Eve, It's Time For A Face Lift (mk2 Focus Zetec Climate 2.0)

[Dan P]

Apologies in advance for the length of this post but there are a lot of issues to resolve and I’d really appreciate some advice, guidance and comments.

This is my 2006 Focus Zetec Climate 2.0, Eve. I want to fit an ST body kit and get her looking fabulous once again.

I got her in July 2006 with 6,000 miles on the clock, in seemingly immaculate condition. She’s now done 62,000 miles and is looking a little battered and bruised but is a great car, mechanically sound and very reliable.

Here’s a tour of her various issues…

The front bumper took a nasty wack and also has some scuffing on the corner:

Options to fix: replace with either a new or salvaged ST bumper.

The bonnet has a weird dent on the right hand ridge and four rusting stone chips:

Options to fix: get it repaired by a body shop or replace with a salvaged bonnet.

We had a fight with a multi-storey car park. We lost. The rear passenger side door is a mess:

Options to fix: get it repaired by a body shop or replace with a salvaged door (I’d need to retain my current trim and speaker).

The rear wheel arch also took some of the pain:

Options to fix: get it repaired by a body shop.

I reversed into a stupid hand rail in a hospital car park and created this lovely dent:

Options to fix: replace with a salvaged tailgate (I think the dent is too close to the edge for a body shop to easily rectify).

The rear bumper has a little scuff too:

Options to fix: replace with either a new or salvaged ST bumper (I need to retain the reversing sensors).

The rear pillar has some deterioration to the paintwork which has become gradually more apparent over the last few years. I guess there was a small touch-up job done here prior to me owning the car:

Options to fix: get it repainted at a body shop or do nothing.

The rear driver’s side door has two nasty stone chips, the one by the door handle has dented the panel.

Options to fix: get it repaired by a body shop or replace with a salvaged door (I need to retain the trim and speaker).

As additional issues, I’d like to replace the standard spoiler with an ST, add side skirts (which may cover up some of the damage to the wheel arch) and tidy up my wheels – I’m contemplating getting them painted black rather than replacing them.

As I’ve been thinking my way through this project I think I’ve come to the conclusion that I should get the car vinyl wrapped. This would help with a number of the above issues and (as long as I had neat panels underneath) would give the car an “as new” appearance.

I think my plan should be as follows:

1 - get quotes from a body shop for repair prices for the wheel arch, doors and bonnet. If I’m wrapping then paint finish isn’t important, I just need clean, dent free panels. Any recommendations of body shops in North London, Herts, Essex?

2 – source replacement parts that can’t be repaired economically in stage 1.

Parts I may need: bonnet, 2 x rear doors, tailgate, ST front bumper and grille, ST rear bumper, ST spoiler, ST side skirts.

If I wrap the car, it doesn’t matter so much what colour the replacement parts are… my gut feeling is that I should go for black doors and tailgate and worry less about the rest.

I assume using salvaged parts would be considerably cheaper than new, can anyone give me a rough guide as to what I should expect to pay. Where are the best places to find parts?

3 – fit it all. I’m a proficient DIYer but not experienced with fiddling around with cars. I’ve got a decent tool kit and a Haynes manual, what can go wrong? From what I’ve researched so far I think I should be able to replace all of the various body parts (although I am a little nervous).

4 – get it wrapped.

I’ve got a budget for all this of around £2,000.

Thank you if you’ve made it this far! I really appreciate your time and any assistance you can offer.

Dan

[ColinFO]

I think it would be a good idea to speak to a body shop.

In my experience it is near impossible to replace something like a door and get exactly the right colour, so it would need painting.

Some places are happy for you to fit your own body kit, whereas others will do it for you, but with all the wee bits of damage I'd think you'd be as well going for a full re-spray with second hand body kit.

The body shop will advise you whether to replace or repair each bit of damage which could save some money.

You should manage to fit the st panels yourself, and I'm sure Ive seen a thread on here where it was done.

I have no experience with wrapping, but I'm sure someone on here will be along soon to advise on that.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[Dan P]

Having got some quotes from a couple of body shops and trying to source ST bumpers, skirts and spoilers from scrap/breakers yards I've had to adjust my plan. Getting an ST body kit on the car and keeping close to budget doesn't seem to be possible!

Instead, I'm trying to get hold of a replacement front bumper, passenger side rear door and tailgate and I'll let the body shop sort out the bonnet, driver side rear door and wheel arch.

[Brigante]

Would you consider an MS design body kit? I'm selling a very rare genuine one. Would obviously need respraying

[Dan P]

Thanks for the offer Charlie, but I'm going to pass. I think I've just seen it on eBay - hope you manage to shift it.

On a separate note, I've just ordered a door, tailgate and bumper through 1st Choice Spares.. should be with me on Tuesday.

[ColinFO]

You going for a full respray Dan?

[Dan P]

I’ve started making a few purchases for the face lift. Having read a large number of entries on this forum I decided that I should get some Heko wind deflectors and some Ford mud flaps. I also bought a new set of number plates to go on at a later date.

