Hi guys

Bad news!! Car failed mot on alot of things so thought I would get another ford but no idea which one.

I do like 1.6 petrol but been told diesel would be better.

Any help much appreciated 😊

Two Tier Starmer and Sad Karn both recommend a new Ford Capri 🤣

After the various "ecoboom" threads you're quite likely to get the answer: "none" on here!😀

But seriously,to give people a clue - do you mean another Focus or another model? Age? Budget? Intended use? Annual mileage? Etc.

 

budget might be able to push it to about 8k

need to drive 20 miles each day for work and may do a few delivery jobs for extra cash

i would say annual milage would be around 5k

i really like my car, the engine is very reliable.

What do you call a lot of things?  Is it rust that it's failed on?

If you want another Focus then it might be worth looking at a Mk3 1.6 Ti-VCT.  No turbo or wetbelt on those so fairly reliable but not particularly powerful or economical.

The 1.6 TDCI is much cheaper to fuel and tax but you may start getting issues with injectors, EGR & DPF at the age they are now.

Probably not worth a diesel at that sort of mileage. A quick glance at Auto Trader shows around 90% of Mk 3 petrol Focuses up to about £8k are 1.0 ecoboosts which I doubt anyone will recommend at that age, given what we know. The rest are 1.5 (4 cyl) ecoboost with the odd early 2.0 ST which is not what you want for economy.

So Tom's suggestion is pretty much it, I guess, unless you look elsewhere.

thank you guys

this is the list of things gone wrong:

Do not drive until repaired (dangerous defects):

• Offside Track rod end ball joint worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment (2.1.3 (b) (ii))

Repair immediately (major defects):

• Nearside Front Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))
• Nearside Front Lower Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (5.3.4 (b) (ii))
• Offside Rear Brake drum back plate insecure (1.1.14 (d))
• Offside Rear Parking brake mechanism/associated mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded back plate (1.1.21 (e) (i))

Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):

• Offside Front Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint has slight play (5.3.4 (a) (i))
• Nearside Rear back plate corroded
• Nearside Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (5.3.6 (a) (i))
• Offside Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (5.3.6 (a) (i))
• Coil spring corroded all springs (5.3.1 (b) (i))
• Rear Sub-frame corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))
• Nearside Rear Subframe mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (5.3.6 (a) (i))
• Offside Rear Subframe mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (5.3.6 (a) (i))
• Nearside Rear Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))
• Offside Rear Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i))
• Nearside Rear Lower Suspension spring mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (5.3.6 (a) (i))
• Offside Rear Lower Suspension spring mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (5.3.6 (a) (i))
• Nearside Rear Seat belt anchorage prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (7.1.1 (a) (i))
• Offside Rear Seat belt anchorage prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (7.1.1 (a) (i))
• Rear Exhaust mounting defective (6.1.2 (a))
• Nearside Play in steering rack inner joint(s)

i am leaning towards Mk3 1.6 Ti-VCT, i dont mind it being bit expensive to run and less power, as long as its reliable.

25 minutes ago, froggy8 said:

this is the list of things gone wrong:

Doesn't necessary seem so bad. Most of it's just rust that's supposedly not bad enough to warrant more than 'keep an eye on it' status. You could perhaps address this sufficiently with some anti-rust treatment. You may want/need to actually replace the coil springs rather than treat them. Your rear most exhaust hanger may need re-welding or replacing with a clamp. A few ball joints and links to replace, rusted back plates on the rear wheels to replace (just splash guards essentially I think is what is being referred to), and possibly a replacement steering rack needed in future. Looks like just a handful of pretty bog standard maintenance items for its age to me.

thank you but i have been meaning to find another sort of newer model so this will be my excuse lol

1 hour ago, froggy8 said:

this is the list of things gone wrong:

i am leaning towards Mk3 1.6 Ti-VCT, i dont mind it being bit expensive to run and less power, as long as its reliable.

I noted where you live and guessing the sea salt air has been your undoing. Like already said, the list looks daunting, but if you take it in small bites, it's all quite manageable. However, if you do fancy something newer, best of luck, and also buy a barrel of Waxoyl to give it a fighting chance 🤣

Someone had fun with those advisories!

The actual fails are pretty easy to fix.  It's just a track rod end, drop link and drum backplate.

Though it is a good excuse to upgrade if you've been intending to anyway.

If you do look at Mk3s, you'll probably want to go for the Titanium to get cruise control and climate control as standard.

i will come back with the cars i have seen then post them up

Next to nothing to fix the MOT, I don't worry about advisories as the next MOT with a different tester and you get a completely different result 😉

Short, school runs, driving around town, petrol.  Up and down motorways, 100 mile journeys on a regular basis, Diesel.  What model, not sure, can't go wrong with a Focus, petrol or diesel.

