2012 Ford Focus Titanium

[geraintthomas]

Hi everyone,

You might know me from my 2003 Porsche Boxster S thread, which is my pride and joy:



(Thread: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... )

For a very cheap daily car, I used to own (up until Monday) a VERY bog standard MK6 1.4 TDCi Fiesta Finesse. I.e. the very basic you can get, featuring wind up windows. But it only cost me £500, costs £30 a year tax, does 75mpg, and I've driven it from Cardiff to Winchester and back once (sometimes twice) a week whilst my girlfriend was in University there for almost two years, and it's been utterly flawless. I've made sure it's mechanically sound in the time I've used it. It's a perfect cheap runabout, but I fancied something a little nicer to drive every day. Something with more features to make the daily drive easier.

Which leads to now. To replace the Fiesta, I've bought this:

It's a 2012 Focus Titanium in white, with a 1.6 TDCi (115bhp) engine.





What a beautiful car.

Some of the options are:

- Parking sensors
- Adaptive cruise control with lane assist
- Traffic sign recognition system
- Sat nav
- BLIS (blind spot) system
- Privacy glass
- Keyless start and entry
- Crash detection
- Auto wipers, headlights, dimming mirrors
- Titanium handling package

And lots of other bits and bobs that are too much to mention.

The point of this car is to be a comfortably daily, to have a car that's as economical, comfortable and nice to drive as possible. Considering my weekend car is a 3.2 straight-6 Porsche, a diesel Mk3 Focus Titanium made sense as it's the polar opposite of that car, being a 5 door, lots of space, lots of driving aids, comfy, quiet and economical. Everything that the Porsche isn't!

It had a few problems to start with. I got to the dealer and the car was dead, so they jump started it and it had a huge amount of electrical errors. These all went away on the test drive, but a few didn't. The stop/start, BLIS and parking sensors didn't work, as well as a couple of other electrical gremlins. The dealer said they'd get an auto-electrician to look at it and will fix it for free of course, but I looked into it myself to save them the hassle.

I put them all down to a bad battery as this was the reading:



11.8v. Ouch! I replaced it Thursday and cleared the module codes with a more advanced diagnostic tool, and they all work perfectly now. Everything was battery related, so that was a relief.

Only a few mechanical things to sort. There's a break wobble from the front left as the disc has a coating of surface rust from sitting on the forecourt. I'll see if it goes away, if not I'll throw some new discs/pads on. The other issue is that the track rod ends are seized and I cannot adjust the track, so I'll be putting new track rod ends on. No biggie, cheap to do too. The dealer has said they'd cover the cost.

I've got a few plans with it though, including upgrading the headlights to bi-xenon (doing the projector install myself), DRL's for the front, and possibly a Zetec S kit all round so that it looks as good as it drives. Not that it doesn't already look good.

So that's about it for the Focus! I'll keep you all updated with the plans. Next up though is to tidy the wheels up as they're badly curbed. I can't be bothered to take them off and spray them as it's a daily, so I've ordered some rim blades in silver just to hide them. I'll see how they hold up.

Edited by geraintthomas on Saturday 4th July 20:14

[geraintthomas]

ZX10R NIN said:

For a car with 136k on that looks clean I've always liked Focus's they're good cars.

That's the point, mileage rarely reflects condition. I can get that looking better than a car with 20,000 on it.

First time I've owned one. I drove my girlfriends Dad's Focus Mk1, and instantly realised how lovely they were.

[geraintthomas]

Hah, they absolutely did! Was a bit intimidating at first but I've got used to it.

I'm used to old school mechanics on cars, and am very much into my computers having built them all my teen/adult life. Mixing the two though... I'm so not used to cars with technology.

[geraintthomas]

Today's job was to fix the boot leak. This is hugely common on the Mk3 Focus. The vents that let fresh air into the boot are poorly sealed and water gets inside. Simple fix, remove the vents, seal and replace.

First off, bumper off. Surprisingly easy; two bolts beneath the rear lights, three screws in each wheel arch, and two plastic clips underneath. The bumper simply comes away.



Here's a video showing the amount of water that was getting in. Unbelievable!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQb5GYubxcM

I cleaned the surrounding area and applied some sealant





Then re-installed the vents



Afterwards I put a little more sealant on top, then smoothed it with my thumb so it's nice and clean, with no chance of gaps. Though I did forget to take a photo of this!

Next up, track rod ends. I'll see if I can get the garage to change my track rod ends in the coming week so that I can finally adjust the tracking. Not that I can't change them myself, but apparently they're covering it on warranty. Plus they're going to have to be cut off, so I'd rather the safety of knowing that it'll be done properly.

