O/T Buying a Ford Focus
Turbo Mini Forums

Brother is looking for one somewhere between 2002 and 2004, 1.6 or 1.8 petrol, usual family run around sort of thing.

Are there any no goes/known faults/models to avoid? How long between cam belt changes?

Thank you please.

get the tdi better performance than the 1.6 slug 1.8 not much better ,parts wise there cheap to run ,insure etc , think its 60,000 before belt needs done andy

give em hell

Don't the TDCI suffer with turbo and dual mass flywheel failure like the mondeo?

His budget is only around £1500, so an average mileage tdci is probably out of reach.

weve had both mondeo 54 plate and 05 plate 1.6 never had any probs with flywheel or turbo on my 03 plate tdi focus , but like you say for 1500 pounds you pays your money and takes the gamble

give em hell

The Dual mass can be a problem depends how you drive on it. Short trips & heavy traffic destory it quicker looking about 1200 quid to fix and turbo's aren't too bad.

To be honest focus is a decent car and easy to work on relative cheap and good run about and family car. I'd adviod any with miss match panels and check the bonnet opens with that silly key set up cause they break and its a £200 fix give or take

Edited by Chalkie on 15th Mar, 2013.

My 1.8 petrol is now on 223,000 and still going strong.
Simple and cheap to look after and those earlie focus's drive ace , i love them. Lol

rick

rick whats the petrol MPG town and motorway etc ......... i guess its not pleasant

Watch out for diesel particulate filter needing a change. Every 75000 miles where fitted. 1.6 on 57 plate (pre ecotech). £900 dealer only part + 3-4 hours labour!

I have a 1.8 petrol, nothing special but I love it!

Wifey's 54 plate TDCi - sitting un-used beside the garage as she now has a company car - never had any issues with the DMF or turbo, unlike my Mondeo where both failed at 60k miles.

I don't think the Focus DMFs are as much of a problem as the Mondeo as the engine is smaller and it wasn't until 05 or 55 that they started using the VNT type turbos.

On the TDCi (54 anyway) the cambelt is 100k, I had a local garage do it (it needs a special tool which I didn't have) and the one that came off was as good as new, a very substantial belt.

The only thing that really went wrong with it - which I believe is fairly common - is one of the front springs failed. Luckily it was at low speed, I recon if it had been at speed, it would have taken out the flexible brake pipe...

It's got 105k on the clock, still runs perfectly, uses no oil between changes etc.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

Dont buy a £1500 diesel !!

The 1.8 petrol is a better car than the 1.6 and has a Mazda chain cam engine.

Thanks chaps. I will steer him towards the 1.8 petrol then.

I had seen a 1.6 very locally, but I will drop that idea.

Unless Rod's wife wants to sell hers at a knock down rate lol.

Tadge - Chain Cam? no timing belt?

Depending on what he wants, I wouldn't personally totally dismiss the 1600 petrol. Our lasses brother had one, OK you won't win any races but it was good on juice and didn't cost him much to run.

I believe that the 1.8 petrol is the Zetec E engine, and so would be a cam belt not a chain (same as the 1.4,1.6,1.8 and 2.0).

I have all the workshop info for this car if you/your brother ever need it too Andy.

*The only issue I can see from Ford is on the 1.8 diesel (lynx) which is therefore irrelevant*

Edited by Amp on 16th Mar, 2013.

The cheapness to run is a big factor for him. Both him and his misses have just passed their test and have no car knowledge, so something that just works is a bit essential.

Looking round here as they live in London and everything down there seems to cost £500 more than ooooop Narth.

The one local has 120kish on it, so that needs to have had belts etc done to be worth considering. Is the water pump cam belt driven on these?

Nope, the water pump is driven off the auxiliary belt.

*The cambelt on these is a nice one, you have a plate across the camshafts, and a locking pin into the block, rotate the crank until it touches the pin and that's all! Simply summarised that is.

From memory, the bottom timing pulley is not held in place with a woodruff or anything, so if you take the crankshaft damper off, be very careful as the crank may turn, and leave the timing pulley in the wrong place*

Edited by Amp on 16th Mar, 2013.

Thanks. Not planning on doing much more than an all oil change on one if they find one.

That was my thoughts. They need to go to Ireland in a few weeks, so a bit of a baptism of fire for them...

Cheapness to fix is also a big factor, it's highly likely it will unexpectedly meet with kerbs, posts etc a few times...

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

Fair play Rod, always worth asking

I'll worn them about the state of the roads.

Steve. I does 40mpg on a run. !! Or earlie 30's around town.

The usual avarage is 32/33 in this weather and mid 30's in the warmer months.
Oh and its a mondeo not focus

rick

What is the budget?

£1500 give or take a few hundred

How about a seat leon? My brother got a 03 for similar cash last year. 1.9tdi se spec with less than 100k and a service history. Runs on fumes!