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Pay for the service or find a replacement?


Shoxt3r
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Hi all,

My 2013 Ford Focus is due for a service (last service was a Major by Mr Clutch back in November 2018) which I think includes the cambelt as it hasn't been done yet. The mileage back then was 38,000 and it's now approximately 43,000.

Problem is, we've had a child in that time and I've been seriously considering upgrading us to an estate possibly as after a few months of carting a pushchair around I've come to the realisation that the boot of the Focus is pretty woeful (something I didn't really think about when I bought it back in 2017!).

I have a car loan which is due to finish in August this year so my question is - do I fork out for the service or wait it out until August and look at getting a replacement car? Would not getting the service done de-value the car so much that I might as well just get it done? I'm likely looking at having to get another loan anyway since the cars I've been looking at are around £10,000+ and I doubt I would get more than £4,000 if I'm lucky with the Focus (bought for £7,495 back in 2017).

The other thing is that I'm aware as the cambelt has yet to be changed that I'm likely looking at a bill of a few hundred pounds at least, taking into account the service itself, MOT (which may as well be done at the same time since that's due from July - forgetting the COVID-19, 6-month extension) and labour costs etc.

Any thoughts?

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The cambelt won't be due yet.  They're mostly 10 years or 100k miles on the Mk3 but if you let us know which engine it is we can confirm the exact recommended interval.

 

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What engine have you got? I looked up another Focus the other day which was a 1.6 petrol and the timing belt on that was due at 100,000 mile or 8 Years whichever came sooner. May be different for another size petrol and will be different for a diesel I suspect.

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It's the 1.6, 105bhp engine - a Ford Focus Zetec 🙂.

Good news then! I emailed a garage and they suggested just getting a minor service (£90) and cambelt not due until 8 years or 60,000 miles.

Thoughts on switching to something else or just make do for now?

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I would say that it all depends on how much you need the extra boot space ?

A 7 year old car with only 43k on the clock could certainly be worth hanging on to, assuming there are no issues with it, but if you do decide to get rid then realistically forking out £90+ for another service beforehand would be a waste of money as it would be unlikely to make any difference to the trade-in price.

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16 hours ago, Shoxt3r said:

It's the 1.6, 105bhp engine - a Ford Focus Zetec 🙂.

Good news then! I emailed a garage and they suggested just getting a minor service (£90) and cambelt not due until 8 years or 60,000 miles.

Thoughts on switching to something else or just make do for now?

I'm not sure where they got 60k from, can't think of any Ford that's only 60k, it should be 8 years or 100k for the 1.6 Ti-VCT as Frembrit suggested.  

 

With regards to the service, it won't make any difference to the engine if you're planning to get rid in a few months in all honesty.  So you'd really be paying for the stamp in the service book.  Would you be trading it or selling privately?  If trading in I definitely wouldn't bother.  If selling privately, I probably would service & MOT it to make it more appealing to prospective buyers.

 

And as for switching...after having 2 rubbish Mk3 Focus' under 50k myself, I'd switch as soon as possible but that won't be a forum wide view! :laugh: 

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Hi both,

Thanks!

I think the extra boot space would be necessary especially for those longer journeys and holidays, but I don't think I'll be replacing for a good while until this coronavirus situation calms down a bit.

I've looked into what the car is worth currently via We Buy Any Car (not a massively accurate measure but all I think I can do for now?) and they've said £3,500 but that's just an online quote and dependent on their visual inspection. Would that seem like a fair price?

I'll probably go ahead with the service just because it doesn't get a lot of miles and would be good to know if there's any "big" they spot which will affect the car's value.

Quote

And as for switching...after having 2 rubbish Mk3 Focus' under 50k myself, I'd switch as soon as possible but that won't be a forum wide view! :laugh: 

Haha! It's been pretty reliable (touch wood) but it just comes down to the space really. Not sure what we'd be looking at yet, especially as most cars these days seem to come with a stupid electronic handbrake... urgh...

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What kind of car loan is it you have? PCP of HP? Or is it a personal loan?

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Autotrader do a fairly good valuation that includes private sale and part ex to get a better idea.  WBAC need to make a profit selling it on so won't give you the best price.  £3,500 seems a little low to me.  I'd expect £4-4.5k privately with that mileage, assuming it's all still in decent condition.  

 

I'm still unsure what to go for next myself...not overly fussed by electronic handbrake as I'll probably go Auto (DSG) this time anyway, but everything seems so expensive nowadays! 

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47 minutes ago, Shoxt3r said:

I think the extra boot space would be necessary especially for those longer journeys and holidays.

 

I've been thinking about practicality because i have a fiesta and i want my next car to be a fiesta ST, my thoughts are that i would get roof bars and a roof box for holidays, because if i needed a bit more space on a day to day basis, i could fold down 1 or 2 back seats, and still be able to have people in the car.

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I have my Mondeo for practicality reasons, loads of space 🙂. It's a different drive to the small cars, though the last time I had a small/medium car was my old MK3 Escort in 1995.

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3 hours ago, Shoxt3r said:

Not sure what we'd be looking at yet, especially as most cars these days seem to come with a stupid electronic handbrake... urgh...

Agree with that about the electronic handbrake.  It is marketed as a plus point but I don't see it that way at all, just one more thing to go wrong and likely to leave you stranded on the side of the road.  I think a lot of them are connected to other sensors like doors and seat belts all the name of safety but again, one faulty sensor and you're toast if you want to get somewhere on time.  I very rarely use the handbrake anyway (just leave it parked in gear), and it probably only gets once a year at MOT time! 