[geraintthomas]

Shadow R1 said:

Surprisingly clean under the bumper, nice job.

Thanks! There'll be a point where I go nuts with the cleaning. But it is not this day...

V6todayEVmanana said:

That’s some impressive kit for a 2012 Focus. Adaptive cruise, crash and traffic sign detection in particular.

I was impressed my 2012 Giulietta had cruise and auto wipers.

What does the handling package offer? Guessing it’s more comfort than speed

Believe it or not it's the other way round - it's sport tuned suspension with the 18" alloys. I wouldn't call the suspension sporty at all, but there's little body roll. Nothing like a mk1 Focus to drive though, they're fantastic.

[geraintthomas]

Eyersey1234 said:

Lovely looking Focus you have OP. I love my Mk2.

Thank you!

I love driving this at night. Feels so secure.

[geraintthomas]

Resto157 said:

I’ve just bought the 1.6 petrol (150) titanium x version. Great car for the daily .Ticks all the boxes and is actually a really nice drive. I was surprised how loaded up they are.

I'd have totally gone for the petrol had I not already have the Boxster as they're smooth as silk. The Titanium X's front parking sensors and DRL's are a very nice touch indeed.

Smitters said:

In for this one - I love the cockpit - it looks well space-age lit up like that.

Was quite intimidating at first now now it's lovely! Quite well designed too.

VR99 said:

I drive an MK1 but really like this shape too. Admittedly not usually a fan of white cars but this carries it off v well and as already mentioned surprised at just how much bang for buck you get in the Titanium spec. Is this version of the focus known for more electrical gremlins than previous models (e.g: MK1/2?)

I think so... wouldn't be surprised with the amount of errors I had when I bought it. It's an insane bang for buck! Trying to think what £3,500 would have got you 10 years ago. Now it gets you a car that can literally drive itself.

[geraintthomas]

Podie said:

PFL cars do have the Fiesta radio which (to quote EVO) "appears to have been arranged with all the precision of an unguarded sneeze" but you do get used to it

I'd highly recommend.a genuine Ford boot liner. They're not cheap, but they are brilliant. Perfect fit, decent lip to stop any spillages and easy to hose down - a real useful thing on a daily driver - we have them in the Fiesta and Focus. Can't recall if these have a single boot light or not? A guy on one of the Focus forums makes a loom (work of art to be fair) which allows for a second lamp to be slotted into the hole on the passenger side, giving plenty of light. I went for LED panels from Autobeam in the RS and makes a huge difference on a dark morning / evening.

A set of chromed indicator bulbs does wonders for cleaning up the lines.

Good tip on the boot liner, will look into that. There's already a second bulb in the Titanium so the boot is lit from both sides - I've placed some LED bulbs in the housings which match the interior as they're LED from the factory too, so it's a little better.

With the indicator bulbs, I've bought Cree LED bulbs for cars in the past and have installed resistors on the wires so the car doesn't think a bulb is missing, and they're brilliant. As bright as standard bulbs (for as long as they're Cree). I need to look into it with this one, probably when I retrofit the projector headlights.

Smitters said:

However, now I can't unsee an angry robot with a gaping red mouth. Also intimidated...

I can kind of see it... I also don't want to as I won't see anything else!


Car is booked into the garage for next Tuesday for them to change the track rod ends under warranty. I'm going to dip the front brake discs into a white vinegar bath to remove the surface rust as they're quite wobbly under braking due to standing on the forecourt. I'll paint the calipers with silver hammerite at the same time too, as well as the rear drums in black hammerite.

[geraintthomas]

Ordered somestuff to sort out some minor niggles with the car.

RimBlades in Silver - £30. I had the wheels on the Porsche refurbished/powdercoated, but this car is a daily that I'll be doing a lot of miles in, and could possible get curbed again easily. These just hide the curb marks and just stick on. They're silver and wouldn't be that bad on the current wheels, so I'll try them out. Honestly I don't know what the previous owner did or where they took the car, but even the tyres have chunks missing out of the protective rim. The alloys are curbed all over, every one of them. If these don't work or don't look good I'll refurbish them myself.

Frozen White touch up paint (£6). To touch up a small scuff mark on the front bumper, as well as a little bit of paint missing on the corner of a rear panel. Should only need the tiniest amount.

Genuine mats (£25). These will be quite nice with the Focus badge on them.

Black Hammerite 'smooth' paint (£11). For the rear drums. I already have silver for the front calipers and the hub carriers behind the discs.

OBD2 to USB (£11) for the Focccus app, primarily to change the drive-off auto-lock function, and also to enable HID's when I get round to retrofitting the projectors.

Wing mirror indicator covers (£10 for the pair). One's cracked, the other is yellow and whilst I could polish that up, they were very cheap so decided to change them both.

