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Old 03-03-2006, 02:11 PM   #1
Focussed
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Default New Focus Owner!

Hi all!

I just ordered a '06 Ford Focus Zetec in Titanium Grey which arrives in a couple of weeks time. :
As all the cars I have owned have been falcons, I just wanted to know is there anything I need to know or do, in regards to the Focus?
Look forward to your input!

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Old 03-03-2006, 03:14 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PHATXR
I just wanted to know is there anything I need to know or do, in regards to the Focus?
Go around corners faster than you could in your Falcon
Drive the pants off it and still only use 70% of the fuel. Use 50% fuel if you drive sensibly.

And last of all, go to the Great Ocean Road, once run in of course. And if you are in Brisbane, to a Mount Glorious run one night. (Better at night, cant see corners, but can see other obstacles coming the other way)
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Old 03-03-2006, 03:25 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by Martyvan
Go around corners faster than you could in your Falcon
Drive the pants off it and still only use 70% of the fuel. Use 50% fuel if you drive sensibly.

And last of all, go to the Great Ocean Road, once run in of course. And if you are in Brisbane, to a Mount Glorious run one night. (Better at night, cant see corners, but can see other obstacles coming the other way)
Or Sydney - The Old Pac or a Natio run from Loftus, take the road to waterfall then back down, then to the Gong. (Keep an eye on the euroford.com thread)

Things you need to know -
Paint quality
-look at the paint from all angles, in the light.
-look all the gaps and joing

Build quality
- Panel alignment
- Interior build alignment
- Check along all the fabric edges, like under the seat, and seams
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Old 03-03-2006, 03:50 PM   #4
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lol
Thanks guys for the advice.
Having previously owned a BA XR8, its a bit of a step down when it comes to power, but I was really impressed with the handling of the Focus. It went into corners really well & was soo comfortable on the road.
I was thinking of getting it lowered cos I feel it sits up a tad bit high, but then again I dont wanna compromise the ride quality.
Has anyone had theirs lowered? If so, by how much & was there a great loss of ride quality?
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Old 03-03-2006, 09:34 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PHATXR
lol
Thanks guys for the advice.
Having previously owned a BA XR8, its a bit of a step down when it comes to power, but I was really impressed with the handling of the Focus. It went into corners really well & was soo comfortable on the road.
I was thinking of getting it lowered cos I feel it sits up a tad bit high, but then again I dont wanna compromise the ride quality.
Has anyone had theirs lowered? If so, by how much & was there a great loss of ride quality?
I've had mine lowered and there is a signifigant loss of ride quality but there is a huuuuuuge gain on the handling side of things, the stock setup has alot of body roll whereas once the superlows were put in it's almost eliminated and goes like it's on rails, i've also lost alot of ride quality due to the different wheels also, i was able to pick up superlows for front and back for $230 through repco which give a 50mm drop from the zetec height
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Old 07-03-2006, 11:24 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zetec20
I've had mine lowered and there is a signifigant loss of ride quality but there is a huuuuuuge gain on the handling side of things, the stock setup has alot of body roll whereas once the superlows were put in it's almost eliminated and goes like it's on rails, i've also lost alot of ride quality due to the different wheels also, i was able to pick up superlows for front and back for $230 through repco which give a 50mm drop from the zetec height
Thanks Zetec.
$230 is pretty good. I will definitely be getting them & new wheels once it arrives. Will post pics too :-)
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Old 03-03-2006, 08:35 PM   #7
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PHATXR - Welcome to the Focus family
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Old 08-03-2006, 09:09 AM   #8
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Yeah my brother has a silver xr6 turbo, he's getting gunmetal 19's with a chrome lip soonish, i'm not sure how well the shadow chrome would go on the titanium grey, might wanna photoshop something first to see what it looks like
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Old 08-03-2006, 10:02 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zetec20
Yeah my brother has a silver xr6 turbo, he's getting gunmetal 19's with a chrome lip soonish, i'm not sure how well the shadow chrome would go on the titanium grey, might wanna photoshop something first to see what it looks like
I think I will have to do that. Chrome on the titanium grey also looks good imo.
At this stage, I just want the car to get here!!!!
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Old 08-03-2006, 12:45 PM   #10
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ИИИИ a 50mm drop from zetec ride height, you must be sitting on the bump stops dude :P
You got new shocks? if you dont chances are you will soon !!
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Old 08-03-2006, 02:08 PM   #11
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A friend of mine also has a titanium grey lx and she's got silver wheels with a machined face, just another idea for you to look into, any idea when it's coming yet? where abouts are you situated?

