I am concerned. I bought a Focus Titanium ecoboost in Dec 23 and it's done 22+k miles . Its a 20 plate, auto. I am very happy with it but very worried about the wet belt system. So worried that I am considering changing the car and trying another one. I am not young anymore , lol. My thoughts are buy another Focus with mileage under 10 k, go for a Skoda or Honda Civic or Honda HRV . I've not looked into the cars mentioned . I would have to do a test drive. I would not want to spend more than £17k , at a push. I would rate pay £16k. May I have your thoughts please? Thanks in advance. Martin

I can't see what saving 12,000 miles is going to do for you.

If you're worried about the longevity of the wet belt system (and yours as a MK4 only has a wet oil pump drive belt, with a chain cam drive) then buy a car that does not have a wet belt system

Check out a Toyota Corolla or CHR too

Hi,

I definitely wouldn't swap one wetbelt Focus for another wetbelt Focus.

The 1.0 Honda Civic also uses wetbelt so be careful if you do go for a Civic.

Personally I'd go for the Skoda with a dry belt from that list.

14 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Personally I'd go for the Skoda with a dry belt from that list.

Or indeed, virtually any recent VW Group car with the 1.0 or 1.5 petrol engines.

1.0 Civic is a rare slip from Honda, so definitely one to avoid.

More thoughts - 

The Honda Civic and HRV have been available with various engines (avoid 1.0 as already mentioned) not all available with auto if that's a must. 

Later HRVs have a similar hybrid drivetrain to the Jazz, the latest Civic (2022 on, 2.0 hybrid) is a lovely car to drive but I think your budget will only stretch to the previous (2017-2022) generation.

The Corolla which Dave mentioned has been around a little longer. Apart from a fairly rare 1.2 turbo, most are hybrid versions (1.8 or 2.0) which should be within budget. I have driven the 2.0 which was again a very nice car, a little more compact than the current Civic.

Another point with Toyota is the manufacturer warranty which is extendable up to 10 years if serviced within the Toyota dealer network.

Worth doing a bit of research before hitting the dealers and test driving. Buying used reviews by "What Car" etc are available to read on line, for most Honda, Toyota and VW Group models.

Also there are, of course, forums such as this for the various makes which are worth a search for any persistent issues. I've found https://www.briskoda.net/ and  https://www.toyotaownersclub.com/ to be helpful.

 

 

8 hours ago, DaveT70 said:

I can't see what saving 12,000 miles is going to do for you.

If you're worried about the longevity of the wet belt system (and yours as a MK4 only has a wet oil pump drive belt, with a chain cam drive) then buy a car that does not have a wet belt system

Check out a Toyota Corolla or CHR too

I am grateful to you for your thoughts. I honestly thought I had a MK 3. I saw someone and could have sworn he said he had a  MK 4 ( and I had the 3). He said that because he had a larger navigation screen. I had thought of a Toyota t.b.h. I'm pretty sure the CHR wouldn't fit in my garage, in terms of height. Many Thanks.

8 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Hi,

I definitely wouldn't swap one wetbelt Focus for another wetbelt Focus.

The 1.0 Honda Civic also uses wetbelt so be careful if you do go for a Civic.

Personally I'd go for the Skoda with a dry belt from that list.

Yes you are right about swopping. I didn't know about  the Honda civic using a wet belt system. Thanks for the heads up. I do kinda fancy the Skoda Fabia but it's not a head turner. LOl I understand it's reliable as it's based on the VW?

5 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

More thoughts - 

The Honda Civic and HRV have been available with various engines (avoid 1.0 as already mentioned) not all available with auto if that's a must. 

Later HRVs have a similar hybrid drivetrain to the Jazz, the latest Civic (2022 on, 2.0 hybrid) is a lovely car to drive but I think your budget will only stretch to the previous (2017-2022) generation.

The Corolla which Dave mentioned has been around a little longer. Apart from a fairly rare 1.2 turbo, most are hybrid versions (1.8 or 2.0) which should be within budget. I have driven the 2.0 which was again a very nice car, a little more compact than the current Cjvic.

Another point with Toyota is the manufacturer warranty which is extendable up to 10 years if serviced within the Toyota dealer network.

Worth doing a bit of research before hitting the dealers and test driving. Buying used reviews by "What Car" etc are available to read on line, for most Honda, Toyota and VW Group models.

