Ford Focus MK2 1.6 TDCI - with many improvemnts

[FixOrRepairDaily4life]

Hello!
My name is Leo and I'm from Bucharest, Romania. I'm currently living a love-hate relationship with my little Ford and it's been like that for the last 2 years. Sometimes I feel like this is the best car I can own for now, and sometimes I feel like I would love to see it burn down to ashes 🤪

 

This car has been in the family since new, in 2005. Long story short, it is a MK2 Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI, with 90 ponies (god knows how many are still alive), moondust silver. My guess is that it was a very basic trim level with almost no options extra (had board computer - level 2 instrument cluster I guess, 3 driving options and... nothing more!).

I'm driving it since may 2019 when I got my driving licence. It had 249.900km on the clock (~155.336mi) and everything on the car was from factory - nothing has ever been done to the engine or any mechanical interventions and even tho I was a beginner, I felt that there was something very wrong with the car.

Firstly, I started with an oil and filters change. I went for Liqui Moly Special TEC F, Mahle oil filter and Delphi fuel filter. Then changed the front rear fender, because it had a hole in it from the rust.. then polished the headlights to make it look a little bit more fresh..

Later that year, I changed both front arms (SWAG), both tie rod ends and tie rod axle joints (SWAG). Big improvement overall but there was still a lot to be done to the car, to make it even more enjoyable. So in a couple of days I've changed the rear suspension arms (the big ones) AND the rear lower arms (those little straight ones), both rear antiroll bar bushes (OEM Ford as they where very cheap) and both sway bar links (Lemforder).

So I had no plans to continue the project and listed the car - as it was - for sale. I was unhappy with the decision, because selling for less than 1500e was not an option. So in just a few days, I took it off sale and started to search how to improve the car... best decision ever 😄 

As the COVID-19 came, I had enough time for the car. So in about 3 months I bought the following:

-4 sony Speakers + 4 sony tweeters (front and rear) -> went for OEM, I knew how good these Speakers were

-facelift Sony player

-facelift fascia panel

-light switch with dimmer and front fog lights function

-2 front fog lamps and related plastics

-1 set of H&R -40mm springs

-2 KYB front shock absorbers

-2 SACHS rear shock absorbers

-2 SACHS strut mounts and bearings

-2 KYB shock absorbers dust covers and bump stops

-1 SNR rear wheel bearing

-1 set of TRW rear brake discs and pads

During these 3 months, I've also changed the oil and filters once again (after about 13.000km or ~8000mi). This time I went for Ravenol FDS USVO 5W30.

The car felt like new, it was a pleasure on mountain roads.. very stable in corners and great amount of grips and also had a very playful rear end 🙂 My only dissapointment was that I still had no alloys...

Now I feel like I should stop writting and post some photos with my little car, because I'm going to tell you about the great project the car went through that really deserves a separate post 🤤

I will add them in the order of the car's evolution... the last picture being a before & after after a year.

 

 

[FixOrRepairDaily4life]

So the summer came and I still was on winter tyres which was a big no-no, but had to wait for the perfect timing to go for summer tyres.. and finally, my most favourite alloys ever fitted to a standard Focus (including 1-2-3 and 4).

 

I had 2 nice summer months, with some roadtrips (covered almost 6000km or ~3700mi in july and august) and no money spent for the car whatsoever. Then I was struck by the idea of having some options that my car wasn't fitted with and I thought about something really basic in theory - electric rear windows and 2-zone auto climate. I've had help from some nice guys from clubford Romania, they've told me all what I needed to do this and they've also helped me to install everything on my car.

Got everything very very cheap to be honest, almost 250e for everything you will see in the picture including Ghia prefacelift interior which is very nice. 

So, in the end, my car came out with these options:

-electric rear windows and all buttons with 1 touch up/down

-2 zone auto climate

-power folding mirrors (always hoped to have them, but god they are so useless) - better had them with puddle lights..

-park aid modules

-ready for heated windscreen, PTC, AFS and ESP. With some luck, this year I will have the car "extra-full" with all these options. I will let the pictures speak for themselves 🙂

 

It was a 1-day job and in the end, everything being put back together, I had to leave and started the car and... it started with no faults at all! Well, almost, because now I have airbag fault and I have to change the airbag control module with one from a 2006+ car.

Went even more crazy and fitted facelift Level 3 instrument cluster and facelift titanium fascia, and also the titanium rear wing. I was lucky to find the black climate control panel, which (hopefully) will never peel of as the standard grey one.

That joy didn't last long because my car was driving like a completely trash. Started to make all kind of noises and it was squeaking so bad, that I was ashamed to be seen on the road in the car. Front arms completely destroyed after 1 year or 14.000km / 8699mi, one front shock absorber was weak compared to the other.

So I've decided to give it a 2nd chance after all I've went through with her.. so I've bought 2 Motorcraft shock absorbers, 2 SKF strut mounts and bearings and 2 Delphi front arms and also changed rear trailing arm bushes.

It was the time to also change oil and filters, this time I went for something more exotic - Polytron 5W30. The car had 285.000km / 177.712mi on the clock, so I've decided to take down the wet sump and give it a good clean - suprisingly clean in there tho. Also changed injector seals..

As you may know me now, I went for more options in the next few months. In december, I've fitted OEM rear parking sensors and they are really really nice and pretty responsive.

Last month, to finish the project, I've changed the interior headroof (I guess that's how it's called), now having rear lights and lights under sun visors. Changing the headroof also meant changing ceiling wires, now having the wires for auto dimm rearview mirror and auto headlights / rain sensor (I have the sensor, but I'm waiting to change the windshield)..

290.000km / 180.197mi on the clock and more to come..

 

 

 

 

[dezwez]

Hi welcome 🙂

[FixOrRepairDaily4life]

Thank you!

Yes, I've done many things to my car but it's far from being finished 🙂

[FixOrRepairDaily4life]

Recently I've done a stage 1 remap but no dyno sadly. The tuner is promising around 120hp & 260-270nm but I feel like I'm very far from these numbers.

Done 3000km with the remap and the car went in limp mode but no check engine light. Changed the boost control valve and the car felt like never before.

I did this 0-100km/h, but I feel like there is something wrong..

 

Any thoughts?

[ethan987211@gmail.com]

love the alloys what are they called

 

 

[FixOrRepairDaily4life]

Thank you! These are factory fitted as an option to the facelift Focus!