue and glued the pieces together, creating a small hole as per original size.



Lovely. Can't even tell



One job that was annoying me was the black stained parking sensor, and only the one weirdly. A bit of 1500 grit wet and dry got this looking spot on





And that's that! All of the maintenance on the car is complete! There's not a single thing that doesn't work, and nothing that looks like it should be replaced or cosmetically bad. The car looks and feels beautiful.

Next up will most likely be to retrofit projectors so I can use my spare set of 5000k H1 HID's.

I'm also tempted to replace the fog light bulbs with yellow bulbs. I'm thinking that it'll look quite nice against the yellow, although I don't really use them. Thoughts on this?

Cheers all

[QSROCKS]

Car looks absolutely amazing! I’ve been in company/lease cars for years but miss getting a Mondeo up to 230k from 11k and should have kept my MK1 focus longer. My ideal pair would be a car like yours and another MX5 NC (only this and the focus I miss).

Interested how the rim blades perform, be interesting after a few long drives.

[Podie]

Ooh, I do like Wera tools!

[geraintthomas]

QSROCKS said:

Car looks absolutely amazing! I’ve been in company/lease cars for years but miss getting a Mondeo up to 230k from 11k and should have kept my MK1 focus longer. My ideal pair would be a car like yours and another MX5 NC (only this and the focus I miss).

Interested how the rim blades perform, be interesting after a few long drives.

Thank you! Honestly, an MX-5 NC is something I keep looking up. I drove one just after purchasing my Boxster S and, if I had driven it before, it would have been a game changer. Some part of me wants to sell the Porsche, buy an MX-5 and do that up for track days.

The rim blades have been excellent so far with a few long drives. I can't even pull them off with my fingers - they've properly bonded to the alloys.

Podie said:

Ooh, I do like Wera tools!

They're gorgeous... I'm a stickler for things that look good, even if they don't perform as well as other brands. Probably why I like AutoFinesse so much.


Decided to bite the bullet and change the brakes today.



They said that these brakes were new. I thought they were but had some surface rust from it not being used, but on closer inspection they weren't as new as I thought.

The discs did seem relatively new, but the pads definitely weren't.



Unless they replaced the discs without the pads.

Either way, new discs and pads on.



The difference is sublime. A sharper bite, stronger feel and no wobble! The car is finished mechanically, with nothing else to do.

Onward with upgrades!

[geraintthomas]

Someone was kind enough to enter my vehicle on a Ford dealer website that shows you what the car came with. This is the whole list of features on the car, including normal things like badges and headrests.

