Focus MK4 1.0 any issues/what are they like?

[Zemanel]

12 hours ago, Tizer said:

 

I think that the 1.5 is less likely to suffer from the same problems that the 1.0 had but you should note that all the Petrol engines have a Gasoline Particulate Filter and some people with the 1.0 have had problems with it getting clogged up, probably because the only use the car for short journeys.

Actually , it's the oposite : GPFs are better for short journeys and DPFs are better for long journeys 

Diesel only hots/cleans when acelerating . Gasoline only hots/cleans when decelerating

[unofix]

7 minutes ago, Zemanel said:

Diesel only hots/cleans when acelerating . Gasoline only hots/cleans when decelerating

The total amount of accelerating must equal the total amount of decelerating each journey. The length of the journey can not alter the equilibrium between acc and decel  

[Tizer]

1 minute ago, unofix said:

The total amount of accelerating must equal the total amount of decelerating each journey. The length of the journey can not alter the equilibrium between acc and decel  

I know, I've done a lot of Live Monitoring and was going to reply to him but I decided not to waste my time, I just had a laugh instead.

[Zemanel]

😏 🙄 Anyway ...i have a ACTIVE 1.0 MHEV 125HP  with 2 years and for now i am satisfied . The only complaints are some parasite noises over bad asfalt and some software glitches 

[Edgar995]

I came across multiple groups on facebook and tons of tweets and stuff on Twitter about the 'ecoboom' being a massive issue up until they made changes where i believe they replaced belts with chains and changed the coolant pipe which sorta fixed the main common faults but apparently they left the oil pump on a belt that is snapping and there is still a few common problems.

When my MK3 was in the garage with gearbox issues funnily enough i was given a 2020 Fiesta with the 1.0 and that flew but then again its such a small car, i can't imagine a car like the Focus getting a move on with such a small engine even with a turbo? seems people have good and bad experiences with the 1.0 but for me after still hearing of common issues and nothing really good about the 1.0 even from friends i think i'm gonna go with the 1.5tdi engine which i think will suit the car more especially if i end up with a ST line and i'll still be doing longish trips to clear DPF but even still a short blast down a carriageway or motorway in a low gear will do the trick.

[TomsFocus]

3 minutes ago, Edgar995 said:

I came across multiple groups on facebook and tons of tweets and stuff on Twitter about the 'ecoboom' being a massive issue up until they made changes where i believe they replaced belts with chains and changed the coolant pipe which sorta fixed the main common faults but apparently they left the oil pump on a belt that is snapping and there is still a few common problems.

You've combined several issues together there...

The poor coolant pipe design was only an issue up to Mk3 facelift (2014).  Mk3.5 had a better designed pipe system, which can be used to upgrade the earlier engines.

The wet timing belt was replaced with a timing chain around 2020 - but not for all models which is causing some confusion at the moment.  

I'm not aware of any chain driven engines having snapped the oil-pump wet belt so far.  But as they've only been out for a couple of years, it will take time to see the real world reliability of those.

[Edgar995]

2 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

You've combined several issues together there...

The poor coolant pipe design was only an issue up to Mk3 facelift (2014).  Mk3.5 had a better designed pipe system, which can be used to upgrade the earlier engines.

The wet timing belt was replaced with a timing chain around 2020 - but not for all models which is causing some confusion at the moment.  

I'm not aware of any chain driven engines having snapped the oil-pump wet belt so far.  But as they've only been out for a couple of years, it will take time to see the real world reliability of those.

That's true i did but simply to list off the most common issues when searched online and like i said most of them are fixed now, as for your point about the belt being replaced with a chain around 2020 that would mean then the 2018 to 2019 models would still have the belt not the chain? if so then the engine would still be prone to the belt failure and the fact we wont really know what the engine is actually like until its been out way longer is still enough to put me off the 1.0 and its not just the reliability of the 1.0 its how they actually manage day to day in such a big car especially with the automatic gearbox. 

 

[TomsFocus]

3 minutes ago, Edgar995 said:

As for your point about the belt being replaced with a chain around 2020 that would mean then the 2018 to 2019 models would still have the belt not the chain? if so then the engine would still be prone to the belt failure and the fact we wont really know what the engine is actually like until its been out way longer is still enough to put me off the 1.0 and its not just the reliability of the 1.0 its how they actually manage day to day in such a big car especially with the automatic gearbox. 

