One of those weeks! Bought the Zetec S last week and although had an inspection done the clutch felt a bit high at its biting point.Took it in to a garage and they said although it hasnt gone its not far off . And while i was in there noticed a bit of a whine that wasnt there that speeded up with a slight click that got faster the faster i drove a bit like if something was caught in a wheel . Garage guy said sounded like a belt and that the water pump might need changing as there was a bit of wet at the bottom although had been driving it in rain all weekend.

Firstly my thought was as soon as i get the new V5 im selling it because with the clutch going at that mileage its been thrashed but what are folks thoughts ? If it has been driven hard is it just the clutch i need to watch out for or do you reckon get shot of it ? All the works coming to £520 so not a bad price at all but its money when i have just spent near £7k that i cant afford.

I know its a bit black and white but would you cut your loses or would you stick with it?I love the look of the car but cant afford to keep shelling out :-(

The clutch pedals on them are notoriously high so to be honest unless you can feel it slipping I wouldn't be worried about the pedal/clutch

Ah so may be the case it has not been thrashed (Bit of a tricky question to ask) . Just always remember people say if the biting point is high in a car it usually means its on its way out . Also have to say a couple of times while driving have had that "Burnt fishy" smell (One time my fault when i just got the car and was getting used to the clutch and accelertated a bit hard while putting it into reverse and boom that nasty smell). Thanks for the info Stef . I have CFS/ME so saved hard as i am not working and after 18 years got enough for this car so am feeling a bit down over it at the mo,so all comments and tips like you have given mean alot.

I'd get a second opinion because as said above the clutch is known to be a tad higher than usual

How the car is driven will affect how long the clutch lasts, it could be driven incredibly gently but someone riding the clutch pedal or someone too heavy on releasing the clutch there are many factors that can affect the life of the clutch in a car. I would not assume the clutch is on it's way out without any evidence of problems, I find my clutch bite very high on my Focus and people say it is a common trait of the car, mine has done 76K miles presumably on it's original clutch. Any car if owned long enough will need a clutch at some point, it is a consumable cost and should be factored into buying a car.

Also did you buy the car privately or from a dealer? If you bought it from a dealer then take it back and request they look into it and sort it if it requires a clutch.

Cheers guys,yeah i have had clutches wear down but usually 60k+ so just seems a bit low and the guy at the garage i would have thought would have known about Focus clutches being high (But then again its work for them,and that means money so might have been taken in) . It is just that plus the whine noise from one of the belts with a clicking noise when accelerating makes me worried after only having it a week (and strange enough the cars first owner seems to have been on the mobility scheme , i would not have expected the Zetec S to be used on that scheme!) .

Sadly it was a private sale and actually got an independent company to inspect the car who apart from saying a bit of corrosion on the exhaust on the surface and a slight bit of oil on top of the gearbox which he felt might have been an overspill as there were no oil marks on engine he gave it the all clear.

Even after a new clutch the bite is high unless its slipping its fine

another vote for forget the clutch. I was worried about mine (38K) so tried 6 in the works car park, they area all really high, took a bit of getting used to but I like mine now, you know its not wearing out when you're sitting it traffic with the clutch in.

If the garage says it's near the end of it's life by the biting point maybe an idea to find another.

Thanks so much everyone , gents one and all and really appreciate it . Can i ask one last thing thats a bit off topic . Noticed when revving i get a sharp sucking in noise just before the revs pick up . As i was on my own revving at the time couldnt really see it but could hear it . Was a sudden suck noise then milli seconds later revs pick up . Is that fairly standard induction or sounding like a split hose somewhere ? Ill get them to have a look when changing the water pump but thought id ask those in the know first :-)

Standard induction noise

Thank you Art,i thought it may have been but as always the ones to ask are the ones on here :-)

I have never driven a ford before, and when I test drove a Focus, I thought the clutch was high, but then test drove other fords , they were all the same, so its a Ford thing

took me a very long time to get used to the clutch in mine, now its second nature and feels normal

They do take a lot of getting used to, and there's loads of "is that meant to be like that" moments when you first get one. Mt Dad was a Ford main dealer I only had Fords until I was 38 mainly Escorts my last Ford was a 1.8 Sierra Sapphire that I owned for 11 years and loved it to bits, the thing was build like a tank!

