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As the title suggests, show us your Fords. :) This is my Mk1 Focus RS.

To save loads of typing I'll just refer to High Intensity Discharge, Gas Discharge, Xenon Discharge lights all as "HIDs". Cars fitted with HIDs failing/not failing an MOT test is as correctly stated by FordTech (thumbs up) currently governed by the rules in the April 2013 MOT Testers Inspection Manual and any subsequent amendments; I can't find any MOT 'Special Notice' updates relating to HIDs, but I don't have access to an online MOT work station. However, the UK Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989 (and subsequent amendments) govern what lights/reflectors are permitted for use and they do not mention HID lights, thus HIDs are illegal to use on U.K. roads UNLESS the vehicle has EU type approval to use HID lights AND has the correct 'E' marked light units and bulbs. This apparant contradiction is because the U.K. can not refuse to register a vehicle that has EU type approval (including those fitted with HIDs). Therefore to legally use HID lights in the U.K. :- The vehicle must have EU type approval for the use of HIDs (ECE Regulation 48). The light units and bulbs must bear the 'E' mark approval code (ECE Regulation 98). Most aftermarket HID light kits are not 'E' marked and on that basis are illegal irrespective of whether the vehicle has EU type approval for HIDs or not; i.e. no 'E' mark and they're illegal. As an example a 1966 Ford 105E Anglia with HIDs is illegal (no EU type approval for HIDs) whereas a 2009 Ford Focus ST with HIDs (has EU type approval for HIDs) is legal. However, retro-fitting HIDs without the self-leveling unit and headlamp washers could be classed as illegal as the EU type approval would only be regarded as being valid if all the components (as present when EU type approval was granted) are fitted. You may also have to be wary about to which sub-model you're applying the retro-fit; e.g. a 2009 Ford Focus ST/Titanium/Zetec all had HIDs as an extra cost option (i.e. vehicle WITH EU type approval for HIDs) whereas HIDs were not available as an extra cost option (i.e. vehicle WITHOUT EU type approval for HIDs) on the 2009 Ford Focus Studio and Style. If the HID bulb is not 'E' marked then unless the marking/lack of marking is visible WITHOUT any disassembly then an RFR (Reason For Rejection) can not be issued by the MOT tester; currently no dismantling by the MOT tester is permitted (this of course may change; e.g. regarding method of checking for the presence of a Diesel Particulate Filter (but that's an entirely different bucket of soot :D)). Note that it's not the DVSA (via the MOT test) that currently enforce the legality of HID lights, it is the Police/Courts via the UK Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989 (and subsequent amendments). Which gives rise to the potential situation of leaving an MOT testing station with a valid VT20 'Pass' receipt and then immediately get booked for using a vehicle on a public highway that does not comply with the UK Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989 (and subsequent amendments) by a Police officer strolling past the exit to the MOT testing station. Important I am not a lawyer and the above is purely my interpretation of the regulations whilst thinking about how a court could potentially view the situation. In short you'll be the one taking the risk; which could also include being un-insured as insurance companies seem to use any excuse not to provide cover (there's usually a clause somewhere about "using a vehicle in an un-roadworthy condition unless being conveyed to an approved vehicle testing/repair station"). Here are the links to the relevant documents (for those with severe bouts of insomnia) :- MOT Tester's Inspection Manual for Class 3,4,5 and 7 Vehicles (ZIP file of PDF download) The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, Statutory Instrument (S.I.) 1989 No.1796 The Road Vehicles Lighting (Amendment) Regulations 1994, S.I. 1994 No.2280 The Road Vehicles Lighting (Amendment) Regulations 1996, S.I. 1996 No.3016 The Road Vehicles Lighting (Amendment) Regulations 2001, S.I. 2001 No.560 The Road Vehicles Lighting (Amendment) Regulations 2005, S.I. 2005 No.2559 The Road Vehicles Lighting (Amendment) Regulations 2005, S.I. 2005 No.3169 The Road Vehicles Lighting and Goods Vehicles (Plating and Testing)(Amendment) Regulations 2009, S.I. 2009 No.3220

No where near as fun to drive? Erm.. Drift slags? Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC mobile app

the flap opens by simply opening it once the cars unlocked theres no flaps or pulls

true, might go with some pertronas stuff then, if its good enough for lewis hamilton then its good enough for my 1.6 focus, funily enough the same size engine as the current f1 cars, minus 2 cylinders and around 700bhp less.