I went to visit Totally Dynamic in Brimsdown, where I intend on getting Eve wrapped, to check out the colours available. I’ve narrowed it down to two; gloss indigo blue or night blue matte metallic.

I love the night blue (check out Google image search) and if I had an ST or a body kit, I’d definitely choose it. Unfortunately I just don’t think Eve is going to have sufficient presence to pull it off in standard Zetec trim. The indigo blue is a bit more boring and refined, but I think it’ll be more fitting.

I also signed up to three websites to search scrap yards for a bumper, door and tailgate and after verifying the parts on the phone with one merchant, made an order.

On Monday, on returning home, I found this:

During the evening I started to unwrap it:

It’s a very nice door, very little to complain about… oh, hang on a minute, yes there is… it’s for the WRONG SIDE!!!

Then I moved onto this:

Err… that’s not quite right is it? After a bit of image research I determined that it was a C Max bumper (and got it verified here on the forum).

Third time lucky?

Bingo! That’ll do nicely. Unimpressed with the success rate, I rang the scrap yard and after some negotiation came to an agreement. If anyone needs a C Max bumper or driver side rear door, let me know!

Today, armed with my Haynes manual and tools, I set about replacing the tailgate. After doing all the prep work, I needed Mrs P's help for about 10 minutes whilst I did the swap. I had to change over the lock, handle and spoiler which elongated the process a little but, given my inexperience, I was very happy with it all. The new tailgate has two tiny dents on the bottom edge, but they’re nothing like the canyon on the old one!

A replacement replacement door arrived today. On initial inspection, it looks good, and is for the correct side of the car, which is a bonus! Fitting the door is my goal for tomorrow and after that I’m going to stick on the wind deflectors and mud flaps.

[Dan P]

Colin, I think a wrap is going to work out a little cheaper and I quite fancy a little change.

[Dan P]

Last Thursday I set about replacing the rear passenger side door. Removing the old one and sticking on the replacement was a doddle. It only took a quick bit of fiddling with the bolts to get it sitting level and shutting cleanly.

Swapping the door card and the speaker over was more fiddly and I had to cut the original speaker off of the replacement door before fitting mine.

I then decided to give the car a good clean before fitting the wind deflectors and mud guards

On Monday I picked up this bumper which I bought on eBay. It might be the wrong colour, but at least it’s for the right car! It’s in excellent condition having never actually been on a car and has just one tiny scuff.

Getting the old bumper off was an absolute pig of a job. There are three bolts on each side which hold the bumper onto the wing and bolt into these white plastic bits.

All of them were badly rusted and seized. There’s very limited room to manoeuvre and I really struggled to get enough force on the bolts to loosen them. It took me over an hour to get them out. After that it was plain sailing and the bumper was off.

It didn’t take too long to get the new one on and my two-tone Focus was back in one piece.

I've ordered some new gel badges which should hopefully be here before the end of the week and after that I need to get the wheels refurbished – I want them black and think I’m going to get them painted black rather than go for plasti dip. Eve then needs to get the rest of her bodywork sorted before making a trip to be wrapped.

[blue crush]

Doing a great job there! Didnt think it was easy replacing all the panels and doors but hats off to you mate.

Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC

[Dan P]

Doing a great job there! Didnt think it was easy replacing all the panels and doors but hats off to you mate.

Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC

Thanks, it really was simpler than I was expecting.

[Dan P]

Not much to update on, however, I have Eve booked in to have her bodywork sorted on Monday 20th July and then she's off to be wrapped (gloss indigo blue) the following Monday, which will take three days.

Having done a considerable amount of research (well, watching YouTube) I have decided to go for the Plasti Dip approach for my wheels. Hopefully if I ensure that I carry out all the preparation carefully and am patient and put on several coats, I should be able to achieve a good finish. If I pull it off then I'll have all my wheels sorted for less than the cost of getting one professionally painted.

Whilst I'm taking my wheels off to paint them, I should probably sort out my calipers and hubs at the same time as they're looking a bit untidy. I'll probably paint them black.

I also ordered a replacement grille. I've never liked the chrome, nor understood why it's there as there are no other chrome details elsewhere on the car (other than the badges). I think this looks much better and a little meaner.

I have a couple of small scratches on my fog light surrounds and have been looking at getting replacements but they're a little too costly for my liking. I think I'll attack them with a gentle sanding and then Plasti Dip them and see how they turn out.

[Dan P]

Had a little bit of free time this evening so I popped off the fog surrounds and gave them a good clean.

And a bit of a sand down.

Then started on the Plasti Dip.

Until I'd done four coats.

The Plasti Dip was easy enough to apply. I used a spray trigger, which definitely helped. I hope I've got enough left to do my wheels now as the first can is feeling a little empty (I bought four). I'm not going to fit them back on the car until she's been wrapped just in case taking them back off again damages the finish.

[Lenny]

Hi Dan,

You done a fantastic job on the focus so far,

I look forward to further updates mate keep up the great work.

[Dan P]

Hi Dan,

You done a fantastic job on the focus so far,

I look forward to further updates mate keep up the great work.

