Fiesta ST - Mountune
Discussion
Well, this might be my first proper post. I've been lurking in here for years! Literally since around 2007 I'd say.
I was in the market recently for a small fun car that isn't too old that I can use as a daily and generally just be something I can tinker with and enjoy. I had a 9k budget which I quickly realised wasn't much in today's market for what I was after. I was tempted to get another civic (ep3). I miss my old one which was sadly written off at the end 2020. I was quite tempted to get another but I then remembered it had no creature comforts at all. Since it was written off I'd been wafting about in a Volvo v50 and then had a short stint in a V70, super comfy cars and fully loaded. I decided perhaps an ST would be a good compromise, so the search began. I wanted an ST3 as these come with nav, cruise control and all of the other usual stuff such as heated seats ,climate control, power fold mirrors and so on. I did my research so I knew what to look out for when it came to issues. Armed with this knowledge I arranged for some test drives with a few I had my eyes on, but they seemed a bit ropey when seeing them in the flesh. I was willing to travel for the right one but then I came across the seemingly perfect match which was located only 5 miles from home. This was the one, a 2017 full st3 in the perfect colour and only 1 lady owner from new, who happened to work for Ford. It also has the full Mountune 215 package which is a nice touch, and of course it had full service history and generally it's a nicely looked after car, not perfect but a decent example. I purchased it on the spot and I'm happy to say that it's been a fantastic car in my few months of ownership. I've swapped out the engine mount for a vibra technics as the old one started to creak a bit. There is a little bit of front bumper sag but I'll attack that when I fit the new intercooler. The plan is to really just keep it clean and maintain it, I've no desire to squeeze more power, it's plenty enough for me to have fun in.
Since owning I've started to get back into detailing and tinkering so I'm a happy chap at the mo
Anyway, enough rambling.. pics below!
I was in the market recently for a small fun car that isn't too old that I can use as a daily and generally just be something I can tinker with and enjoy. I had a 9k budget which I quickly realised wasn't much in today's market for what I was after. I was tempted to get another civic (ep3). I miss my old one which was sadly written off at the end 2020. I was quite tempted to get another but I then remembered it had no creature comforts at all. Since it was written off I'd been wafting about in a Volvo v50 and then had a short stint in a V70, super comfy cars and fully loaded. I decided perhaps an ST would be a good compromise, so the search began. I wanted an ST3 as these come with nav, cruise control and all of the other usual stuff such as heated seats ,climate control, power fold mirrors and so on. I did my research so I knew what to look out for when it came to issues. Armed with this knowledge I arranged for some test drives with a few I had my eyes on, but they seemed a bit ropey when seeing them in the flesh. I was willing to travel for the right one but then I came across the seemingly perfect match which was located only 5 miles from home. This was the one, a 2017 full st3 in the perfect colour and only 1 lady owner from new, who happened to work for Ford. It also has the full Mountune 215 package which is a nice touch, and of course it had full service history and generally it's a nicely looked after car, not perfect but a decent example. I purchased it on the spot and I'm happy to say that it's been a fantastic car in my few months of ownership. I've swapped out the engine mount for a vibra technics as the old one started to creak a bit. There is a little bit of front bumper sag but I'll attack that when I fit the new intercooler. The plan is to really just keep it clean and maintain it, I've no desire to squeeze more power, it's plenty enough for me to have fun in.
Since owning I've started to get back into detailing and tinkering so I'm a happy chap at the mo
Anyway, enough rambling.. pics below!
Edited by Troka on Thursday 23 May 19:31
Edited by Troka on Thursday 23 May 19:33
Edited by Troka on Thursday 23 May 19:33
Edited by Troka on Thursday 23 May 19:39
Great cars. Ran a ST2 from 2014 to 2023.
Only issue I had with mine was the handbrake and rear calipers and sliding pins. Change the latter asap to ensure flat pad wearing.
The wheel nuts really are made of cheese. I changed all for new Ford items only once, then replaced them all with another brand a couple of years later. The replacements were far cheaper and much better.
Only issue I had with mine was the handbrake and rear calipers and sliding pins. Change the latter asap to ensure flat pad wearing.
