Are there any common ssues with the Mhev engines?

[Matt123]

Hi all, 

First Post on the forum so apologies if this has been asked before (I did use the search function). 

Looking at swapping the wife's 125bhp mk3 focus for the 155bhp mhev focus. 

I have seen a few things online about issues with the car going into a deep sleep. I believe this is due to lack of use with the car and the battery going flat (I saw on another post about James mays tesla). Is this right or is there another cause for this issue? 

As we both work from home now, we do minimal miles (8x 1 mile journeys a week plus whatever we may do at the weekend). Just want to understand if this is likely to cause the car to go into a deep sleep? We're going down to one car, so want to be able to use it when we want without the worry that it won't turn on/open up. 

Is there any other common issues that any one is aware of? 

Thanks in advance 

Matt

[mjt]

Sounds like you'd be better off with a full EV or plug-in hybrid.

[TomsFocus]

You really need to drive an MHEV to see if you like/don't mind the intrusion of the regen braking.

With eight 1 mile journeys a week, you will almost certainly be pushing any Mk4 Focus into deep sleep mode very quickly.  You should be keeping enough charge in the battery for it to start every time, but don't expect heated screens & seats etc to work for long.  

I must admit, with such a small amount of driving, the 155 seems a bit unnecessary and not worth the extra cost imo.

[Matt123]

2 hours ago, mjt said:

Sounds like you'd be better off with a full EV or plug-in hybrid.

Thanks mate, I will take a look at what's available. I think Ford only have the kuga and mustang?!

Our house when we bought it already had a charger so would be sorted from that side of things. 

2 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

You really need to drive an MHEV to see if you like/don't mind the intrusion of the regen braking.

With eight 1 mile journeys a week, you will almost certainly be pushing any Mk4 Focus into deep sleep mode very quickly.  You should be keeping enough charge in the battery for it to start every time, but don't expect heated screens & seats etc to work for long.  

I must admit, with such a small amount of driving, the 155 seems a bit unnecessary and not worth the extra cost imo.

Thanks for the reply.

With the journeys I mentioned these were 2m round trip to in laws twice a week to drop kids off. The thinking behind the 155 is that we have a non mhev 125 at the moment and I don't enjoy the drive (lots of gear changing/doesn't like 2nd gear when you pull off slightly moving but 1st is a bit extreme) so was hoping that the 155 would be better. We will also be using it for UK holidays so will get quite a few long runs throughout the year. 

The plan is to test drive a few different cars to see what they feel like etc. So would also try the 125 and possibly some other brands 😭(never thought I would say that) 

Thanks 

[DaveT70]

The MHEV system is completely separate to the normal 12V system

The MHEV system only operates when the engine is running, it doesn't run any of the vehicles electrical systems at all

[Matt123]

34 minutes ago, DaveT70 said:

The MHEV system is completely separate to the normal 12V system

The MHEV system only operates when the engine is running, it doesn't run any of the vehicles electrical systems at all

Thanks Dave for confirming. I assume its the other electric bits that drain the 12v when the car isn't in use?

Am I right in thinking when car in deep sleep it can't be unlocked/opened so I can't get to the battery to charge it? 

 

Thanks 

[TomsFocus]

4 minutes ago, Matt123 said:

Am I right in thinking when car in deep sleep it can't be unlocked/opened so I can't get to the battery to charge it? 

No, that would be a flat battery.  Deep sleep just shuts off unnecessary items like keyless entry and FordPass app functionality.  When you unlock it with the keyfob it wakes as normal.

(PS - Even with a flat battery, you can still get in using the hidden key blade in the door lock to access the bonnet lever)

[Eric Bloodaxe]

You can always keep your 12v battery topped up by using a "smart" charger regularly as many of us have been doing during various lockdowns, or even leave them connected semi-permanently in "maintenance" mode.

[DaveT70]

53 minutes ago, Matt123 said:

Am I right in thinking when car in deep sleep it can't be unlocked/opened so I can't get to the battery to charge it? 

When it goes into deep sleep it can take a couple of presses of the remote unlock button to wake it up

Your Ford Pass App will tell you when it's gone into deep sleep mode

[Matt123]

4 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

No, that would be a flat battery.  Deep sleep just shuts off unnecessary items like keyless entry and FordPass app functionality.  When you unlock it with the keyfob it wakes as normal.

(PS - Even with a flat battery, you can still get in using the hidden key blade in the door lock to access the bonnet lever)

Thanks for confirming, that's good to know that the deep sleep. I assume by doing this, it saves the drain on the battery which gives me a bit of confidence that the car isn't going to be completely dead every few days. 

4 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

You can always keep your 12v battery topped up by using a "smart" charger regularly as many of us have been doing during various lockdowns, or even leave them connected semi-permanently in "maintenance" mode.

Is this the trickle charge I've read about? I will look into the smart charger and maintenance mode before coming back with questions on these 😂

3 hours ago, DaveT70 said:

When it goes into deep sleep it can take a couple of presses of the remote unlock button to wake it up

Your Ford Pass App will tell you when it's gone into deep sleep mode

Great thanks mate. Feeling less worried now about the Mhev as had worry it was going to be a bigger issue than it sounds. 

[alanfp]

If you've got a home charger and are considering going EV or hybrid, I'd have a good look at other manufacturers too. But if it's mainly the gear changing that you want to get away from, you could just get a diesel or petrol automatic.

Having said that, once you drive an EV or a full hybrid (i.e. one that actually drives the car in electric mode only), I think you'll be sold on the idea (provided finances allow).  What I mean is: in my experience, all the people you talk to who say they don't like electric cars have never driven one!

