2013 Upgrades

[FOCA]

Cheers for the info Foca. You are right about the spray when stationary and moving. On my way up on the motorway today, the spray was much nicer with the wind and it was a joy to use as the Irish weather was acting the b******s again. It was bright, sunny and lashing rain at the same time with intermittent patches of dryness.

Definitely worth the money this mod if you use the washers regularly.

Exellent about the spray!

Did you get/ fit the tuning box?

[Hassen]

Getting back to the wind deflectors - I have just bought a full set for my Focus. The front seem straight forward but the rear ones I have adhesive tape on them?

Having checked the FAQ on the Climaire web site it states that no wind deflectors have any clips or adhesive and just clip in.

Can anyone who has fitted them please advise.

Many thanks

Regards

John

I had the Climair ones. Front and rear had a bit to peel off with adhesive on it. No clips were supplied with it. They both tuck inside the window channels.

They were a really nice set and set off the car nicely.

Sadly, my whole set was stolen from my car proving that they are very easily removed. So just be careful where you park your car as there is no good way of securing them at the moment.

[Hassen]

Need some info guys regarding upgrading from the stock 6000cd head unit in my Focus to the Sony Mp3 unit that's in the higher models.

Are the rear connectors the same on both units? Such that it is pretty much a straight swap without any/much modding?

I have this connected to my head unit at present for my aux input:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-6000CD-AUX-in-to-3-5mm-Jack-24-220-3-5-/300471701053?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item45f5824e3d

Will I still be able to use this with the Sony head unit to use the aux input? Or will I need something else to use the aux input?

Thanks

[Hassen]

Exellent about the spray!

Did you get/ fit the tuning box?

FOCA, got the tuning box and like it a lot so far. Have had it for about 3 weeks now and found a setting that I think suits my needs. Will have to do a proper full review on it and my whole experience along with my personal views. Watch this space :)

[Stoney871]

Need some info guys regarding upgrading from the stock 6000cd head unit in my Focus to the Sony Mp3 unit that's in the higher models.

Are the rear connectors the same on both units? Such that it is pretty much a straight swap without any/much modding?

I have this connected to my head unit at present for my aux input:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-6000CD-AUX-in-to-3-5mm-Jack-24-220-3-5-/300471701053?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item45f5824e3d

Will I still be able to use this with the Sony head unit to use the aux input? Or will I need something else to use the aux input?

Thanks

The radios will swap over with no dramas, they both use the standard quadlock.

Also that aux cable will still work no problems.

[Lenny]

Need some info guys regarding upgrading from the stock 6000cd head unit in my Focus to the Sony Mp3 unit that's in the higher models.

Are the rear connectors the same on both units? Such that it is pretty much a straight swap without any/much modding?

I have this connected to my head unit at present for my aux input:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-6000CD-AUX-in-to-3-5mm-Jack-24-220-3-5-/300471701053?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item45f5824e3d

Will I still be able to use this with the Sony head unit to use the aux input? Or will I need something else to use the aux input?

Thanks

The radios will swap over with no dramas, they both use the standard quadlock.

Also that aux cable will still work no problems.

Very sorry to inform that the above is not 100% true.

Yes all ford stereos from 2005 onwards are quadlock

And

Yes they will connect to your focus.

But not all that connects is actually compatable, trust me I've lost over 200 euro on resale of ford sony stereos.

Ok so let's start with Mondeo.

If you fit a ford stereo from a Mondeo

It will play CD's

It will operate AM/FM

But

Your steering stalk won't operate,

Your bluetooth won't operate,

Your Aux won't operate

And your bluetooth mic will squeak on high pitched sounds from the mondeo stereo.

Now we move on to focus.

There are 2 different shapes of focus stereo; square&Oval

You may think "I've got oval fitted so if I purchase oval it will work"

Sadly this is not the case,

Ford released oval stereos to fit the Mk2 from 2005-2008

These stereos will fit your 2008-2010 model but they won't function correctly,

A 2005-2008 focus stereo fitted to a 2008-2010 focus

It will play CD's

It will operate AM/FM

But

Your bluetooth won't operate,

Your Aux won't operate,

Your voice control won't operate.

I currently have a 2007 sony fitted to my focus and experience the above issue because the software inside is different and ford don't provide updates to convert to function on different models.

So what you need to purchase is:

A ford focus sony stereo removed from a 2008-2010 focus only!

Either 6cd or single cd but must be from a june 2008 onwards.

Don't get caught out like I have been twice already,

E-bay sellers claim all is compatable... its not.

Ask for the stereo serial number and google it,

You will then know what model of ford and year it came from prior to spending on it mate.

The same goes for bluetooth modules if purchasing you need one from the same years to be fully functional.

[Hassen]

Thanks for the valuable info. Saving me a lot of trouble and money along the way. So, my task got a little bit more difficult to source a second hand one as it has to match my car.

This is the unit I was thinking of buying:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=111065409834&fromMakeTrack=true

It's from a Focus 2008 Titanium. From my limited knowledge of Focus, the Titanium model was only after 2008 with the facelift? Please correct me if I am wrong. I thought that before it was LX, Ghia etc?