Both cars were brand new, both red, I was checking out his car he was checking out mine, neither of us said anything. I just found it a funny situation to be in. Not laughing at the Zetec S its a cracking car like the front end more than I do the ST's tbh had I realised it had the honeycomb grill I'd probably be driving one now

Why would you laugh ?

Maybe Manchester is a better place, Trafford Centre at the back of one of the car parks, easy to get to and well sign posted

Fitted mine today on my Zetec, £3.75 a pair from EBay Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC

Lol at you never driven one, the difference is night and day. Fancy a traffic light gp? I think you'll find the difference is 3 seconds something monotune will never be able to make up. Sent from my SM-N9005 using Ford OC mobile app

Sounds sweet you'll have to show it us sometime, like a turbo go kart by the sounds of it! I do love a good engine conversion :) Hats off to you for doing it dude I don't have the knowledge or patience to do one

Have you done an engine conversion didn't think they did a 2l Mk4?

I ordered it just before Christmas and it will be hear next Saturday so the 29th but i had a phone call yesterday from the dealer to say that it could be hear earlier than that I'm litrally soooooooo excited I don't no what to do with myself :)

260 inclusive tyres :) Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC

Up date :) got an absolute bargain today looks ten times better :) Comments welcome :) Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC

nice write up there Rob, The problem is interpretation! technically, the MOT station does not have the right to refuse it if the vehicle is (as you say) EU approved and using an EU approved option, however, the fact that it might not have auto levelling and washing capabilities, it just sounds too much like the testers decision at the end of the day?

Been down to my local Ford dealership and stood my ground. New headlight due later to day, on consumer law as it is not fit for purchase for a reasonable length of time and put to Ford as a manufacturing fault. Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC

Got scary LOL, that is too funny. If you find your car intimidating, it's time to sell it. As you are spending some time responding to this "1.0T" thread, perhaps we can convert you to a ZS?.

The seal MUST be fitted to the pipe first. On the end of the pipe you have a tapered plastic fitting. The bottom of the seal should seat over the end of the plastic fitting into the small groove

Focus Zetec S had these as standard And these as an upgrade (not on the 1.6) And these are the Facelift ST wheels (18"s) The Style upgrade were these And Zetec upgrade

Do you mean a newer Focus model? If that is the case, then you will find the Mk2.5 model which was not built after late 2010 early 2011 is basically the same car as the Mk2 under it's skin. If you go for the Mk3, it is claimed the driving experence is not as good as the Mk2.5. that said, buying petrol you now have the option of the newer ecoboost engines. Better fuel economay, but not what is promised in some cases so best visit http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/ford Lower road tax, but a big nono for me was the smaller boot. And Ford have obviously not been totally happy with the Mk3, because they are bringing out the Mk3.5 in July. It's been said it is a marked improvement driving experiance wise. In fact a Ford designer involved in it's developement reckoned it should actually be seen as the Mk4. You seem to buy your motors like I do, not new but paying circa 50% less than their list price when new. Infact this week I traded in my Mk2 55 plate Zetec Climate , against a Mk2.5 11 plate Titanium. Thinking being I will skip the Mk3 offering , and possibly buy a Mk3.5 if I can then live with a smaller boot.

Wish I knew some one like that.

You said you didn't get any sign of life from the output on the control module, but I'd urge you to recheck this. When I did mine I noted that there was a signal coming through but only briefly every 30 seconds or so, and only one one of the pins but I can't remember which one. I don't know the ins and outs of how the system works but the upshot is, that was on a working control module. And yep, James is correct - I know the fan on my mondeo quite intimately, as I'm on my 4th one in two years. Got sick of the crappy Ford ones and have a 14" universal fan in there now. Required a few of the mounts sawing off to get it into the fan chassis (held on with zip ties), and a little light soldering to attach the old fan plug to the bare wires of the new fan, but it works like a charm, and a hell of a lot better than paying Ford nigh on £200 for a new bespoke unit, which only does the same job.

Too much talk about the ST in this 1.0 ecoboost thread. There's no doubt that it's a great car, though. I don't see why this has to turn into a "competition" like that. If we wanted an ST, we would buy one. The 125 PS is a good all-around alternative. Remap it and it's enough for most of us, I believe. Looking forward to news from Mountune.

This is a common misconception about hid headlamps , if you look at the relevant part of the manual here , you will see the wording shows you can't fail them for not having washers and auto leveling fitted , only for not working if they are fitted !