__

 Front Door Scuff Plates - Ford Oval
 Accessory Media Hub 1XUSB
 With Hill Launch Assist
 Rear Passenger Door
 With Manual Liftgate
 Saarlouis Plant Built
 Ford Corporate Badge
 Marketing Level 1
 (-) SVP
Exterior Paint - Solid
 For Normal Temperature Zones
 Econetic Tailgate Badge
 With Auto Closing Windows
 Power Front Windows One Touch Up/Do
 Power Rear Window One Shot Up/Down
 With Privacy Glass
 Grille - Upper Blk Msh/Chrome Surnd
 With Heated Windscreen
 With Padded Dash
 Mini Overhead Cnsl W/Sunglass Bin
 Console - With Closed Bin
 Int Environment Clr-Charcoal Black
 Int Feat Colour - Charcoal Black
 With General Stowage Box
 Deluxe Headliner
 With Illuminated Sunvisor - Drivers
 With Illuminated Sunvisor-Passenger
 With Aluminum Interior Door Handles
 With LH Front Door Armrest
 With RH Front Door Armrest
 Rear Coat Hook
 With Load Area Cover
 With Load Floor Carpet
 Lower Grille - Hgh Gls W/Chrm Smile
 Rocker Panel Moulding -Cladding C/K
 With Bright Door Frame Moulding
 With Rear Spoiler
 With Electrochromic R/View Mirror
 Dual Pwr/Heat/Fold/Pud Lamp/Signal
 With Body Coloured Exterior Mirror
 With Driver Seat Back Map Pocket
 Passenger Seat Back Map Pocket
 With Front 2 Way Headrest
 With Driver Seat Recliner - Rotary
 With Passenger Seat Recliner-Rotary
 With Two Piece Rear Seat Cushion
 With 60:40 Split - Folding Rr Seat
 With Integrated Rear Headrest
 Rear Centre Armrest With Stowage
 With Rear Center Head Restraint
 With Drivers Manual Lumbar Support
 With Drvr/Passngr Seat Belt Minder
 With Driver 4 Way Mnl.Seat Adjuster
 With Pass 2 Way Manual Seat Adjust
 With Front Towing Hook
 With Rear Towing Hooks
 Engine Cover - Under Hood
 Body Coloured Exterior Door Handle
 Body Coloured Tailgate Handle
 Ignition Key Combination Pack 1
 With Leather Gear Shift Knob
 Steel Security Door Lock Shield
 With Child Proof Safety Lock
 With Remote Controlled Tailgate Release
 With Door Dead Locks
 With Door Entry Remote Control Unit
 Keyless Entry/Start - Passive
 Capless Fuel Filler Without Lock
 With Int. Rear Window Wiper/Washer
 With Automatic Windscreen Wiper
 With Heated Washer Jet
 Front Bumper Sensor Device
 Front Bumper - Painted Body Colour
 Rear Bumper Body Coloured Plastic
 Air Curtain Restraint LH
 Air Curtain Restraint RH
 3 Part Seat Belt- European Regultn
 Retractable Rear Seat Belt-3Point
 With Driver Air Bag
 With Passenger Air Bag
 With Side Air Bag - Drivers Side
 With Side Air Bag - Passenger Side
 With Isofix Hard Point Attachment
 With Manual Adjust Frt.S.Belt Mount
 Style 1 Tether Anchorage Restraint
 Spare Wheel - Mini Steel
 With Standard Rear Shock Absorbers
 8 X 18 ET 55MM Alloy Style 2
 Limited Service Mini Spare Tyre
 With Standard Tyre Tread - Front
 With Standard Tyre Tread - Rear
 Locking Wheel Nuts
 With Kysor Radiator Shutter
 Cold Start -15 Deg C
 Starter - Stop/Start System
 With Standard Suspension
 Front Spring Load Class-K
 Rear Spring Load Class-P
 Single Exhaust
 Mechanical Hand Operated Park Brake
 Standard Duty Fr/Rr Calp And Pads
 With Rear Drum Brakes
 Collision Mitigation System
 Low Speed Safety System
 Brakes-HLA/ESP/TC/ABS
 3.72/2.04/1.25/.919/.738/0.622
 With High Back Front Seats
 With Recirculating Heater
 Non Locking Capless Fuel Fill
 With Diesel Fuel Capability
 With Fixed Foot Pedals
 Standard Foot Pedal Pad Design
 With Electric Power Steering
 With Manual Tilt/Slide Stg Column
 4 Spoke Leather Steering Wheel
 With Adaptive Speed Control
 With Supplemental Air Heater
 Conventional Instruments - Level 3
 With Instrument Cluster - Rheostat
 With MPH/KMH Speedometer
 With Trip Computer
 Dual Note Electric Horn
 MFD Nav Low TFT Screen
 With Message Centre
 Navigation Data - Western Europe
 Driver Impairment Monitor
 BIS W/Radar-BLIS/CAN LED
 Lane Keeping Aid
 Thatcham Catergory 1 Alarm System
 With Safeguard Anti-Theft Sys(Pats)
 With Rear Parking Aid
 Standard Duty Battery
 BT/VC Phone Interface + USB Connect
 ICE-Mid Audio Branded + DAB
 Branded ICP With Navigation
 With 9 Radio Speakers
 Voice Activated Module - British
 With Steering Wheel Radio Controls
 With Power Point Plug - Rear
 With Auto Headlamps
 With Chrome Fog Lamp Bezel
 With Halogen Headlamp
 With Front Fog Lamps
 With Black Headlamp Bezels
 Interior Lighting-Ambient LED
 With Footwell Lights
 Fr Individual and Rr Map Lights
 Front And Rear Lamp LED
 With Glove Box Illumination
 With Load Compartment Lamp
 Tail lamps - LED Rear
 With High Mounted Stop Lamp
 With Single Rear Fog Lamp
 With Front Headlamp Levelling
 With Auto High Lamp Headlamp
Outside Air Temperature Present

__

Quite a list! Very kitted out.

[ZX10R NIN]

That is a very loaded Titanium you done well to find one with that spec.

[JohnWest]

Amazing work on the car as usual, it’s looking great. Looking forward to seeing the updates!

Sorry for the delay responding to the boot photo request. The clip is in 2 parts and clips either side of the material, creating a sandwich. It looks like what normally happens is the material the clip is attached to is too weak and breaks, meaning the clip has nothing to hold on to.

Here’s a photo of the better side of my parcel shelf, it’s still weak but at least it’s properly located and doesn’t flap about when I open the boot.

[geraintthomas]

JohnWest said:

Amazing work on the car as usual, it’s looking great. Looking forward to seeing the updates!

