Fiesta ST - 6 weeks in

[STJAY]

Just wondering if anyone is experiencing the backrest on the Recaro seats dropping back ever so slightly?  I have to adjust mine every 5 or 6 days or so I'm guessing?  Anyone else noticed this?

[Zico]

Not noticed mine moving after 3 1/2 years.

Funny that you've posted this now as I have actually adjusted mine a few times in the last week or two. Not sure if it's moved back or it's just my sub-conscious making me think I'm sitting too low back after one of my senior managers commented on me looking like I was laid back in the seat one morning 😂.

[TimST2]

Mine don't,  but my car is only 2 1/2 years old. @STJAY how old is yours?

[STJAY]

2 hours ago, TimST2 said:

Mine don't,  but my car is only 2 1/2 years old. @STJAY how old is yours?

Mines only Jan 17, but I have read in another forum that some people were having this issue.  It was a long time ago so I can't quite remember the details. But I think its happening with mine.

[STJAY]

8 hours ago, Zico said:

Not noticed mine moving after 3 1/2 years.

Funny that you've posted this now as I have actually adjusted mine a few times in the last week or two. Not sure if it's moved back or it's just my sub-conscious making me think I'm sitting too low back after one of my senior managers commented on me looking like I was laid back in the seat one morning 😂.

Yeah I actually had to adjust it after I posted this last night when I got into it to head home from work.  It's weird, I know a few people in Ford where I bought it, so I might give them a call and see if they know of any issues.

 

[TimST2]

I was tempted to put an FOC sticker on this morning as the car has just been washed, but I just couldn't bring myself to break up any of that lovely shadow black!

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[zain611]

The mk7 ST looks beautiful in black. I see one in the hospital car park and the gloss black grill suits and the curves on the bit just above the fog looks good in the black. 

[Zico]

I liked the Spirit Blue when I first bought mine but Black would have been my second choice.

Now, If I had the money, I would probably go with a Stealth Grey like the Mk3 Focus ST or the Silver Fox on the newer Mk8 ST.

**Edit** Found this wrapped ST 2 that looks good:

http://pwpro.co.uk/portfolio/ford-fiesta-st-2

[TimST2]

On 12/30/2018 at 12:10 AM, Zico said:

Found this wrapped ST 2 that looks good:
http://pwpro.co.uk/portfolio/ford-fiesta-st-2

That looks great but would be a nightmare to clean. Would also have white showing in the door jams etc. which is always the problem with wrapped cars.

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[TimST2]

So another 6 weeks has passed but I thought I'd continue talking about my car on this thread rather than start a new one...

On various other threads I've discussed the Mountune MP215 upgrade. My local dealer is a Mountune Pro installer so it's something I've been considering.

Most recently I've been thinking that it's just not worth it. An extra 15 bhp on top of the current 200 bhp at overboost for £600...

Happy to hear what others think - is the drivability improved enough in addition to the minimal peak power gain to make it worthwhile?

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[Zico]

Interested to hear the same. I've had my ST from new and now done just over 30300 miles and I'm still quite happy with the base power.

[TimST2]

Well it's been nearly 7 months now (and 600 posts on here)!

I've just put it through its 3-year service and 1st MOT, and the maufacturer's warranty runs out at the end of next week. Despite having had a new air con compressor and the leather on the driver's seat replaced under warranty, I shan't bother extending it.

I've driven 5000 miles in the car so it has 14k on the clock now...

Maintenance-wise I've only had to touch up some paint damage from a stone chip on one wheel and the same brake caliper. I guess that's one down side of the Style Pack.

I decided not to bother with the MP215 upgrade in the end. The only upgrades I have planned are Mountune brakes and Michelin Pilot Sport tyres all-round when the time comes.

Oh, and I've still not found a suitable location for my FOC sticker 

[Dan P]

Your ST looks very nice. I've got one of a similar vintage that I've had from new - first MOT due in a couple of weeks - with about 23k miles on the clock.

I've had the MP215 on my car for all but the first couple of months of ownership and I thought it was a great upgrade delivering a noticeable performance improvement whilst retaining the warranty - I would wholeheartedly recommend it on a newer car but given that you're now out of warranty there may be other products that would be worth considering offering better value for money. Now I'm heading out of warranty I've got some more mods planned and will be getting a remap from Collins.

ICYMI - There's a good review thread on the MP215 here.

[TimST2]

Thanks Dan, and thanks for the review.

Good luck with the MOT - mine got a clean bill of health and I'm sure yours will too.

[Ian318]

Hi tim what do you think of those chrome mirror caps on a black car especially  ?  I am looking to get an st3 mk7 like yours , i like black and the spirit blue looks good , sometimes seems more brighter depending on  weather !  i think black more discreet and always great when polished .

[TimST2]

18 hours ago, Ian318 said:

Hi tim what do you think of those chrome mirror caps on a black car especially  ?  I am looking to get an st3 mk7 like yours , i like black and the spirit blue looks good , sometimes seems more brighter depending on  weather !  i think black more discreet and always great when polished .

Personally I'm not a fan, but hey, it'll be your car so go for it if you like the look! The black was my favourite colour, but it was actually the seats I was most polarised about - it had to be the smoke/charcoal ones. Also the style pack was a must, but is that standard on the ST-3? Mines actually an ST-2 Navigation with Style Pack...

[Dan P]

Style pack was an extra on the ST3 (and I chose not to have it).

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[TimST2]

39 minutes ago, Dan P said:

Style pack was an extra on the ST3 (and I chose not to have it).

I'm surprised, both that it wasn't standard and that you didn't want it. Can I ask why not? Was it just that you didn't like the rock grey alloys and red calipers or was it too expensive (it was a £275 option wasn't it)?

EDIT: I've just seen your build thread - you didn't keep the standard wheels...

