Time To Ditch My 2002 Focus CL Sedan?

[ramondo]

Hello all,

In 2004 I bought a 2002 CL Auto Sedan from Col Crawford in Brookvale in Sydney, with about 35,000kms on the clock.

It's now up to 115,000kms, and the only major expenses so far have been new tyres, a new alternator and battery, and more-frequent-than-I-would-like replacement of brake pads, along with the usual expense of servicing.

A few years ago I moved up to Berowra and I decided I didn't want to travel to the Ford dealer in Pittwater for servicing, so for the last few years I've taken it to 2 local mechanics - the first guy was pretty good in pointing out that the in the previous ford dealer service the spark plugs were replaced with ones that were older, and he was reasonably-priced, but overall I wasn't convinced he knew enough about new-ish model fords to do a proper job - and he couldn't fix squealing back brakes.

Another guy I've taken it to for servicing has also been unable to fix the squealing and I get the impression that while he too is reasonably-priced, this is mainly to do with the fact he doesn't do very much with it.

So as I paid off the loan a couple of years ago, I'd like to keep the car a bit longer as I think it's potentially got another few years.

However, some issues:
- the coolant warning light has come on on long-ish journeys, and this co-incides with it revving very high before second gear kicks in. (This sometimes happens anyway.) The warning light usually disappears when it has cooled down. If this is as simple as replacing the coolant then it would appear it has not been done for a long time. The manual suggests getting it looked at - preferably by someone who knows what they're doing.
- there is a low whirring noise from the back that appears to be getting louder. I'm worried it may be a bearing problem.
- sometimes a knocking noise from the back when turning corners, especially with passengers in the back. This may be related to above - though I think it's always been there.
- back brakes still squealing when cold.

I guess what I'm looking for is someone who could do a proper diagnostic and give me an idea of how much it would cost me to keep it on the road and be reasonably confident of it being able to handle medium journeys - say Sydney to Canberra.

I'd be prepared to travel to a dealer anywhere in Sydney if there was a recommendation someone could give me - though in my experience this is very hit and miss. Peter Warren seems to get a mention a bit - can anyone share their experiences?

Sorry for all the info, I just need to decide what to do with the car.

Thanks,

Ramondo.

[melbzetec]

A couple of thoughts.

1. You have a good European built Focus (can't recall exactly where the sedans were built)
2. The cost of fixing a few issues will probably be way way less than what you'll pay on transfer costs of buying a new car
3. Peter Warren's have always been a reputable dealer AFAIK
4. Think about paying for an NRMA vehicle inspection in order to get an independent view of what needs fixing on the car inspection

[marg99]

I usually keep my cars way to long, but the costs of repairs is less than the depreciation on a new car until they get at least 10 years or about 180,000 klm

[ramondo]

Originally Posted by melbzetec

A couple of thoughts.

1. You have a good European built Focus (can't recall exactly where the sedans were built)

The VIN starts with WF0FXXWP so I guess it was built in Spain? This is more reassuring as for some reason I thought it was one of the SA manufactured models.

Originally Posted by melbzetec

4. Think about paying for an NRMA vehicle inspection in order to get an independent view of what needs fixing on the car inspection

This would be on top of the cost of any servicing and repair and I'm trying to keep the costs down. I may take a chance and take it to Peter Warren's.

Thanks for the replies.

[20focus05]

Rear brakes, have they tried different good quality brake pads and machined the rotors before fitting the new pads.
had a similar problem with a merc, just came down to a cheap set of pads that had been fitted by another mechanic.

[photn]

Originally Posted by ramondo

This would be on top of the cost of any servicing and repair and I'm trying to keep the costs down. I may take a chance and take it to Peter Warren's.

Thanks for the replies.

This is true, But if you think about it, in the long run if you keep taking it to places and paying for servicing and they cannot fix the issue it could potentially cost you more, whereas if you pay a sum upfront, find out what the exact issue is and bring it to the mechanic's or dealers attention you could be saving yourself alot of frustration and time and money in the long run.

Just food for throught, my mother always says that you dont save money by buying cheap, and to date she has been right. Princapal i am trying to convey is that yes you are trying to keep costs down, but you may not be able to if you dont know what the problem is or how to fix it.

[ramondo]

Okay, took it to Peter Warren's:

1 - The squealing brakes are mostly fixed - somtimes a little squeak, but nothing like what it was before

2 - The whirring is the back tyres worn, possibly due to misalignment - anyway I've been told replacing them and a realignment will fix the problem. Until next time, I suppose.

3 - The not-so-good news. A check of the coolant system found nothing, but a diagnostic code indicated a problem with the automatic transmission. This is going to take an overhaul. Starting price 3 grand, possibly more.

The redbook guide indicates a private sale value of the car at around $7,500. This is not good.

I need a big ditch.

[DZFord]

Originally Posted by ramondo

3 - The not-so-good news. A check of the coolant system found nothing, but a diagnostic code indicated a problem with the automatic transmission. This is going to take an overhaul. Starting price 3 grand, possibly more.

Make sure you get a quote from an independent transmission specialist first. And find out what the fault code was!

[DBourne]

Bit late to mention, but sinclair ford do a terrific job in servicing

[prydey]

Originally Posted by ramondo

The redbook guide indicates a private sale value of the car at around $7,500. This is not good.

I need a big ditch.

bear in mind, i recently bought a 06 LS focus cl for less than $10k, with just over 100000km.

if you spend more than a grand or so fixing some issues, you may as well keep it for a few more years to get your money's worth out of it.

[ramondo]

*UPDATE*

After a few trips to Peter Warrens at Warwick Farm the car is now running fine (fingers crossed) and is up to 125,000 kms.

- High revving/'check engine' warning light/Auto trans problem? : seems to have been a couple of things. Rather than a complete overhaul of the auto trans, there was a servo cracked and falling apart, along with some seals. These were replaced and the auto shifting is now smooth.

- Running hot: Despite the temperature indicator not going beyond half way, I could smell it was hot (and smell coolant) after long-ish journeys. I'd mentioned this at a service but they checked and flushed the cooling system (they said) and nothing unusual was found. It was only when the timing belt (that I should have had done at 100,000) was replaced that they noticed that the thermostat housing was cracked and leaking coolant - a not uncommon problem with the focus I'm told. A small oil leak was fixed at the same time. Disappointing that the thermostat problem wasn't found when I originally mentioned it, but good to see there was a problem as I suspected all along.

- Whirring noise from the back. Thankfully not a bearing problem, but uneven wearing of tyres due to misalignment. (Another common Focus problem?) My missus took it to a local garage and came back with 2 shiny new ones - on the front where the 2 good ones used to be. When I got over my rage I called the garage the next day and was told that the truck that takes the old tyres away, that comes once a month, had left an hour ago, along with my 2 unworn fronts. Thankfully they admitted their error and gave me 2 backs for free - so I got 4 new tyres for the price of 2.

- Got the 115,000 service done at Peter Warren's too, which is a major one.

Overall happy with the service at Peter Warren's, especially from Paul. It's been expensive - at least 2 grand over the last 8 months - but it looks like I'll be able to keep the car a while longer. It's a drag having to drive to Warwick Farm, and I was disappointed the coolant problem wasn't found sooner, but I've found them to be better than any other ford dealer or local mechanic I've been to.