Automatic running costs

[Edgar995]

Hi, i am hoping someone can help me understand why my Focus is getting such terrible fuel economy or if the figures are normal for this car.

So i bought a 1.6 petrol automatic on a 2014 plate from Evans Halshaw around 10 months ago and i have already contacted them and they claim its normal, here is my figures :

• Short trips i am getting an average 25mpg
• Long trips i am getting an average of 34mpg

I had 44 miles to empty so popped Morrisons and put £30 in and now i have 160 miles to empty, this is going off the screens inside the car but judging how frequent i have to fill the car up the averages seem accurate and the figures just seem poor for this car? before swapping for the Focus i had a discovery that loved drinking fuel and even that was getting similar or if not better MPG at times.

So far i have tried :

• Full service 
• Garage inspection
• Halfords adding cleaning stuff to engine
• 4 new tyres and pressure checked
• In the focus leaving heater on windows makes AC come on automatically so i always make sure this isn't the case
• Better quality fuel from Shell but see no difference except cost
• Evans Halshaw swapped out the clutch pack and inspected the gearbox

 i know a lot will be manual drivers so i'd specifically like to hear from drivers using the automatic gearbox on what its like on fuel on short trips and long trips? my wife loves the car and it is a nice car and low miles for its age but with the MPG its getting and fuel prices going up it wouldn't make sense to keep it so i'm just trying to figure out if something is wrong with the car or if these figures are just normal for the 1.6 petrol automatic.

[Focus_]

For perspective, my manual 1.6 Focus gets no more than 40MPG on a run on average (I can push it to 45MPG if driving like Miss Daisy i.e no more than 3k revs/60mph)

My actual combined MPG Figure is 36MPG, that's a 50/50 split of town driving and long runs. My urban MPG is approx 30-32MPG on average. 

So those figures you give sound perfectly normal to me for a petrol automatic 

[DaveT70]

A/C doesn't really make much off a difference unless it's getting low on gas, maybe have the A/C re-gassed.

Try cleaning the MAF sensor 

Ask Evans Halshaw to update the software in the PCM & TCM and to reset the transmission adaptive learning strategy so that it adapts to your driving style. You're not too far off though, TBH

[ScaniaPBman]

I have a 1.6 petrol with a  4 speed torque converter automatic gearbox.

On the journey to work of 12 miles on 30 MPH urban roads, the tank to tank consumption is around 33 MPG higher in summer lower in winter.

For a longer motorway journey it can go up to 40 MPG tank to tank.

Hope this helps,

ScaniaPBman.

 

 

[Edgar995]

6 hours ago, DaveT70 said:

A/C doesn't really make much off a difference unless it's getting low on gas, maybe have the A/C re-gassed.

Try cleaning the MAF sensor 

Ask Evans Halshaw to update the software in the PCM & TCM and to reset the transmission adaptive learning strategy so that it adapts to your driving style. You're not too far off though, TBH

Is cleaning the MAF sensor something i can do myself? as for asking Evans Halshaw even though i took warranty out with them it takes a lot of effort to get them to do anything, every person i speak to there tells me the MPG is fine but even the driver who collected the car for them to look into the issue told me even he thinks something is off as he drives a lot of Fords as you can imagine.

 

I spoke to them yesterday and they just told me the spark plugs could be the issue and to get them changed but i recently had a complete full service and they changed them on it but judging by other peoples figures even though my car is getting poor MPG its not far from theirs so im assuming the Focus especially powershift is really bad on fuel, thinking of selling it next week for something better on fuel.

 

thanks.

[DaveT70]

16 hours ago, Edgar995 said:

Is cleaning the MAF sensor something i can do myself? as for asking Evans Halshaw even though i took warranty out with them it takes a lot of effort to get them to do anything, every person i speak to there tells me the MPG is fine but even the driver who collected the car for them to look into the issue told me even he thinks something is off as he drives a lot of Fords as you can imagine.

 

I spoke to them yesterday and they just told me the spark plugs could be the issue and to get them changed but i recently had a complete full service and they changed them on it but judging by other peoples figures even though my car is getting poor MPG its not far from theirs so im assuming the Focus especially powershift is really bad on fuel, thinking of selling it next week for something better on fuel.

 

thanks.

It's not so much the powershift as the 1.6 N/A that's bad on fuel.

Just because you had a full service doesn't mean they changed the plugs.

Plenty of videos on youtube of how to clean MAF sensor, probably not the issue though.

