Hassen's Ford Focus 1.6 Tdci Build Thread

[JC600]

I got an app called Mileage on Android that does the job very well with lots of stats such as money spent per month, year etc. Do check it out.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.evancharlton.mileage

Have not got mine on a rolling road next and I was seriously thinking about that. Then, I thought that others who are based in Ireland might be interested to make a day out of it and if we could get a few cars on the rolling road and being part of the owners club, we might get a discount.

Lenny, would you be interested in a rolling road for your car?

Ok cool, I'll have a look. :)

Yeah, you normally get good discounts for group bookings......just make sure you get deposits off people. As I've tried to organise events like this before, and you always get people not turning up. :)

[Jockstar]

Thanks Hassen. I used to run 2x12 subs in the boot, then 2x10, then a single 12 and now I have a single 10. Trying to ween myself away from blowing the windows out and listening to good quality music. Interestingly, I've never owned a ported box. I've heard it being stated that they play louder, but when your car panels are already wobbling, I didn't feel the need .

I've currently got an Alpine head unit with Alpine front and rear Speakers and two Kicker amps and a power cap. Can't beat good audio. I really need to make the effort to do the sound deadening jobs that you have done. I've never tried it, but it must be worth it.

[Lenny]

Have not got mine on a rolling road next and I was seriously thinking about that. Then, I thought that others who are based in Ireland might be interested to make a day out of it and if we could get a few cars on the rolling road and being part of the owners club, we might get a discount.

Lenny, would you be interested in a rolling road for your car?

No thanks mate,

Being the family car and daily commuter i need it to get me to/from work,

Don't feel too good about pushing it to the limit on the Dyno mines only a 90bhp remapped, yours is at 110bhp stock there's no contest there atall,

And none of the other Irish members are remapped.

I must say, the enclosure if really well made and you can get it from a few sellers on Ebay. I got lucky by ordering from Radio World and it was delivered no problem at all to Ireland for a reasonable postage price. Lenny on the other hand had big difficulties with the same seller and in the end it was not a pleasant experience. He might tell you more himself.

Bass Junkies seller has one for £20 more than Radio World. If you want to look at their feedback scores for each and then decide

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Focus-MK2-2004-11-10-25cm-Custom-Car-Subwoofer-Sub-MDF-Box-Bass-Enclosure-/251490215834?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item3a8dfc279a

I too Purchased from RadioWorld,

shipping from the UK to Northern Ireland was free as result the seller found the biggest box he could find to ship it in,

for him this wasn't a problem,

however for me; i had to pay Parcel Motel 57 euro to get it shipped to Dublin Depot from Antrim then drive up to dublin and collect it,

live and learn i suppose, good thing is ive managed to save over 70GBP on the build by purchasing items from Fastcaraudio on eBay.co.uk so one canceld out the other for sure.

this wont be a problem for UK residents though,

also the Brand of the Custom Sub Enclosure is "Basser" there a Polish Company may be cheaper to purchase directly from them rather than from a uk stockest heres ther website:

http://sklep.basser.pl/pl/obudowy-glosnikowe/314-obudowa-ford-focus-2.html

here the size of the box my sub enclosure arrived in:

I'm liking the subwoofer encloser. I've got a single 10" sub, but it takes up room in the boot. Did you buy the one from eBay after all?

you may like to view my Guide on creating a custom MDF cavity panel for mounting an amp along with the 10" Custom Sub Enclosure:

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/63695-guide-fitting-custom-amp-sub-enclosure-mk2-mk25-focus-2005-2011/

[Hassen]

Thanks Hassen. I used to run 2x12 subs in the boot, then 2x10, then a single 12 and now I have a single 10. Trying to ween myself away from blowing the windows out and listening to good quality music. Interestingly, I've never owned a ported box. I've heard it being stated that they play louder, but when your car panels are already wobbling, I didn't feel the need .