Also there are, of course, forums such as this for the various makes which are worth a search for any persistent issues. I've found https://www.briskoda.net/ and  https://www.toyotaownersclub.com/ to be helpful.

 

 

Many thanks. I did like the look of the HRV. Thanks for advising about affording the 17-22 generation. Thanks for advising that I do need to do some research; you are so right, of course. I will look at the links. Thanks ever so much.

 

1 minute ago, fiesta boy said:

Many thanks. I did like the look of the HRV. Thanks for advising about affording the 17-22 generation. Thanks for advising that I do need to do some research; you are so right, of course. I will look at the links. Thanks ever so much.

 

P.S Yes, I am only interested in Autos

9 hours ago, fiesta boy said:

Yes you are right about swopping. I didn't know about  the Honda civic using a wet belt system. Thanks for the heads up. I do kinda fancy the Skoda Fabia but it's not a head turner. LOl I understand it's reliable as it's based on the VW?

Yes, Skoda, Seat and Audi are all part of the VW group and all use the same engines and body platforms.

Skoda tend to be best value but that shows inside.  Audi tend to be firm and sporty, designed for the Autobahn.  Seat gets the best looks.  Personally I find VW's generally offer the best all round package for my own circumstances.

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

I do kinda fancy the Skoda Fabia but it's not a head turner. LOl I understand it's reliable as it's based on the VW?

Skoda Fabia has generally been a generation behind the equivalent Audi A1, VW Polo and Seat Ibiza. The latest version (2021 on) has caught up though and they're all on the same basic platform now. Fabia is the roomiest of the 4.

7 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Skoda Fabia has generally been a generation behind the equivalent Audi A1, VW Polo and Seat Ibiza. The latest version (2021 on) has caught up though and they're all on the same basic platform now. Fabia is the roomiest of the 4.

I definitely did not say that!!  

23 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

I definitely did not say that!!  

Which bit did you definitely not say?😀

8 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Which bit did you definitely not say?😀

Check the quote again lol, it says my name but the OP's words.  I've never fancied a Skoda Fabia...or indeed suggested that everything from the VAG group is reliable.  

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

Check the quote again lol, it says my name but the OP's words.

Aha! Plenty of that kind of stuff happening on the web, fake videos, etc. All getting quite sinister though I'm sure an error here! But why did you quote me instead of the OP, though?😀

No, you certainly haven't said everything from VW Group is reliable. That said, I've not heard any particular nasties about the Fabia and siblings. One of my neighbours has been a serial buyer of Polos and he's not the type to put up with problem cars!

18 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Aha! Plenty of that kind of stuff happening on the web, fake videos, etc. All getting quite sinister though I'm sure an error here! But why did you quote me instead of the OP, though?😀

No, you certainly haven't said everything from VW Group is reliable. That said, I've misheard any particular nasties about the Fabia and siblings. One of my neighbours has been a serial buyer of Polos and he's not the type to put up with problem cars!

I tried to quote your quote within my quote, but it seems the quote function doesn't quite quote in that way!  

Back on topic though, I haven't heard anything particularly bad about the Fabia or Polo either.  

would never touch any product from VAG - its the Germans that converted most of the car world (including ford) into designed to fail - last a week, junk

 

go buy a Toyota ignore that at 9/10 th ragging it the ford is better - traffic congestion and potholes on British roads mean you seldom get to drive at 3/10th 

By that logic you might as well buy a Dacia.

I also seriously doubt a Mk4 on twist-beam is better at 9/10ths.  Ford gave up their handling USP when the Mk4 was released.

22 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

By that logic you might as well buy a Dacia.

I also seriously doubt a Mk4 on twist-beam is better at 9/10ths.  Ford gave up their handling USP when the Mk4 was released.

Thanks Tom, Eric, Botus for all your comments , for which I am very grateful. I think this is what I should do. Consider the Fabia, Polo, Toyota, Honda Hrv. Not rush into things. Keep the Focus for another year?( I don't do a lot of mileage ,yearly). Get a bit more money and then slowly make up my mind. I will get the Focus serviced for now. I wish to have an oil and filter change done within now and early July. Unless I'm wrong the Interim service does not include the oil, etc being changed.

Thanks everyone. 

Martin

an early oil change (with the correct spec ford oil) will be a good idea - short runs and ethanol filth in fuel are part of the fun

1 hour ago, fiesta boy said:

Not rush into things. Keep the Focus for another year?( I don't do a lot of mileage ,yearly).