Lenny, how much would you reckon should I budget for a second hand unit? Doesn't seem to be any around the breakers where I live. Any recommendations where I could source one?

[Johannapam1]

I had the Climair ones. Front and rear had a bit to peel off with adhesive on it. No clips were supplied with it. They both tuck inside the window channels.

They were a really nice set and set off the car nicely.

Sadly, my whole set was stolen from my car proving that they are very easily removed. So just be careful where you park your car as there is no good way of securing them at the moment.

Sorry you lost them Hassen- thanks for info. I have fitted mine now and they really do look quite nice.

Regards

John

[Lenny]

Thanks for the valuable info. Saving me a lot of trouble and money along the way.

Lenny, how much would you reckon should I budget for a second hand unit? Doesn't seem to be any around the breakers where I live. Any recommendations where I could source one?

The Sony stereo's didn't arrive in irish models mate,

I've even saw a 2009 ST with a 6000CD fitted.

Expect to pay in the region of 200GBP including delivery to Ireland.

Another tip:

If you have a chance, request the seller uses Parcel Force or GLS to dispatch the stereo to you,

As they base there shipping costs on the size of the parcel not on its weight.

[Hassen]

Sorry you lost them Hassen- thanks for info. I have fitted mine now and they really do look quite nice.

Regards

John

They do look nice once fitted. Sets the car nicely. Post some pictures when you can.

[Hassen]

The Sony stereo's didn't arrive in irish models mate,

I've even saw a 2009 ST with a 6000CD fitted.

Expect to pay in the region of 200GBP including delivery to Ireland.

Another tip:

If you have a chance, request the seller uses Parcel Force or GLS to dispatch the stereo to you,

As they base there shipping costs on the size of the parcel not on its weight.

That's interesting to hear. As always, we the Irish customers get the wrong end of the stick. With the risk involved getting a second hand unit that could end up not working, I think the best solution would be to get an after market unit after all. Went to have a chat with the guys at Ice Security Systems in Ranelagh today. Shah Rukh, the manager, was a very nice bloke and discussed a few options with him. They mainly deal with Pioneer. So total price is €500 which includes Pioneer AVH-2400BT, fitting kit and fitting the unit to the car. Very tempted to get this done as I am getting very bored with the sound quality of the stock head unit. Only downside is that I will lose the function of the volume stalk. If I want that added, it's going to cost another €50. I do tend to use it quite often while driving but I reckon it's something I could live without. Any one got any thoughts or experience with that head unit? Or any other options that I should consider? My total budget would be around €500

[Hassen]

So after many months of procrastinating, doing research and saving money, yesterday morning I finally pulled the trigger. Ordered the Pioneer AVHx-2500bt and full fitting kit with steering controls off Dynamic Sounds from eBay. Picking it up soon and will be trying to get it fitted next week at some point. Unsure at present whether to try to fit it myself or to get a professional fit it as my sub and amp will need connecting as well. My only issue is time, which I barely have at the moment or else I would be spending my weekend doing it myself.

Updates and pictures to follow soon.

[Focus-Jonny]

So after many months of procrastinating, doing research and saving money, yesterday morning I finally pulled the trigger. Ordered the Pioneer AVHx-2500bt and full fitting kit with steering controls off Dynamic Sounds from Ebay. Picking it up soon and will be trying to get it fitted next week at some point. Unsure at present whether to try to fit it myself or to get a professional fit it as my sub and amp will need connecting as well. My only issue is time, which I barely have at the moment or else I would be spending my weekend doing it myself.

Updates and pictures to follow soon.

I really like the look of this unit, cant wait to see how it looks in place of the 6000cd you may convince me to buy one if your pics turn out nice! Had a pioneer in my mk1 with the pioneer door Speakers offered by ford as an upgrade the sound was amazing! miss the nice crisp sounds and connectivity in my mk2.5 :( am i right in saying the BT in that unit is made by Parrot?

Sorry to hear about you wind deflectors.... i hate thieving gits! we work hard to afford nice things for others to steal them AHHHHHH!!!!

[Hassen]

It was delivered today...in London...so now just have to head over for the weekend and pick it up and bring it back home with the fitting kit. Free next day delivery over there, thus saving me about £69!

Going to use the saved money to get it professionally fitted by AutoTronics in Dublin. They quoted me €50-€70 for the job and come to me to fit the unit. Not a bad price I think for the time required to get this done.

That unit seems to be getting good reviews and I have previously owned Pioneer head units over the years. Never had any issues and the sound was very good. Will definitely put up some nice pictures of it all once fitted. I really can't wait as this has taken me so long to get sorted out. After this, no more modding for a while I reckon and gonna enjoy the sound then. Reckon with the current Vibe Slick 6 Speakers, the Vibe sub and Blaupunkt amp, the sound quality will be very good. That's my hope now. Not really interested in it being ridiculously loud. Not my thing at all :D

And yea, the wind deflectors being stolen really !Removed! me off. I hate when your hard earned items get stolen from people who have no respect for other's properties. Don't think I will be getting another set in the future sadly.

