Hi
I recently got a Focus 1.6TDCi Zetec Climate, and I have a couple of questions:

1. The blowers do not seem to perform well. I hear the fan increasing speed on each setting, and even on speed 4 to any area, there doesnt seem to be much of a blast coming through the vents. Is this normal or has something become disconnected? (i doubt this, as air is in fact coming through, but its not as rapid as I am used to in other cars.

2. It was on 92,000 miles when I bought it, and I dont think its ever had a diesel additive top up (EOLYS 176). How important is it to get this done, as it is VERY expensive

thanks

lack of performance from the blower could be the pollen filter blocked, its recomended to change these every two years so if its never been done from new it could be your problem.

[quote name='hawker' post='59633' date='Jan 12 2010, 03:28 PM']Hi
I recently got a Focus 1.6TDCi Zetec Climate, and I have a couple of questions:

2. It was on 92,000 miles when I bought it, and I dont think its ever had a diesel additive top up (EOLYS 176). How important is it to get this done, as it is VERY expensive

thanks[/quote]

Ah well the next question would be, if the car in question is equipped with a DPF or not and if so which type

[url="http://ww.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=66412"]Focus DPF or Non DPF[/url]

[url="http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/fuels-and-environment/diesel-particulate-filters.html"]AA Diesel Particulate Filters[/url]

Thanks for the advice!

Any instructions on how to change the pollen filter would be very much appreciated.

I bought a pollen filter off ebay for £6. I'll give it a go soon.

I'm not happy as my clutch has just gone and I'll have to get it replaced. Depending on if its the dual mass flywheel or not, it'll cost anything between £450 and £900. VERY ANNOYED!

I was next to a focus II on a 57 plate yesterday and noticed that the dashboard speedo dials were illuminated in white whereas mine is green. Did this change across the board, or was it modded?

Also, I'm amazed there is no dimmer switch for the speedo. Every car I've ever owned had this.

Hi,

Sorry to hear that about clutch/DMF. The last thing you want when you've just bought a car is shell out a small fortune on repairs. Where there any signs that the clutch was going or was it quite sudden?

I noticed a slight lack of pickup in 2nd on the odd occasion, but its only just started slipping badly in all gears. Its intermittent at the moment, but I'm driving very cautiously for the time being, rarely going over 2000 rpm, so I'm getting from A to B without any hiccups at the moment.

Hopefully its going in to be fixed next week so I'm keeping my fingers crossed its just the clutch thats gone, and not the DMF instead/as well.

[quote name='hawker' date='03 February 2010 - 04:59 PM' timestamp='1265215777' post='63155']
I noticed a slight lack of pickup in 2nd on the odd occasion, but its only just started slipping badly in all gears. Its intermittent at the moment, but I'm driving very cautiously for the time being, rarely going over 2000 rpm, so I'm getting from A to B without any hiccups at the moment.

Hopefully its going in to be fixed next week so I'm keeping my fingers crossed its just the clutch thats gone, and not the DMF instead/as well.
[/quote]


volkswagen had the same issue with dmfs my passat was the same they seem to fail quite a lot on the vws you can buy a solid flywheel insted and simply change it to that they are cheaper but some were a bit noisy

I got a new pollen filter and tried fitting it today.
There is a metal back plate under the glove box to which the fuse box clips into. The fuse box and back plate must be moved/removed before you can access the pollen filter housing to get the filter out. However, to remove this metal back plate, a collection of wires is clipped very tightly to this. How do I remove this clip? It is a black metal clip, between a 5p and 10p in diameter, and has a black square plastic end. I just cant seem to get this clip undone to get the wires out of the way. Any tips would be much appreciated.

[quote name='hawker' date='13 February 2010 - 05:02 PM' timestamp='1266079974' post='64840']
I got a new pollen filter and tried fitting it today.
There is a metal back plate under the glove box to which the fuse box clips into. The fuse box and back plate must be moved/removed before you can access the pollen filter housing to get the filter out. However, to remove this metal back plate, a collection of wires is clipped very tightly to this. How do I remove this clip? It is a black metal clip, between a 5p and 10p in diameter, and has a black square plastic end. I just cant seem to get this clip undone to get the wires out of the way. Any tips would be much appreciated.
[/quote]


