New Ford Focus Mk 4 windscreen trim

[MalcolmW]

Hi

i bought a new Mk 4 Focus Titanium, and today, with the car being less than three weeks old, the passengers side windscreen trim broken loose on the way home.  I’m currently awaiting Ford to fix it under warranty, as the top clip has broke, but having trouble finding a dealership, who can fit me in.  Has anybody else had problems with the side trims on the new mk4 Focus, as I’m worried that bits are starting to break, with only 300 miles on the clock.  What’s the best way to get Ford to fix this issue in a timely manner.

regards Malcolm

[Tony1]

Hi 

To me the Mk4 Ford Focus doesn't  seem to be well made as the MK3 , went for a test drive in one only had 8 miles on the clock

lots of rattles in the dash and doors . 

[Mark-UK]

11 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

Hi 

To me the Mk4 Ford Focus doesn't  seem to be well made as the MK3 , went for a test drive in one only had 8 miles on the clock

lots of rattles in the dash and doors . 

Experience with my MK4 is they are very poorly made, I mean 1970s skoda/lada quality

[Comares2001]

Sorry to disagree but I think this is way ahead of the MK3 in build quality and most of the critics at launch seem to agree. It's a completely new model ! With the Mk3 by the end of production Ford had 7 years to fix all the problems.

Although new vehicles are tested extensively prior to launch ( I know a motor engineering consultant who does this for Ford and others ) there are always going to be isolated problems and niggles that will need fixing back at the dealer. In my case both front suspension drop links were noisy and had to be replaced .But it didnt put me off the car. 

 

[JW1982]

13 hours ago, Comares2001 said:

Sorry to disagree but I think this is way ahead of the MK3 in build quality and most of the critics at launch seem to agree. It's a completely new model ! With the Mk3 by the end of production Ford had 7 years to fix all the problems.

Although new vehicles are tested extensively prior to launch ( I know a motor engineering consultant who does this for Ford and others ) there are always going to be isolated problems and niggles that will need fixing back at the dealer. In my case both front suspension drop links were noisy and had to be replaced .But it didnt put me off the car. 

 

 

In my opinion the overal build quality of Ford vehicles has definetely not improved within the last 15 Years. The quality of the materials used for the interior may be improved but the build quality did defintelely not. To be honest in my opinion the build quality of the Focus MK2 was a lot better than the build quality of the Focus MK3 and MK4.

I am definetely a Ford guy (at least I always was) but from my point of view as an independent engineer the build quality of a Hyundai or Kia is better these days than the build quality of a Focus MK4. 

 

Apart from the build quality most developments/changes Ford introduced are made from an economical point of view (to reduce costs) and not from a technical point of view. For example the rear suspension of the MK4 hatchback. The introduction of the torsion bar rear suspension is a big step backwards. Despite not being bad (like most French vehicles with torsion bar rear suspension) the MK4 hatchback drives not nearly as good as the MK3 hatchback with a more advanced independent rear suspension.

The 1.0 ECOboost engine has been a very popular engine for years. Since the introduction of this engine I have been a fan of the characteristics of this engine. However the new (further developed version of the) 1.0. ECOboost which is used on the Focus MK4 is definetely not an improvement. To reduce production costs Ford changed the wetbelts for a flimsy timing chain. Within the next few years this chain has to prove its durability. The timing chain made the engine much louder than its predecessor. Apart from being much noisier the characteristics of the new 1.0 ECOboost are not nearly as nice as its predecessor.

Another major disadvantage of the new 1.0 ECOboost is the new manual gearbox. On the MK3/MK3.5 The 125 HP/140 HP versions of the 1.0 ECOboost did have the manual 6-speed B6 gearbox. This is the same gearbox as installed on the 1.6/1.5 TDCI and 1.6/1.5 ECOboost engines. The B6 (Getrag 6MTT250) gearbox has a specified maximum torque output of 285 Nm. This gearbox is pretty overdimensioned for the 1.0 ECOboost. When remapping this engine the gearbox is perfectly capable to handle the extra power/torque.

Because of economical reasons the new 1.0 ECOboost no longer has the manual B6 gearbox. Ford introduced the new MX65 for their lower powered engines. The new MX65 gearbox was primarily developed as a cost effective replacement for the old 5-speed IB5 gearbox and because of being a modular design the MX65 gearbox is available as both 5-speed and 6-speed versions. The new 1.0 ECOboost has the strongest available 6-speed version of the MX65 gearbox  (Getrag 6MTT215) and has a specified maximum torque output of 215 Nm. This gearbox is no longer overdimensioned and when remapping the engine the gearbox is a big limitation. 