I'm 46 now and have had my 2009 1.6 petrol Focus Zetec for 7 months, here are a few things I had to get used to:

High clutch

Gentle with the brakes

Dash stays lit for a while after leaving vehicle

Why does the factory fitted battery still work?

No bonnet release catch

unusual noises on very cold start up

No other car I have driven loves county lanes more, suspension is so forgiving!

Smart charging causes a very light flicker on the dash when the battery is full

I'm never going to find the creak that either comes from the roof or tailgate

there's no fuel cap

you need ignition on to close the windows.

I'm loving mine now.

I've done 140k with mine and still on the original clutch (touches wood) B)

They do take a lot of getting used to, and there's loads of "is that meant to be like that" moments when you first get one. Mt Dad was a Ford main dealer I only had Fords until I was 38 mainly Escorts my last Ford was a 1.8 Sierra Sapphire that I owned for 11 years and loved it to bits, the thing was build like a tank!

I'm 46 now and have had my 2009 1.6 petrol Focus Zetec for 7 months, here are a few things I had to get used to:

High clutch

Gentle with the brakes

Dash stays lit for a while after leaving vehicle

Why does the factory fitted battery still work?

No bonnet release catch

unusual noises on very cold start up

No other car I have driven loves county lanes more, suspension is so forgiving!

Smart charging causes a very light flicker on the dash when the battery is full

I'm never going to find the creak that either comes from the roof or tailgate

there's no fuel cap

you need ignition on to close the windows.

I'm loving mine now.

what he said x2 lol,

A couple of years ago I was looking for a 4 year old Mk2.5 Focus with 30k on the clock,

I was putting alot of money (to me) in getting a car that would be reliable and last a while,

Along came a Zetec S with 45k on the clock, the body kit sold it to me and I took a big punt hoping

I wouldn't have any trouble down the road with major components like a clutch,

I too had the initial worry about the clutch, but I then heard of the high bite point.

It's pulled up some very steep country roads nicely, and bangs in when driving in my work shoes.

So far so good, and I've not regretted spending the extra for the Zetec S, still love the styling,

although I'm not loving the dent I've discovered today!, hoping a £10 glue dent kit will fix it.

Just to point out the battery light shouldn't flicker smart charge simply put means more charge is put to the battery when the electrolyte is cold as it warms up the charge I decreased there should be no flicker on the dash if there is it indicates an issue either with the battery or alternator a free load test will sort that out

It's not the battery light it's the red info display, you have to look very very closely. (6 at work all do it) There's a really long thread on it (mark 3 though) on another forum, If it bothers you can can solder in a new resister apparently.

None of the other guys noticed it until I pointed it out!

Probably look too hard for problems.

Ah I see in that case not an issue then lol

Have to say i have spent nearly a year looking for a Zetec S and looked great and i am guessing a belt whining and clicking (Water pump poss) or something along those lines can happen . Just make me panic it happening in first week of having car that i might have bought a donkey,and not having an income at the moment i took the risk of paying more in the hope i wouldn't have to shell out more.....Time will tell.

Did like the list of things about the Focus,i have a slight rattle in the passenger rear section somewhere so laughed when you listed that :-)

I can relate to the dash light staying on when I first got mine bought it back in day light , used it in the dark got home got out light still on play with all the switchers on joy so went to see my mate who owns is own garage and told me it stay on for about 5 min I felt a right fool ^_^

It's not the battery light it's the red info display, you have to look very very closely. (6 at work all do it) There's a really long thread on it (mark 3 though) on another forum, If it bothers you can can solder in a new resister apparently.

None of the other guys noticed it until I pointed it out!

Probably look too hard for problems.

Have to agree with adam there. I have it in mine as well. Took a while getting use to the focus as I came from the escorts but love the car and its great on country back roads. :)