[Matt123]

11 hours ago, alanfp said:

If you've got a home charger and are considering going EV or hybrid, I'd have a good look at other manufacturers too. But if it's mainly the gear changing that you want to get away from, you could just get a diesel or petrol automatic.

Having said that, once you drive an EV or a full hybrid (i.e. one that actually drives the car in electric mode only), I think you'll be sold on the idea (provided finances allow).  What I mean is: in my experience, all the people you talk to who say they don't like electric cars have never driven one!

Thanks. I'm definitely going to take a look at EV/PHEVs and test drive them. My main concerns are that some don't charge very quick. It's also not clear how much kW they use to charge so hard to understand the cost against buying petrol. But as you say, the cost (like most cars) are astronomical. Always thought if I was spending £30k plus on a Ford, it would be a focus RS 😂

I don't mind having a manual car, it's just the wifes existing focus requires more effort to drive than mine, so that's why I was looking at something with more power/torque/better driveability. 

[DaveT70]

Just now, Matt123 said:

Thanks. I'm definitely going to take a look at EV/PHEVs and test drive them. My main concerns are that some don't charge very quick. It's also not clear how much kW they use to charge so hard to understand the cost against buying petrol. But as you say, the cost (like most cars) are astronomical. Always thought if I was spending £30k plus on a Ford, it would be a focus RS 😂

I don't mind having a manual car, it's just the wifes existing focus requires more effort to drive than mine, so that's why I was looking at something with more power/torque/better driveability. 

There's lots of other, better cars out there than Ford you know. Toyota have got PHEVs down to a Tee, the C-HR is a very good car, fully loaded and can be got with a bit of discount from Carwow etc. Ford are a bit behind the times TBH

[Andyr55]

Just to add, I don’t have any issues with my Focus. I did have a problem with ‘deep sleep’ but after my dealer changed the battery and I’m guessing the SOC to a decent level no probs since.
 

i occasionally put the battery on charge every month or so just to keep topped up.

I do a low mileage c. 2500 yearly.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

56 minutes ago, DaveT70 said:

. Toyota have got PHEVs down to a Tee

Toyota hybrids seem very popular around me, one house has three on the drive! I don't know if I'm in an area with an unusually large green contingent, but I see a new EV or hybrid appear nearly every day now. Must admit, If the price was right, I'd seriously consider one for my Mrs's usage - very low mileage and plenty of opportunity to top up overnight.

[DaveT70]

1 minute ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Toyota hybrids seem very popular around me, one house has three on the drive! I don't know if I'm in an area with an unusually large green contingent, but I see a new EV or hybrid appear nearly every day now. Must admit, If the price was right, I'd seriously consider one for my Mrs's usage - very low mileage and plenty of opportunity to top up overnight.

The C-HR PHEV works out cheaper than an Focus 1.0 MHEV when using car wow, by about £2k

I have a frien who has one and it averages better MPG than my 1.5 Ecoblue MK4 did

[DaveT70]

Also, consider the self charging HEV, no need to plug in at all and still averages over 50 MPG

[TomsFocus]

Just now, DaveT70 said:

Also, consider the self charging HEV, no need to plug in at all and still averages over 50 MPG

But probably not on a 2 mile daily round trip...

[DaveT70]

Just now, TomsFocus said:

But probably not on a 2 mile daily round trip...

It runs in electric only up to 35MPH so it probably wouldn't use any fuel at all, if you're only doing that mileage, I wouldn't put more than a 1/4 of a tank in in case it goes off

[TomsFocus]

Just now, DaveT70 said:

It runs in electric only up to 35MPH so it probably wouldn't use any fuel at all, if you're only doing that mileage, I wouldn't put more than a 1/4 of a tank in in case it goes off

If it was a PHEV yeah, but a self charging hybrid won't be getting enough recharge on such short journeys.

[DaveT70]

10 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

If it was a PHEV yeah, but a self charging hybrid won't be getting enough recharge on such short journeys.

Yes, PHEV up to 35MPH HEV up to 15 MPH. They're still certainly better than a MHEV

[TomsFocus]

2 minutes ago, DaveT70 said:

Yes, PHEV up to 35MPH HEV up to 15 MPH. They're still certainly better than a MHEV

Anything's better than an MHEV imo!!   All the intrusion of regen without any noticeable increase in economy...    Not even like the MHEV's are cheap to tax either...had my reminder in this week, £155!!  (Ok, so the one positive I found is actually the torque they produce, at least on the 155.)

 

It's important the OP understands the difference between a PHEV & a self charging hybrid though.  It sounds like they'd be far better off with a PHEV given the type of driving they do. 

[DaveT70]

Just now, TomsFocus said:

Anything's better than an MHEV imo!!   All the intrusion of regen without any noticeable increase in economy...    Not even like the MHEV's are cheap to tax either...had my reminder in this week, £155!!  (Ok, so the one positive I found is actually the torque they produce, at least on the 155.)

 

It's important the OP understands the difference between a PHEV & a self charging hybrid though.  It sounds like they'd be far better off with a PHEV given the type of driving they do. 

Agreed, I doubt he'd use any fuel at all on that run with a PHEV

[mjt]

23 hours ago, Matt123 said:

With the journeys I mentioned these were 2m round trip to in laws twice a week to drop kids off................. We will also be using it for UK holidays so will get quite a few long runs throughout the year.

This is why I thought a PHEV would be ideal. Charge overnight for the short journeys & use no fuel but have the engine to back up and avoid range anxiety for the occasional long journeys.

[DaveT70]

TBF the Toyota HEV would be OK on that type of journey too, you wouldn't use much fuel and no need to charge