I think if you're getting low to mid 30's, you're not far off for this engine

[Edgar995]

12 hours ago, DaveT70 said:

It's not so much the powershift as the 1.6 N/A that's bad on fuel.

Just because you had a full service doesn't mean they changed the plugs.

Plenty of videos on youtube of how to clean MAF sensor, probably not the issue though.

I think if you're getting low to mid 30's, you're not far off for this engine

Ahh okay so what im gathering is the 1.6 petrol even in manual isn't great on fuel judging by peoples above figures so throw in a powershift gearbox as well it just makes it worse, when i got the car and realised EH lied about the service i complained and they went halves with me at Halfords for a full service with spark plugs ticked but i suppose i could check myself that they were 100% changed but at this point i might just sell it, what engine would you recommend in the Focus for good MPG? a few people have suggested the 1.5 diesel or the 1.0 ecoboost but i have read a lot of bad stories regarding the 1.0.

[Focus_]

1 hour ago, Edgar995 said:

Ahh okay so what im gathering is the 1.6 petrol even in manual isn't great on fuel judging by peoples above figures so throw in a powershift gearbox as well it just makes it worse, when i got the car and realised EH lied about the service i complained and they went halves with me at Halfords for a full service with spark plugs ticked but i suppose i could check myself that they were 100% changed but at this point i might just sell it, what engine would you recommend in the Focus for good MPG? a few people have suggested the 1.5 diesel or the 1.0 ecoboost but i have read a lot of bad stories regarding the 1.0.

Definitely 1.5 diesel over a 1.0 Ecoboost if the Ecoboost doesn't have full immaculate service history. If people have skipped oil changes on them it usually leads to disaster sooner rather than later.

The 1.5 is just a derivative of the old 1.6 PSA unit and is generally reliable and used in a range of cars. The 1.5's fuel economy is great in a manual, can't comment on Auto. 

Do you have to have an Auto? I'd recommend manual unless there's a reason you or someone else who uses the car can't drive one of course 👍

[DaveT70]

12 hours ago, Focus_ said:

Definitely 1.5 diesel over a 1.0 Ecoboost if the Ecoboost doesn't have full immaculate service history. If people have skipped oil changes on them it usually leads to disaster sooner rather than later.

Absolutely. I have a 1.0 auto and it's ***** awful on fuel, lucky to see 30 MPG

12 hours ago, Focus_ said:

The 1.5 is just a derivative of the old 1.6 PSA unit and is generally reliable and used in a range of cars. The 1.5's fuel economy is great in a manual, can't comment on Auto. 

The 1.5 auto is a powershift also, but it's the same, very strong, wet clutch version used in the ST Diesel and the auto is quicker and better on fuel than the manual. 

[DonT]

15 hours ago, Edgar995 said:

Ahh okay so what im gathering is the 1.6 petrol even in manual isn't great on fuel judging by peoples above figures so throw in a powershift gearbox as well it just makes it worse, when i got the car and realised EH lied about the service i complained and they went halves with me at Halfords for a full service with spark plugs ticked but i suppose i could check myself that they were 100% changed but at this point i might just sell it, what engine would you recommend in the Focus for good MPG? a few people have suggested the 1.5 diesel or the 1.0 ecoboost but i have read a lot of bad stories regarding the 1.0.

I have the manual 1.5 diesel on a 19 plate. Consumption is great. Averaging c. 54mpg since I bought it in November 2019. Get over 60 on a long run on warmer days. Consumption does drop off through winter, probably average about 47 in the colder months.

Not sure if this helps but hope it will.

[unofix]

1 hour ago, DonT said:

I have the manual 1.5 diesel on a 19 plate. Consumption is great. Averaging c. 54mpg since I bought it in November 2019. Get over 60 on a long run on warmer days. Consumption does drop off through winter, probably average about 47 in the colder months.

Very similar to my 2.0L diesel automatic. Average is about 52mpg. On a decent run it gets 58mpg and during the recent winter it was getting 46mpg driving around town.

[Edgar995]

Thanks for the replies guys, as for having to have an automatic car i personally do not but my wife does and she just really likes the Focus so doesn't really want to sell it but like yesterday i purposely drove so careful and gentle and reset trip computer and after a trip of town driving and a few dual carriageways i got home and computer is telling me 26.5MPG and with a car that's not even getting 30mpg doesn't seem logical to keep.

Something i am noticing is the figures for an automatic diesel is massively better than the petrol figures so do you think it would be worth switching to a diesel? few friends have mentioned an Audi A1 due to it being small and apparently good on fuel even for the automatic but if the diesel Focus pulls decent figures i think she'd opt for that instead., i am stunned though that you're not even seeing 30MPG in the 1.0 Focus as i would of thought they would be decent on fuel due to engine size.

