I very recently purchased a used 2008 Ford Focus Estate (Manual, Diesel) in a private sale.

I’m having some issues with establishing exactly what the car is.

When I ran the registration plate through all the insurance comparison sites and a couple of actual car insurance sites (I only tried two)

The car comes up as :

2008 FORD FOCUS STYLE TDCI (110), 1560cc Diesel, 5DR, Manual ( As advertised )

But on the new keeper slip the DVLA have it down as a Focus Style TD (109) 1753cc.

If that isn’t confusing enough the car has a Zetec badge on the back and a ‘Duratorq TDCI’ engine cover on it.

 

I’ve entered the VIN on the Ford Etis website and it comes up as:

Focus 2008-, 1.8L Duratorq-DI HPCR (115PS) Lynx, Sea Grey (Metallic)....

However, there's no mention of trim level or whether it's an estate car.

Is the car a Zetec? and if so how can I find out the exact level of trim for the purposes of insurance.

 

This car has alloy wheels, front spot lights, roof rails, a drop down sunglasses holder on the drivers side ( these are the obvious ones I’ve noticed, there could well be more)

None of the above appear to be after market add ons. They look original, for example the spots (or possibly fogs?) are set inside the body work where on the ‘style’ there are only grills.

My feeling is the car had a factory fitted upgrade when it was new (maybe an end of line upgrade in order to shift it?) but then why is it registered with the DVLAs as a style (109)

 

I’ve found 3 labels on the car identifying the VIN and they all correspond with each other so I’m assuming the car is legit.

 

Is there anywhere on the car where I could confirm what trim level it actually is?

 

My main issue is the insurance. If I accept the details that the registration plate reveals:

2008 FORD FOCUS STYLE TDCI (110), 1560cc Diesel, 5DR, Manual

Then strictly speaking that’s a false declaration as it’s 1.8 according to most sources (Ettis and DVLA)

I can edit the vehicle details manually (but like I said there's no 1.8 Zetec estate option) but then there’s the whole modifications questions.

I don’t know the whole list of 'modifications' as I don’t no the difference between the trim levels on a ‘style’ compared to a Zetec. 

 

 

I’d really appreciate some advise here as I’m at a loss, I could take it to a Ford dealer and pick their brains but I don’t have any insurance so a bit of a catch 22.

I have full access to ETIS, if you want to PM me your reg I can see if I can find out any more info.

Is it possible that the original rear tailgate was damaged and replaced? I am thinking that a complete tailgate with a Zetec badge from another car may have been fitted.

Show us photo of engine, 1.6 and 1.8 look totally different.  1.8 has turbo and exhaust down the back of engine, 1.6 has turbo and exhaust on front on engine.

Instead of being end of line, 2008 was the very first of the facelift model.  That may be where the spec has been confused and input incorrectly on the database.

As above, the engines look different so easy to tell apart.  They also have very different VED (road tax) costs so you need to make sure the engine is correct.

Do you have quick clear front screen?  I think standard on zetec but not standard on style. Might have been optional on style. So if you have one it does not help,  if you don’t then it’s not zetec.   Ps the pic shows it is mk2.5,  different shape headlamps from mk2,  as Tom says it is start of the newer model, not end of line

What would be better to have 1.6 or 1.8? I think people would argue about this .  I would rather have 1.8 as no dpf on 1.8 , also 1.6 has turbo failure problems due to clogged oil supply to turbo.   But 1.8 is a much much older design engine that is much more tractor like than 1.6 is. 

1.6 has £30 tax, slightly more refined, and easily remapped to 140bhp...it was my choice back in 2014.

But the 16v engine and Eolys DPF were troublesome.

Don't the 1.8s have a wetbelt around this age?

If I was buying now, at this age, I wouldn't buy either, would go for a 2.0 TDCI for the reliability and 6  speed gearbox.  

Yes I had forgotten about the wet belt.  It’s easier to replace than the wet belt on eco boost but still a lot of work compared to belt replacement on 1.6tdci which is easy by modern standards. For anyone who does not know, 2008 1.8tdci has a wet belt at bottom AND a separate dry belt at top. 

Those are Zetec wheels, nothing to say they haven't been previously swapped though so perhaps not too helpful 🤔

7 hours ago, Focus_ said:

Those are Zetec wheels, nothing to say they haven't been previously swapped though so perhaps not too helpful 🤔

They are.  But to complicate things, you could choose the optional 'Style Sport pack' which upgraged a Style from 5 spoke steels to those 5 spoke alloys, so wheels alone can't be used as a decider.  However, I am fairly sure it is a Zetec!  We're all on tenterhooks waiting to see which engine it is though!   

To answer a few points above, ETIS suggests it is a Zetec, with a 1.8TDDI Lynx engine and has a heated windshield. Build date Feb 2008

 

Who knew there could ever be such excitement found from a 15 year old Focus with an identity crisis 🤣

12 minutes ago, Focus_ said:

Who knew there could ever be such excitement found from a 15 year old Focus with an identity crisis 🤣

At least there is no body shaming or judging going on hahaha

On 7/22/2022 at 4:05 PM, isetta said:

Show us photo of engine, 1.6 and 1.8 look totally different.  1.8 has turbo and exhaust down the back of engine, 1.6 has turbo and exhaust on front on engine.

Hello again Focus problem solvers...

It's been a year since my original headache. Last year I ended up getting it insured as a 1.8 Zetec but I never actually got it confirmed that my car is such a model.

I'm having the same issues again this year with another insurer. Got a relatively competitive quote which expires this coming Monday. However when it got down to the nitty gritty they wouldn't insure me as they don't have a 1.8 Zetec manual diesel estate in their database.   It always pops up as a 'style'. Any Zetec they do have in their system comes up as a Saloon. However, they do have 1.6 Zetec estates.

I've attached a pic of the engine bay (as requested), hopefully, someone more knowledgeable than myself can identify it for me.

Thank you for the responses from last year, most of which I have only just seen.

Thanks in advance for any new replies.

 

On 7/24/2022 at 3:07 PM, Jonro2009 said:

To answer a few points above, ETIS suggests it is a Zetec, with a 1.8TDDI Lynx engine and has a heated windshield. Build date Feb 2008

 

Thanks for the info. The build date matches and it does have a heated windscreen. However the engine cover states TDCi (I suppose it could have been swapped)...

Just discovered this info on the passenger-side fuse box. Could be informative if I only knew how to decipher it...

From the photo it looks like a 1.8 TCDi.

That is 100% a 1.8 TDCI.

Thanks for confirming, it helps a lot.

However, I suppose it could still be a 1.8 'Style' souped up with a Zetec tailgate. Sounds like a long shot though. But somewhere along the line, it got logged as a 'Style' with the DVLA.

I spoke with Ford regarding the issue and was advised to apply for a certificate of conformity. Apparently, this will reveal its true identity to some extent at least. Whether or not this will completely clarify the specs, only time will tell.

It’s also got Zetec alloys. If it’s got the heated front windscreen as well I’d say it’s conclusive.