I've currently got an Alpine head unit with Alpine front and rear speakers and two Kicker amps and a power cap. Can't beat good audio. I really need to make the effort to do the sound deadening jobs that you have done. I've never tried it, but it must be worth it.

I was the same as you with the subs and then downsized gradually over the years and the fact that I needed boot space for the family. The 12s would rattle the whole car and were very loud for me. It was overkill for my uses. I much prefer the single 10 paired up with my Focals. The whole thing hits the spot.

With regards to the sound deadening, I highly recommend it as stock, the Focus has very little as I reckon it's one of those things that Ford skimped on to save money. I am further planning to sound deaden my floor panels and also add a layer of combined Closed Cell Foam/Mass Loaded Vinyl to further reduce airborne noise. This will be on top of Silent Coat sound deadening on the floor panels. Along with that, if there is any money left, I will be getting some self adhesive Closed Cell Foam for the inner door panels. This should in theory further reduce airborne noise. At present the tyre roar on the motorway is very intrusive in the cabin and if someone is sitting in the back, it's very hard to have a conversation with them. I am hoping all these measures will make the car a lot quieter for longer drives and to be able to enjoy the music :)

[Hassen]

Update: Decided to keep the car for a while as I will not be able to upgrade it to the one I want until at least 1 year or more with the way things are going.

I found a local independent garage who was able to give me a quote for timing belt, water pump, rear drum brakes and rear swing arm bushes to be replaced. Their quote was less than 1/2 of what the Ford garage was quoting me. I have been a long standing client for the Ford garage but sadly with their prices, I cannot afford to get the work done by them. I will see how I get along with the local garage and then decide to do more work after.

With the savings made above, I decided to use some of the left money to upgrade parts needing replacement. Front disc brakes from Mtec, drilled and grooved since the current ones are on the way out along with Mintex front brake pads. Also, decided to get steel braided brake lines to boost brake feel/performance a bit. These were from: http://www.mtecbrakes.com/

Along with that, Whiteline rear anti roll bar which I had planned to get for a long while now from Deamon Tweaks.

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/performance/anti-roll-bars/car/ford/focus-mk2/whiteline-performance-anti-roll-bar-22mm-rear-bar-2

Hoping that the rear ARB will reduce body roll when going round corners enthusiastically :)

Car is booked in next week and I just finished ordering the parts. They should be here by the end of this week or early next week. Looking forward to getting these new bits on.

The next upgrades will be more sound deadening/sound proofing over the summer and the Bilstein B12 Pro Kit(unsure when at this point). Along with that, when I do get a chance, I really need to tidy up all the wiring for the sound system in the car. Hopefully, once we move to the new house, I will have a garage where I will be able to work on the car come rain or shine :)

[Hassen]

Today was not such a good day :(

I came home for lunch and our childminder was heading out with my son in her car. She was trying to avoid another kid playing around the area and reversed into my rear bumper from the side. Damage was done and the bumper is bent inwards. I don't think it's worth trying to repair it as it just won't be back to normal being made out of plastic.

So, this leaves me with 2 options:

1. Get a used black bumper from the breakers and fit it in the car. Be happy with the fact that it's a direct replacement and will fit.

2. Put into place what I been wanting to do for ages: Find a whole Zetec S bodykit set from the breakers, respray it and fit it in my car. As luck would have it, there is a Blue Ford Focus Zetec S being dismantled 1.5hr away from my house. I have emailed them to see if they still have the parts and what condition are they in. The Focus in question seems to have suffered engine fire damage from the pictures but can't be sure until I get confirmation and pictures.

Lots might be happening to the car next week after not doing anything for a while :)

[Lenny]

Today was not such a good day :(

I came home for lunch and our childminder was heading out with my son in her car. She was trying to avoid another kid playing around the area and reversed into my rear bumper from the side. Damage was done and the bumper is bent inwards. I don't think it's worth trying to repair it as it just won't be back to normal being made out of plastic.

