2012 Ford Focus Titanium
Discussion
The rear arm bushes will prob be similar to the Mondeo, they can be replaced but require a tool ideally to push them in in situ, can be done in a press off the car. Bushes cheap labour will be a bit sadly.
Lovely looking car, proof that the 1.6 psa unit can be reliable if taken care of.
Lovely looking car, proof that the 1.6 psa unit can be reliable if taken care of.
geraintthomas said:
As a side note, I've been considering one of these:
They're quite economical (the diesels), they look beautiful, fixed calipers, great cabin and have a lot more room being an estate. I called my local garage and had a chat to them, and mentioned that I was in the market for one to replace the Focus, but they replied with "If you buy one of those, you're not coming here". Apparently they're awfully unreliable with very expensive parts. I'm not sure how true this is, but the Focus is the exact opposite; cheap to run, reliable and cheap parts. The Focus is also giving me no excuse to sell it - it looks great, kitted out and has been brilliant to drive.
But those Italian looks...
I had similar thoughts, then similar discussions with professionals. And bought a V6 diesel A6. Yes, the 159 is beautiful. But not much fun when you can't look at it because it's being fixed, again. I believe the 2.4 diesel has some particularly cruel habits to extract every last penny from your wallet and if you think £100 a corner for tyres is steep, I dread to think what a 159 with 19's would cost to sort, which is what the Ti cars came with IIRC.They're quite economical (the diesels), they look beautiful, fixed calipers, great cabin and have a lot more room being an estate. I called my local garage and had a chat to them, and mentioned that I was in the market for one to replace the Focus, but they replied with "If you buy one of those, you're not coming here". Apparently they're awfully unreliable with very expensive parts. I'm not sure how true this is, but the Focus is the exact opposite; cheap to run, reliable and cheap parts. The Focus is also giving me no excuse to sell it - it looks great, kitted out and has been brilliant to drive.
But those Italian looks...
I must admit, I would have the A6 again too. Not sporty, but by God it did what it was supposed to and absolutely ate mileage in quiet comfort.
bungz said:
The rear arm bushes will prob be similar to the Mondeo, they can be replaced but require a tool ideally to push them in in situ, can be done in a press off the car. Bushes cheap labour will be a bit sadly.
Lovely looking car, proof that the 1.6 psa unit can be reliable if taken care of.
I believe the 8v 1.6tdci is pretty reliable it's the older 16v used in the Mk2/Mk2.5 that was renowned for problems with DPFs, injectors, turbos etc.Lovely looking car, proof that the 1.6 psa unit can be reliable if taken care of.
Smitters said:
I had similar thoughts, then similar discussions with professionals. And bought a V6 diesel A6. Yes, the 159 is beautiful. But not much fun when you can't look at it because it's being fixed, again. I believe the 2.4 diesel has some particularly cruel habits to extract every last penny from your wallet and if you think £100 a corner for tyres is steep, I dread to think what a 159 with 19's would cost to sort, which is what the Ti cars came with IIRC.
I must admit, I would have the A6 again too. Not sporty, but by God it did what it was supposed to and absolutely ate mileage in quiet comfort.
Good points there. I think I'll just have to look at them from afar from now on. I'd never considered an A6, I've not been hugely into German cars (aside from Porsche) so they've always flown under the radar for me.I must admit, I would have the A6 again too. Not sporty, but by God it did what it was supposed to and absolutely ate mileage in quiet comfort.
geraintthomas said:
Smitters said:
I had similar thoughts, then similar discussions with professionals. And bought a V6 diesel A6. Yes, the 159 is beautiful. But not much fun when you can't look at it because it's being fixed, again. I believe the 2.4 diesel has some particularly cruel habits to extract every last penny from your wallet and if you think 100 a corner for tyres is steep, I dread to think what a 159 with 19's would cost to sort, which is what the Ti cars came with IIRC.
I must admit, I would have the A6 again too. Not sporty, but by God it did what it was supposed to and absolutely ate mileage in quiet comfort.
Good points there. I think I'll just have to look at them from afar from now on. I'd never considered an A6, I've not been hugely into German cars (aside from Porsche) so they've always flown under the radar for me.