The Mk4 Focus 1.0 EcoBoost's are all the revised engine I think.  Other models (Fiesta etc) continued to use the old type for longer, as well as the non-turbo 1.1 Ti-VCT using the same setup, hence 2020 being a very rough guide.   It's very easy to tell from a quick glance as the chain driven engines have the turbo moved to back of the engine, whereas the conventional 1.0EB had a massive shiny turbo heatshield on the front.

I can't speak for the automatic gearbox, but as I said before, the 155ps MHEV is more than capable for todays traffic, and I suspect the 125 MHEV is as well.  The basic 125ps version, not so much!

The 1.5 TDCI may work well for you, it's all horses for courses at the end of the day. 

[Wino]

1 hour ago, Edgar995 said:

I came across multiple groups on facebook and tons of tweets and stuff on Twitter about the 'ecoboom' being a massive issue up until they made changes where i believe they replaced belts with chains and changed the coolant pipe which sorta fixed the main common faults but apparently they left the oil pump on a belt that is snapping and there is still a few common problems.

When my MK3 was in the garage with gearbox issues funnily enough i was given a 2020 Fiesta with the 1.0 and that flew but then again its such a small car, i can't imagine a car like the Focus getting a move on with such a small engine even with a turbo? seems people have good and bad experiences with the 1.0 but for me after still hearing of common issues and nothing really good about the 1.0 even from friends i think i'm gonna go with the 1.5tdi engine which i think will suit the car more especially if i end up with a ST line and i'll still be doing longish trips to clear DPF but even still a short blast down a carriageway or motorway in a low gear will do the trick.

You won't need to thrash or blast the diesel to clear the DPF.

A simple steady 20 minutes around town is enough.

I used to travel 1.6 miles a day to work 4 times a week and then use it for general shopping trips and it's never had any issue regarding the DPF, its now 42 months old and still only done 18k miles.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

2 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

The Mk4 Focus 1.0 EcoBoost's are all the revised engine I think.

Yes, afaik that's right though the early ones were not MHEV of course. The Fiesta kept the wet belt until the MHEV came along around 2020 and, as discussed on other threads, the 100ps version still has it. (Or should I say did, as they aren't taking orders at present!)

The new version still has the wet belt for oil pump drive but is this necessarily a big issue? Early days with the revised 1.0 engine, but wet belts have been used in other Fords for oil pump drive (e.g. 1.8tdci) without causing masses of problems (if correctly serviced) afaik?

Edit: PS just leafing through the pile of old mags in our caravan, where I am at present, and came across a July 2018 issue which has a first drive report of the new Focus, and mentions the revised 1.0. A heck of a lot has changed in the 4 years since!

 

[Tupoar]

I've only had my 2019 1.0 St Line a month. I say a month but for (does a quick mental count) 7 of those days (and counting) it's been with first the dealership (2 separate days) and now Ford (for the last week). It's got the dreaded P0299 error code and it's now stuck in limp home mode. Previously I just turned it off and on again and it was fine(ish). Ford have had it a week and have no clue as to what the problem is. It's getting to the point where I might have to give it back and look for something else..... It's a shame as it's a really nice car.

[unofix]

1 hour ago, Tupoar said:

I might have to give it back

Don't think about it. Do it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It will be PITA for the rest of it's life, and you'll be the one who will have to keep picking up the bills.

[Tupoar]

4 hours ago, unofix said:

Don't think about it. Do it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It will be PITA for the rest of it's life, and you'll be the one who will have to keep picking up the bills.

Just wanted to add, Ford still have the car. I'm going to give them and the dealership a few more days before I say enough is enough. At least I have a courtesy car.

[TomsFocus]

9 hours ago, Tupoar said:

At least I have a courtesy car.

Not another 1.0EB is it?   

[Edgar995]

There is just so many 1.0 on AT right now for cheap money, for example there is two 1.0 ST line on there 2019 with only 40k mile and they only want £13,000 that just seems way too cheap? and nobody is buying them so clearly the 1.0 horror stories still haunt the 1.0 even if they have fixed a lot of the issues or maybe people just don't want a 1.0 in such a big car.

16 hours ago, Tupoar said:

I've only had my 2019 1.0 St Line a month. I say a month but for (does a quick mental count) 7 of those days (and counting) it's been with first the dealership (2 separate days) and now Ford (for the last week). It's got the dreaded P0299 error code and it's now stuck in limp home mode. Previously I just turned it off and on again and it was fine(ish). Ford have had it a week and have no clue as to what the problem is. It's getting to the point where I might have to give it back and look for something else..... It's a shame as it's a really nice car.

