New Focus Owner!

Focussed · 03-03-2006, 02:11 PM

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!

Martyvan · 03-03-2006, 03:14 PM

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)

03-03-2006, 03:25 PM

Quote:

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

Focussed · 03-03-2006, 03:50 PM

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?

FocusLX06 · 03-03-2006, 08:35 PM

PHATXR - Welcome to the Focus family

Zetec20 · 03-03-2006, 09:34 PM

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

Focussed · 07-03-2006, 11:24 AM

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 :-)

Zetec20 · 07-03-2006, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PHATXR

Thanks Zetec.
$230 is pretty good. I will definitely be getting them & new wheels once it arrives. Will post pics too :-)

What sized wheels were you thinking? also which area are you from? and what style wheels were you after?

Focussed · 07-03-2006, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zetec20

What sized wheels were you thinking? also which area are you from? and what style wheels were you after?

At this I havent even started looking. Still getting over the fact that I dont have my XR8 anymore! lol
Size wise, looking to get 18's or 19's. Probably 18's though. I like the look of shadow chrome wheels. Owned a mercury silvery XR6 which had these and they looked good.
Ssshhh...I havent told the mrs any of this as yet!

:

Zetec20 · 08-03-2006, 09:09 AM

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

Focussed · 08-03-2006, 10:02 AM

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!!!!

mitch_lx · 08-03-2006, 12:45 PM

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 !!

Zetec20 · 08-03-2006, 02:08 PM

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

zetec · 08-03-2006, 08:05 PM

I need new shocks lol.... 1.5 inch drop... no more gas

Focussed · 09-03-2006, 11:09 AM

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 :-)

Zetec20 · 09-03-2006, 01:07 PM

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

Focussed · 09-03-2006, 01:15 PM

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.

Focussed · 15-03-2006, 10:25 AM

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!

Zetec20 · 15-03-2006, 01:32 PM

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...

Focussed · 15-03-2006, 01:57 PM

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!!!

Zetec20 · 15-03-2006, 05:35 PM

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

zetec · 15-03-2006, 07:17 PM

Pfft I pay $220 just for 16 inch tyres. Nothing but quality for my car.

Martyvan · 15-03-2006, 07:48 PM

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?

WASP · 15-03-2006, 10:59 PM

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

Teki04 · 15-03-2006, 11:07 PM

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!

Zetec20 · 15-03-2006, 11:08 PM

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

Focussed · 16-03-2006, 10:39 AM

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

Focussed · 16-03-2006, 10:41 AM

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!!!

zetec · 16-03-2006, 10:48 PM

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!!

Focussed · 17-03-2006, 11:21 AM

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?