So, this leaves me with 2 options:

1. Get a used black bumper from the breakers and fit it in the car. Be happy with the fact that it's a direct replacement and will fit.

2. Put into place what I been wanting to do for ages: Find a whole Zetec S bodykit set from the breakers, respray it and fit it in my car. As luck would have it, there is a Blue Ford Focus Zetec S being dismantled 1.5hr away from my house. I have emailed them to see if they still have the parts and what condition are they in. The Focus in question seems to have suffered engine fire damage from the pictures but can't be sure until I get confirmation and pictures.

Lots might be happening to the car next week after not doing anything for a while :)

Id change the childminder or fit some reverse sensors on there car before fitting the zetecS kit mate,

As bad as it was, would be a hell of alot worse had it been the zetecS kit.

[Hassen]

No can do as our childminder is amazing with our son. And she's mad into cars! She drives an Audi A4 2003 1.9Tdi Quattro with an all leather interior. Her car only has a few scrapes which will probably buff out with some T-Cut :)

Just got off the phone with the breakers and that car rear bumper is in very good condition. He sent me a picture and I asked for a few more of the side skirts, rear spoiler and front bumper. If they are in good nick and the price is right, I think I might be doing a 3hr round trip to pick it up next week. I can already see my Panther Black car with the Zetec S kit :)

On a side note, the breakers think it's an ST and I was trying hard not to sound like a know it all to tell him it's a Zetec S instead :P

[Lenny]

No can do as our childminder is amazing with our son. And she's mad into cars! She drives an Audi A4 2003 1.9Tdi Quattro with an all leather interior. Her car only has a few scrapes which will probably buff out with some T-Cut :)

Just got off the phone with the breakers and that car rear bumper is in very good condition. He sent me a picture and I asked for a few more of the side skirts, rear spoiler and front bumper. If they are in good nick and the price is right, I think I might be doing a 3hr round trip to pick it up next week. I can already see my Panther Black car with the Zetec S kit :)

On a side note, the breakers think it's an ST and I was trying hard not to sound like a know it all to tell him it's a Zetec S instead :P

Ill say no more

[Lenny]

Did the breakers get back to you regarding the Zs kit yet?

[Hassen]

Called them up and he was asking for €130 for the rear bumper. It's in very good nick from the pictures. Also, if I were to get the rear spoiler and side skirts, he said it cost €400. I didn't try to haggle with him and I think he might take less if I was there offering him cash on the spot.

What do you think? Worth it or not? Also, there's a guy around the Midlands who mentioned he had a Zs front bumper that needs a bit of work and he is asking for €40 for it!

[Lenny]

Called them up and he was asking for 130 for the rear bumper. It's in very good nick from the pictures. Also, if I were to get the rear spoiler and side skirts, he said it cost 400. I didn't try to haggle with him and I think he might take less if I was there offering him cash on the spot.

What do you think? Worth it or not? Also, there's a guy around the Midlands who mentioned he had a Zs front bumper that needs a bit of work and he is asking for 40 for it!

Hard to say as i havent saw its condition but it should be fine if your having it sprayed cant really go wrong at that price,

Standard rear bumper in primer grey without brackets is 190

The front lip is a steal of a price at 30 when are you collecting it?

I sold mine to the UK for 175GBP

[Hassen]

I had to have a long think about it all and decided to hold off on getting the bodykit parts from the breakers. My issue is that, there is no guarantee that it will all fit without any problems to the car as it depends on condition, which I can't assess myself from a visual inspection. At the best, it's a gamble to get all the parts and I know myself that I will not be happy until it's all there: Front+rear bumper, side skirts and spoiler. This would become costly very quickly.

I just picked up the from the independent local garage where the timing belt, water pump and rear bushes were done. The mechanic was very honest in saying that the rear drum brakes were still in good nick and they didn't bother changing it. The Ford garage had written on their report that it was 80% worn! I am not impressed about this tbh and I don't think I will be going back to the Ford garage in the future.

