Hi all,

I'm new to the forum as a poster but have been reading threads here since I bought my Mk2 Focus 1.8TDCi (2005) almost 2 years ago.

I've been reading a range of threads here with regards to the issues I've been having with my Focus and I just wanted to throw a theory out to you all to see if it makes sense.

The issues I am having are as follows:

1) From pretty much the start of owning my Focus I have issues with respect to steering wobble when driving at speeds of 50+ mph. Instant recommendation: your wheel balance needs checked. I've had this done countless times but it is only a short term fix.

2) When braking from speeds of 40+ mph I get varying degrees of wobble in my steering wheel. I should point out that there is nothing felt through the brake pedal, only the steering wheel. When I first encountered this problem it was pointed out to me by my mechanic that it was likely warped brake discs, and that I should replace the discs and pads. Again, the standard recommendation it would seem from looking at posts here. And again, this solved the problem short term, but it has since come back.

For quite some time I have been dealing with these issues and when a tyre garage realises that balancing my wheels isn't solving anything they instantly suggest warped discs.

3) More recently my car started making a lot of noise when driving at higher speeds. It turned out to be my front wheel bearings needing replaced. It was discovered when this was being diagnosed that my front two wheels were both buckled. The connection was made that the buckled wheels had produced increase wear on my bearings causing them to go. At this point I replaced the bearings and got a new set of wheels.

At this point I was back to minor steering wobble at higher speeds and steering wheel wobble under braking with varying degrees of intensity. Foolishly I will admit, I have ignored this issue as I appeared to be getting nowhere.

Just this week I replaced my two front tyres, as well as putting one of the old front tyres on my rear right wheel. When driving at 60mph after this I noticed an additional wobble on top of the one I have been experiencing for the majority of the time I have owned the car. It felt like it was coming from the rear right wheel where the front tyre had been moved to. I decided to take the car back to the garage that fitted the tyres to ensure that they had balanced the wheels correctly. At this point they informed me that my wheels were once again buckled. Another set of wheels buckled, in under a year!? I should point out that in my memory I have never hit any potholes. I treat my car like the old lady that she is, drive carefully over speedhumps and all the rest. So I have been researching trying to see if all my issues are interlinked.

Up until now it has been a case of if something is showing an issue, replace that part and all will be fine. No one seems to dig deeper to see what the real root cause may be instead of throwing on some sticky plasters and I'll be back in 6 months for new parts again.

So my theory is this: could it be possible that my wobbling under braking is caused by the likes of a sticking brake calliper? If this was the case it would be producing a build up of heat, and putting extra strain on the bearings and wheel, causing the bearings to wear down quicker and make the wheels buckle over time? If not does anyone have a reasonable reason why all this is happening?

I would be more than happy spending the money on my car to fix it, as long as it is money spent in the right places.

Thanks in advance.

are the brake pad wear even on both wheels? which "new" wheels did you get?

are the brake pad wear even on both wheels? which "new" wheels did you get?

I can check out the wear and report back.

They were ford wheels (2nd hand) but they were not buckled when I got them

I can check out the wear and report back.

They were ford wheels (2nd hand) but they were not buckled when I got them

did you check them on a wheel balancer before purchasing them? i went to buy an alloy to replace my buckled one, and discovered it was also buckled when i went to put a tyre on it. the seller sold it saying it was fine, and when you look at it you dont see any buckles