Hi all, Get my new Ford Fiesta ST-2 tomorrow and pretty excited about it. Never had a Ford but heard only good things. Cheers, Tom

Yes there's always that option, but I'm sure you'll be happy with the ZS, maybe there will be a Mountune upgrade to help close the gap a bit :). I was thinking about going for a ZS just because of the lower price, but the lack of options like cruise control, not to mention the awesomeness of the ST persuaded me.

They are ST ones lads adds 10bhp apparently :D

The ST and the ZS might look similar, but they are very different cars: The former is quite fast, has better brakes, is quite thirsty and is more expensive to run; The latter is not so fast, quite a lot cheaper to run, and the seats are not so 'extreme'... There are obviously quite a few more differences, but this is just my summary. People choose different cars to suit different needs, simple as that, therefore anyone proclaiming that any car is simply 'better' than an other is very shortsighted! I have test driven both. If I was after the fastest car of the two, I would have chosen the ST, as it is clearly the much faster car of the two. However, pure power and speed were not the highest priority for me, hence why I have gone with a ZS. If the ST ticks the most boxes for you then that will clearly be the best car for you, if the ZS ticks the most boxes for you then get that instead... Or, believe it or not, there may well be a n other car that might just tick more of the right boxes, in which case, go for that one! Anyway, back on topic, regarding accelerating in the 1.0 ecoboost, this is an interesting question, and one I am eager to try out when I get my new ZS. 1.0 125 Zetec S on order!

Yep, FYI, the mirror I bought was the exact one u put a link up from eBay to. :D Sent from my SM-T310 using Ford OC mobile app

Hello, We are in the process of setting up a new monthly meeting being held at Sunday Lunchtime and wanted to give you all a heads up. Our aim is for a good mixture of sports, hot hatch, classic and unique vehicles. Following on from this meet, If there is enough interest from the forum we would be more than happy to set up a monthly Ford meeting in the area which will be advertised on our website and social media sites. If anyone would like to assist us in this then please get in contact. Check our website for more details or Facebook "north west car events" NWCE

Hi mate they are built in, there are 18 leds in each I think, here is a link to the one I bought. He mustn't have any stock and upped the price to stop the listing being lost. because I definitely didn't pay that price for them http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Focus-Mondeo-Fiesta-Kuga-LED-Number-License-Plate-Light-Xenon-White-FORD-/360641897810?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&fits=Model%3AFiesta&hash=item53f7eea552 I just checked and I paid £20 delivered and got £3 back so he could use photos of my car in his listing

Rear light clustets boot hinges and spoiler seal all leak tell tale signs is a damp or wet boot process of elimination though its best to use quality sealant and seal all 3 suspected areas. Power steering hose just behind the radiator and at the join to the pump are prone to leaks from corrosion recommend every 6 months applying grease to the area such as vaseline to prevent this. Noisy aircon pumps can be from either the bearing or the system needing regassed since the regass is cheap its best trying this first also the ti vct uses a different aircon pump a vss pump which varies the gas so it does not click on and off regularly like older pumps but runs continously. The heated windscreen can fail on one side either its a simple fuse issue to which there are 2 1 for each side or some cars under the scuttle panel have the electrical ribbon loose which gets rubbed by the wipers when in motion causing it to fail. Rear hatch gathers water so when it rains and the boots opened water pours in ford sell 2 self adhesive plastic strips which is supposed to address this issue it helps but doesnt prevent it happening. The design of the door seals means after or during rain once the doors opened water runs into the car there is no fix and its a common issue on the mk2 The aircon drain can get blocked or detatch allowing water into the dtlriver footwell the drain is found behind the plastic panel at the drivers left leg a poke through with a wire hanger usually clears it if loose its best to reattatch with silicone. Dash displays stay lit after the car is locked for between 20-40 minutes the ecu remains live storing vehicle data for this period of time monitoring under bonnet temperatures once the ecu shuts down the display remains off displays which stay on for long periods such as overnight usually have pcm issues which bbereman can repair cheap. Despite fords its galvanised claims the focus rusts particularly on the front and rear sills as well as front and rear arches therefore its imperative you deal with paint chips pretty quickly. Rear bushes like the mk1 are prone to wear around the 5 year mark some are easy to change some are not. The ti vct can go into limp mode with no power this can be either the ti vct timing relays on top of the engine or the cam itself the cam unit is not easy or cheap to repair so should be left to a dealer the cambelt will also need replaced during this average cost £500 minimum. Worn or cheap brake pads and disks can cause a distinct click when braking. A noise like a knock or thump between 10-15 mph is the abs test and is normal should happen only once usually when first using the car. Poor idle can be due to the pcv valve needing replaced the springs weaken and can gunge up for the sake of £10 its best to replace this. Rear drums prone to sticking in cold damp weather a clunk will be heard from the rear as it unsticks getting under the rear and spraying wd40 on the rear handbrake cables both sides before winter sets in can cure if not help this. Paint removal on the sills lower doors front and rear is common a plastic protector should be attatched though this helps its advised to fit mudflaps even this will not stop road salt blasting paint away but reduces the effects dramatically. Wind noise from the front windows is common often sounds like the window is open slightly when its not ford have no fix for this the mk2.5 recieved thicker door seals and glass to prevent this. Rattles from under the car more often than not are loose heatshields or a broken rear or midfle exhaust hanger a new exhaust is not needed since the hanger detatches at the exhaust removing from the hanging rubber and buying a bracket clamp from ebay for £8 solves the issue and is easy to fit. Rear washers not working can be a detatched hose inside the spoiler or a detatched hose in the car at the driver rear in the headlining where it stops at the boot For winter a good screenwash used pure down to -10 -20 such as preston is needed as the screenwash bottle is under the wheel arch liner and will freeze heated washers wont defrost this. leaky washer jets is common upgraded parts available but still leak only answer is to silicone them Check all electrics work as they should let the car idle and sit in it any bad shudders could indicate the coil pack plugs and leads need replaced to solve misfires its best to do all 3 and use dielectric grease on the spark plug terminals at the plugs and coil pack. Dpf failures are common and expensive however its possible to get companies to remove the dpf fault by removing the dpf altogether saving a small fortune and endless headache Diesel issues ill leave to the diesel owners