I decided rather to focus(pun intended) my efforts on making it a better driving car rather than a better looking one. Independent garage quoted me €180 labour to fit in the Bilstein B12 Eibach Pro Kit. According to them, there's nothing wrong with the current shocks and springs. But, I reckon they are past their prime with just over 110k miles on the clock. Plus, the car will drive better I think with the Bilstein on.

I will decide during the week on whether to go ahead with the above plan. Already ordered Mtec Front gooved and drilled discs along with Mintex pads. Also ordered a Whiteline non-adjustable rear Anti Roll Bar 22mm from Demon Tweeks, which should be over here in 2 weeks or so. The adjustable one has been discontinued by the manufacturer.

[Lenny]

I had to have a long think about it all and decided to hold off on getting the bodykit parts from the breakers. My issue is that, there is no guarantee that it will all fit without any problems to the car as it depends on condition, which I can't assess myself from a visual inspection. At the best, it's a gamble to get all the parts and I know myself that I will not be happy until it's all there: Front+rear bumper, side skirts and spoiler. This would become costly very quickly.

I just picked up the from the independent local garage where the timing belt, water pump and rear bushes were done. The mechanic was very honest in saying that the rear drum brakes were still in good nick and they didn't bother changing it. The Ford garage had written on their report that it was 80% worn! I am not impressed about this tbh and I don't think I will be going back to the Ford garage in the future.

I decided rather to focus(pun intended) my efforts on making it a better driving car rather than a better looking one. Independent garage quoted me 180 labour to fit in the Bilstein B12 Eibach Pro Kit. According to them, there's nothing wrong with the current shocks and springs. But, I reckon they are past their prime with just over 110k miles on the clock. Plus, the car will drive better I think with the Bilstein on.

I will decide during the week on whether to go ahead with the above plan. Already ordered Mtec Front gooved and drilled discs along with Mintex pads. Also ordered a Whiteline non-adjustable rear Anti Roll Bar 22mm from Demon Tweeks, which should be over here in 2 weeks or so. The adjustable one has been discontinued by the manufacturer.

Rollercoaster of decisions mate,

Dealerships will always take you by the hand then ride you mate thats how the survive from feburary to June and july to December when theres no new cars being financed, it was only a matter of time before they tried to ride you aswell thats how it is,

Good to have the timing belt done,

If you can get that front lip for 30 euro you can make a nice profit selling it on eBay aswell as those 5 door skirts would pay for the repair of your existing rear bumper or a replacement,

Also how much does the B12 kit lower the car by front and back,

You can also make a sale on the existing shocks&springs,

Spray the stock sway bar canarie yellow and stick it on eBay claim to know nothing about it "rear sway bar removed from 2010 Ford Focus possible upgrade" technically your not lying in that retrospect people will bid on it assuming its a Mountune uprated ;) would be an upgrade over stock as its more rust resistant being repainted.

[Hassen]

I think I am done bringing the car to the dealership to be honest. I had a good run so far :)

Pictures of the front lip, were as I suspected, from a standard Focus. The seller posted the wrong stock picture. So, I decided to forget about the Zetec S bodykit for now and concentrate on getting the car driving much better and more sound deadening it further.

As for the B12 kit, I think it lowers it 30mm front and back. It might not be a significant drop from my current Zetec springs which is exactly what I want as the car is a daily driver and has to go over bumps and potholes. I am hoping the B8 dampers are a significant improvement over the stock ones, which are probably past their prime with 110k miles on them.

If I can make back €100-150 from the shocks and springs, I will be happy with that. Unsure though if I will be able to sell them on. The springs are light enough to be shipped if anyone was interested in them.

Regarding the sway bar, I couldn't do that to anyone else. It would be too cruel.

Still funny that the lick of paint will be the upgrade lol. Do Mountune sell sway bars for our car?