It's been a year since I've posted any updates! In the grand scheme of things, there isn't much to update, but there's a bit to talk about. I obviously previously toyed with the idea of selling the car and getting something else, but this is purely down to the fact that I like cars too much. The car is giving me no reason to sell it - in fact quite the opposite - so it would make no sense to sell it. With the kit that it has, the price I bought it for and how reliable it's been, I'd be an idiot to sell. So I'm keeping it.
The car has done 167,000 and is still going strong. We're settled in the new house, and it's lovely to see both on a nice, flat, tarmac drive.
The only thing to mention when it comes to faults is something that happened back in August. The car decided that it wanted to become a Christmas tree.
The last time I had this happen was when I bought the car. It turned out to be a bad batter, causing havoc on the electrical systems. I had the battery checked, but the battery was fine.
Looking at the errors, the following failed:
- Traction control
- ABS
- Hill assist
- Cruise control
- Lane assist
The one consistent thing across all of these is that they all need to know the speed of the wheels. Bingo - speed (ABS) sensor. Admittedly I could have tested all 4 to find the failed sensor, but they were relatively cheap (under £40 for all of them), so I replaced them all. At 167,000 miles, that's not a bad thing.
The rears are dead easy to get to
The new sensor is a cheap equivalent, so no markings on this.
The fronts were the same story with the sensor
Though they were a little trickier to get to. Nothing terrible, just a tighter squeeze with a small ratchet socket.
One of the screws snapped when tightening it back into the sensor, just from corrosion on the threads. Luckily, the threads were holding the sensor in place, and with the snug fit of the sensor itself, it didn't really need a head on the bolt. In any case, I put a tiny dab of glue onto it to hold it in place, but enough that I could easily pry it off if I need to change it.
To stop this from happening on the other side, I stacked up a few washers so that the screw wouldn't need to be screwed to the point of it snapping
See what I mean by a tight fit. It's not that bad, access from the rear is good.
After clearing the codes using the Autel machine, the car was back to normal and has been since. After a service, it's been running astonishingly well.
Though it did look like this for far too long
This is what I love about this car, but more importantly, gloss white paint. The paintwork hasn't ever been polished, but even so it comes up beautifully after a wash.
The engine condition is lovely under the cover.
Followed by a 4-wheel alignment, ready for our trip to 24h Le Mans next month.
It had its MOT recently, and predictably failed on the suspension arms that I mentioned previously. The garage had replaced them all for a great price, aside from the N/S front which passed, but was still an advisory. I'll get this done soon.
The only other advisories were a noisy pulley, which was actually the sound of the DMF at the time. It's normally pretty quiet, but the one time you could hear it, the mechanic spotted it. Other advisories were an uneven handbrake (easily adjustable), and rust on the exhaust box. That one intrigued me, and after inspecting it myself, it's the tiniest brown mark on what is otherwise a perfectly silver exhaust box. To say the tester was being picky was an understatement, but if that's all he had to say, then I'm happy. I don't like advisories on an MOT, so I'll be getting these done over the next few months.
I've decided to not only keep the car, but to refresh the parts that would wear over time to simply keep on top of its maintenance and to ensure it's as good of a ride as possible. The shock absorbers are an obvious one. They don't leak, have never been an advisory, and feel fine on the road, but even so I'll look to change them to freshen the suspension. I'd imagine 167,000 of British miles would eventually have an affect.
In terms of upgrades, I'll be doing a few things. The only 3 options that it hasn't got are front sensors, leather seats and bi-xenon lights - it has every other option available on a Focus. Firstly, I won't be fitting leather seats as I've never been a fan of them. They scuff and scratch easily, too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. I'll be keeping my absurdly comfy cloth seats. As for the rest, I'll be purchasing a spare set of headlamps to split and install bi-xenon projectors. If I can get the lenses open, the rest is easy (having done this on a previous car). This means I can get xenon lamps for a fraction of the price of original Fords (though I wouldn't have the lovely DRL's that come with original xenon Ford lamps). As for the front sensors, a dashboard button and front sensor loom are all that's required to enable this. On this model, it would also enable the car to park itself, though I can't imagine any circumstance where you can't use your arms.
So there's a good amount of plans for the car. In terms of comfort, practicality and kit, it's the best car I've owned. I'd rather keep on top of it as my father used to tell me "You look after a car and it'll look after you". I've always remembered that.