Looking into the 1.5 diesel it seems to pull very acceptable figures even for the automatic. 

 

 

 

[unofix]

39 minutes ago, Edgar995 said:

seems to pull very acceptable figures even for the automatic. 

 

You seem to have a very old fashioned idea about automatics. 

Most automatic cars now have 8 or 9 gears. The days of the huge torque converter wasting 25% of the power are long gone. 

Most manual cars have a 6 speed box at best, and not many drivers can claim to always be in the correct gear all of the time. 

Some manufacturers have stopped making manuals as the emissions are easier to control on an auto. 

 

[Edgar995]

14 hours ago, unofix said:

You seem to have a very old fashioned idea about automatics. 

Most automatic cars now have 8 or 9 gears. The days of the huge torque converter wasting 25% of the power are long gone. 

Most manual cars have a 6 speed box at best, and not many drivers can claim to always be in the correct gear all of the time. 

Some manufacturers have stopped making manuals as the emissions are easier to control on an auto. 

 

I go off my experience driving automatics and manuals and when i say "acceptable figures" i consider a car pulling 50+mpg a lot better than 26.5mpg, from my experience i have always had better MPG from manual than automatic, so what is it your trying to explain to me that the new 8 speed automatics are better than manuals? and no i dont consider myself a car guy all i care about is getting from A to B and have always drove manuals up until recent so yes i am new to automatics so not clued up on them, i understand the newer model Focus has the 8 speed auto but the current Focus we have is 6 speed and cant even get 30mpg on a good day.

[unofix]

1 hour ago, Edgar995 said:

so what is it your trying to explain to me that the new 8 speed automatics are better than manuals?

I have no intention of "trying to explain" anything to you, it is of no importance to me what you drive or how you drive it.

[Dave May]

 Some manual cars have the flywheel fitted to the engine using springs its called a DUAL MASS FLYWHEEL ( DMF ). These flywheels get very loose with age and will damage the Crankshaft Sensor. A new sensor will not last long as it also gets damaged. Cost of replacing DMF is about £1000 now. 

TORQUE CONVERTER automatic gearboxes are EASILY the best and reliable. A solid flywheel is bolted directly to the engine.I purchased a new 2004 Mondeo 2.0L TDCI  Estate Auto and driven 200,000 miles and have never had any automatic gearbox problems at all and I tow a 1.5 ton boat. The gearbox oil HAS NEVER BEEN CHANGED  

POWERSHIFT is NOT an automatic, it’s a manual gearbox with TWO clutches called DCT  ( Dual Clutch Transmission ) and is the most UNRELIABLE automatic CLUTCH  you can buy. Gearbox oil has to be replaced at 35000 miles as dirty oil that contain metal particles stick to magnets that operate sensors that control the gear changes. Also many clutch plates get broken. It’s a NIGHTMARE GEARBOX . I  wouldn’t touch one with a barge pole.

Type on Google or FOC   “ Automatic Gearbox or Powershift you should understand the difference before buying “  you will see many reports.

Dave

 

 

[Edgar995]

5 hours ago, Dave May said:

 Some manual cars have the flywheel fitted to the engine using springs its called a DUAL MASS FLYWHEEL ( DMF ). These flywheels get very loose with age and will damage the Crankshaft Sensor. A new sensor will not last long as it also gets damaged. Cost of replacing DMF is about £1000 now. 

TORQUE CONVERTER automatic gearboxes are EASILY the best and reliable. A solid flywheel is bolted directly to the engine.I purchased a new 2004 Mondeo 2.0L TDCI  Estate Auto and driven 200,000 miles and have never had any automatic gearbox problems at all and I tow a 1.5 ton boat. The gearbox oil HAS NEVER BEEN CHANGED  

POWERSHIFT is NOT an automatic, it’s a manual gearbox with TWO clutches called DCT  ( Dual Clutch Transmission ) and is the most UNRELIABLE automatic CLUTCH  you can buy. Gearbox oil has to be replaced at 35000 miles as dirty oil that contain metal particles stick to magnets that operate sensors that control the gear changes. Also many clutch plates get broken. It’s a NIGHTMARE GEARBOX . I  wouldn’t touch one with a barge pole.

Type on Google or FOC   “ Automatic Gearbox or Powershift you should understand the difference before buying “  you will see many reports.

Dave

 

 

Very interesting and also explains a few things, thanks!