No, I wouldn't get panicked into rushing into things. Certainly have a good look around, including owners comments on forums, though opinions will often tend to be personal and subjective.

Similarly to comments from Tom and Botus, I've certainly seen some shockers - used and new - both as a private customer and fleet buyer. Conversely I've had some (often surprisingly!) good experiences in both roles.

As your current mileage is pretty low, and I assume will continue the same, moving to annual oil changes would be a good idea, though. My current car requires service annually anyway, but with my previous 1.0 Ecoboost I added an oil/filter change to the interim "convenience check".

Many on here do likewise - to me, the 18,000 mile/2 years interval is really for high mileage business use, to compete with extended service regimes employed by VW and others. VW however specify a different - and very expensive - oil for this, Ford don't.

 

4 hours ago, Botus said:

an early oil change (with the correct spec ford oil) will be a good idea - short runs and ethanol filth in fuel are part of the fun

definitely

3 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

No, I wouldn't get panicked into rushing into things. Certainly have a good look around, including owners comments on forums, though opinions will often tend to be personal and subjective.

Similarly to comments from Tom and Botus, I've certainly seen some shockers - used and new - both as a private customer and fleet buyer. Conversely I've had some (often surprisingly!) good experiences in both roles.

As your current mileage is pretty low, and I assume will continue the same, moving to annual oil changes would be a good idea, though. My current car requires service annually anyway, but with my previous 1.0 Ecoboost I added an oil/filter change to the interim "convenience check".

Many on here do likewise - to me, the 18,000 mile/2 years interval is really for high mileage business use, to compete with extended service regimes employed by VW and others. VW however specify a different - and very expensive - oil for this, Ford don't.

 

Whilst driving today, I saw a Fabia and it wasn't the prettiest, So I'm going to discount it. I have to admit that the Focus has treated me well, lol. So I'm going to stick with it as indicated. So why change if it ain't broke. The car's out of it's 1 year warranty period. If I do more than a 1,500 miles per year at a real push that's saying something.  My son will be doing 8 to 10,000 per year on his Focus St Line auto as he's self employed. I/we will have to consider what he should do in just around a years time. Being young, he's not concerned about the wet belt system. Hmm. I do like the Toyota chr and the Honda hrv. Let's see what transpires. Thanks again everyone

14 hours ago, fiesta boy said:

Whilst driving today, I saw a Fabia and it wasn't the prettiest, So I'm going to discount it. I have to admit that the Focus has treated me well, lol. So I'm going to stick with it as indicated. So why change if it ain't broke. The car's out of it's 1 year warranty period. If I do more than a 1,500 miles per year at a real push that's saying something.  My son will be doing 8 to 10,000 per year on his Focus St Line auto as he's self employed. I/we will have to consider what he should do in just around a years time. Being young, he's not concerned about the wet belt system. Hmm. I do like the Toyota chr and the Honda hrv. Let's see what transpires. Thanks again everyone

if mileage that low - check out the electric stuff - its so cheap secondhand - and way more efficient, something like 80% of burning petrol is creating heat you never wanted 

 

Gasoline (petrol) engines Modern gasoline engines have a maximum thermal efficiency of more than 50%, but most road legal cars only achieve about 20% to 40% efficiency. Many engines would be capable of running at higher thermal efficiency but at the cost of higher wear and emissions. In other words, even when the engine is operating at its point of maximum thermal efficiency, of the total heat energy released by the gasoline consumed, about 60-80% of total power is emitted as heat without being turned into useful work, i.e. turning the crankshaft. Approximately half of this rejected heat is carried away by the exhaust gases, and half passes through the cylinder walls or cylinder head into the engine cooling system, and is passed to the atmosphere via the cooling system radiator. Some of the work generated is also lost as friction, noise, air turbulence, and work used to turn engine equipment and appliances such as water and oil pumps and the electrical generator, leaving only about 20-40% of the energy released by the fuel consumed available to move the vehicle. 

2 hours ago, Botus said:

if mileage that low - check out the electric stuff - its so cheap secondhand

As an auto is required anyway, that's not a bad idea, depending on charging situation locally. I assume the situation is much better in the London area, than it is where I am in North Yorks.

I've seen 2/3 year old VW ID3s, Cupra Borns, MG 4s, Kia Niros and even Tesla Model 3s advertised within the budget mentioned here.