lol yeah i haven't got new shocks, the ride isn't too terrible without them so there's no great urgency to get them, but when i do need to i know the right people to get them cheap anyway heheh
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Old 09-03-2006, 11:09 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zetec20
A friend of mine also has a titanium grey lx and she's got silver wheels with a machined face, just another idea for you to look into, any idea when it's coming yet? where abouts are you situated?

lol yeah i haven't got new shocks, the ride isn't too terrible without them so there's no great urgency to get them, but when i do need to i know the right people to get them cheap anyway heheh
The dealer just phoned me & it gets here on the weekend. Having the window tint done monday so I get it on Tuesday! :
This also means I can give my mates missus her toyota starlet/gaylet back, they have kindly lent us whilst we wait for our car to arrive.
What brand of wheels are they? Is there a website I can look at?
I'm located in HOT & SUNNY Alice Springs :-)
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Old 08-03-2006, 08:05 PM   #13
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I need new shocks lol.... 1.5 inch drop... no more gas
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Old 09-03-2006, 01:07 PM   #14
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No idea what brand, your best bet would be to look on the tempe website then go to a local wheel shop and see what they can do for you there
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Old 09-03-2006, 01:15 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zetec20
No idea what brand, your best bet would be to look on the tempe website then go to a local wheel shop and see what they can do for you there
ok cheers. will do that.
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Old 15-03-2006, 10:25 AM   #16
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woo hoo! picked the zetec up last night! such a nice ride & soo comfortable. I think I forgot how nice it was since I took one for a test drive a month ago.
everything the dealer promised was done. window tint, scuff plate, handbrake cover, floor & dash mats.
i checked all the panels, trim & paint work. couldnt find any faults. Phew!
so now i think its time to look for new wheels & get the thing lowered!
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Old 15-03-2006, 01:32 PM   #17
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good work, remember repco to order king springs, i'll look up the parts numbers next time my car is jacked up in the air, which should be tomorrow they messed up my wheel alignment and have to do it again, as well as having to buy a new tyre...
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Old 15-03-2006, 01:57 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zetec20
good work, remember repco to order king springs, i'll look up the parts numbers next time my car is jacked up in the air, which should be tomorrow they messed up my wheel alignment and have to do it again, as well as having to buy a new tyre...
cheers mate. appreciate that.
I hope you gonna make them pay for the tyre!!!
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Old 15-03-2006, 05:35 PM   #19
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I wish I could make them pay, at $310 each they're not cheap, i know people that ИИИИИ about paying that much for 4 tyres, but yeah i'll see how things go and i'll post the parts number tomorrow and wash it if it's good weather
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Old 16-03-2006, 10:41 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zetec20
I wish I could make them pay, at $310 each they're not cheap, i know people that ИИИИИ about paying that much for 4 tyres, but yeah i'll see how things go and i'll post the parts number tomorrow and wash it if it's good weather
Was it the wheel alignment that stuffed up your tyre? If say, make them pay for the tyre!!!
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Old 15-03-2006, 07:17 PM   #21
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Pfft I pay $220 just for 16 inch tyres. Nothing but quality for my car.
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Old 15-03-2006, 07:48 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zetec
Pfft I pay $220 just for 16 inch tyres. Nothing but quality for my car.