The wheel nuts really are made of cheese. I changed all for new Ford items only once, then replaced them all with another brand a couple of years later. The replacements were far cheaper and much better.
so when I said earlier that it's fully loaded, I forgot about the parking sensors and cam, it doesn't have those! The cam would be a nice touch, I'll look into that.
I thought I'd got away from the whole slider pin issue with the ep3, but it seems not. Thankfully it had all new pads and discs including pins only a few months before I purchased, I'll keep an eye on them though. I also leave the handbrake off when in the garage, hopefully that helps it last a bit longer.
The one thing that nearly put me off purchasing was the theft problem. The cars garaged most of the time but I did get an immobiliser put on and I always use the Dislock when I go out. I'd like to think the visual deterrence would work before they smash their way in and then realise they can't start it. Such a shame these are so easy to steal.
Leef44 - cheers mate. The RH engine mount on these are a bit of a weak point apparently. I was told they're the same mount used on the smaller engines so they're not specifically designed for the ST.. not sure how true that is but I can say that the Vibra Technics one definitely makes the car feel better. Everyone raves about them on the groups so it seems the way to go.
I thought I'd got away from the whole slider pin issue with the ep3, but it seems not. Thankfully it had all new pads and discs including pins only a few months before I purchased, I'll keep an eye on them though. I also leave the handbrake off when in the garage, hopefully that helps it last a bit longer.
The one thing that nearly put me off purchasing was the theft problem. The cars garaged most of the time but I did get an immobiliser put on and I always use the Dislock when I go out. I'd like to think the visual deterrence would work before they smash their way in and then realise they can't start it. Such a shame these are so easy to steal.
Leef44 - cheers mate. The RH engine mount on these are a bit of a weak point apparently. I was told they're the same mount used on the smaller engines so they're not specifically designed for the ST.. not sure how true that is but I can say that the Vibra Technics one definitely makes the car feel better. Everyone raves about them on the groups so it seems the way to go.
Edited by Troka on Saturday 25th May 19:59
Edited by Troka on Saturday 25th May 20:01
Fitted the new intercooler last week. Got this one for a good price from a friend.
The stock cooler was looking a little tired and once I got the bumper off I noticed the dent on the top, I don't think it caused any performance issues but still, nice to get the new one on there. I gave the crash bar a quick clean up while I was there too.
The stock cooler was looking a little tired and once I got the bumper off I noticed the dent on the top, I don't think it caused any performance issues but still, nice to get the new one on there. I gave the crash bar a quick clean up while I was there too.
Cambs_Stuart said:
Looks good, but any idea what caused the dent? Could it be related to the bumper say you mentioned in the first post?
Quite possibly. Looking on the forums, people have mentioned that bumper sag can be an issue in general, even without damage.. but it could be that maybe the previous owner did in fact hit something. There doesn't seem to be any other damage and the inside of the bumper looks alright. Other than that dent in the intercooler everything else looks good. The gap between the bumper and the wing is really frustrating though, I'll get some pics of the issue this afternoonmartin mrt said:
That looks like a really nice example, they are great cars.
I sold mine on Thursday after the 3rd time it was being targeted for theft, shame really.
Thanks mate. I sold mine on Thursday after the 3rd time it was being targeted for theft, shame really.
Yeah the theft thing is a real downer with owning one of these. If I get an attempt on it I may end up just moving it on and getting a banger for daily use again. Be a shame but in all honesty I can't be bothered with the ag these days!
Troka said:
martin mrt said:
That looks like a really nice example, they are great cars.
I sold mine on Thursday after the 3rd time it was being targeted for theft, shame really.
Thanks mate. I sold mine on Thursday after the 3rd time it was being targeted for theft, shame really.
Yeah the theft thing is a real downer with owning one of these. If I get an attempt on it I may end up just moving it on and getting a banger for daily use again. Be a shame but in all honesty I can't be bothered with the ag these days!
Great cars, pretty gutted that I don’t have it anymore
Am hoping that as these cars get older the theft problem gets less prevalent, should imagine most are nicked for the ST specific bits to stick on a lower spec car, or for parts to repair another ST, hopefully it will burn itself out as they get cheaper and the scrotes move on to something else.
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