Sorry for the delay responding to the boot photo request. The clip is in 2 parts and clips either side of the material, creating a sandwich. It looks like what normally happens is the material the clip is attached to is too weak and breaks, meaning the clip has nothing to hold on to.

Here’s a photo of the better side of my parcel shelf, it’s still weak but at least it’s properly located and doesn’t flap about when I open the boot.

Oh right! That makes much more sense. I may get those just because it's original, but my fix is still working so it's not a priority. Thank you though!

So the left brake is knocking with every rotation of the wheel, but the knocking disappears when I apply the brake, even lightly. I think the pad is catching on the caliper carrier, when it should be seated in the floating area without obstruction, causing the pad not to retract. I think.

I'll fit the old pad and will see if it catches. I could tell instantly when fitting the pad. If it doesn't catch like the new pads, I'll sand the sliding area down a little. Or I may just get a refund.

[geraintthomas]

Fixed the issue. The inside pads that clip into the pistons were rattling around. Their clips weren't wide enough to fully secure them in place. I took them out, bent the retaining clips out a little, and pushed them back in. Knocking has gone.

I'm absolutely loving this car. there's not a scratch on it, outside or in, fully loaded for £3,500. I don't get it.

I like it so much that it did make me think of looking at selling it as well as my Porsche, and buying a Focus ST - something that can do both, and potentially save money than paying two lots of insurance, two lots of tax, etc.

"Save money". That was my thought process. Until I priced it up.


Insurance:

Focus Titanium and Porsche Boxster: £570
Focus ST: £470

So that's a saving of £100 a year for owning the one car rather than the two. Now the tax.

Tax:

Focus Titanium and Porsche Boxster: £345
Focus ST: £240

That's a saving of £105 on the tax.

Annual MOT & Self Service

Focus Titanium and Porsche Boxster: £200
Focus ST: £120

Aound £80 saved by only MOT'ing and servicing one car a year.


Total savings: £285


...but I wouldn't be saving that.

The Focus ST is a petrol, and it would be my only car and my daily at that, which means it'll do a hell of a lot less MPG than the Titanium that's currently my daily. I could easily start chewing that £285 saved a year on fuel by spending it on a less economical petrol car. Which means the savings aren't that much at all. Of course you could say tyres and repairs on the Boxster, but I haven't changed the tyres on it in over a year as it's now a weekend car, and nothing's gone wrong on it for a long time. If it did, I'd fix it myself. Brakes and tyres still have loads of life on them.

So basically, owning a Focus Titanium and a Porsche Boxster is the same than owning a Focus ST alone.

But they are beautiful. I'd totally have one in Blue with silver wheels and yellow calipers from an RS.

Oh god I'm already planning.

[S54B32]

geraintthomas said:

I'm absolutely loving this car. there's not a scratch on it, outside or in, fully loaded for £3,500. I don't get it.

Hang on, I've just read your thread and you touched up some scratches earlier on



Does look a lot of car for the money though, considering my 15 year old 5 series was around the same money earlier this year...

[geraintthomas]

S54B32 said:

Hang on, I've just read your thread and you touched up some scratches earlier on



Does look a lot of car for the money though, considering my 15 year old 5 series was around the same money earlier this year...

Honestly, I totally forgot about those since touching them up! Well remembered.

That and the alloys where shagged. They still are I suppose, but a quick touch up and rimblades and they look alright.

Okay maybe my original phrase was a little too optimistic.

[S54B32]

geraintthomas said:

Honestly, I totally forgot about those since touching them up! Well remembered.

That and the alloys where shagged. They still are I suppose, but a quick touch up and rimblades and they look alright.

Okay maybe my original phrase was a little too optimistic.

You must have done a great job then! It's a good thread. I ingested it all this morning. Thanks

[geraintthomas]

S54B32 said:

You must have done a great job then! It's a good thread. I ingested it all this morning. Thanks

Thank you!


Not much to tell on the car now. All defects have been sorted and issues fixed. There's literally nothing to do... aside from upgrades, which I certainly will be doing at some point. DRL's, bi-xenon's and cree indicators to name a few. The other car has its MOT coming up soon, so I want to get that out of the way first.

[JohnWest]

geraintthomas said:

Thank you!


Not much to tell on the car now. All defects have been sorted and issues fixed. There's literally nothing to do... aside from upgrades, which I certainly will be doing at some point. DRL's, bi-xenon's and cree indicators to name a few. The other car has its MOT coming up soon, so I want to get that out of the way first.

How will you do the light upgrades, will you find some Tit X light units and adapt what you have to suit?

[geraintthomas]

JohnWest said:

How will you do the light upgrades, will you find some Tit X light units and adapt what you have to suit?