I'd get my MOTs at another garage as these advisories seem a bit picky, just my opinion though.  My tester would say, "keep an eye on the subframe and round about as she's getting rough" but wouldn't advisory it.

ok guys i have decided to put the car thrugh mot.

while my car has been off the road, i borroed a car of someone at work and it was diesal, problem is i want a deiesal now lol

i used it to get to work and back plus going out few times for shopping and i only used about 20 pound! i find it more economical than my car.

could anyone receommend a diesal focus please? i am thinking maybe 1.6 again for balance.

14 hours ago, froggy8 said:

ok guys i have decided to put the car thrugh mot.

while my car has been off the road, i borroed a car of someone at work and it was diesal, problem is i want a deiesal now lol

i used it to get to work and back plus going out few times for shopping and i only used about 20 pound! i find it more economical than my car.

could anyone receommend a diesal focus please? i am thinking maybe 1.6 again for balance.

The 1.6 TDCI is much cheaper to fuel and tax but you may start getting issues with injectors, EGR & DPF at the age they are now.

From 2014, they redesigned the engine and reduced the capacity slightly to make it a 1.5 TDCI.  If your budget covers one of those in a facelift Mk3, that's probably your best option.  As long as it was registered before April 2017, the tax will be super cheap as well.

There is also a 2.0 TDCI in the Focus, but they are a bit more expensive to fuel and tax.  And realistically, the extra power probably isn't going to be noticeable with the type of journeys you do.

I would go for a MK3.5 Focus 1.5 TDCi, pre April 2017 if you can stretch to that. Zero Tax late 50's MPG all day long

Just make sure the gearbox is OK

the garage keeps making excuses on my car, they quoted me 580 to do 1 droplink, 1 track rod end and both back plates.

i got there at 8 this morning so gave them plenty of time to do the repair then go through mot, i was waiting outside as i was stranded, the garage was in the middle of nowhere. anyway the guy comes out after 2 hours and said the 4 bolts that secure something ( couldnt hear what they said) is seized on so they gave me 2 options, either wait till tomorrow to get some new bolts or buy a pair of wheel bearings at a cost of 150 each! i didnt want to pay that so i went for the new bolt route, they gave me a courtesy car then i went home.

an hour later they rang me to tell me they couldnt source the backplate so had to get one from fords at 200 pound! they would have ordered 2 but they said the other one will be fine even thtough they told me in the beginning that both HAD to be done. so now i have to pay 680!

really sounds like they are trying something but i have been there 3 years in a row, first 2 years passed mot with no problem.

i did try asking them to get cheaper parts but they said it had to be ford only.

The way I look at a 680 bill, if I didn't do my own work on the car, is where can you get another car for 680 with a years MOT today?  If that's the bill to get it back with a years MOT and car running fine then just wipe your mouth and move on.  It's usually easier to pickup another car when you have one than trying to source a motor when you don't.  At least you have a year now to pick up a diesel.

thanks bar, yeah a few people said that to me too. it is the wiser choice 🙂 

3 hours ago, froggy8 said:

thanks bar, yeah a few people said that to me too. it is the wiser choice 🙂 

Did you have the Focus repaired?

4 hours ago, AntonovAN12 said:

Did you have the Focus repaired?

yes i did

hi guys

i have decided on a petrol as i do alot of short distance drives.

the things i would like:

cruise control but not neccassary 

seat warmer

same size interior as mine

big boot size

interior light for back seats ( not sure if all focus has that)

possibly chain cam belt

definitely no wet belt

basically same spec as mine but not sure whether to get the same one as mine or updated one.

any advice would be much appreciated 🙂 

45 minutes ago, froggy8 said:

definitely no wet belt

well that equals 'definitely not a Ford'

If you are still looking at an £8k budget the non-wetbelt Focus options have already been mentioned in this thread. So a look further afield might be in order.

Don't rule out a Ford C Max diesel, which is based on a Focus, but a bit taller (easier to get in & out of). I have a 2015 1.6 diesel C Max, and find it great. I use mine for quite a lot of local trips, with the occasional longer trip (15 or more miles), and have had no problems with the DPF blocking in the two years I've owned it. It drives well, & is only £35 a year to tax (at present)! Anything first registered on or after April first 2017 is a much higher road tax.

I would recommend the 1.6 (1560 cc) diesel over the 1.5 (1499 cc), as it doesn't have the problems with the connecting chain between the camshafts breaking. The 1.6 only has one camshaft. Both these diesels use a normal dry cam belt.

If you can get a 15 plate or newer, it should be exempt LEZ charges (not that that will bother you in Cornwall at the moment), but might help when you look at selling it on.