Wow, you still sending your car back to SDAC? What's the mileage of your car?

If I am not mistaken the Hyundai Sonata is segment D and new selling price is about RM20k higher than the Ford Focus.

I attribute the low resale value of the Ford Focus to high cost of maintenance and spare parts in comparison to Japanese makes from the likes of Toyota, Honda or Nissan etc.

Earlier this month the front door of my Focus cannot be closed and I spent RM580 to replace the door lock/hatch. Another item which I replaced during the 4th year is the air-cond compressor and this thing costs RM1,600 or 1,700 if my memory doesn't fail me. The service centre charges RM2,000+ for this item.

As for the clutch pack replacement, the cost to replace is RM3,000 to 4,000. Recently I read a pots here about the steering rack malfunction which costs RM12,000 to repair. Not sure if the owner had replaced the steering rack though. If you look at the prices of the spare parts you would know it's not cheap to maintain this car in tip-top condition. If something fails, the part will likely cost considerably higher than the Japanese equivalent parts.

Does any Ford Focus Mk3 owners experience a slight "wheesh" sound when accelerating the car from standstill? Say when approaching a car bump, the car slows down, and then when accelerating from the car bump, there is a slight "wheeesh" sound from the vehicle. I'm not sure if the sound comes from the gearbox or the engine, or somewhere else. At most times about 70 or 80% the sound comes up when accelerating from standstill, but sometimes (20-30% of the time) the sound doesn't come up when accelerating from standstill. Any idea what it might be?

I will bring the car to the workshop during the next scheduled service to have the sound checked. Just thought if someone here might experience the same phenomenon with the Focus Mk3.

Also, has anybody replaced the gearbox mountings of the Focus Mk3? Is there a recommended mileage or period, say after 5 years or 7 years etc. before the gearbox mountings are replaced?

On a separate matter, is there any way to make the vehicle drive quieter like new with low levels of sound and vibration? I am not referring to adding soundproofing materials but rather things such as replacing the suspension, rubber parts of suspension(if there is such a thing) or any other parts of the car, engine and gearbox mountings etc.

Thanks for the information. The engine mountings on my vehicle were changed only once about 2 years ago. The gearbox mounting was not replaced. There is no noticeable vibration in my car even though it is still on the original gearbox mounting. My car is now 7 years old but low mileage, about 66,000km.

The suspension on my vehicle still doesn't perform too bad although the vehicle is already 7 years old. The last time it was at the workshop, the boss of the mechanic also mentioned that the suspension is still in good condition and there isn't any need to replace it.

Wind noise for me is not an issue because the car is mostly in city drives below 110km/h most of the time. Perhaps I'll just restore the interior beige leather by bringing it to a restoration/refurbishment workshop sometime. The light beige colour of the leather especially the 2 front seats now looks a bit worn-out with lines at the sides of the seats.

Just my 2 cents, if you just change the rims only it shouldn't be an issue to claim warranty on your piston. Unless you are claiming it for a tyre defect or the wheel assembly defect then it 'may' come into questions.
Let us know how is your claims going and good luck 

Sounds about right, maybe will wait until end of the year till i buy this 3.5, really want to get my hands on this rare car 

Hi and greetings all Ford Focus Sifus,

I'm looking to buy the 2013 Ford Focus 2.0 Sport Plus Hatchback. After some research, I found out some issues that I wish to clarify before pulling the trigger.

1. Regarding transmission failure: is this model facing the same problems? If yes, how much should one expect to fork out to mend it. Is the part easily source?

2. Expensive maintenance: how much should one actually plan financially to take a better care of this car per month on average?

3. Is there any reputable outside workshop near klang valley or should I faithfully service it via SC?

4. Reliability issue: any other known issues one should pay attention to? I.e. aircond not cold, so be prepare to change compressor and etc.

5. Expensive windshield: any reputable place to source it without breaking the bank?

I'm expecting to use the car for more than 5 years after purchase as daily driver and weekend vehicle to transport roadbikes. Occasionally heavy on foot.

Anything else I should take into account to?
Thanks in advance for your time and help! Any other do's and don't list are very much welcome 👍🏼
Cheers,

Do you mind recommending reputable outside workshop for maintenance? Or should one religious do it with sc?

Sent my Focus mk3 to Al-Isra near Lotus Ampang for service earlier this week. Few aspects I like about this service centre compared to Bengkel Excellent Auto;

1. Fast appointment. Book today, can send car tomorrow. Unlike Bengkel Excellent Auto, need to wait at least 1 week or longer.
2. Service quite fast, 2 to 3 hours
3. Reasonable charge.

Only one disadvantage I can think of. Shoplot has limited space. Only one lifting machine available inside the workshop due to space which can only serve one vehicle. Unlike other workshops in open space where there are more lifting machines 3 or more to serve several cars simultaneously. My car is only lifted a bit using the handheld lifter with the long bar. The same lifter used when replacing tyres.

Battery power was checked and found to be low so it was replaced together with spark plugs. The low battery was said to be one of the potential reasons of the failure of steering rack. Not too sure if that's true. Also, was told that it is recommended to reprogram the car after the battery was replaced to ensure all systems are working optimally to prevent any issues to the vehicle. I had changed the battery twice previously (call to Century battery assist hotline) without sending the car for reprogramming. Perhaps that may have affected the car's electronics that caused the premature failure of the steering rack. A point worth taking note.

I had always gone with Century batteries DIN66L. Marathoner Max is the one to go for. The other Motolite battery is cheaper but not sure on the performance. The Marathoner Max costs about RM400.

Sorry, I'm not sure what is FoMoCo battery. Is it the original Motorcraft battery of the Ford Focus installed in new Ford Focus cars? If yes, I replaced it long time ago. Had been using Century batteries all this while. The last one is still going strong after more than 2 years but I replaced it at the workshop after it was tested to be low in strength. Not sure if it's recommended to replace when it's tested to be low in strength or wait until it's completely dead.

By the way, to anyone who is using Focus Sport +, what is the important main differences between the Plus and non-plus other than the sun roof, Auto park and active stop(auto brake)? Is the auto brake particularly useful or it gives more inconvenience during crawling traffic? I'm seriously considering a used Focus Sport mk3 in appropriate time.