Don't Buy A Fiesta!

[moon_monkie]

Warning to anyone using this site that hasn't taken the plunge and purchased a Fiesta. Take my advice and don't! That is unless you enjoy having to replace your alloy wheels at £200 a time every few months as they are not fit for purpose. I've no idea who makes these wheels for Ford but they seem to be made of Cheese... Ford Customer Relations will not help either, just trotting out the 'there isn't a problem' line. So if you value your bank balance and sanity go and buy a VW or Renault etc instead.

[StewartM]

Touch wood, I've not had any problems, car is over one year old, done 10K Miles, some of our roads have been horrendous with potholes this winter.

Stewart.

[grin factor]

The Fiesta has many good qualities. Its a shame you've had a bad experience with your wheels. The low profile tyres do not help, as they don't absorb much when hitting a pot hole etc. I'm sure other vehicles will have the same problem.

[KeithC]

Awesome.

We've had the Fiesta almost 2 years and not one buckled wheel.

Saying that, I don't drive over potholes or into the kerb, I try to be careful when I'm driving.

[mrobins64495]

I hope thats not the case, i've hit some massive potholes since i've moved, don't know the roads yet, some that shake your teeth, hoping my alloys are ok :(

[moon_monkie]

Glad to hear that not everyone is having the same problem, we drive ours very carefully too which is doubly annoying that they keep failing. We like the car otherwise and it's a shame that this issue has soured our experience but when it's time to replace we won't be buying another one, like most people we cannot justify the uplanned and unecessary expense...

[iNath]

You've come to a Ford Owner's Club Fiesta forum full of Fiesta owners to warn us not to buy a Fiesta.....? :P

10,000 miles and no issues here :)

[Chris Ecc]

12,000 Miles and I'm fine. I've hit some massive pot holes too!

*touch wood*

[briggsy]

what do you expect from standard alloys? if you want better quality go for aftermarket wheels. Simply put, alloys are not designed to hit POT holes that the UK is famous for. To be fair, Steel wheels preform better in this regard.

[TroodoN]

There are many topics about buckled alloys which means ford does not pay attenion to provide a good quality of alloys for their cars. But other than that I would recommend to buy this car.

[james_60]

Hi

The alloys are made by Ronal (16") Titanium (fan blade style not new ones)

They are £139 not £200

The XL (Xtra load) tyres do not help and also being such a low profile does not also help.

My Fiesta had teething problems but it doesent make me wish i had not bought it.

I have Covered 13k Miles and love the car :)

Jamie

[moon_monkie]

Ours were 7 spoke 16" alloys on our Titanium and yes they are over £200 to buy from Ford. We've given up after replacing 3 and put a set of aftermarket alloys on ours. As I said it's a shame as it spoils the ownership experience of an otherwise good car. Ours had clocked up over 20k and no issues other than the !Removed! wheels.

Yes I do think it's worth warning people on this forum as people do look at owner reviews before purchasing so if it helps people avoid the same problems we've had it's a good thing.

As a matter of interest I also have an 04 Megane with the same size alloys as the Fiesta had and that's done 93k over the last 6 and a half years with no wheel problems at all so the Ford ones must be weak.

[mark t]

Hit a massive pothole within a month at speed in the dark, and too rightly killed on of the 16" and with in the last month of having it, hit something on the A1 had a blowout, and dented wheel, either shuffling along on it, or mountung the no hard shouldered kerb! appart from that, nothing!

[rf1992]

TBH, having a buckled wheel is not the worst thing that could happen to your new car. I am on SeatCupra.net and there are loads of threads on that site about the mk5 Ibiza having problems with injectors, warning lights not going off, limp mode on constantly, knocking suspension, rattles from the interior, 'chirping' from the engine, rattling DSG gearbox, the list could go on and on. It seems that its not the best built car in the world, compared to the new Fiesta anyway. If it were me, i would be getting Ford to replace the alloy, its clearly a manufacturing fault!

[drapley]

I since i got my fiesta in sept09 i have had the following:

September 09:

bluetooth Update

Gear Lever not central, come out of 2nd and does not line up to 4th

November 09:

bluetooth Update

Driver Side Door Mirror adjusted not to hit the door on auto fold

Boot + Internal Lights changed for LED

Footwell lights changed to RED LED

Gear Lever not central, come out of 2nd and does not line up to 4th

Made a boot liner - More hardwearing

March 10:

Front alloys Damaged due ot pot holes - Replaced

bluetooth Update

Brake hose - Ford Recall Notice - Checked

June 10:

Skid warning light on, no fault found!

