What's wrong with my Focus?!

jeannieblue

missingink wrote: »

It is petrol. Changed the spark plugs last year/earlier this year when it wasn't firing up properly. We've had the car a couple of years now & never had a service(I know, V bad!:o )

If I remember rightly, there's about 70k on the clock. As far as the previous history goes, I don't think we have any paperwork mentioning a petrol filter change.

We've also used redex in the past when it seemed like it wasn't running 'right'.

Really trying not to be critical here... but it may just need a bl**dy good service! It really is a false economy to not look after your car.

Find yourself a good independent garage and get it booked it. Its not a petrol filter, its a fuel filter, sorry if sound picky!

Get some TLC for your poor Focus now!

goldspanners

missingink wrote: »

It is petrol. Changed the spark plugs last year/earlier this year when it wasn't firing up properly. We've had the car a couple of years now & never had a service(I know, V bad!:o )

If I remember rightly, there's about 70k on the clock. As far as the previous history goes, I don't think we have any paperwork mentioning a petrol filter change.

We've also used redex in the past when it seemed like it wasn't running 'right'.

get it serviced,it probably wont cure the faults but it really wont be helping.

jeannieblue

goldspanners wrote: »

get it serviced,it probably wont cure the faults but it really wont be helping.

Great minds think alike - usually. Mine being superior knowledge and yours is just luck....

Steviem_3

I think the main problem is the fact that it is a Ford
You could spend hours looking for the fault but you still need to check for fault codes ideally at a Ford dealer using the WDS machine.
Most will charge you 1 hours labour for diagnosis. Usually if it is a poor connection, they would remedy this within the 1 hour. If it needs a part, then an additional labour charge + the cost of the part should be quoted to you before any further work is carried out.

missingink

goldspanners wrote: »

get it serviced,it probably wont cure the faults but it really wont be helping.

I know, suspected as much. It's just one of those things that you keep meaning to get sorted but can never find the spare cash for!

jeannieblue

Steviem wrote: »

I think the main problem is the fact that it is a Ford
You could spend hours looking for the fault but you still need to check for fault codes ideally at a Ford dealer using the WDS machine.
Most will charge you 1 hours labour for diagnosis. Usually if it is a poor connection, they would remedy this within the 1 hour. If it needs a part, then an additional labour charge + the cost of the part should be quoted to you before any further work is carried out.

Ooooh no.....

Don't need a Ford dealer for that! :eek: Far too costly! A good independent can plug it in and diagnose it for quarter of the price - an hours labour is ridiculous, no wonder they are all quiet these days........

Just for anyone who's interested - Ford dealerships (yes plural) in two years they never found out that my air flow meter was faulty and in one instance they had if for a whole week!! It took an independent garage that specialises in Toyota & Lexus to find the fault. Cost of air flow meter (I got it for trade price) and it took five minutes to fit - free. But then I do work there...

missingink

Steviem wrote: »

I think the main problem is the fact that it is a Ford
You could spend hours looking for the fault but you still need to check for fault codes ideally at a Ford dealer using the WDS machine.
Most will charge you 1 hours labour for diagnosis. Usually if it is a poor connection, they would remedy this within the 1 hour. If it needs a part, then an additional labour charge + the cost of the part should be quoted to you before any further work is carried out.

:eek: Sounds V costly!

caroline999999

I experienced a similar problem with both my old Ford Focus (53 reg) and the newer (56 reg) model.

The problem was the same with them both - they would keep on cutting out, generally when setting off from traffic lights or at a junction. Both cars were regularly serviced and looked after.

The first car was bought through the Ford Direct scheme and covered by a 2 year warranty. I took it back into Ford and they found the fault on the diagnostic machine and sorted it out. I'm sorry, I have no idea what it was they did, but apparently it was a common problem with the older models.

Fairly soon after, I part-ex'd the car for the newer model and within a couple of months the same thing started again. It even cut out once whilst going around a roundabout - the loss of steering wasn't great at that point!

The car was again through Ford Direct and covered under warranty and I took it in to the garage. Unfortunately the diagnostic machine couldn't detect a fault and the garage sent me packing.

The problem continued and a couple of weeks later I booked it into the garage again. Same thing - the diagnostic machine could not find a fault. I asked them to liaise with the Ford garage that dealt with the first car, but they said that it wouldn't help - The symptom could be from any number of causes and the chances of it being the same cause were so unlikely that they refused.

I googled "Ford Focus keeps cutting out" and it is amazing how many other people are experiencing the same problem. Unfortunately there are so many suggestions that it would probably b really pricey to start working your way through the list.

Not long afterwards, the roundabout incident happened. I called the garage who agreed to look at the car again. Still the diagnostic machine could not find a fault and they advised me that the section of the memory that stored the problem when the car cut out was re-set each time I restarted the car. So basically, when the car cut out, they wanted me to call the RAC to collect me, without re-starting the engine. I explained that this wasn't practical as the car would cut out in the middle of the road, but they said there was nothing else they could do. Until their fault finder showed the problem, they didn't know where to start.

This resulted in my husband phoning the salesman who sold us the car and threatening to sit on the forecourt warning potential customers of the problems they would face after-sale!

I soon received a call from the Senior Engineer/Mechanic at the garage and I explained what had happened. He said the same, until their fault finder showed the problem, they wouldn't do anything. In the end, I asked him if I could take the car to him and let him drive it. He reluctantly agreed.

I arrived at the garage and he drove the car to the back of the car park and it cut out on him! He ran the diagnostic test and it still didn't show anything, but at this point he accepted there was a problem and it wasn't my driving - he actually had the nerve to suggest that they had believed I had been stalling the car.

He had his team swap a part on my car for a part from a demo model from the forecourt.

This was approximately 14 months ago and the car has been fine ever since.

Basically, what I am warning you about is that an hour on the diagnostic machine might not result in you finding the fault.

I don't know what part it was that was changed on either of the cars, but I will call both garages tomorrow and ask for details and let you know.

northstar23

Steviem wrote: »

I think the main problem is the fact that it is a Ford
You could spend hours looking for the fault but you still need to check for fault codes ideally at a Ford dealer using the WDS machine.
Most will charge you 1 hours labour for diagnosis. Usually if it is a poor connection, they would remedy this within the 1 hour. If it needs a part, then an additional labour charge + the cost of the part should be quoted to you before any further work is carried out.

Harsh... I've had 3 Fords and providing you maintain them properly and look after their little foibles then they are cheap as chips to run and repair.

Seriously don't go to a main dealer... they'll charge the best part of £100 to diagnose it and will probably then invent something wrong to tack another £200 onto that. Pop down your local independent garage and talk to them.

Alternativly there is a Focus owner's club on the web which is fantastic for diagnosing little faults from symptoms. I think its www.ffoc.co.uk or something like that. When I first got my Focus there were a few little niggles like broken springs on the gear lever and faulty idle control valve... they gave me the right parts numbers to get and I fitted them, saving who knows how much in the process.

jeannieblue

Good points Caroline - it would seem that they really don't know what they are doing at times, it is time consuming to keep going back.

When the car is under warranty and it has a problem - you have to go back to the dealership to get it fixed - if you are lucky. Or go independent and pay. And then what is the point of having warranty??

What I now know what I should have done - was contact Ford Motor Co direct - they have guys that go round to dealerships to help them sort out the problems. But it would seem that unless you request it, they don't ask for help and muddle about... not finding the fault. Maddening.

Meanwhile, OP's focus is not under warranty and he is free to find a good independent that won't rip him off. There are some around, you just have to look - more importantly listen. Can't beat word of mouth.