Mk1 Ford Focus - reliable?
Discussion
Just a thought really - I was wondering which cheap to buy/run cars were actually any good to drive. The Focus Mk1 comes up time and again as apparently entertaining, and they do have a certain appeal, but are they reliable and dependable in the long term (the jury seems to be out on Carsurvey - half the respondents have had no bother at all, the other half think they're complete trash).
So - are they built to last or are they as disposable as Fords of old? Anyone got any experience? I was thinking specifically of the 1.6 Zetec.
So - are they built to last or are they as disposable as Fords of old? Anyone got any experience? I was thinking specifically of the 1.6 Zetec.
my mate has a MK1 diesel, think it's a 1.8. It breaks constantly, i can't remember the full list of things but in the past 6 months it had a clutch, Dual mass flywheel and various other bits and has cost him around £1,500. he might just be unlucky though and it might be ok now he has sorted that stuff
My mk1.5 1.6 petrol was flawless until it hit the 100k mark, and then it developed every common problems all at once.
The mk1.5 is generally better than the mk1, but the common weak points for both are coil pack, alternator, vehicle speed sensor, rear wiper and rear wheel bearings.
For the mk1 you can add temperamental central locking and a few more electrical maladies.
The bonus is that if you're remotely mechanically minded they're very easy to fix. I would go as far as to say even easier than an old car as the OBD can be used effectively to diagnose things quickly.
The mk1.5 is generally better than the mk1, but the common weak points for both are coil pack, alternator, vehicle speed sensor, rear wiper and rear wheel bearings.
For the mk1 you can add temperamental central locking and a few more electrical maladies.
The bonus is that if you're remotely mechanically minded they're very easy to fix. I would go as far as to say even easier than an old car as the OBD can be used effectively to diagnose things quickly.
Edited by The Wookie on Friday 26th November 11:34
I had a 1999 Focus 1.8 petrol about 2 years ago, sold it with 114k miles on the clock and it never wanted for anything outside regular servicing. There was initially when I bought it an eratic idle but that can be a common problem with the idle control valve, which was simply taken off the top of the engine and cleaned with carb cleaner. Very easy thing to do yourself. Parts should be easy and cheap to find if you need any.
Edited by Baffled Spoon on Friday 26th November 11:37
I found my 1.6 Zetec to be incredibly boring as a car. I suppose it was capable enough, but I just never fell in love with it the way I have with my cars since.
As far as reliabiliy goes - when I wrote it off it kept running throughout the accident, and limped me to the next town without too many issues. Drove onto the recovery truck too.
As far as reliabiliy goes - when I wrote it off it kept running throughout the accident, and limped me to the next town without too many issues. Drove onto the recovery truck too.
The fatboy said:
well, i rarely see them broken down on motorways comparing to french cars, can i say that they are reasonbly reliable?
I get the impression the engines sometimes soldier on while the rest of the car detonates around it. That said I know someone who ended up with his Focus 1.6 practically written-off with a required engine rebuild (although I have a sneaking feeling he missed a cambelt change).Just got the wife a Focus. 2002 1.8 Ghia on 95,000 miles. Needed some bits that had been missed during its life (plugs, air filter, HT leads) but more importantly needed a new clutch master cylinder (a very common problem apparently where you have brake fluid leaking into the interior/pedals). There is also a clonking (presumed drop links).
As far as I can tell though, the Zetec engines are the strong point with these and seem quite robust. Certainly an earlier version I had in a Fiesta took plenty of abuse without complaining.
As far as I can tell though, the Zetec engines are the strong point with these and seem quite robust. Certainly an earlier version I had in a Fiesta took plenty of abuse without complaining.
Edited by DR10 on Friday 26th November 12:25
The Wookie said:
My mk1.5 1.6 petrol was flawless until it hit the 100k mark, and then it developed every common problems all at once.
The mk1.5 is generally better than the mk1, but the common weak points for both are coil pack, alternator, vehicle speed sensor, rear wiper and rear wheel bearings.
For the mk1 you can add temperamental central locking and a few more electrical maladies.
The bonus is that if you're remotely mechanically minded they're very easy to fix. I would go as far as to say even easier than an old car as the OBD can be used effectively to diagnose things quickly.
I can echo all of the above.The mk1.5 is generally better than the mk1, but the common weak points for both are coil pack, alternator, vehicle speed sensor, rear wiper and rear wheel bearings.
For the mk1 you can add temperamental central locking and a few more electrical maladies.
The bonus is that if you're remotely mechanically minded they're very easy to fix. I would go as far as to say even easier than an old car as the OBD can be used effectively to diagnose things quickly.
Edited by The Wookie on Friday 26th November 11:34
My 1.6 was fine at 100k until I passed it to my sister, who promptly crashed it, otherwise I think it would have gone on and on.
My current 1.8 has just had both rear wheel bearings done (74k on the clock) for the princely sum of around £100 including the parts.
The central locking is a common issue. There are a couple of fixes for it which both work, for a time. Usually happens when there has been a sudden change in temperature in my experience.
Cambelts on the 1.6 and 1.8 are 100k or 10yrs. Doesn't cost the earth to do, so for peace of mind it's worth the outlay (£140 roughly when I got them done)
One other thing not mentioned is the gauze on the washer pump tends to fail or clog, and it's a pain in the backside to get to, being buried deep in the front wing and requiring wheel / splashguard removal to get to it.
The thing is, if anything goes wrong, they're so common that parts are cheap and there is a ready supply of 2nd hand bits from the scrappy if you don't want new.
'51 plate here. I can honestly say its the best car I have owned.
Great to drive, cheap to service and run, enough space for the wife and two kids, and more importantly it has never ever let me down despite the wife treating it like the shopping trolley it is.
It is however, utterly boring.
Great to drive, cheap to service and run, enough space for the wife and two kids, and more importantly it has never ever let me down despite the wife treating it like the shopping trolley it is.
It is however, utterly boring.
We've got a 2002 1.8 Zetec which we've had for about 2 years and has 80k-odd miles on the clock. It's been very reliable so far (touch wood). Only problem is that the remote central locking gave up on the drivers door (still works on the others), but we've got around that by just locking and unlocking with the key! By the way, if anyone knows an easy fix for this, I'm all ears! 
I had a 2001 Focus 1.6 Zetec (petrol) that's still in the family, its probably getting on to 100k miles now, and since it left my personal custody has had a very hard life, driven hard from cold, hard over speed humps, hardly ever serviced, and it's been 100% reliable without fail - if I was looking for a reliable hatchback runabout it would be on my shortlist.
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