|
|
|
|
|
|
Welcome to the Australian Ford Forums forum. You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and inserts advertising. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features without post based advertising banners. Registration is simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today! If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. Please Note: All new registrations go through a manual approval queue to keep spammers out. This is checked twice each day so there will be a delay before your registration is activated. |
|
|||||||
 |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
11-03-2009, 09:42 PM
|
#1 | ||
|
Starter Motor
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 16
|
Heya, the girlfriend is looking at getting a LT LX Ford Focus in an automatic. Anything I should know of?
Is the paint that much of a problem with the LS? What things should i look for and what goes wrong with either models? Last edited by bonscottstar; 11-03-2009 at 09:59 PM. |
||
|
|
|
11-03-2009, 10:35 PM
|
#2 | ||
|
Noobie
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 525
|
honestly, i've been really happy with mine in just over 2 year's ownership. They're solid, safe, economical and actually fun to drive. We tossed up between an LX auto or the Zetec manual. In the end, the auto was a bit too sluggish for mine, but it would certainly have made sense in traffic.
__________________
BrisVegas WS Fiesta Zetec 3dr NM Pajero TD LWB LS Focus Zetec 5dr - gone WS Fiesta Zetec 5dr - gone |
||
|
|
|
|
11-03-2009, 11:38 PM
|
#3 | ||
|
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Victoria
Posts: 877
|
Here are some of my "disappointing" experiences (note, mine is an LS, not an LT):
1. Firstly, and most importantly, I wouldn't recommend the auto tranmission at all...see HERE and HERE My first "tranmission failure" light came on at 7,500km. Do not take delivery of the car if you have this "clunking" problem, full stop. I purchased the auto because all my driving is done in peak hour traffic. In hindsight I'd prefer to put up with the leg cramps working the clutch on manual! N.B. Wheels magazine once praised the Focus transmission, saying it was a german engineered masterpiece and really one of the strong points about the car. Now they just talk up the "lovely manual shift." 2. The brakes and rotors do wear out quickly - about 30-35,000km - with stop/start driving. 3. Crappy driveshaft - mine might be on the way out at 35,000km. Ford have "tightened it" and hopefully this will prolong its life. Several other owners here have experienced the same problem (see "LS Fault Register") and apparently Ford now approve the replacement of the whole shaft (under warranty), rather than opening it up and adjusting it. 4. Some cold winter mornings aren't so good - sometimes fails to kick over and even has the odd stall / losses of power (reported by other owners here too). Despite all of this, I've recently spent a fair bit on the car because I do trust it to last me a further 18-24 months until I save enough money for a car with better build quality. Don't let this put you off too much - if reliability was your only criteria you'd be a Toyota. The Focus is still a great car in terms of handling, space and an absolute ripper engine! |
||
|
|
|
|
13-03-2009, 10:43 PM
|
#4 | ||
|
Starter Motor
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 16
|
So the auto boxes focus are almost as bad as the T5 manuals in Mk1 XR6T's?
 Was thinking of getting her into a LS zetec, however read that thread a while ago and was very detered by the bad painjobs they seemed to suffer from? Brakes and rotors were a given, used to working on Holden Astra's, which rotors need to be changed every second set of pads.... should be on the log-book servicing... Crappy driveshaft, whats the symptoms? Are we talking the shorter or the longer/extended of the two? Or the joint in the middle of the longer shaft? (assuming thats the setup, havn't had a look underneath them yet) Sounds a bit bad when i'm hoping to get 6+ years out of one of them, but then again i'd probably be dreaming trying to get that out of a new car nowadays |
||
|
|
|
|
14-03-2009, 11:26 AM
|
#5 | ||||
|
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Victoria
Posts: 877
|
Quote:
Quote:
By the way, I never had any paintwork issues. |
||||
|
|
|
|
15-03-2009, 02:56 PM
|
#6 | ||
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 183
|
Both our LS and LT Focus get the 1st gear thump when coming to a stop. What i do is press down hard on the brake pedal just as you come to a stop. This gets rid of the thump. Took a bit of practice at first in regards to the timing of the hard brake but can do it now without smashing my face through the windscreen
|
||
|
|
|
|
15-03-2009, 03:40 PM
|
#7 | ||
|
Badly Focused
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 487
|
Yup, that works well. Because you don't hear the thump. Because your passengers are all yelling about their broken faces.
-RM.
__________________
07 LT CL, CAI, timing, XR5 springs, LS Zetec wheels 16.045...0.05 of a second! I wanted a 15sec pass! 93 GSR/Evo3...too much to mention, 12.2sec 1/4, FOR SALE! *Maybe we don't try putting holes in things that sink, yeah?* |
||
|
|
|
|
15-03-2009, 04:15 PM
|
#8 | ||
|
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Victoria
Posts: 877
|
You also can't do this trick when the girlfriend is trying to put lipstick on in the passanger visor mirror.
|
||
|
|
|
|
15-03-2009, 04:53 PM
|
#9 | |||
|
EuroFordClub
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: SE Melbourne
Posts: 727
|
Quote:
__________________
'08 Black Ford Focus LT CL Hatch
Far from stock... --- SOLD  : Now riding a 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250R  : |
|||
|
|
|
LS/LT Ford Focus Suggestions
Linear Mode
