Should I buy?

[Fiesta_Tester]

Hi All, 

Looking for a bit of help/advice please. We're getting a 2015 Ecoboost Zetec and have found a decent one for our budget BUT I have 2 reservations:

1. Under the bonnet, on the sound-proofing just behind the battery there is a white residue, could be mildew where the cars been sitting idle or maybe a battery acid leak? The battery itself was clean, all the terminals and leads looked good and there wasn't  any sign of leakage that I could see so I'm just wondering if anyone else has had/got this weird white substance on the bulkhead sound insulation - or any suggestions?

2. It's from a Ford dealer, 1 owner, was registered by them Mar 2015 and has done 12,340miles. It only has one service stamp though (also by the dealer)  at  about 5,400 miles / March 16 so technically it's missed a second service by 6 months (should have had one in March this year). It's only done about 6,000 since the last  (5,400 mile) service in March 16 so I'm not worried about the mileage particularly. The dealer is offering to do this service as part of the sale and has promised to honour the remaining manufacturer's warranty (6 months). My question is I guess, should I avoid this car because of this missed service or am I worrying too much as the dealer will do it before we take delivery... the car seems in good condition, drives well so it's really only the missed service that's stopping me at the moment.

Any help/suggestions gratefully received....

Thanks.

[isetta]

if it's a ford dealer and they are going to service now and they say that the 3 year warranty will not be prejudiced by the late service - get it in writing - then I would not be worried at all about the late service. 

[Fiesta_Tester]

Thanks Isetta :)

[GaryPL]

Even if the manufacturer warranty wasn't honoured, the sale of goods act would cover you for 6 months anyway. Even after 6 months, there's potential recourse with dealers. This will take you up to pretty much the end of the warranty period.

However I wouldn't touch another Ford and recommend nobody else does either! But setting aside my views on Ford and their service/products, a delayed service on an engine like an EcoBoost would make it a no go for me. It's a highly strung piece of kit which I'd not accept in anything less than perfect condition.

Just think. Fiestas are all over the place. There's always a better one not far away and I'd personally be looking at others.

[isetta]

"a delayed service on an engine like an EcoBoost" I would not have said what I said above had it exceeded the service interval by way of mileage. But I do not believe the time factor will have any bearing on it.

I agree that this engine appears to be a highly strung sensitive engine. I don't know what all of the problems are with it, but most seem to relate to it being unable to bear a coolant leak for longer than the blink of any eye so if it does spring a leak there is a good chance of severe damage before the driver knows or has a chance to stop safely. But that happens on Fiestas that have been serviced correctly also so was not part of the original question or answer. 

Personally I wouldn't be keen on a buying a car with one of those engines as I would just worry that it was going to self destruct every time I drove it but I don't believe the late service (late by time not mileage) would make a difference.

[Luke4efc]

I just wrote how oils still break down over time, and how everything starts to separate yada yada yada. Then I remembered we use synthetic oil nowadays, which doesn't break down nearly as much.

Funnily enough, I got my 2014 zetec this time last year, going in for it's 4th service now, did a similar amount of miles as yours when I got it. 

[Fiesta_Tester]

Thanks for the responses guys - appreciate your views and think we're gonna go for it. If it had missed a mileage service rather than an annual one then I'd probably give it a wide berth but it's only done 6,000 miles since it's last (first) service and fluids just sitting there for an extra 6 months I'm not too concerned about  - especially as the dealer is going to replace them and do the missed service as part of the sale. @ GAryPL - sorry you've had a crap experience, once you have something like that it really puts you off a brand. 

Looking at the self-destruct / overheating / coolant problem it looks like most of the issues are with Focus Ecoboosts and pre-2014...

[GaryPL]

3 hours ago, isetta said:

"a delayed service on an engine like an EcoBoost" I would not have said what I said above had it exceeded the service interval by way of mileage. But I do not believe the time factor will have any bearing on it.

I agree that this engine appears to be a highly strung sensitive engine. I don't know what all of the problems are with it, but most seem to relate to it being unable to bear a coolant leak for longer than the blink of any eye so if it does spring a leak there is a good chance of severe damage before the driver knows or has a chance to stop safely. But that happens on Fiestas that have been serviced correctly also so was not part of the original question or answer. 

Personally I wouldn't be keen on a buying a car with one of those engines as I would just worry that it was going to self destruct every time I drove it but I don't believe the late service (late by time not mileage) would make a difference.

Time is still a relevant factor. If a car's been sat around doing absolutely nothing, there's still potential for damage. Rubber seals break down, especially when they're reliant on the fluid they hold back to rejuvenate them. Even tyres perish when they're sat on the same spot for ages. Brake discs pit when not used.

The list goes on.

I stand by what I said. Fiestas are like fleas. You find one and you can guarantee there are many many more close by. Wait for a perfect one to turn up.

1 hour ago, Luke4efc said:

I just wrote how oils still break down over time, and how everything starts to separate yada yada yada. Then I remembered we use synthetic oil nowadays, which doesn't break down nearly as much.

Funnily enough, I got my 2014 zetec this time last year, going in for it's 4th service now, did a similar amount of miles as yours when I got it. 

See above.

7 minutes ago, Fiesta_Tester said:

Thanks for the responses guys - appreciate your views and think we're gonna go for it. If it had missed a mileage service rather than an annual one then I'd probably give it a wide berth but it's only done 6,000 miles since it's last (first) service and fluids just sitting there for an extra 6 months I'm not too concerned about  - especially as the dealer is going to replace them and do the missed service as part of the sale. @ GAryPL - sorry you've had a crap experience, once you have something like that it really puts you off a brand. 

Looking at the self-destruct / overheating / coolant problem it looks like most of the issues are with Focus Ecoboosts and pre-2014...

Give it time. Fiestas are just starting to present the same issues. They haven't had the EcoBoost for as long and they're a lighter car where the engine doesn't work as hard. So to my mind, this will delay the presentation of issues.

A further thought that occurred to me was even after a warranty expires, companies often offer goodwill if a car breaks down. Whilst they might be willing to honour the warranty, will the patchy service history mean goodwill is less likely?

If you get the car, I hope you love it and that you get many years and thousands of trouble free miles out of it.

[Luke4efc]

9 hours ago, GaryPL said:

Time is still a relevant factor. If a car's been sat around doing absolutely nothing, there's still potential for damage. Rubber seals break down, especially when they're reliant on the fluid they hold back to rejuvenate them. Even tyres perish when they're sat on the same spot for ages. Brake discs pit when not used.

Indeed rubber degrades over time, but on a 3rd service, no rubber is changed anyway (other than the o-ring on the oil filter). The car won't have been sat there doing nothing, at least not long enough to do any damage.

[iantt]

how long do you think a brand new car stands still in a compound?

[Luke4efc]

54 minutes ago, iantt said:

how long do you think a brand new car stands still in a compound?

I've heard of the new Focus RS taking over 6 months to arrive. Granted most of that time is it getting built, but I'd imagine brand new cars spend that long stood still in a compound or in a sales yard. I'm having a wild guess, but the new Fiesta seems to be taking a while to roll out.