Front fog lamp (£17) as the O/S is cracked with water leaking inside of it. Pre-owned to match the condition of the other, and no need to replace both with new ones.

Some items are coming from China so will take a while (indicator covers and OBD2 to USB lead) but the others should be here this week.

[geraintthomas]

The RimBlades came today. I can't believe that it costs £30 for these. It's a complete ripoff, but there's none that are cheaper that I can find anywhere. Still, if they work then they work.

They give IPA cleaner, and also an adhesion primer that sets, then you apply the rimblade to the wheel, then leave it for 1-3 days before driving over 40mph. It also says it helps to warm the wheel a little and not to do it on a damp/cold day. Reviews say that for people who follow the instructions, they last a very long time. Some people just stick them on and complain when they fly off. Either way, it's definitely worth a try.

This is all they are:





I tried to find something online that's similar/cheaper, but to no avail.

The wheels are knackered, presumably a rally driver was the last owner?!



And a test position



These cover all of the curbing nicely! If they stay on then it's a winner. It'll also stop the wheel from being curbed if I do touch a curb. The weather's looking to improve on the weekend so I'll be doing them then.

I also cannot wait to coat the rear drums in black hammerite. They look horrible!

[geraintthomas]

Cambs_Stuart said:

Following with interest. My daily drive/family taxi probably will get replaced in the next 12 months so I'm looking for something cost efficient, less than 8 years old and pleasant to drive. This seems to tick a lot of those boxes.

So far I thoroughly recommend it. I can't believe how comfortable, quiet, and cheap it is to drive. And with all of these extras for the money I've paid? It's a no brainier. Parts aware very cheap if you ever want to fix it up too. For instance, replacement discs and pads for the front are £40.

Genuine mats came today! They're lovely.









Also the parcel shelf was broken. I assume this is common looking at its design. The edges have cracked and bent, so the shelf falls constantly.



I've got two stiff rubber washers, which surprisingly fit perfectly. 12mm if anyone wants to know,





The plan was to glue them to the outside of the shelf, creating a wider shelf for the posts to sit in so that it can't fall, and also for them to be more secure rather than wobble around,







Job done, shelf is now secure and no chance of falling as I had to bend the edges a little for them to fit onto the posts. As they should! Poor design from Ford there.

Whilst I was there, I changed the boot lamps to white (though they look blue here) to match the interior LED's. Not sure if the interior LED's are part of the titanium package or if they're standard across all mk3's but they look great, so these are my best attempt to match them.

Photos were before I fixed the shelf:





More to follow

[geraintthomas]

Smiljan said:

I'm sure with your past car history this Focus now has a good home and will be kept in tip top condition.

Just out of interest which diagnostic tool did you use to clear all the codes?

Sorry I totally missed this, It's an Autotel diagnostic too, can't remember the model but it's on amazon for £89.99.

[geraintthomas]

super7 said:

If you go up one more level to the Titanium X you also get

- Bi-Xenon headlights with the added gizmo to light up corners as you turn
- Automatic headlight full-beam (doesn't work very well.... a bit slow too dip!!)
- Parking assist to parallel park (except it kerbs the 18" alloys!!)
- Part leather interior
- Calls emergency services if you ding it too heavily
- Heated seats
- Electric driver seat
- Multi zone aircon

I got mine back in 2013 and did 90k in it, without 1 issue. My son bought it from me once he passed his test at 18, 2 yrs ago, and is still using it now. The only thing that has failed is the Sony media bit. Got another of ebay for £100 and replaced it myself, all good!!. Absolutely cracking car!!

I was going to view a Titanium X but the price for it was higher and it had no record of a timing belt changed, so I went for this one. Looked lovely though!

Mine also has the auto full beam and the multi zone climate control, so may well have been added to mine as an option. It seems to have every extra I can think of!

I've emailed Ford asking for help to decipher the options on the car but no reply yet.

[geraintthomas]

finlo said:

I can't believe they're persevering with drum brakes in the 21st century!

I know, was quite surprised myself. They perform well though.

VR99 said:

Where did you source the "genuine" mats out of interest? Mine are knackered and could do with a change. I like how the small changes you are making here and there will make a decent cumulative improvement overall. Price aside, are the rimblades worth it for the visual enhancement?

Thank you. eBay through a certified Ford dealer. Just give eBay a search and it's the first £25 ones that pop up. They came in the actual ford bag too and look fantastic.

Rim blades... if you want that contrast look (such as a Porsche Spyder edge silver look) then it helps hugely, but otherwise they'd just be for hiding the curb marks. Once on it'll look better with a nice smooth edge as opposed to chunks missing out of the alloys. I'll be fitting them Monday most likely as I'm busy this weekend, but very much looking forward to fitting them.