I don't know why I said it like that; he's not dead.
The car has done 167,000 and is still going strong. We're settled in the new house, and it's lovely to see both on a nice, flat, tarmac drive.
The only thing to mention when it comes to faults is something that happened back in August. The car decided that it wanted to become a Christmas tree.
The last time I had this happen was when I bought the car. It turned out to be a bad batter, causing havoc on the electrical systems. I had the battery checked, but the battery was fine.
Looking at the errors, the following failed:
- Traction control
- ABS
- Hill assist
- Cruise control
- Lane assist
The one consistent thing across all of these is that they all need to know the speed of the wheels. Bingo - speed (ABS) sensor. Admittedly I could have tested all 4 to find the failed sensor, but they were relatively cheap (under £40 for all of them), so I replaced them all. At 167,000 miles, that's not a bad thing.
The rears are dead easy to get to
The new sensor is a cheap equivalent, so no markings on this.
The fronts were the same story with the sensor
Though they were a little trickier to get to. Nothing terrible, just a tighter squeeze with a small ratchet socket.
One of the screws snapped when tightening it back into the sensor, just from corrosion on the threads. Luckily, the threads were holding the sensor in place, and with the snug fit of the sensor itself, it didn't really need a head on the bolt. In any case, I put a tiny dab of glue onto it to hold it in place, but enough that I could easily pry it off if I need to change it.
To stop this from happening on the other side, I stacked up a few washers so that the screw wouldn't need to be screwed to the point of it snapping
See what I mean by a tight fit. It's not that bad, access from the rear is good.
After clearing the codes using the Autel machine, the car was back to normal and has been since. After a service, it's been running astonishingly well.
Though it did look like this for far too long
This is what I love about this car, but more importantly, gloss white paint. The paintwork hasn't ever been polished, but even so it comes up beautifully after a wash.
The engine condition is lovely under the cover.
Followed by a 4-wheel alignment, ready for our trip to 24h Le Mans next month.
It had its MOT recently, and predictably failed on the suspension arms that I mentioned previously. The garage had replaced them all for a great price, aside from the N/S front which passed, but was still an advisory. I'll get this done soon.
The only other advisories were a noisy pulley, which was actually the sound of the DMF at the time. It's normally pretty quiet, but the one time you could hear it, the mechanic spotted it. Other advisories were an uneven handbrake (easily adjustable), and rust on the exhaust box. That one intrigued me, and after inspecting it myself, it's the tiniest brown mark on what is otherwise a perfectly silver exhaust box. To say the tester was being picky was an understatement, but if that's all he had to say, then I'm happy. I don't like advisories on an MOT, so I'll be getting these done over the next few months.
I've decided to not only keep the car, but to refresh the parts that would wear over time to simply keep on top of its maintenance and to ensure it's as good of a ride as possible. The shock absorbers are an obvious one. They don't leak, have never been an advisory, and feel fine on the road, but even so I'll look to change them to freshen the suspension. I'd imagine 167,000 of British miles would eventually have an affect.
In terms of upgrades, I'll be doing a few things. The only 3 options that it hasn't got are front sensors, leather seats and bi-xenon lights - it has every other option available on a Focus. Firstly, I won't be fitting leather seats as I've never been a fan of them. They scuff and scratch easily, too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. I'll be keeping my absurdly comfy cloth seats. As for the rest, I'll be purchasing a spare set of headlamps to split and install bi-xenon projectors. If I can get the lenses open, the rest is easy (having done this on a previous car). This means I can get xenon lamps for a fraction of the price of original Fords (though I wouldn't have the lovely DRL's that come with original xenon Ford lamps). As for the front sensors, a dashboard button and front sensor loom are all that's required to enable this. On this model, it would also enable the car to park itself, though I can't imagine any circumstance where you can't use your arms.
So there's a good amount of plans for the car. In terms of comfort, practicality and kit, it's the best car I've owned. I'd rather keep on top of it as my father used to tell me "You look after a car and it'll look after you". I've always remembered that.
I don't know why I said it like that; he's not dead.
Edited by geraintthomas on Wednesday 10th May 11:43
We went to Le Mans!