Thanks Lenny, it's gone really well so far. It's only 10 days until she'll be wrapped - I must confess I'm quite excited!

[Dan P]

Today Eve was in a tiny little garage getting her numerous dents and chips fixed and I was a little bit nervous. This was mostly because the price I'd been quoted for the work was so much lower than two other body repair shops which are much bigger outfits that do a lot of insurance work.

As I'm getting the car wrapped, I didn't need to go to the expense of getting the paint colour matched, I just needed a good smooth finish which was done in black primer. The differing paint finishes make it look a little weird but the bodywork looks fantastic... all her little (and not quite so little) issues have been resolved. I'm delighted!

Bonnet - 1 dent and 4 stone chips - SORTED!

Wheel arch - horrible mess - SORTED!

Tailgate - 2 dents - SORTED!

Rear bumper - scuff - SORTED!

Rear pillar - weird cracking paint - SORTED!

Rear door - stone chip - SORTED!

There were about 5 other minor dents and scrapes that he did too.

I reckon it's a bargain at £180. (The "specialists" quoted me in excess of £400 to do the same work). If anyone near Enfield want the guy's number I'll happily share it as I'd love to throw some more business his way.

[Lenny]

That is a very good price indeed mate fair play my induction filter cost 70 quid more than your body repair bill.

Some great pictures there,

Im looking forward to seeing it wrapped will be like a brand new motor :)

[Dan P]

That is a very good price indeed mate fair play my induction filter cost 70 quid more than your body repair bill.

Some great pictures there,

Im looking forward to seeing it wrapped will be like a brand new motor :)

Ouch!

I think she'll look pretty much like new... apart from the wheels until I can get them sorted.

[Dan P]

I’ve got a budget for all this of around £2,000.

Hmmm... £1999.90 after my latest eBay visit!

What should i do now? Should I get a Chomp or a bag of Space Raiders?

[Lenny]

Hmmm... £1999.90 after my latest eBay visit!

What should i do now? Should I get a Chomp or a bag of Space Raiders?

Chomp lol havent had one in years

[Dan P]

Managed to squeeze in a couple of bulb changes this evening.

Reverse light:

Replaced with a Cree Q5 7W from eBay. Looks a lot whiter and brighter:

Headlights (dipped and high beam):

Replaced with Philips X-tremeVision H1 (Amazon) & H7 (Amazon). Haven't had a drive with them on yet but they are whiter and appear to illuminate a larger area :

I bought 24 SMD (eBay) and 48 SMD (eBay) LED kits for the interior and boot lights that come with 3 different adapters (festoon, BA9S and T10):

The festoon adapter kept falling out, then broke, so I ended up stripping the wires and connecting it directly to the contacts:

I then put in the 24 SMD LED which is lovely and bright without being overpowering (I tried the 48 SMD here too and it was a bit too much for me!)

The 48 SMD LED went in the boot and is more like a floodlight - a massive improvement on the original pathetic bulb:

[Lenny]

Looks much better,

I recommend having your headlights aligned for optimum results with the new bulbs.

You may like to view my guides on:

Installing additional boot light:

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/27165-guide-to-fitting-additional-boot-light-in-ford-focus-mk2-and-mk25/page__pid__146083#entry146083

Installing additional reverse light (page2 has Mk2)

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/29347-guide-fitting-second-reverse-light-ford-focus-mk25/#entry158997

Installing front & rear footwell lighting:

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/34704-guide-fitting-footwell-lighting-to-your-ford/page__fromsearch__1

The focus looks great as it is mate,

Just highlighting a few further options.

A small SMD pad is a great upgrade for the glovebox aswell,

Stick it to the roof of the glovebox and plug in to socket through the hole.

[Dan P]

Thanks for the warning... Once I take her out at night I'll have an idea as to how the alignment stands and take it from there.

Having been doing a lot of research I'm already familiar with those guides! You've done some great mods and your guides are really comprehensive.

I want to add a power supply for my SatNav (I've seen yourself and a couple of other members discuss similar projects) and do some routing of USB cables so will probably do the glovebox light at the same time.

[Lenny]

Thanks for the warning... Once I take her out at night I'll have an idea as to how the alignment stands and take it from there.

Having been doing a lot of research I'm already familiar with those guides! You've done some great mods and your guides are really comprehensive.

I want to add a power supply for my SatNav (I've seen yourself and a couple of other members discuss similar projects) and do some routing of USB cables so will probably do the glovebox light at the same time.

Thanks very much,

I've had a lot of spare time over the five years of my build.

Here's a link to the DVR dash cam guide where I've fitted a double USB socket that works off the ignition live source,

And a USB cable to power my satnav on dash when required.

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/65147-guide-fitting-dual-camera-dvr-system-focus-mk2-mk25/?p=438442

And here's a thread discussing a 12V socket option Clive is manufacturing

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/73086-is-lighter-socket-supposed-to-be-always-on/?view=getlastpost

You probably saw both of these threads already but by adding links to what were discussing here; it helps readers of your thread on google to keep in tune :)

[Dan P]

It'll help me find them again too!