vmondude Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 He guys, and girls(?) I just joined here, after buying myself an immaculate 53 plate Focus 1.8 MP3 this Thursday.I'm loving it already and I'm surprised by how quick it is in standard spec. Apart from a loose driver side mirror glass and a twitchy instrument panel occasionally (temp and fuel gauges move when switched off) its spotless with 87k which is nothing for these I've seen, as I work in a car auctions. Now I know MP3's all look the same but here's a pic anyway for kicks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeebowhite Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Welcome to the family Tom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vmondude Posted March 8, 2014 Author Share Posted March 8, 2014 Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEK Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Hey man - Just wanted to stop by and say what a lovely motor you've got... it's absolutely identical to mine haha! I've also got one of these MP3's in the same colour, cracking cars. I know that you posted this thread back in March but I just thought I would say hello :) I've noticed the one you got was for sale back in January time by the same trader that you probably purchased from, I had my eye on this one and the one I've got now - I was going to view this one but I viewed the one I purchased first and just had to have it. Mines on a 52 plate and currently on just under 76K. With regards to the twitchy fuel & temperature gauge when the engine is off, this is actually caused by the instrument cluster itself and after a few years the soldering inside of the cluster becomes weak on the circuit board and causes this exact symptom - it appears to be a common problem on the MK1 Focus's (my original MK1.5 Zetec also had this) but when the car is running the gauges work fine. The only way to fix this is to remove the cluster and re-solder the required places and it should fix it. Or if you haven't got the equipment or the time like me, just purchase a new cluster (though I haven't bothered to as the issue doesn't bother me too much). Also keep an eye on the Electric windows, I discovered when I got mine that on the way home after picking it up, one of the rubber holders on the regulator that holds the window had totally come out of place due to the bolt becoming loose and the window wouldn't go up properly. As I was unaware of this at the time I just purchased a new regulator but I think that in the end it only needed the old bolt on the old regulator tightening up as the original regulator still looked intact and working. The only thing that bothers me slightly with mine is the fuel consumption, on a good week I'm only averaging 31-34MPG (120 ish miles to £25 worth of fuel) at the very best and that's keeping the gear changes below 3000rpm. Though I think mine could do with an oil change right about now personally. How are you finding the fuel economy on yours mate? Liam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vmondude Posted May 5, 2014 Author Share Posted May 5, 2014 Haha thanks yeah I love it, awesome 'little' car! I got it at a place in Caerphilly? It doesn't seem to do that thing with the gauges now as the battery terminals were really gunked up so I cleaned them and it hasn't done it since that I've noticed. Thanks for the tips on what to look out for though. My windows seem ok so far, haven't got round to fixing the mirror yet though haha. As for fuel economy, it does seem a bit thirsty but then I've been having a heavy foot loving the extra power. My last car was only a 1.4. I think I'm getting around that same figure as you still though so maybe yours does need a good service and a treat to some vpower/optimax fuel, for a tank or so to clear the lines. I haven't worked out the figures properly though as, as you know we don't have the luxury of an economy display. But I'm pretty sure it's better than that. How do you find the throttle on yours? Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vmondude Posted May 5, 2014 Author Share Posted May 5, 2014 Response wise I mean Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoZetec13 Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Welcome Tom, you'll feel right at home here:) Marc:) Sent from my LG-D802 using Ford OC mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEK Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Yeah I remember the car being based in the Caerphilly area :) Ahh good, I'm glad to hear that you managed to sort the gauges out on yours - thanks of for the heads up there regarding the battery terminals, I will be sure to check these out when I've got a moment! Yeah it does strike me that these 1.8 engine are a little on the thirsty side, especially as on paper the 0-60 between these engines & the 1.6 Zetec SE's are extremely minimal. At the same time I forgot to mention that we are running on 17" size alloys and therefore fuel economy will somewhat suffer to an extent but not much. I do think that if I ran the car for a week on say like the 15" Zetec wheels I like to think that the car maybe will be 2-3 MPG more better and the car will probably pull even better as well. However, I've been meaning to try out some Vpower fuel so I will give it ago tomorrow when I fill up. Do you also find that the steering on these are a bit heavy naturally as well? Coming from my older 1.6 Zetec