 Wow really? i mean all that happening within a month of ownership would be enough for me to give it back...i really like the look of the ST line but so far the 1.0 owner reviews i have watched on youtube or seen on forums don't really have anything good to say about it especially the 1.0 with the auto gearbox most claiming either engine issues or just feel like the 1.0 is overworking all the time/too small for car. 

[Tupoar]

2 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Not another 1.0EB is it?   

Luckily no! It's a brand new Skoda Superb. Nice car to drive but not my cup of tea.

45 minutes ago, Edgar995 said:

There is just so many 1.0 on AT right now for cheap money, for example there is two 1.0 ST line on there 2019 with only 40k mile and they only want £13,000 that just seems way too cheap? and nobody is buying them so clearly the 1.0 horror stories still haunt the 1.0 even if they have fixed a lot of the issues or maybe people just don't want a 1.0 in such a big car.

 Wow really? i mean all that happening within a month of ownership would be enough for me to give it back...i really like the look of the ST line but so far the 1.0 owner reviews i have watched on youtube or seen on forums don't really have anything good to say about it especially the 1.0 with the auto gearbox. 

If I do get another one I'll  either go for a facelift one (mhev), a 1.5 st-line x or go back to Vauxhall. I'm really starting to miss my GTC Coupe.

[TomsFocus]

1 hour ago, Edgar995 said:

There is just so many 1.0 on AT right now for cheap money, for example there is two 1.0 ST line on there 2019 with only 40k mile and they only want £13,000 that just seems way too cheap?

The ST-Line is pretty basic.  People are probably going for ST-Line X or Titanium to get a few more toys inside.  Having said that, I can't see any 2019 autos below £15.5k myself?

Also worth noting early 2019 models are out of manufacturer warranty which takes a chunk off the asking price and puts off a lot of 'nearly new' buyers.

[unofix]

2 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

The ST-Line is pretty basic. 

Yes it reminds me of the old Escort 'Popular Plus' ..... Not quite the bottom of the pile but not far off 😉

[TomsFocus]

44 minutes ago, unofix said:

Yes it reminds me of the old Escort 'Popular Plus' ..... Not quite the bottom of the pile but not far off 😉

I was at a large car show the year they changed from Zetec S to ST-Line branding.  The poor Ford salesman was having to explain that it wasn't an ST to nearly every customer that passed thier stand!

I still don't like the 'Line' branding that so many manufacturers have ended up using.  Never did like it on the Audi's!

[unofix]

40 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

I was at a large car show the year they changed from Zetec S to ST-Line branding.  The poor Ford salesman was having to explain that it wasn't an ST to nearly every customer that passed thier stand!

Yes the old system was much better, you and your neighbors all knew where everyone stood in the pecking order of life.

Popular, Popular Plus, L, XL, GXL, Ghia 👍

So I propose a new and more honest system for all new car spec's

Poverty ,   Basic 😧,   Standard 🙂,   Acceptable 😀,   Dogs BoIIocks 🎉.

 

.....and in the words of the late Barry Norman "There you have it, and why not?"

[Sprawlsy]

A bit late to the party & I can see that you have decided against the 1.0 EB engine. Fully appreciating some people have had issues with it, but I've got nothing bad to say about it. I had a 2013 mk3 from new & now have a 2020 from new, I only mention that they were new as I know both were serviced correctly & the engines were not abused. In respect of sufficient power for the size of car, its always felt fine. I'm not sure how rapid some want to get away from a standing start! Both cars have been fully loaded with people, luggage & a roof box & it still performs well. I've found my 2020 version to have better mpg, I can hit 50 mpg on a long run on my own, compare that to mid 30s in my 2006 mk2 1.6.

As for general build quality, it's the best of the 3 Focuses I have owned. I get the hint of 1 quiet rattle every now & again, which is a lot better than my other previous 2.