 

 

 

[Comares2001]

1 hour ago, JW1982 said:

 

In my opinion the overal build quality of Ford vehicles has definetely not improved within the last 15 Years. The quality of the materials used for the interior may be improved but the build quality did defintelely not. To be honest in my opinion the build quality of the Focus MK2 was a lot better than the build quality of the Focus MK3 and MK4.

I am definetely a Ford guy (at least I always was) but from my point of view as an independent engineer the build quality of a Hyundai or Kia is better these days than the build quality of a Focus MK4. 

 

Apart from the build quality most developments/changes Ford introduced are made from an economical point of view (to reduce costs) and not from a technical point of view. For example the rear suspension of the MK4 hatchback. The introduction of the torsion bar rear suspension is a big step backwards. Despite not being bad (like most French vehicles with torsion bar rear suspension) the MK4 hatchback drives not nearly as good as the MK3 hatchback with a more advanced independent rear suspension.

The 1.0 ECOboost engine has been a very popular engine for years. Since the introduction of this engine I have been a fan of the characteristics of this engine. However the new (further developed version of the) 1.0. ECOboost which is used on the Focus MK4 is definetely not an improvement. To reduce production costs Ford changed the wetbelts for a flimsy timing chain. Within the next few years this chain has to prove its durability. The timing chain made the engine much louder than its predecessor. Apart from being much noisier the characteristics of the new 1.0 ECOboost are not nearly as nice as its predecessor.

Another major disadvantage of the new 1.0 ECOboost is the new manual gearbox. On the MK3/MK3.5 The 125 HP/140 HP versions of the 1.0 ECOboost did have the manual 6-speed B6 gearbox. This is the same gearbox as installed on the 1.6/1.5 TDCI and 1.6/1.5 ECOboost engines. The B6 (Getrag 6MTT250) gearbox has a specified maximum torque output of 285 Nm. This gearbox is pretty overdimensioned for the 1.0 ECOboost. When remapping this engine the gearbox is perfectly capable to handle the extra power/torque.

Because of economical reasons the new 1.0 ECOboost no longer has the manual B6 gearbox. Ford introduced the new MX65 for their lower powered engines. The new MX65 gearbox was primarily developed as a cost effective replacement for the old 5-speed IB5 gearbox and because of being a modular design the MX65 gearbox is available as both 5-speed and 6-speed versions. The new 1.0 ECOboost has the strongest available 6-speed version of the MX65 gearbox  (Getrag 6MTT215) and has a specified maximum torque output of 215 Nm. This gearbox is no longer overdimensioned and when remapping the engine the gearbox is a big limitation. 

 

 

 

Sorrry your wrong about the suspension only half the MK4 models have torsion bar the others have multi link that's better than before .Theres always going to be a trade off somewhere to get decent performance from a small engine . As someone who has over the years owned all 3 marques of the Focus plus different Mondeo versions and many other fords and now has owned a Mk4 for over 6months albeit a Vignale with a 1.5 182ps Ecoboost engine I still think it's a great car and much better than the .MK3.

Most of the reviews at launch were saying this and they cant all have been wrong

[JW1982]

About 2 Months ago Ford changed the specifictions. Since then the 1.5 ECOboost hatchback also has the torsion bar rear suspension. From that time the hatchback only has the independent rear suspension on the ST and diesel engines. Next to this the adaptive suspension system is also no longer available.

[williamweb]

22 minutes ago, Comares2001 said:

Sorrry your wrong about the suspension only half the MK4 models have torsion bar the others have multi link that's better than before .Theres always going to be a trade off somewhere to get decent performance from a small engine . As someone who has over the years owned all 3 marques of the Focus plus different Mondeo versions and many other fords and now has owned a Mk4 for over 6months albeit a Vignale with a 1.5 182ps Ecoboost engine I still think it's a great car and much better than the .MK3.

Most of the reviews at launch were saying this and they cant all have been wrong

I don’t think Wilco is saying all Focus Mk4s across the range has a torsion beam set up but he can speak for himself.

[Guy Heaton]

39 minutes ago, JW1982 said:

About 2 Months ago Ford changed the specifictions. Since then the 1.5 ECOboost hatchback also has the torsion bar rear suspension. From that time the hatchback only has the independent rear suspension on the ST and diesel engines. Next to this the adaptive suspension system is also no longer available.