which had the 15" alloys in the past the steering to me on my MP3 feels a bit heavier - probably because of the 17" alloys no doubt. At least it's not a bad as when I briefly had some 18's on my old Seat Leon 1.6 and the steering was shocking, and the car felt sluggish as well with the acceleration! How do I find the throttle on mine? Well I feel that it pulls brilliantly in 1st & 2nd and it is a tad slower when in third but if I put my foot all the way down in 4th say when I'm at 50mph it pulls all the way through quite promptly, and before I know it I'm doing nearly 80mph haha. How about you mate? I must say that I have noticed that it is definitely a bit nippier than the 1.6's which I used to own and a lot of people state that they don't see a real life difference but to me these 1.8's seem to perform better at low revs and pull better in 5th in my opinion and the engine sounds quieter on the motorways. Liam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vmondude Posted May 5, 2014 Author Share Posted May 5, 2014 Well the wheel size wouldn't make a difference really, apart from maybe a bit due to them being any wider. Because when the wheels are bigger the tyre profile is lower to keep the gear ratios in sync isn't it. But yes the width might effect it, that will also be what makes the steering a bit heavier I suppose. Yeah mine definitely pulls strongest in fist and second then a bit flatter in third till the revs build. Its suppose to do 0-60 in 10 ish seconds. But I was meaning the throttle response, like mine feels a little sluggish, I mean you can't blip the throttle and get a sharp rev. But that could just be the was the 1.8 engines are? I want to get the car running perfect before I start a bit of tuning see ;) haha. I've already got a blue K&N Apollo cold air induction kit for it and will hopefully get a stainless exhaust as well. Then maybe a remap but we'll see haha Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEK Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Ahhh yeah you're right there about the alloys - with them being wider is probably is what would make the steering slightly heavier, it doesn't really bother me to much but I've noticed when stationary that their is a bit of resistance. Sorry, I misunderstood you there about the throttle lol but the only thing that I can think of is that these cars & all MK1 focuses to my knowledge still operate the older throttle by cable system and the cable runs all the way to the engine throttle & intake area, and if I'm not mistake there is a bit of a delay because the ECU has to take the throttle reading afterwards. When you test the throttle in say a MK6 Fiesta that operates the much newer fly-by-wire system which is all electronic, you can blip the accelerator so slightly and it is more responsive / goes through the revs quicker because it's connected and working directly with the ECU. It sounds like you've got some nice plans in place for your MP3 there ;) I've also had a nice exhaust in mind for mine but I want to iron out the MPG first and I need to find the funds for an exhaust haha. Liam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vmondude Posted May 5, 2014 Author Share Posted May 5, 2014 Ah yeah I've never thought of it like that, I always think that cable throttles are better as there's less to go wrong with the most essential part of the car, but I guess it would be slower fractionally. It's just that I used to have a 97 Mondeo Si and that was really crisp on the throttle so I would expect this to be the same surely, being 6 years newer and all Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEK Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Ah yeah I've never thought of it like that, I always think that cable throttles are better as there's less to go wrong with the most essential part of the car, but I guess it would be slower fractionally. It's just that I used to have a 97 Mondeo Si and that was really crisp on the throttle so I would expect this to be the same surely, being 6 years newer and all Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC Personally I think that the older cable throttles are better as well as like you say, you've got total control of the throttle and it's not electronic. I think Ford introduced the fly-by-wire system on their cars when they released the MK6 Fiesta back in 2002 as that car marked for them how much they had moved on with their technology had moved on by that time and then when the MK2 Focus's appeared in 2005 I think they came with them as well. It's a shame that Ford were a bit late with it really as VW had been making Golf & Bora's with the fly-by-wire system since 2000 at least lol. Liam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Admiral Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Welcome! Sent from my HTC One X using Ford OC mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vmondude Posted May 5, 2014 Author Share Posted May 5, 2014 Well maybe they thought cable was better as well, but decided to just keep up with the times. I still think cables better though. I mean if the throttle stops working, you know the cables snapped or the throttle body is jammed or something. With electronic throttle it could be down to god knows how many sensors! Why make it so difficult for themselves innit haha Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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