Hi all,

I'm hoping to get some thoughts from other owners as I'm stuck in a classic EcoBoost dilemma.

The Car:

 * Ford Focus 1.0 EcoBoost (125ps) - Titanium X model

 * 2014 model, just hit 75,000 miles.

* Owned for about 8 years 

* I work from home and now do mainly short journeys to the gym or clubs 

The Problem:

Recently suffered a sudden loss of power while driving.

I've found a trusted independent specialist who can do the wet belt and turbo for £1,300. He's recommended by a lot of people and does this specific job only I believe. 

No options really 

So, I'm stuck with a few options:

 * Cut my losses and sell as-is: Get maybe £1,500 - £2,000 for it and walk away, swallowing a big loss.

 * Repair and sell: Spend £1,300 to then sell it for  about £3,300. 

 * Repair and keep: Spend the £1,300 and keep the car. This feels like the most financially sensible option. The repair would fix the engine's single biggest design flaw, and it's far cheaper than the £10k+ I'd need to spend to get into a replacement car.

I feel really frustrated to be in this position, and I see so many people online just say "get rid of it". However, that advice seems to be for people with working cars, to avoid this exact situation. I'm already in the situation.

My head is telling me that spending £1,300 to get a few more years out of a car I otherwise like is the logical choice. It feels like the cheapest way to have a working car again. I also like the car and it works well (usually). 

Has anyone else been here? Am I missing something, or is repairing it and keeping it the right call?

Thanks for any advice.

I'm sorry, but if the belt has failed then the engine is dead, it will cost and need a lot more than the £1300 for a new belt and a turbo.

The engine would've suffered catastrophic oil pressure loss

Please do not throw good money on a dead engine

Either source and fit a KNOWN WORKING 2nd hand complete engine, change the wet belts and keep, or fit and sell immediately

Or cut your losses and scrap/sell for spares

 

From that post I can't tell whether the belt has completely failed.  A 'sudden loss of power' could simply be limp mode.  That's very different to 'engine exploded and hasn't run since'.

With the OP's cost estimates, it doesn't seem worth the hassle to fix it then sell it, only gaining the exact same amount of money.  

So the choices I see are either fix it and keep it for another 3+ years if you like it.  Or just scrap it.

No mention of a previous belt change, so assume this is the original which was well overdue for a change.

Broken belt normally = destroyed engine as Dave has said. However, you aren't clear as to whether it went bang! or just continued running with power loss? Any warning lights?

Couple of sources of new engines we know of, just for info on costs:

https://approvedengines.com/products/brand-new-1-0-ecoboost-engine-direct-from-ford

https://pumaspeed.co.uk/product-Brand-new-Ford-Service-10-Ecoboost-Engine_18898.jsp

The wet belt is designed as a self destruct for newer engines so that they do not last get rid of it 

Some of the old 1.8 duratorque engines were fitted with them and you could buy a conversion kit to put a chain in to replace it 

The manufacturers know what they are doing that is why they do not sell a conversion kit

My old 1.8 galaxy did almost 450,000 miles before it gave up, they design the new ones to fail