didnt realise that the ST wasnt keyless entry till i went to get in it ooopppsss!!! it is a great car though, on its first day was doing over 40 mpg on A roads/Motorways, come down now its on a daily short drive (31 now). its hard to resist driving it as it should be driven though, if i was a 17y/o i dont think i would of been able to trust myself in it lol

Dont apologise for the threads - £18k is a lot of money! i would have played devils advocate and gone - how about a ZS with the remap? but nah, screw it. just go with the ST since you're fortunate to. As a word of warning though: the 'I wont drive it that much' theory goes straight out the window! im nearly 3800miles in after 2 months from driving it as much as poss what about a nearly new ST as well? that'll take out the purchase sting (and waiting time)

If it helps I'm changing from a 60 plate ZS to a new ST2 (in blue :P). Completely different engines in the old and new ZS but the 0-60 time is about the same, and I often find times when extra power would be good/handy/fun hence the switch. I'm currently getting around 38mpg so the difference isn't as much as between the new ZS and ST, but at the end of the day if you want the performance you have to pay the price! The ZS was, and still is, a great car but as with anything you always reach a point when you want more out of it. Seeing as there's not a huge difference in price between the 2 I would say go for the ST - if you get the ZS you will always be looking up to the ST wishing you'd gone for that instead. Also with the overboost the ST is more like 200bhp :D. Your insurance quote suprises me - the ST one is way less than my first insurance on a standard old Fiesta 8 years ago and you're only 17! I've gone for the keyless entry on the ST as I've always fancied it, and now whenever I lock my car I always think how much more convenient it will be not having to use the key. Only you can decide if it's worth the cost to you! Although the cost of options adds up you don't want to end up regretting not getting exactly what you want - if you keep the car for 3 years it's a long time to be without something you could have had. Have you test driven either/both? It's all well and good looking at them on paper but what really matters is how it drives. I was all set to buy the Focus ST until I drove it, but it just didn't feel right for me. I then drove the Fiesta ST and subsequently ordered one, so you really need to try them both out. If it does all come down to MPG then it has to be the ZS, reading posts on here people are getting close to 50mpg so compared to ~30 on the ST it is quite a difference. If money is no object though, does MPG really matter? Inside I'm sure you know what you really want. Hope this rambling helps!

I'm a 17 year old boy, I can't make decisions very well lmao. My parents are both telling me to go for an ST-2 as well as my friends, I think I will bite the bullet as soon as I place an order that's my deal done. I've been talking to Craig and he's told me £60 will get me around 400 miles. That's more than my current car does for sure, after selling my car the total price I would've paid for the ST-2 is £10,000.