Where is this info from?  My car was built on 15th May, ST Line X 1.5 182.

The datacard says this:

·          With Handling Suspension

·          Front Spring Load Class-J

·          Rear Spring Load Class-G

·          Rear Suspension - Level 1

I haven't got under it to look at the suspension, might have a look at the weekend.  That said it can go round corners faster than I'll ever want to these days.

 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

6 hours ago, JW1982 said:

About 2 Months ago Ford changed the specifictions. Since then the 1.5 ECOboost hatchback also has the torsion bar rear suspension. From that time the hatchback only has the independent rear suspension on the ST and diesel engines. Next to this the adaptive suspension system is also no longer available.

I wonder if the spec is different in Wilco's home (non-UK) market? That said, @Tizer raised the question on another thread - he was surprised to find a beam under his 1.5 and was awaiting a response from Ford.

As for gearboxes, the 6MTT215 is, I suppose a downgrade for the Focus but hopefully won't be a problem unless some serious tuning is undertaken. It is of course an improvement for Fiesta 140 owners!

Quality generally, I suppose we all have a different way of looking at it, but to my eyes the "perceived" quality of other brands e.g. VW Group has also taken a dive lately. There are a lot of very non-Audi hard plastics in the new A1 for instance.

My take is that manufacturers are having to add a lot of extra tech to cars - much of it due to legislation but also I suppose driven by customers who expect high levels of "connectivity" etc - and accommodate it without pushing the prices up too far. So something must have to suffer and I suspect quality is the victim.

 

[Comares2001]

Very odd because the latest up to date Ford sales spec ? says that torsion beam is on all 1.0 Ecoboost and 1.5 Ecoblue vehicles except Active. And Multilink on all other vehicles inc Active and new ST. ? ie all 1.5 Ecoboost versions

[PLB]

1 hour ago, Comares2001 said:

Very odd because the latest up to date Ford sales spec ? says that torsion beam is on all 1.0 Ecoboost and 1.5 Ecoblue vehicles except Active. And Multilink on all other vehicles inc Active and new ST. ? ie all 1.5 Ecoboost versions

I agree, unless things have recently changed that's how I understand the situation to be regarding the rear suspension options.

I have the Multi link set up as confirmed in my thread on the subject back in April. 

 

[Tizer]

10 hours ago, Comares2001 said:

Very odd because the latest up to date Ford sales spec ? says that torsion beam is on all 1.0 Ecoboost and 1.5 Ecoblue vehicles except Active. And Multilink on all other vehicles inc Active and new ST. ? ie all 1.5 Ecoboost versions

It looks like Ford have downgraded the Rear Suspension on the 1.5 Petrol cars but they have not changed their advertised specifications or told their dealers.

I queried this a few weeks ago and I'm still awaiting a reply from Ford. They have also downgraded the Tyre size of the 1.5 Petrol Titanium cars without telling anyone as well.

[DaveT70]

On 7/25/2019 at 7:23 PM, Tony1 said:

Hi 

To me the Mk4 Ford Focus doesn't  seem to be well made as the MK3 , went for a test drive in one only had 8 miles on the clock

lots of rattles in the dash and doors . 

Spot on.

Parts and software  quality is appalling.

Last Ford for me I'm afraid.

We've had 2x MK1s, 1x MK1.5, 3x MK2s, 2x MK2.5s, 2x MK3s (***** Awful too), 2x MK3.5 and this MK4, all new

Plus Fiestas Galore, Escorts, Sierras, Capris, Orions over the years

They have seriously lost the plot.

The current Fiesta is a good car, that's about it.

[Guy Heaton]

I've got no rattles or loose trim on my MK4 but the centre piece holding the gear dial and buttons has been fitted slightly wrong so one of the edges isn't flush.  It's only minor but annoying if you know about it.

 

Other than that, the MK4 is really a giant step forward in terms of quality and quantity of equipment you get.  Fords often seemed to lag behind in this, they had great engines and handling but were basic inside.

If the MK4 had an Audi badge on it would sell millions and be rated very high.