The boot bulbs I installed earlier look lovely at night. Ideally I'd like them a little warmer and less blue, but they'll do for the time being. It's hard to tell when buying lights because sellers just throw the 'k' colour temperature around without testing. I want 5000k bulbs but the last time I bought some they were practically purple. It's just luck of the draw.



One thing I do love about the car is the rear LED lights. Should be on all of the mk3's.

[geraintthomas]

carlove said:

I'm really surprised and even more impressed that a 2012 Focus has adaptive cruise & lane keep assist. I think you'd be lucky to find a 2012 7 Series with those.
I had a lift in a colleague's 2011 Focus Titanium one night, I was really impressed by the ambient lighting in that car.
Really nice car you've got there, and seems a good find with all that kit (I'm struggling to find one like it on Autotrader)

My father has a 2012 Skoda VRS Mk3 with those features, so I assumed it was quite well implemented then, unless it was rather new? It's fantastic though. I normally have the lane assist to vibrate the steering wheel if I wander out of the lane rather than correct me, but even that is fantastic.

There's a white Titanium X Focus up towards York area for under £4,000, looks to have more features than mine.

Chrispee said:

Following with interest. I bought a 61 plate Ti- X Estate with the 1.6 Ecoboost at the end of last year and so far have been very impressed. Looks great with 18" alloys like yours. Haven't dared try the park assist yet, and find the DAB radio a bit crap for reception but as a general runaround that i can throw the bike in the back of I like it. Seeing as it sits outside costing me just tax and insurance vs my leased Cupra that went back just before lockdown I can't complain! No adaptive cruise though, and i didnt know about the automatic high beam dip, will have to try that out!

Lovely! Glad it's the 1.6 and not the 1.0. Not that there's anything wrong performance wise, but I've heard the timing belts are hugely expensive to replace due to needing special tools which garages don't use and aren't trained for.

The automatic high beam works off one of the cameras behind the mirror, so it could be the same as the adaptive cruise as that does scan cars in front to follow and to engage the brakes if need be, so it's probably the same one that looks for cars to enable/disable the high beam. Could be wrong though. Either way it's a setting in 'Driver Assist'.


Checked the boot this morning and no water leaks of any kind - the sealant did the job! Just need to get the faint smell of damp out of the carpets in there now.

[geraintthomas]

super7 said:

My son has done the boot sealant job..... it's a common issue.....

The automatic headlights does use the camera's behind the mirror. The implementation is a bit crudeand it get's confused very easily with reflections of sign posts as it's looking for two lights that move together, like any other cars headlights do. It becomes irritating after a while with all the false dips and it's not as fast as your hand.

I also forgot to mention the little mechanism in the door that fire's out a plastic cover over the door edge to stop you chipping it against a wall.... very cool!!

My son's might be up for sale soon, although some minger in a sainburys let their trolley smash into the side of it, without leaving a note. He took the wing off and bashed most of it out!!

That's one thing mine hasn't got, the plastic door edge protector. Would be nice to retrofit it!

[geraintthomas]

The £9 wing mirror indicator replacements came today.

Horrible cracked original lamp:



Shiny new one



Bit of a difference



Installed. Much better



The other was quite dull and yellow too



Replacement looks far nicer



Right. I've just tried to use FoCCCus with the ELM327 cable. I connected to the car, made a backup but when it was making the backup the car went nuts. Engine fault, brake fault, etc etc. Suddenly stopped and went back to normal. I tried to write the 'auto lock' when driving off onto the car, and the same thing happened. An error occured and it didn't upload, so I've stopped there. Absolutely s**t myself, so I'm super uncomfortable using it. Was that meant to happen?! I'd need to do this if I'm to fit HID's in projectors in the future. What am I doing wrong?

[geraintthomas]

Podie said:

That doesn't sound happy. Where did you get your adaptor from?

Did you set the com port and set the port speed to auto?

eBay from China. Didn't think it had to be anything special... recommend any?

[geraintthomas]

Podie said:

This is the one I bought (it was recommended to me) and had no issues with ELMconfig, Forscan or FoCCus.

Caveat - as ever, YMMV.

Wasn't sure if you forgot to post a link, or if you're referencing mine!

[geraintthomas]

Podie said:

Apologies - multiple computers... I think I did Ctrl+C on one, and Ctrl+V on the other...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ELM327-USB-modified-for...

Ah mine looks identical to that:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/312945560530

And it's from UK, thought it was China. I looked online and others do the same thing of throwing dash board errors when it's reading/writing. Seems to be quite normal. I'll give it another go when I get round to doing the projector lenses!