Four of us and a car full of everything headed to Le Mans in the Focus. I'd never driven abroad before, so it was a first for me. I was quite looking forward to the journey to see how the car would do. Safe to say, it breezed the whole journey with ease.
Pre-Le Mans clean.
GB plates aren't acceptable in France anymore, as they need to be 'UK' badges.
For a sticker, that worked out surprisingly well.
Off to meet up with the rest, and to get the packing done.
This was half way there. When I say the car was full, I mean that in every sense of the word. You could barely fit a postage stamp in the car! But we had everything for four people camping with a 6-man tent and full-sized pillows too. Even though the other three were completely squashed (sorry _Yeti), it was amazing how much we got into the car.
The ferry was nice, quite relaxing too. But it was 6 hours long...
The campsite was great, and there was enough space for the car and tent in our allocated pitch.
I hadn't been sleeping well that week due to work and other things, and couldn't sleep at all in the tent. I decided to sleep in the car, which to my surprise was outrageously comfy...
For anyone who's interested, here's a few phone snaps from Le Mans
9
We had an awesome time. amongst the lack of sleep, the heat, the 30,000 steps a day and the exhaustion we had, it was a great time. The car didn't put a foot wrong the whole way.
Four of us and a car full of everything headed to Le Mans in the Focus. I'd never driven abroad before, so it was a first for me. I was quite looking forward to the journey to see how the car would do. Safe to say, it breezed the whole journey with ease.
Pre-Le Mans clean.
GB plates aren't acceptable in France anymore, as they need to be 'UK' badges.
For a sticker, that worked out surprisingly well.
Off to meet up with the rest, and to get the packing done.
This was half way there. When I say the car was full, I mean that in every sense of the word. You could barely fit a postage stamp in the car! But we had everything for four people camping with a 6-man tent and full-sized pillows too. Even though the other three were completely squashed (sorry _Yeti), it was amazing how much we got into the car.
The ferry was nice, quite relaxing too. But it was 6 hours long...
The campsite was great, and there was enough space for the car and tent in our allocated pitch.
I hadn't been sleeping well that week due to work and other things, and couldn't sleep at all in the tent. I decided to sleep in the car, which to my surprise was outrageously comfy...
For anyone who's interested, here's a few phone snaps from Le Mans
9We had an awesome time. amongst the lack of sleep, the heat, the 30,000 steps a day and the exhaustion we had, it was a great time. The car didn't put a foot wrong the whole way.
Edited by geraintthomas on Friday 23 June 12:50
Looks like a great weekend, glad the Focus is treating you well.
How is it holding up for corrosion underneath and on the painted bits of the engine bay etc.?
I sold my Mk1 RS at six years old because it was just starting to show the first signs of corrosion here and there. My 2015 ST still seems fine all over at eight, and with only 30k on the clock I hope it has a good bit of life left in it yet!!
How is it holding up for corrosion underneath and on the painted bits of the engine bay etc.?
I sold my Mk1 RS at six years old because it was just starting to show the first signs of corrosion here and there. My 2015 ST still seems fine all over at eight, and with only 30k on the clock I hope it has a good bit of life left in it yet!!
99t said:
Looks like a great weekend, glad the Focus is treating you well.
How is it holding up for corrosion underneath and on the painted bits of the engine bay etc.?
I sold my Mk1 RS at six years old because it was just starting to show the first signs of corrosion here and there. My 2015 ST still seems fine all over at eight, and with only 30k on the clock I hope it has a good bit of life left in it yet!!
There's nowt wrong with it underneath by the looks of it, I normally have a snoop when I can when it goes for an alignment or MOT. You'll be absolutely fine for many, many years to come. Enjoy it!How is it holding up for corrosion underneath and on the painted bits of the engine bay etc.?
I sold my Mk1 RS at six years old because it was just starting to show the first signs of corrosion here and there. My 2015 ST still seems fine all over at eight, and with only 30k on the clock I hope it has a good bit of life left in it yet!!
Work had been getting a little too much recently, so I've taken some time for myself. I've always wanted to go to Scotland, and couldn't quite believe that I haven't been yet. We finally drove to Edinburgh, then to Crieff, then to Glencoe, to see the gorgeous scenery, beautiful city, and to have some very much well deserved downtime.