Going to split them open and fit some projector lenses. Have done this before on several other lights, so should be fine.


Interestingly, got a problem with the car. There's a noise that can only be described as a loud 'shhhhhhhhh!!' that gets louder when I rev the engine. Sounds like a bad bearing, and it's coming from the auxiliary belt area. My guess is that it's a bad tensioner, so I'll either try to do the ye ol' long screwdriver trick, or I'll pop it to the garage to see if they can diagnose. I'll fix it, just need to know what it is.

Odd this has suddenly happened.

Oh and one of my rimblades has fallen off on the way to Winchester. It partially came off and started slapping against the car, to which I thought I initially had a blow out! I pulled the rest off and discovered that because a previous owner had painted the edges of the alloys with a paintbrush to hide the curbing, the rim blades did a fantastic job of sticking to that paint, but that paint has started to come away from the alloy.

The same has started to happen on another wheel. I've used a bit of glue to put it back and it seems fine, so I'll have to glue the whole of the other rimblade back. I'm not bothered about damaging the wheel with glue as, worst case, they get rubbed back and refurbished anyway. The rimblades actually look decent when on the wheels and hide all of the curbing, so I'll be happy with those if they stay on the wheels.

[geraintthomas]

Haven't got round to putting the rim blade back on just yet, but there's a noise coming from the alternator area. Essentially it sounds like a bad bearing, making the noise 'shhhhhhhh' get louder the more you rev it. I suspect either tensioner or alternator pulley. Either way, easy job and not expensive.

I can see the tensioner wiggle whilst the engine is running. Is that normal?

[geraintthomas]

After a couple of long journeys, the front left brake caliper seems to be sticking. The piston wound back in just fine when changing the pads (although I'm not sure if it was stiff or not with nothing to compare to), and I greased the sliding pins. I also sanded and greased the carrier areas where the pads sit, so I'm not sure why it's sticking and binding.

There's a touch of brake wobble. Sound familiar? When I bought the car they said the brakes were relatively new (and they were), but the front left brake disc was causing a wobble, so I replaced the discs. This cured the wobble, but now the caliper is sticking and there's now the smallest wobble through the wheel when braking. I'm wondering if the caliper had warped the last disc they put on, and now it's doing the same.

The only thing I can imagine is that it's the piston. The sliding pins are clean, everything's greased and there's no noise.

Any ideas?

[ruggedscotty]

loved my Mk 1.5 silver.....

exceedling good cars and a step change for mainstream fords. compare the focus with an escort....



100hp 1.6 16v yamaha engine

leather aircon and heated windscreen

control blade rear suspension

great car it was

[geraintthomas]

ruggedscotty said:

loved my Mk 1.5 silver.....

exceedling good cars and a step change for mainstream fords. compare the focus with an escort....



100hp 1.6 16v yamaha engine

leather aircon and heated windscreen

control blade rear suspension

great car it was

Fantastic!

My girlfriends' parents were in the market for a cheap reliable car to get them to Christmas, as they plan on getting a new car then. He gave e £1,000 and told me to buy a car, so I bought them a Focus 1.6 Ghia. Drives beautifully and now they're keeping it as it drives so good. Here's some photos after I took it home to polish and fix it up for them.












Back to Peggy (my Focus). Regarding the aforementioned brake issue, I think I've fixed it. I took it apart to find a huge build up of dirt where I'd greased the tabs on the pads. Ironically, I over greased them which caused the dirt build up and caused them to stick. I sanded the areas back where the pads rubbed against on the carrier, put a tiny bit of grease and re-fitted everything. Nice and cold after a good run.

Next up is to slacken off the drive belt to spin the alternator and tensioner by hand, and find out what's causing the noise. I'm almost certain it's the tensioner.

Oh and I have to fit the rim blade back on too. Going to Cornwall Wednesday!

[geraintthomas]

Finally got round to replacing the N/S/F caliper today.



I would have rebuilt the caliper, but this is my daily and I want it fixed quickly due to driving it a lot over the coming weekend. The MX-5's N/S/F caliper is the same as this and needs sorting, so I'll rebuild that one as I can take time on it.



I'm liking this little space the wheel liner for a bottle for bleeding.

The caliper change was a success, and the judder/noise is completely gone. However, me being a complete idiot, I only bled the two front calipers as I had a slip of the mind and thought "Oh there's only drums on the back I don't need to bleed those". I realised how much of a tit I was after driving it.

The brakes work fine, and I can do an emergency stop if needed, it's just they're a little spongy at the moment. I'll re-bleed them tomorrow. I'm doing an hour's drive later on this evening and they'll be fine for that.