[url="http://www.petercoopercarrepairs.co.uk/changing_the_pollen_filter_on_a.htm"]http://www.petercoopercarrepairs.co.uk/changing_the_pollen_filter_on_a.htm[/url] you will probably need a new seal that fits on the cover sealing it against the window this is what prevents youre passenger footwell becoming a mini swimming pool

Give me a message with your vin if you want the price of clutch and dmf...should save you some cash

[quote name='FORD-PARTS-CENTRE' date='14 February 2010 - 12:03 PM' timestamp='1266148409' post='64963']
Give me a message with your vin if you want the price of clutch and dmf...should save you some cash
[/quote]

Thanks for that mate, but I've already had it done.
I had a new clutch+DMF fitted for £260! As I bought the car from the Car Shop in Cardiff only 3 months ago, they wouldnt do the job under warranty as it was classed as a "wear and tear" fault, but as a gesture of goodwill, they would meet over half of the bill, so I cant complain really I suppose.

Well actually I can, as yesterday I have found out that my alternator is now knackered!
I think I've gone and bought myself a donkey!

[quote name='hawker' date='17 February 2010 - 09:47 AM' timestamp='1266399443' post='65398']
Thanks for that mate, but I've already had it done.
I had a new clutch+DMF fitted for £260! As I bought the car from the Car Shop in Cardiff only 3 months ago, they wouldnt do the job under warranty as it was classed as a "wear and tear" fault, but as a gesture of goodwill, they would meet over half of the bill, so I cant complain really I suppose.

Well actually I can, as yesterday I have found out that my alternator is now knackered!
I think I've gone and bought myself a donkey!
[/quote]

Unfortunately it's a gamble buying second hand. But I've always bought second hand, as I just hate the heavy depreciation aspect of buying new cars.

Youngest I ever bought was a sixth month old Nissan Sunny, I always pay cash [ I was loaded back then ] kept it eleven years until a wagon wrote it off {just prior to the crash, it had sailed through it's MOT] My next car was a one year old Mondeo. Kept that ten years, until its original clutch went. Then I bought a five year old Focus 1.8 run that until a boy racer hit it head on and wrote it off four years later. Next was a four year old S40 2.0D SE. Sold that 9 months later for this 55 plate Focus 1.6 petrol, as it better suits our low mileage knock about town driving. And I have to say all the cars I've bought in my 45 years of owning cars, and its a lot, I never bought a "dog". And never had big repair bills, biggest costly repair I've ever had was a £300 new clutch in the 1.8 Focus, ten days prior to it being written off.........now that was just bad timing, as it was only slipping a bit

SO BUYING SECOND for me it's always paid off.

As the modern cars have in the last six years or so have so much engine management sensors type stuff on them. The last two I purchased I negotiated 12 month warranties within the asking price.

You bought a car just 8k short of having covered 100k so you can expect stuff to be wearing out. Clutches in Fords I've owned have gone circa 80k, so yours was due replacing. And the alternator failing just after the clutch is just bad luck. What I'm saying is, don't look at it as a donkey, as this will spoil your ownership pleasure.

Yes you could have bought better, but that is by and by now. Only downside I can see now is the DPF replacement, not having been done at 75K, meaning it will need doing any time soon. But hey what are your options, trade it in and take the hit between dealer price and PX price? That's the cost of replacing the DPF and more !!! Maybe sell it private? But there are so many out there.

Keeping it means swallowing the cost of a DPF replacement at some stage. But after that you have a motor good for 80/90k before it needs a new clutch, and another six years until you need the DPF replacing again.

I looked at the [url="http://www.wisebuyers.co.uk/index.jsp?guide=prices&page=used_cars&no=3&make=Ford&model=Focus+%282004-07%29&mmv=22628&yearplate=2006%2F06&mileage=92&x=43&y=2"]Wisebuyer site[/url] and assuming you motor is a 2006 on an 06 plate with 92K. [at this months values obviously, so three months on from when you bought]

Dealer price : 5945
Private good: 5165
Private ave: 4505
Private poor: 4145
Part Ex: 4865

Now I paid £6200 for a 55 Plate 1.6 petrol with 33K on the clock back in October 09. Not cheap but a good example from a Ford Main Dealer. Now on Wisebuyers my car with 34k on the clock is Dealer price: 5870. So considering you paid 5450 and you say it "looks good" even with the extra cost you are having to swallow, it could always have been a lot worse.

chin up.