[Connorfinn]

Ive got a 1.0 125ps 2018 model and have had it since 5000 miles and it has been nothing but trouble

Just in the warranty period i had a clutch, driveshaft and gearbox replacement and also a turbo replacement

5 months out of warranty i had to replace the flywheel as this wasnt done when they did the clutch and gearbox, my car was knocking terribly at idle on a cold start

If you have a pano roof specced they are really really clicky 

There is also the never ending battery charge issues, plus all the doom stories about engine failures honestly cant wait to get rid of this car for something more reliable and something i wont have to worry about driving every day incase something breaks

Mpg is decent however on a motorway run i can see 56-60mpg (driving like miss daisy cruise control at 65mph) and city driving a 4 mile each way journey 38-40mpg if im lucky

Sad thing is i had a 1.5tdci mk3.5 before this that was absolutely bulletproof and i had zero issues in 3 years and 22000 miles

[Edgar995]

On 7/16/2022 at 12:23 PM, TomsFocus said:

The ST-Line is pretty basic.  People are probably going for ST-Line X or Titanium to get a few more toys inside.  Having said that, I can't see any 2019 autos below £15.5k myself?

Also worth noting early 2019 models are out of manufacturer warranty which takes a chunk off the asking price and puts off a lot of 'nearly new' buyers.

I am looking at 2018 too but currently looking at a 2019 Focus 1.0 with 48k miles for £13,000 not the ST line, to be honest i only like the ST for looks but even a standard Focus would do for me so if i come across one i like and its not a ST i'd go for it still, also currently looking at a 1.5tdi with 44k miles on 19 plate for £13,995, not sure why you're struggling to find ones for less than £15.5k? maybe you have the millage lower? around 40k on clock is low enough for me, on Evans Halshaw the cheapest 1.5 auto is £15.5k if your looking at EH? i am looking on autotrader too. 

Thats true maybe it does put people off and  especially automatics if they go wrong they aren't cheap to fix thats why i got my current mk3 from Evans Halshaw with extended warranty who fixed the gearbox when it started juddering and slipping, some say is useless but for me it worked out well considering my local garage wanted upwards of £600 to fix it so thats why i have been looking on Evans Halshaw for a Focus so i can get warranty but to be honest they are asking way too much for them. 

[Edgar995]

18 hours ago, Connorfinn said:

Ive got a 1.0 125ps 2018 model and have had it since 5000 miles and it has been nothing but trouble

Just in the warranty period i had a clutch, driveshaft and gearbox replacement and also a turbo replacement

5 months out of warranty i had to replace the flywheel as this wasnt done when they did the clutch and gearbox, my car was knocking terribly at idle on a cold start

If you have a pano roof specced they are really really clicky 

There is also the never ending battery charge issues, plus all the doom stories about engine failures honestly cant wait to get rid of this car for something more reliable and something i wont have to worry about driving every day incase something breaks

Mpg is decent however on a motorway run i can see 56-60mpg (driving like miss daisy cruise control at 65mph) and city driving a 4 mile each way journey 38-40mpg if im lucky

Sad thing is i had a 1.5tdci mk3.5 before this that was absolutely bulletproof and i had zero issues in 3 years and 22000 miles

Me personally i have heard more bad stories than good but some people have zero issue with them at all, cant believe you've had all that go wrong on it...yeah same with my current mk3 1.6 petrol the engine has been amazing on it which is what you want as you don't want to be driving a car lacking confidence thinking you'll breakdown any minute. 

[TomsFocus]

2 minutes ago, Edgar995 said:

I am looking at 2018 too but currently looking at a 2019 Focus 1.0 with 48k miles for £13,000 not the ST line, to be honest i only like the ST for looks but even a standard Focus would do for me so if i come across one i like and its not a ST i'd go for it still, also currently looking at a 1.5tdi with 44k miles on 19 plate for £13,995. 

Thats true maybe it does put people off and  especially automatics if they go wrong they aren't cheap to fix thats why i got my current mk3 from Evans Halshaw with extended warranty who fixed the gearbox when it started juddering and slipping, some say is useless but for me it worked out well considering my local garage wanted upwards of £600 to fix it so thats why i have been looking on Evans Halshaw for a Focus so i can get warranty but to be honest they are asking way too much for them. 

Don't confuse ST & ST-Line, they're very different cars.  ST-Line is just a trim level with standard engines.  The ST is the proper 'flagship' sports model with a 270bhp 2.3 EcoBoost engine.

If your local Evans Halshaw is decent then it makes sense to stick with them, even if you have to pay a bit extra.  I haven't been impressed with any of the dealers that I've 'dealt' with in the last couple of years.  Decent ones seem few & far between!