Agreed 100%. as an ad once said, its the only thing keeping you in contact with the road.... NEVER skimp on tyres.

I would have thought $310 for 20" wheels was cheap?
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Old 15-03-2006, 11:08 PM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Martyvan
Agreed 100%. as an ad once said, its the only thing keeping you in contact with the road.... NEVER skimp on tyres.

I would have thought $310 for 20" wheels was cheap?

Lol $310 is the cheapest i can get, it doesn't mean it's not $310 though, and until i get a bit of a payrise i can't afford anything more
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Old 15-03-2006, 11:07 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zetec
Pfft I pay $220 just for 16 inch tyres. Nothing but quality for my car.
$270 to $350 for my new car :thebirds: Depends where you source it...

Good luck with the New Focus! They are such nice cars, and with what I thought was a great gearbox. I was so close to buying it, but it just wasn't for me though. Hope it brings what it should - smiles everytime you drive it!
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Old 15-03-2006, 10:59 PM   #25
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If it's not too late, keep the XR8!!! Serious, I bought a Titanium LS Focus Zetec for my wifes birthday and it's a lovely car. BUT it will never make up the short fall on the XR8 (assume you talking about a BA), but it will out handle it by a mile!

Like others said, look at paint finish and panel fit. I got teflon coating on ours.
Make sure your battery is charging well and not leaking. (ours leaked and lost charge)
Have fun trying to work out where the best place to put your CD's and sun glasses.
Use Premium fuel depite what Ford say about being standard unleaded friendly. It will perform much better and get better fuel economy.

Other than that it's all pretty good
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Old 16-03-2006, 10:39 AM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CDAA
If it's not too late, keep the XR8!!! Serious, I bought a Titanium LS Focus Zetec for my wifes birthday and it's a lovely car. BUT it will never make up the short fall on the XR8 (assume you talking about a BA), but it will out handle it by a mile!

Like others said, look at paint finish and panel fit. I got teflon coating on ours.
Make sure your battery is charging well and not leaking. (ours leaked and lost charge)
Have fun trying to work out where the best place to put your CD's and sun glasses.
Use Premium fuel depite what Ford say about being standard unleaded friendly. It will perform much better and get better fuel economy.

Other than that it's all pretty good
Woops too late! lol BA XR8 went 3 weeks ago. :-( The reason we sold it is to get a smaller, cheaper car which will enable us to save up for a house.
But you right, as lovely as the focus is, it doesn't match up to the XR8. But its a means to an end, so it will do. Since having it, 2 days, I love it. Handles pretty damn well & is very comfortable!
Yes, putting your cds somewhere is a problem. I kept over 80 cd's in the xr and none of those were in the glove compartment! I managed to put one cd holder in the glove box & the other 2 are behind the front seats in the pockets! lol
Either than that, I cant fault the car... touch wood! lol
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Old 16-03-2006, 10:48 PM   #27
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It'd be cheaper to buy an Ipod to store your 80 CD's than live with the paint of having CD's stuffed in every nook and cranny!!!! Then plug into the aux jack!!
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Old 17-03-2006, 11:21 AM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zetec
It'd be cheaper to buy an Ipod to store your 80 CD's than live with the paint of having CD's stuffed in every nook and cranny!!!! Then plug into the aux jack!!
Zetec, you are just a wealth of information! now why didnt I think of that!
excuse my igonorance here mate, but where do I plug the ipod into again?
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Old 17-03-2006, 06:54 PM   #29
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Open up the glovebox and just to the left of where the latch meets the glove-box door (at the top) there's an indented hole with the aux input.

You may need a booster to amplify the signal from your Ipod so that it is loud enough to hear properly through your stereo as you otherwise may have to crank up the Ipod (draining its battery faster) and also crank up the stereo, which decreases sound quality further. Invest in a "cradle" to rest the Ipod in and it should have an inbuilt booster to help with this.
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Old 20-03-2006, 10:25 AM   #30
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cheers mate. I will investigate this
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