2002 Ford Focus ZX5 from North America - Comments

9-8-2005

I just bought this car 3 days ago. Currently I have one problem with the car. The AC is low on R134A. The compressor cycles, but it's quick to disengage leading me to believe it's low, very low.

I will make it a point to place an update at least once a year for this vehicle to keep you updated on the quality. Keep in mind I am a mechanic and am very good about keeping the maintenance up on my vehicles.

Generally the handling and ride of the vehicle I am very pleased with. I bought the vehicle due to the gas prices in the last year here in the US. They have more than doubled. My last vehicle a Ranger got about 15mpg at best due to the lift and larger tires on it. I will miss my truck, it served me well. I hope to average about 30mpg with the Focus. I will keep you informed on how I do.

OK, it's been almost a year with my 2002 ZX5. It turns out I had to refill the AC on it this summer too. I have a leak somewhere, but will not bother to find it at this point since it's a slow leak. It gets me by the summers.

I switched to Mobil1 Synthetic motor oil because I will be doing a lot of driving. I bought a Lentz Franchise auto shop in Coldwater Michigan. I am from Detroit and have my family and friends there.

The Focus has not had any major issues with it so far. The minor issues have been the radio system. It ate 2 Cd's and the FM stations quit working. I worked at Ford for 8 years and it's a common problem for the system to go bad. I will buy an after market radio system before winter of 06 and let you know what system I purchased to see it's dependability.

I have 66,000 miles on the Focus already. Suspension is good, exhaust is good, I get about 33mpg during the summer and 28mpg during the winter combined. Highway and city. Mostly Highway.

If you have any questions for me about this car I will gladly answer them. My email is mircea@datedpictures.com Later yall.

OK, It's November of 2006 now. The Focus is still running good. The rear tires were getting pretty chopped up because of neglect on my part. I have not been rotating the tires. I finally did and it caused more road noise, but that's OK. They will wear round after a few thousand miles. My Radio I have not replaced yet. I figure AM radio is good enough and I'm too cheap at the moment to spend my money on that. Bills are more important at the moment. So far so good, it's at 70,000 thousand miles right now, and giving it an oil change this week. Since I switched to Synthetic motor oil, I will only be changing the oil every 10,000 miles.

September 11 2007. All is well with the Focus. It still handles like a charm.

Not a single problem other than having to replace the front brakes. I went with the Bosch Ceramics and I love them. No noise what so ever and no brake dust.

My radio as you know has had problems. It is now completely dead.

My gas cap tether is sticking a little bit, and I have to hold the tether each time I twist the cap closed.

I also had to re-torque my valve cover gasket because it was seeping oil on the exhaust manifold.

That's all for now, stay tuned for next year.

Thanks for the feed back, currently I'm considering on buying one and your posts have been very helpful. Thanks!

7/9/08 Focus is driving great. I'm at 93,000miles. Here are the general maintenance items I have performed in the last year.

- Front sway bar links started clicking/clunking over washboard (Michigan potholes) road surfaces. Replaced them $150-200 at a shops cost. $50 if you do them yourself.

- As other people complained, the thermostat housing (made of plastic) developed a hairline crack. Leaked coolant and had to be replaced along with the thermostat and coolant flush. Another $200-250 shop cost. $85 if you do it yourself.

- New Stereo, I bought a unit with a built in monitor that plays DVD's. Kind of cool, but I bought it cause I was going to Florida with some friends. Needed a radio at the very least. The factory radio I took a hammer to it. Man, those things don't come apart easy. :P $400 installed by Mr. Tunes.

- Replaced the tires last year, they were COMPLETELY bald. I could not drive over 40mph in the rain cause it was hydroplaning. I will never do that again. But I had no choice but to wait till they were bald, money was really tight. $450 Pells Tires.

- Replaced the fuel filter for maintenance reasons. Its supposed to be replaced every 30K-50K. I finally did it at 80K. Lack of fuel filter replacement is the number one reason for fuel pump failures. $60-100 at the shop. About $20 if you do it yourself.

That's it as far as maintenance. Now for other complaints.

The fuel cap tether is till sticking when I go to put the fuel cap on after filling my gas tank. I keep meaning to lube it, but since I fill up once a week, I forget to lube it when I get to the shop or at home. It's been 2 years and I'm too lazy (keep forgetting) to lube it. Man, what a careless mechanic.

My transmission (manual) makes a rattling (like marbles rolling down a rough table) noise at low rpm and high load in gears 1-3. This noise is actually caused by a large chain in the gear box. NO PROBLEM, just annoying if you're picky. It has been doing it since the day I bought it. All the Focus cars that I test drove at Ford (we had a large test fleet when I worked there) did this.

Lastly the AC (air conditioning) has to be recharged every year. I found the leak. Its at the condenser line connector. I know this because last time I charged the system I added dye. At the end of the summer the dye leaked out. It either needs new seals or new AC lines. Possibly even a condenser. It's cheap enough to charge the system in the spring, and it lasts me till the end of summer. Hey, whats $50 a year for AC recharge right!?!? 15 cents a day really.

Overall the Focus has treated me great. I will gladly buy the same thing again and don't regret the money I spent on repairs. In my opinion repair costs have been small. I expect next year to be about the same amount. About a $1000USD. It will include the major maintenance tuneup on it. Plugs, wires, timing belt, water pump, serpentine belt, PCV valve, fuel filter and oil changes. Little money now saves me a ton later.

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Http://www.focusfanatics.com/

:::SPONGE:::