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Focus 1.8 Zetec "squeak" On Cold Startup


slamduncan
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As per title folks,

Ive had my car for a few weeks and already it's beginning to squeak when the car has been left for a few hours or more.

I can't pinpoint where the noise is coming from under the bonnet but it's a rhythmic squeak that sounds like a belt or pulley of some sort, that rectifies itself within 5 minutes of driving off.

It doesn't worsen under load and only happens when the car isnt heated up, any suggestions as to what it might be before I get my mechanic round tomorrow to investigate?

I was thinking fan belt / loose tensioner until Stoney mentioned it might be the tensioner bearings.

Sorry its not as accurate as i would like the description to be but its the best I can do!

Thank you in advance

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Any chance of returning it to the garage under warranty or did you buy it privately?

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will either be the auxiliary belt or the tensioner. either way you are better off changing both just to save hassle at a later date,

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Any chance of returning it to the garage under warranty or did you buy it privately?

I bought it from a private dealership with a 3 month warranty chucked in. However, after my journeys up there for both the test drive and the purchase, both of which took more than 2 hours. I never want to go back there again unless its a major problem. Aux belts and tensioners are relatively easy fixes as far as i know, is that correct?

Given it took 2.5 hours there and 1.5 back each time (I live only 20 miles away o_O Surrey > Wembley in C London and back) I'd rather not go back.

I'm having a mechanic friend look over the car tomorrow so if its a big problem i'll grudgingly go back but if its a minor thing i'll get it done with him.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions thus far.

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I had a similar issue, fixed by replacing the auxillary belt and tensioner.

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Well I got it fixed in the end.

Unfortunately as it's classed as a "wear and tear" item, it wasn't covered by either the warranty included with the car, nor the manufacturer's warranty.

I went to ford and they booked me in for 9am last week, rang up for an update at half 4, getting worried that evening and they had only just taken the car into the workshop... Why bother telling me to bring it in at 9?!

Anyhoo, They ordered the belt and it arrived the next morning, found out it was the wrong belt and sent out a driver to pick up the correct one, not too impressed, my first dealings with ford.

Finally got the car back at 4pm the day after I dropped it in, no squeaking noise on startup anymore, total cost was £133.

Apparently they said it looked as if the company i bought the car from had used engine degreaser on the belt itself and ruined it with that. Especially since the engine bay was spotless when I went to view the car and test drive it. So i'm now pursuing the company to see if I can harrass them out of the money I had to spend to fix the problem they had caused!

Ont he bright side though, no squeaking! :)

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Well I got it fixed in the end.

Unfortunately as it's classed as a "wear and tear" item, it wasn't covered by either the warranty included with the car, nor the manufacturer's warranty.

I went to ford and they booked me in for 9am last week, rang up for an update at half 4, getting worried that evening and they had only just taken the car into the workshop... Why bother telling me to bring it in at 9?!

Anyhoo, They ordered the belt and it arrived the next morning, found out it was the wrong belt and sent out a driver to pick up the correct one, not too impressed, my first dealings with ford.

Finally got the car back at 4pm the day after I dropped it in, no squeaking noise on startup anymore, total cost was £133.

Apparently they said it looked as if the company i bought the car from had used engine degreaser on the belt itself and ruined it with that. Especially since the engine bay was spotless when I went to view the car and test drive it. So i'm now pursuing the company to see if I can harrass them out of the money I had to spend to fix the problem they had caused!

Ont he bright side though, no squeaking! :)

I know what you mean about them needing the car in at 9AM. A garage does it here and its very annoying

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Duncan, did they replace the belt and the tensioner or just the belt?

When they diagnosed mine the car was still under warranty and Benfield Ford (Harrogate) tried the "wear and tear" trick on me. But if you look at the Ford service schedule for the 1.8 petrol, the aux belt is not supposed to be replaced until 100,000 miles. So for it to become faulty at 2 1/2 years old and 25,000 miles, there's obviously an issue or crap parts. I pointed this out to them and they replaced the belt and tensioner under warranty.

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Well Ford pointed out to me that the belt and surrounding area had been thoroughly de-greased (I couldn't deny it because I had seen for myself) so they know it didn't start squeaking of it's own accord, so i'm currently locking horns with the dealership I bought the car from, since they are the ones that effectively brought the aux belt to an early demise with their stupid valet team. They only replaced the belt, since that was the part that was squeaking, not the tensioner. Is that a bad thing?

Oh the joys of second hand car buying!

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