[Dan P]

The style pack didn't fit with my aesthetic. As you said I swapped the wheels immediately and didn't want red calipers (it's a very easy job to repaint them if I ever change my mind). I know some people are very keen on the illuminated scuff plates but I really don't see the point.

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[TimST2]

I guess it looks quite cool in the dark but I agree - I always forget it was even part of the style pack!

[Alygirl1992]

On 11/15/2018 at 7:49 PM, TimST2 said:

I've had the ST 6 weeks now so I thought I'd do a quick review, specifically what it's like compared to my previous Fiesta. Before that, here's where the journey started...

Back in 2014 I decided that the Lotus Elise I'd been commuting in for the previous 9 years should become a weekend car for track days and club meets. I'd previously owned a 2000 Focus Zetec 1.8, and this time I wanted something quite new but low powered (I still had the Lotus after all) so I bought a 3000 mile 2012 Fiesta Zetec 1.25 in Race Red. When I went to pick it up with my wife we had to wait around in the showroom for a bit and ended up sitting in a brand new Fiesta ST. We both loved it. Fast forward to this year, and after 4 years of Fiesta ownership I thought it was time to finally get an ST.

So 6 weeks ago I picked up a 9000 mile 2016 ST-2 in Shadow Black with Navigation and Style Pack.

The ST is 4 years newer than my previous Fiesta, which was the pre-facelift model. I like both body styles but the aggressive styling of the Mk7 ST is, in my opinion, the best looking Fiesta Ford has produced so far. Obviously the 1.6 Ecoboost Turbo is light years (and 100 bhp) ahead of the 1.25 Duratec in terms of performance, and the heated Recaro half leather seats are fantastic. The lowered suspension and 17-inch alloys with Bridgestone Potenzas completes the look, especially with the anthracite paint and red calipers; but there's no denying that whilst the handling is much improved, the ride is firm and the road noise has definitely increased as a result. On the subject of noise though, I really like the induction and turbo noise of the ST. On a balanced throttle it's actually quieter than my previous Fiesta, but push the loud pedal (literally), and accelerating is quite an event in the ST.

Alongside the seats, the other ST-specific interior features are nice (kick plates, gear knob and steering wheel) along with the Sony DAB radio, navigation and Ford SYNC, even if it does use the same small 4 inch screen size. One minor irritation is how far away the seat belt is when you first reach to put it on. I guess it's down to the ST being 3-door instead of 5-door, but it's quite a stretch! Back outside there's something I never liked about either car - the ridiculously long aerial! Although I left it standard before, I've replaced it with a stubby Sparco aerial on the ST.

Road tax is only £20 more for the ST but insurance is about £100 more. I had a Ford Service Plan for my previous Fiesta which I transferred over to the ST and that only costs £1 more per month. It also got me £100 off the purchase price of the ST. I'm expecting tyres to cost about £40 more per corner for the ST.

So was it worth paying another £8,000 and trading in a Fiesta Zetec for? Definitely. Is it a worthy stablemate to a Lotus Elise? Yes I think it is. On track the Lotus still wins hands down, but on the road the ST is probably the superior car for everyday use.

 

Yours is the same as mine but 1 year younger 

[TimST2]

On 4/21/2019 at 10:08 AM, Alygirl1992 said:

Yours is the same as mine but 1 year younger 

Welcome to FOC! Have you owned yours from new or only just bought it? You should head over to New Member Introductions and tell us what you think of it.

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[STJAY]

On ‎4‎/‎20‎/‎2019 at 6:04 PM, TimST2 said:

I'm surprised, both that it wasn't standard and that you didn't want it. Can I ask why not? Was it just that you didn't like the rock grey alloys and red calipers or was it too expensive (it was a £275 option wasn't it)?

EDIT: I've just seen your build thread - you didn't keep the standard wheels...

Well there yah have it, yah learn something new everyday. I didn't know the red calipers and the grey wheels was an option. I read you touched up the wheels, would you have the colour code to hand? The last owner was a curb fiend.

I agree with you on the Mountune MP215 pack, I couldn't justify to myself that money to see 15HP on overboost, you wouldn't notice it I don't think. I actually wrote that in a post on here at some point. A friend of mine is starting a tuning company soon, he already has Revo software ready and has his own to custom tune maps. He'll be having a rolling road day when he opens which I can't wait for.  Also an authorised dealer for RAMAIR and GFB, so I can't wait until he's up and running to I spend money I don't have with him .

[TimST2]

1 hour ago, STJAY said:

Well there yah have it, yah learn something new everyday. I didn't know the red calipers and the grey wheels was an option. I read you touched up the wheels, would you have the colour code to hand? The last owner was a curb fiend.

The colour is Rock Grey (on post-2015 cars) but Ford don't sell it (nor do anyone else). Having said that Ford did refurb two of the wheels on my car when I bought it so I assume the dealers have access to it even if they don't sell it. The accepted replacement is VW LD7R. I bought a touch up kit containing 30ml of Max Meyer VW LD7R and 30ml of lacquer. Cost £11 on eBay.

[STJAY]

3 hours ago, TimST2 said:

The colour is Rock Grey (on post-2015 cars) but Ford don't sell it (nor do anyone else). Having said that Ford did refurb two of the wheels on my car when I bought it so I assume the dealers have access to it even if they don't sell it. The accepted replacement is VW LD7R. I bought a touch up kit containing 30ml of Max Meyer VW LD7R and 30ml of lacquer. Cost £11 on eBay.

Ah right, VWs pepper grey. Sad I remember the names and codes. I take it it’s close then? Yeah, it’s the same as me, I can get wheel colour codes for seats, but there’s no touch ups available for them. Could probably get it made up if they can get me it. £11 isn’t bad, pretty close to dealer cost, or at least used to be.