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Really? Handbrake at the very least should be used when stopped in traffic. If not then not only do you blind the drivers behind with your brake lights but you also run the risk if hit from behind to being knocked into vehicle in front or worse into fast moving crossing traffic.

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1 hour ago, sussamb said:

Really? Handbrake at the very least should be used when stopped in traffic. If not then not only do you blind the drivers behind with your brake lights but you also run the risk if hit from behind to being knocked into vehicle in front or worse into fast moving crossing traffic.

Depends what he's driving, in an auto nobody's gonna be doing that let's be realistic, unless it's a reaaaaally long red light

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I drove an auto in USA for two years, still always used the handbrake. Safer and more considerate than foot on the brake.

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I used to be sceptical about electric handbrakes. Since then I've had a couple of hire cars and now the Mondeo with an electric handbrake, and to be honest it's no worse than a regular handbrake. Electric handbrakes are pretty simple, and manual handbrakes can still fail - cables stretch, mechanism wears, or you can be a bit too enthusiastic about applying them. My driveway slopes down to the road, and the electric handbrake seems to hold it better than any previous manual - plus I've also noticed that it doesn't bind after the car's been left for a while.

On the original topic: you'll struggle to fit a pushchair and a weekly shop into the Focus boot. That's one of the reasons I switched back to a Mondeo - the Focus boot just wasn't cutting it for stuff I needed to cart around. 

 

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15 hours ago, sussamb said:

Really? Handbrake at the very least should be used when stopped in traffic. If not then not only do you blind the drivers behind with your brake lights but you also run the risk if hit from behind to being knocked into vehicle in front or worse into fast moving crossing traffic.

Yes, really.  It probably helps that I tend to drive in places where I am generally moving forwards and not often stuck in a jam with foot on brake.  Anyway, rant over and sorry to the OP about going off topic.

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Unless you only get very lightly nudged from behind the handbrake isn't going to stop you being pushed forward if rear ended, especially if you're a weak old lady that can't put any force into it...you know, exactly the type of people that drive autos! :tongue:  I'd be more worried about the brake pedal snapping my ankle in that situation...

I agree about brake light dazzle, but unfortunately that is the way you're meant to drive a conventional auto.  Shifting back to neutral every time you stop defeats the purpose of driving one.  Interestingly, electronic auto-hold on modern autos has rectified this, it holds the brakes when you come to a complete stop, say for a roundabout where you'll need a quick getaway when a gap occurs, and only releases them when you touch the throttle again.  No dazzle, no time wasted finding D again and no risk of injury or multi-RTC from a rear end...electronic handbrakes aren't all bad!! :laugh: 

 

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Simple solution to free up more space instead of forking out on another vehicle, get a roof rack and carry your baby buggy on that.

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On 5/27/2020 at 12:44 PM, The Finance Guy said:

What kind of car loan is it you have? PCP of HP? Or is it a personal loan?

It's a personal loan - decided against finance or any other type of loan due to the lengthy term needed (4 years). Will likely go for the same to get up to the next level. We previously had a 52 plate Peugeot 307 which had its air con fail pretty spectacularly so only got about £200 trade-in.

Hoping that the Focus will help to make a sizeable dent in the next car purchase!

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On 5/27/2020 at 3:38 PM, south_bound said:

Agree with that about the electronic handbrake.  It is marketed as a plus point but I don't see it that way at all, just one more thing to go wrong and likely to leave you stranded on the side of the road.  I think a lot of them are connected to other sensors like doors and seat belts all the name of safety but again, one faulty sensor and you're toast if you want to get somewhere on time.  I very rarely use the handbrake anyway (just leave it parked in gear), and it probably only gets once a year at MOT time! 

I've heard horror stories during the winter months of people revving the engine slightly to get the blowers going and the electronic handbrake automatically being disengaged and sending them hurtling down the road or worse!

Puts me right off them to be honest...🤣

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16 hours ago, south_bound said:

Yes, really.  It probably helps that I tend to drive in places where I am generally moving forwards and not often stuck in a jam with foot on brake.  Anyway, rant over and sorry to the OP about going off topic.

No probs! It's good to have a different perspective on things. Personally because of the atrocious red lights and queues we have here I'm always using the handbrake haha

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16 hours ago, Milkman said:

Simple solution to free up more space instead of forking out on another vehicle, get a roof rack and carry your baby buggy on that.

Yeah I have thought about that to be honest - I think based on our previous journeys though (not that we're going anywhere at the moment!), on long journeys we would need to use all the space in a roof box as well as boot and even in the cabin space which I hate doing for safety reasons. Hence the thought about possibly getting an estate 🙂

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6 hours ago, Shoxt3r said:

Yeah I have thought about that to be honest - I think based on our previous journeys though (not that we're going anywhere at the moment!), on long journeys we would need to use all the space in a roof box as well as boot and even in the cabin space which I hate doing for safety reasons. Hence the thought about possibly getting an estate 🙂

Sounds like you need a transit van rather than an estate! With two kids and a big dog I know the feeling 

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1 hour ago, The Finance Guy said:

Sounds like you need a transit van rather than an estate!

Or a minibus! You have to be wary of buying this sort of vehicle though, anything that seats 8 people or more you have to have a PSV license to drive it.

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