 

[JW1982]

Below the changes Ford made in April/May:

* Just one boot light instead of two on the hatchback versions.
* The rear doors do no longer have keyless sensors.
* Active suspension no longer available for 1.5 ECOboost
* 1.5 ECOboost hatchback versions (except Active and Vignale) gets the torsion beam rear suspension instead of the independent rear suspension (only the 2.0 ECOblue diesel hatchback version has the independent rear suspension).
* Adjustable boot floor no longer available.
* New headlight design. ST-Line and Titanium get black headlights. All others (including Active) get chrome headlights.
* New type of Keyless remote with integrated motion sensor. On the new remotes the keyless signal is only transmitted when the key detects motion. When no motion is detected the key enters sleep mode.
* Heated washerjets no longer present.
* Shark tail antenna Focus Active no longer painted in body color (except vehicles with panoramic roof).

 

Changes which are announced for October:

* Shadow Black will be replaced by a new black color (English color name is not yet announced, German name is "Obsidian Schwarz").
* New blue color will be intoduced (English color name is not yet announced, German name is "Panther Blau").
* Diffused Silver no longer available.
* Dark Mulberry no longer available.
* Orange Glow no longer available.

 

The source of this information are leaked internal documents from Ford and information supplied by Ford dealers. I just collected this information from several German forums. At this moment most of the changes are confirmed by people who received their new vehicle.

 

 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

20 minutes ago, JW1982 said:

Below the changes Ford made in April/May

Some significant downgrades there.......

[TomsFocus]

1 hour ago, JW1982 said:

* Heated washerjets no longer present.

* New blue color will be intoduced (English color name is not yet announced, German name is "Panther Blau").

How much can the heated washer jets really cost?  Seems daft to remove them when the Quikclear screen is still standard...  

Also, I don't think Panthers even come in blue do they?  Just black & brown? (and very occasionally pink )  'Panther black' is a previous Ford colour as well lol.  

[Eric Bloodaxe]

7 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Also, I don't think Panthers even come in blue do they?  

Apparently the Carolina Panthers American football team have blue as their colour and there's a Mexican wrestler called the Blue Panther😀.

[TomsFocus]

10 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Apparently the Carolina Panthers American football team have blue as their colour and there's a Mexican wrestler called the Blue Panther😀.

Ah, well that's relevant for the European market!  

It looks like it's already a 'premium' option on some models...maybe it looks better in the flesh but I can't say I'm a fan tbh! 🤔

https://www.ford.group1auto.co.uk/car/kuga/stock/vignale/42282/G9268/

[Guy Heaton]

Just looked under my wife's mk8 zetec fiesta and my MK4 Focus stlinex and the rear setup looks exactly the same.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

2 hours ago, JW1982 said:

* 1.5 ECOboost hatchback versions (except Active and Vignale) gets the torsion beam rear suspension instead of the independent rear suspension (only the 2.0 ECOblue diesel hatchback version has the independent rear suspension).

I believe you could only get active suspension (CCD) with the multi-link suspension. On the latest price list I've got (25 April), that option is now only shown for the Vignale, which ties in with Wilco's information. Annoyingly the brochure I downloaded only a few days ago still shows this as available on 1.5 Titanium X and ST-Line models as well as Vignale. 

All seems a bit sneaky. Intending buyers certainly need to check carefully what they are buying and possibly consider annotating their order accordingly to ensure "must haves" are specifically included in the contract, otherwise the seller can just rely on the "reserve the right to amend specifications" get out.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

7 minutes ago, Guy Heaton said:

Just looked under my wife's mk8 zetec fiesta and my MK4 Focus stlinex and the rear setup looks exactly the same.

As we know the Mk 8 Fiesta is definitely a torsion beam, that seems to confirm that @Tizer's wasn't an isolated case and they have changed the spec without any publicity (unsurprisingly, I suppose).😡

 

 

 

[Guy Heaton]

I wonder though how many buyers will really care?  Forum users are usual more interested in their cars engineering than the average punter.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

7 minutes ago, Guy Heaton said:

I wonder though how many buyers will really care?  Forum users are usual more interested in their cars engineering than the average punter.

Yes, I think you're right on that. BMW discovered that most of their 1-series customers didn't know it was rwd and didn't care anyway, so the new one has gone fwd giving a bit more boot/passenger room which theydid want.

I've had some superb handling cars with a beam and had multi-links with poor ride, so in a way it's not important provided it's done well. Dunno about everyone else on here, but I can certainly tell a good handler from a poor one, but am not clever enough to say what's under the back end without taking a look!😀

Probably the real issue is that you guys have bought a car believing it had something and it turns out not to, nobody told you about the change and offered you the opportunity to re-think, and I doubt they'll be offering any compensation despite the beam being a cheaper system (which is not to say it's not worth a try or at least giving the dealer an ear bashing!)