[Hassen]

Got Mtech drilled and grooved discs along with Mintex pads yesterday.

Early next week should have the Goodridge steel brake lines delivered. The following week then, the Whiteline non-adjustable rear anti-roll bars should be delivered from Demon Tweaks. Hoping all is here by the 29-30th April so that I could bring the car to the mechanic to have it all installed on the 1st May. That's the hope :)

[Hassen]

Starting to plan ahead a bit. I contacted the seller in Germany for the B12 kit and he mentioned that it will take 10-15 days to be delivered.

Just double checking now. Will this fit my car? It does say so in the description but want to be 100% sure.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261825706567?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Mechanic quoted me €180-200 to fit it and do the tracking. If all goes well, car should be at the mechanics to fit front discs, pads, steel brake lines, rear anti roll bar, rear camber bolts and b12 suspension kit on the 9th May. I will book it in once all parts are ordered.

[Lenny]

Starting to plan ahead a bit. I contacted the seller in Germany for the B12 kit and he mentioned that it will take 10-15 days to be delivered.

Just double checking now. Will this fit my car? It does say so in the description but want to be 100% sure.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261825706567?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Mechanic quoted me 180-200 to fit it and do the tracking. If all goes well, car should be at the mechanics to fit front discs, pads, steel brake lines, rear anti roll bar, rear camber bolts and b12 suspension kit on the 9th May. I will book it in once all parts are ordered.

Awesome,

Will handle like a different car will all those items fitted,

Don't forget to purchase some Eibach adjustable rear camber bolts and have the wheels laser aligned when all fitted,

The existing rear camber bolts are spot welded to the rear shock to maintain there fixed position,

Garage will need to cut these off to release the main hub,

Then fit your Eibach adjustable bolts,

Here's a link to the same supplier that i bough mine: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/230625566464

That's a good price on fitting aswell,

Ford garage wanted 190 to fit mine then asked for 280 after they had fitted despite me having there initial quote in writing in my hand from the previous week with exactly the same guy, lol so i paid him 192euro at the time and i said "quote paid, plus two euro for yourself to purchase a cowboy hat in the euro shop on your way home today pal, i wont be back"

I then had to have laser tracking alignment to correct camber,

Ford had tried to bill me for this at the time but they don't have tracking equipment in the garage, and clearly it wasn't done when i ended up with rear tyres half worn on the inner side:

Anyways sorry I'm goin too far in to it now lol bottom line rear adjustable bolts mate, and laser tracking,

The B12 kit seems to lower the car evenly and at 30mm front and rear it will be 5mm lower than your existing ride height since yours is currently at the same ride height as mine which is lowered on Eibach springs,

It states only diesel models,

This leads me to believe that yes it is the correct kit for your car as petrol springs are too soft for diesel models,

The kit doesn't claim to fit both petrol and diesel so i believe it is the correct kit plus the seller has included an encyclopaedia of specific information,

Good price for shocks and springs together as eibach springs alone as a kit are 190 euro its not that much more for the shocks aswell.

The whiteline rear sway bar also comes with some Polyurethane bushes from Powerflex,

It may be of interest to log on to there website and see what other bushes they stock such as tower strut bushes,

Your B12 kit may not come with those and its a good time to have them changed when your changing the shocks as they sandwich between the shock and the chassis.

Link: https://www.powerflex.co.uk/

Fitting cost would be the same as the part is a rquirement, better to change along with shock in my opinion as it will be more cost effective.

Your existing 17x7 wheels with 55mm profile are a good medium between unsprung mass performance and handling,

However if you were to upgrade to an 18x8 rim would have a 35mm profile tyre the car would stick to the road and pan harder on the corners eliminating all element of wabble as the tyres wouldn't squat being reinforced side wall.

[Hassen]

Eh, what's that disclaimer banner? I have never seen that before. Is it new?