The museum in Edinburgh is fantastic, for anyone who's around there.
The car did it without issue, as expected. I stuck it in cruise and enjoyed the scenery from start to finish.
However, I've been noticing a bit of a clunk when using the brake in reverse, and then using it going forward. I suspected a loose caliper, but found something a little worse:
The pad had completely come away from its backing plate, which was a bit concerning. Looks like I still have brake issues it seems, or this could have just been a bad pad.
I went ahead with installing some new discs and pads
This time, I went with NAPA. The price was great, and was impressed with their suspension for our Mazda 2. I have to say, the quality of these discs is excellent, with an anti-rust coating on the hubs and edges of the discs. Brembo doesn't even have this. Considering a new set of discs and pads were £75, that's a steal.
They feel far better. The old pads were quite numb, and instantly bit over a threshold.
After a while of driving though, it's clear that the inside of the disc still isn't being used.
And I think I've finally figured it out.
That 'ear' isn't in line with the top ear. It's backwards ever so slightly, and you can only notice by looking top-down so that you can see the two lined up. The bottom one (the one I'm pointing at) is curved back the smallest amount, but it's noticeable. I also noticed that the wheel/disc doesn't spin as freely as the drivers side disc, and the wheel gets dirtier quicker.
I know that a new hub carrier is the way to go. Doing some detective work, the car came with new discs, and warped the new discs in a matter of weeks, which then made me realise why there were new discs on in the first place - it had already warped the previous set. The caliper was shot and I rebuilt it. You may recall that it had kept warping discs after this, but after changing the hub/bearing, it solved the issue. The heat had obviously damaged this part. Well it looks like it could have also warped this, too.
At this point, I'm going to try something a little ballsy as I'm most likely going to get a new hub carrier anyway (luckily, the bearing can easily be moved from one to the other as it's relatively new). I decided to file the bottom 'ear' back so that it's as flat as the top, but this obviously has set it backward a little. So for that...
A small crush washer is used to bring it back up to level again.
The disc and wheel now spins freely when re-assembled, which is something that it didn't do before. It looks like I may have gotten lucky.
I've driven it a couple of miles and there's no obvious issues, and the wheel isn't hotter than the other side anymore, which is a result. There is some slight scoring on the base of the disc now, as well as some brake squealing now and again, but I'm putting this down to the fact that the pad is now using the area that it previously never did.
Worst case, it's a new disc and hub carrier. Best case, it's fixed. However I'm not too crazy about the fact that it's a bit of a bodge job, so I'll most likely be replacing the part in the future anyway.
Also the car needs a wash. I've driven to Le Mans, slept in the car, driven to Scotland, and it's still not had a wash. It's minging.
The museum in Edinburgh is fantastic, for anyone who's around there.
The car did it without issue, as expected. I stuck it in cruise and enjoyed the scenery from start to finish.
However, I've been noticing a bit of a clunk when using the brake in reverse, and then using it going forward. I suspected a loose caliper, but found something a little worse:
The pad had completely come away from its backing plate, which was a bit concerning. Looks like I still have brake issues it seems, or this could have just been a bad pad.
I went ahead with installing some new discs and pads
This time, I went with NAPA. The price was great, and was impressed with their suspension for our Mazda 2. I have to say, the quality of these discs is excellent, with an anti-rust coating on the hubs and edges of the discs. Brembo doesn't even have this. Considering a new set of discs and pads were £75, that's a steal.
They feel far better. The old pads were quite numb, and instantly bit over a threshold.
After a while of driving though, it's clear that the inside of the disc still isn't being used.
And I think I've finally figured it out.
That 'ear' isn't in line with the top ear. It's backwards ever so slightly, and you can only notice by looking top-down so that you can see the two lined up. The bottom one (the one I'm pointing at) is curved back the smallest amount, but it's noticeable. I also noticed that the wheel/disc doesn't spin as freely as the drivers side disc, and the wheel gets dirtier quicker.
I know that a new hub carrier is the way to go. Doing some detective work, the car came with new discs, and warped the new discs in a matter of weeks, which then made me realise why there were new discs on in the first place - it had already warped the previous set. The caliper was shot and I rebuilt it. You may recall that it had kept warping discs after this, but after changing the hub/bearing, it solved the issue. The heat had obviously damaged this part. Well it looks like it could have also warped this, too.