July 10:

Unable to get into gear after long distance, something re-aligned

Aug 10:

Heating Matrix melted, stank like a dead body in the car

Nov 10:

Both front tyres worn out at 18k, took kwikfit 2 days to get the tyres in and they are the wrong load rating

Dec 10:

Screw in back tyre kwikfit unable to supply tyre for 1 week! due to high demand as so many fiesta's hitting potholes

, so got ford to do it and they put the only directional tyre on my car (on the back)

Jan 11:

Pothole taken out one of the new front tyres, rim ok for once, kwik fit replaced same day but put the only tyre they have

a directional on the oposite corner to the other one so now one front and one back, car reacting badly on motorway in the wet, swapped them around so

both on the front, grips so much better!

Ditched mickey mouse spare wheel and brough a secondhand alloy off eBay and got the screwholed trye fixed for a spare, and purchased a 2 ton jack for quick replacement.

Starting to hate this fiesta! 2years 8months till i can ditch it!!!!

I have had alloys on cars for the last 20years and never managed to knacker a tyre or wheel before this car!!! and I have found it really bad in the snow so purchased snow socks just

so i can get out of my road

[RCJ]

Partly preaching to the wrong crowd

[Casca]

I have had alloys on cars for the last 20years and never managed to knacker a tyre or wheel before this car!!! and I have found it really bad in the snow so purchased snow socks just

so i can get out of my road

What sidewall height are the tires that were on your alloys that lasted 20 years?

[Inked]

I buckled the two front alloys on mine last February after the snow had wrecked the roads near us, but it was my fault for driving too fast as I knew the pothole was there

All four wheels are scuffed and need refurbing as I'm simply not careful enough when parking, the design of the alloys combined with the tyres doesn't help, but I see all of this as my fault, not the cars.

[KeithC]

I have had alloys on cars for the last 20years and never managed to knacker a tyre or wheel before this car!!! and I have found it really bad in the snow so purchased snow socks just

so i can get out of my road

Nothing to do with the wheels and everything to do with the tyres. If it bothers you so much, put winter tyres on, but don't try and say it's anything to do with Ford or the car.

I buckled the two front alloys on mine last February after the snow had wrecked the roads near us, but it was my fault for driving too fast as I knew the pothole was there

All four wheels are scuffed and need refurbing as I'm simply not careful enough when parking, the design of the alloys combined with the tyres doesn't help, but I see all of this as my fault, not the cars.

Pity everyone can't be honest like this, instead of blaming Ford.

[AntonyJ]

I since i got my fiesta in sept09 i have had the following:

Apart from the gear lever and door mirror, the rest just looks like bad luck hitting pot holes and running over screws. And that could happen in any car, surely?

[BHXFIESTANEIL]

ive had my Fiesta for a year now and the only problem ive had is that i cannot be in it 24/7 :D

[mikester]

A buckled wheel is only a problem if new tyres will not seal to the rim, or if excessive wear occures but this is a flat spot not a buckle.

I don't know why dealers mention buckles to customers come service time cos it's normal, well actually the fools who think a tiny buckle means you must buy a new wheel.. Makes financial sense to the dealer I guess.

Besides would you rather have the wheel shatter or buckle?

[mwhite01]

Can't say that i have ever had a problem with wheels, i have had two fiestas in a row and no problem. if i had to pick a fault with them i could say that they scuff easily but i have him some serious holes living in the country and hanve'nt cracked buckled any. the suspension is sturdy too after 1 year running around hitting pot holes i only found that my toe was out .03 degrees each side.

Matt

[GT_Racer]

Hmmm, not sure how you can suggest to others (on the Fiesta ?*Owners* Club forum) not to purchase a Ford Fiesta based on your single experiance.

After 40,000 miles running 17" Street Pack wheels on a Zetec S, I have no problems to report.

That may be down to observation, my eyes reading the road and avoiding such potholes before crashing over them - Who knows.

With recent weather the pothole Vs buckled wheel problem has tended to rear its ugly head recently more and more.

Councils are under pressure to reduce budget remember and there lies the initial problem.

Hope you get yours sorted soon.

[Strutter]

jsut near 13,0000 in under a year and teh only pbelm I had was with a passenger door speaker and a sensor (under warretny and fixed with out charge)..have the 17s and no sign of problems.