[Hassen]

Thanks a million for the info Lenny. I didn't think about the tower strut bushes and what you said makes perfect sense as it's a good time to change them with the maintenance work being carried out. I am pretty sure they need changing at this point with over 110k miles on the clock. I will check the Powerflex website.

As for the camber bolts, I remember what happened with your car and definitely getting them as well along with a laser alignment. Don't want a repeat of what happened to your rear tyres.

With regards to the rims/tyres, I think I will keep the 17" ones for comforts sake and the fact that 18" tyres can be quite expensive. Looking forward to it all now :)

Think I got lucky there finding a seller for that price online and the mechanic here is genuine about his work.

[Hassen]

Sadly powerflex don't do tower strut bushes as far as I can see on their website.

[Lenny]

Eh, what's that disclaimer banner? I have never seen that before. Is it new?

Its new at the very bottom of the forum pages on the desktop site,

Figured id put it in that post as i was complaining about the workmanship of a local ford dealership and the forum is an independent non biast community says Lenny whom has received two warnings on his profile ya know what i mean.. ROFL!!

Thanks a million for the info Lenny. I didn't think about the tower strut bushes and what you said makes perfect sense as it's a good time to change them with the maintenance work being carried out. I am pretty sure they need changing at this point with over 110k miles on the clock. I will check the Powerflex website.

As for the camber bolts, I remember what happened with your car and definitely getting them as well along with a laser alignment. Don't want a repeat of what happened to your rear tyres.

With regards to the rims/tyres, I think I will keep the 17" ones for comforts sake and the fact that 18" tyres can be quite expensive. Looking forward to it all now :)

Think I got lucky there finding a seller for that price online and the mechanic here is genuine about his work.

I agree mate,

I wish i had 17's when it comes to paying for new tyres 520 for four no donuts for me at that money that's for sure,

The tower strut bushes can also harden and crack with age, frost has a big impact because the metal chassis amplifies the cold and hot conditions on the rubber which is pressed between the chassis and the shock,

Sadly powerflex don't do tower strut bushes as far as I can see on their website.

The stock part must be of sufficient standard then mate, if powerflex cant cash in on manufacturing anything they can prove is better than that particular stock part ,

I suppose wait until the B12 kit arrives, if it doesn't have them with the shocks then contact local ford or fordpartsuk.com to purchase some new ones,

Cant see them costing much,

[Hassen]

You're gas man. Made me lol reading it.

Tyres are so expensive and with the miles I put on the car, having bigger wheels make no sense. Plus, I like the comfort.

Like you said, I will wait till I get the B12 kit and see if it comes with tower strut bushes. Maybe other members who have the B12 kit on their cars can confirm if it does come with them?

Halford seems to have a decent multi meter and I'm gonna buy it over the weekend to tune the amps. Reckon it will be fun and informative.

[Lenny]

You're gas man. Made me lol reading it.

Tyres are so expensive and with the miles I put on the car, having bigger wheels make no sense. Plus, I like the comfort.

Like you said, I will wait till I get the B12 kit and see if it comes with tower strut bushes. Maybe other members who have the B12 kit on their cars can confirm if it does come with them?

Halford seems to have a decent multi meter and I'm gonna buy it over the weekend to tune the amps. Reckon it will be fun and informative.

isn't it the truth though..

+1 multimeter is also useful when diagnosing corresponding ends of cables by sending a micro pulse between the two ends,

Some also come with a thermostat probe,

But don't forget to buy battery's.

[Hassen]

It's so the truth :) Anyways, it's not like I will be going to the Ford garage anytime soon myself after my recent posts. Still can't believe that they tried to charge me for something that didn't need replacing after being a loyal client for 3 years! Grrr!

Can't wait to get the multimeter now. Planning to do the tune on Saturday and also planning to go to a Hifi store to check out some Speakers for the house. Trying to convince my better half that it's a good deal and that we will use it regularly, which is true on both counts :)