At this point, I'm going to try something a little ballsy as I'm most likely going to get a new hub carrier anyway (luckily, the bearing can easily be moved from one to the other as it's relatively new). I decided to file the bottom 'ear' back so that it's as flat as the top, but this obviously has set it backward a little. So for that...
A small crush washer is used to bring it back up to level again.
The disc and wheel now spins freely when re-assembled, which is something that it didn't do before. It looks like I may have gotten lucky.
I've driven it a couple of miles and there's no obvious issues, and the wheel isn't hotter than the other side anymore, which is a result. There is some slight scoring on the base of the disc now, as well as some brake squealing now and again, but I'm putting this down to the fact that the pad is now using the area that it previously never did.
Worst case, it's a new disc and hub carrier. Best case, it's fixed. However I'm not too crazy about the fact that it's a bit of a bodge job, so I'll most likely be replacing the part in the future anyway.
Also the car needs a wash. I've driven to Le Mans, slept in the car, driven to Scotland, and it's still not had a wash. It's minging.
Please take that copper washer out and put a steel one in there if you're going to continue to run it like that.
The copper will compress, the bolt will come loose and you'll have a caliper flailing around.
Have you put a steel ruler across the mounting faces to check it is definitely that causing the issue?
The copper will compress, the bolt will come loose and you'll have a caliper flailing around.
Have you put a steel ruler across the mounting faces to check it is definitely that causing the issue?
ridds said:
Please take that copper washer out and put a steel one in there if you're going to continue to run it like that.
The copper will compress, the bolt will come loose and you'll have a caliper flailing around.
Have you put a steel ruler across the mounting faces to check it is definitely that causing the issue?
Good advice, will replace it before I drive it next.The copper will compress, the bolt will come loose and you'll have a caliper flailing around.
Have you put a steel ruler across the mounting faces to check it is definitely that causing the issue?
I have, and the lower was certainly off. The difference was noteable the moment I put the wheel back on, with the wheel moving without restriction, whereas before it was always a little 'stiff'.
I wonder if there's a more permanent solution to my fix, rather than use a washer (without replacing the entire hub carrier)? Ideally something that would stay there permanently.
shalmaneser said:
You can get steel shim washers in very small increments. That would be a better fix. Or a new hub!
To be honest, a new hub is pretty much the way to go. At least this proves where the issue is, and that buying a hub wouldn't be a waste of time or money. I'm just glad I've finally figured it out...Thought I'd update this. Here was the before
I drew a black X onto the area, as you can see. After driving it for about a week here and there, it wasn't wearing away. I started to worry that my fix didn't change anything.
But when checking it recently...
Horray! It's wearing the whole disc.
Now that's sorted, I have a clunk coming from the front right suspension. When turning full lock right, a singular clunk would happen. When straightening the wheel up, the same clunk can be heard. There's no clunk turning left, and it's far quieter when turning the wheel while jacked up in the air. The sound is coming from the very top of the spring, so I'm suspecting a failed top mount.
After calling the garage, they mentioned that they've never heard a top mount 'click' before, and said they'd groan instead. The spring doesn't appear snapped, and it doesn't seem to be jumping/skipping. I've booked it in for the 10th.
I'd do it myself, but honestly there's bigger things in life to worry about at the moment.
I drew a black X onto the area, as you can see. After driving it for about a week here and there, it wasn't wearing away. I started to worry that my fix didn't change anything.
But when checking it recently...
Horray! It's wearing the whole disc.
Now that's sorted, I have a clunk coming from the front right suspension. When turning full lock right, a singular clunk would happen. When straightening the wheel up, the same clunk can be heard. There's no clunk turning left, and it's far quieter when turning the wheel while jacked up in the air. The sound is coming from the very top of the spring, so I'm suspecting a failed top mount.
After calling the garage, they mentioned that they've never heard a top mount 'click' before, and said they'd groan instead. The spring doesn't appear snapped, and it doesn't seem to be jumping/skipping. I've booked it in for the 10th.
I'd do it myself, but honestly there's bigger things in life to worry about at the moment.
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