[Hassen]

Today, Robert from Autotronics (http://www.autotronics.ie/) came round to fit the head unit with the fitting kit. Took about 1.5hr in total and it went without too much trouble. I am quite happy that I got a professional as it was not as straightforward as I thought it would be. Plus, he knew what he was doing which made the whole process a lot smoother.

Here is the fitted head unit:

So far, very happy with the head unit as the sound quality is very good. I will post a proper review once I have used the unit for a few weeks.

[Stoney871]

Nice flush fit too, very tidy.

[Hassen]

Fit was really good for an after market unit with the fitting kit. Doesn't play nice with some usb keys or external hard drive though. Think that the iPod will have to do for now as soon as I figure out how to sync songs onto it. I never had an iPod and dislike anything related to Apple as a company.

[Brigante]

how much did the head unit fitting cost mate?

how come you didnt fancy fitting it yourself?

fitting would be pretty much the same as mine except yours also has the bluetooth mic but isnt much more work

really think you should of gave fitting yourself a go, its very simple

looks great though, i'm thinking of swapping my pioneer for this unit myself

have you thought about anything along the lines of security n stopping it getting nicked?

[jacksargent93]

how much did the head unit fitting cost mate?

how come you didnt fancy fitting it yourself?

fitting would be pretty much the same as mine except yours also has the bluetooth mic but isnt much more work

really think you should of gave fitting yourself a go, its very simple

looks great though, i'm thinking of swapping my pioneer for this unit myself

have you thought about anything along the lines of security n stopping it getting nicked?

If you do get rid of yours, I will buy it off you if you like

[Hassen]

@Brigante:

1. Price was £254 from Dynamic Sounds. Really happy with the company and their excellent customer service as I had an issue with ordering. Posted to the UK, next day delivery, free of charge by courier.

2. Didn't fancy fitting it myself as it was going to take time, which sadly at the moment I don't have. Have fitted my old head unit in the past and I knew that there would be niggly issues that would need more time researching to sort it out. I was happy in the end to get a professional to get it done. A few issues that cropped up were fitting the mic(how to get it all wired neatly), the fascia fitting(needed a good deal of fettling to get into place securely) and the aerial coming loose among others. If I had undertaken that job, it would have taken me at least 1-2 days as the wiring needed sorting out from the previous sub and amp install.

3. Highly recommend the unit, as long as you don't mind the small icons. The touchscreen is surprisingly responsive and the UI is quite good. Not Android good, but a very good attempt. Was tempted to get the 2400BT model, but in the end the 2500BT was going to cost nearly the same, so got that instead.

[Brigante]

is that 254quid not including the fitting kit?

i got my fitting kit from dynamic sound on eBay

they was 10quid cheaper than the next seller selling the same kit

only problem i had with em was i thought they'd sent me a duff stalk controls adaptor and they was funny about exchanging it

but it turned out that the actual main loom they'd sent me that the stalk control adaptor plugs onto had a loose wire

was loose by literally 2mm so wasnt really noticeable on initial inspections, but once i pushed it in the stalk controls worked beautifully

i've read reviews about the 2500bt having tiny icons, are they really that tiny?

the 2400 is the unit i've got except i didnt want the bluetooth so i just got the 1400 (none bluetooth version)

if i was to get the same unit as you i think i might just get the 1500dvd

apart from sussing out the stalk control niggle, the fitting was extremely simple n pretty much plug n play

[Focus-Jonny]

Fit was really good for an after market unit with the fitting kit. Doesn't play nice with some usb keys or external hard drive though. Think that the iPod will have to do for now as soon as I figure out how to sync songs onto it. I never had an iPod and dislike anything related to Apple as a company.

I had this problem with my old pioneer unit in my mk1, try a Sandisk usb pen drive! it worked well with my last unit when other brands did not! I had the 4GB one with plenty of songs to fill it up!

[Brigante]

I had this problem with my old pioneer unit in my mk1, try a Sandisk usb pen drive! it worked well with my last unit when other brands did not! I had the 4GB one with plenty of songs to fill it up!

i use a 16gb sandisk cruzer mini usb thing that holds a decent amount of music and a few films

cant really say i've had any problems with it

[Hassen]

Think I might have to stick with the current 16Gb Ipod nano for the moment. It's working fine and the ease of access to the music off the head unit is great. In the future might consider getting an old Ipod classic to keep all the music in the car.

@Brigante: The icons are small but I do have small hands/fingers. The touchscreen is responsive as compared to other units I have seen before. Even with the small icons, I haven't had any problems so far while driving. As for the bluetooth, if you don't need it, then go with the non BT unit. But the quality calling and receiving phone calls off it is amazing. Plus, streaming music via bluetooth from my HTC One S is amazing. I am very impressed with the streaming quality. Dynamic sounds have that unit for the least amount of money I seen so far.

[Hassen]

Came across these tonight. Thought they would look awesome on my black Focus. Very very tempted to have them with my current tyres in 17" rims.
What do you guys think? Anyone has them on their car?