May I ask where did you buy the Fiesta and at what mileage the clutch pack was replaced? Is the service centre where the replacement had taken place in Malaysia or Australia?

Car rolling back on steep slopes or ramps - I haven't really been in these situations many times but the car does roll back slightly when the brakes are released. I am not sure if the car will continue to roll backwards down the slope if the brakes are not re-applied. Perhaps others can comment on this.

Transmission "issue" - this is more to shuddering/juddering/jerking and grinding sound at low speeds. I believe the extent of the jerks vary with vehicles, some minor, some more serious. The same applies to the grinding sound as well. So far, I think it's inherent in all Focus, and there is no permanent solution as far as I am aware of. It's not exactly a "problem" but a claimed characteristics of the design of the Focus, though it may be annoying for some people who are used to smooth transmissions of the Japanese makes.

Well, there is a life span to all things mechanical when you mentioned about the dual clutch causing problems. It's not only the dual clutch transmission of the Focus but other conventional transmissions as well. It is just a matter of how soon the problem crops up in which the owner needs to spend a considerable amount of money to maintain the car.That is one reason some people change cars in every 5 or 6 years to avoid these problems once the warranty period is over.

No experience with the Cerato(Koreans are not my cup of tea) but in summary, if you are mostly driving alone, and handling and driving dynamics are important to you, then I don't think there are much (or any) vehicles in the similar price range that can rival the Focus. I read that the Proton Preve's handling is better than the Cerato, and if that's the case then I am sure the handling of the Focus is on another league in comparison to the Cerato. I own both Preve Turbo and Focus, and as good as the power and handling of the Preve Turbo gets, it cannot match the Focus when you want a bit of excitement and thrill in your drive. When on sharp bends, the Preve Turbo may wobble a bit sideways with a little body roll(your body will tend to move sideways) whereas the Focus does not wobble and is rock solid, and you don't feel your body swayed to one side. This is where the Focus scores very high marks. The suspension of the Focus is tuned to stick to the road like a leech and you just feel a solidity to the drive especially when on corners at higher speeds. The stability is fabulous. Although this is a comparison between the Focus vs. the Preve Turbo, I feel this apply to other cars as well, since the Preve Turbo is no slouch when it comes to handling. It's a pretty solid car on its own, though its shortcomings become apparent next to the Focus.

The messy dashboard of the Focus is indeed a pertinent point. A matter of preference though, but most of my colleagues who have sat in my Focus share the same observation. Personally I prefer the neater layout of (even the) Preve Turbo over the Focus. Yes, the Cerato's dashboard looks neater than the Focus too.

Space. If you frequently ferry passengers in the back seat, then I think the Focus may not be too suitable. In my mind, the back seat of the Focus can only fit 2 adults. It cannot fit 3 adults comfortably, in my opinion. On long journeys, the rear passengers of the Focus may not be too comfortable due to the limited rear legroom, especially if the driver or front passenger seats are pushed back too much.

That's about it. The suspension of the Focus may not be too quiet when going over concrete ramps with grooves or bad-surfaced roads, only when compared to Japanese vehicles. Somehow the suspension of Japanese vehicles is quieter when on bad roads. Even the Preve Turbo's suspension is quieter than the Focus(though engine and transmission noise during acceleration are much louder). How does the Cerato fair in these areas? Is the Cerato's engine fairly quiet during acceleration, or the suspension quiet when going over bad roads?

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Mar 1 2014, 07:59 PM

Does anybody have any idea if the Sony stereo system in our Focus comes with a subwoofer? For what it's worth, I find the Sony sound system in the Focus to be higher quality than the Bose stereo system found in the Mazda CX5 CBU from Japan. One of my colleague owns the CX5 and I just fiddled around with the audio settings. Usually it is the bass and midrange quality that contribute to the sound quality of the car stereo system. Even with the bass output bumped up on the scale in the CX5, it doesn't seem to have the full and visceral bass quality of the Sony system. Having said that, midrange and treble remains clear and clean. It's just the bass that doesn't quite match up to the Sony's stereo.

Somehow, Sony sound systems seem to be bass heavy(in a good way in this context), in comparison to other stock audio systems found in most vehicles in this class, or higher.

As a side-note, even though the Focus excels when driven at higher speeds or in a sportier driving manner round bends and curves, it is equally at home, ie. nice and comfortable when driven within speed limits around town or the highways, thanks to the light and responsive precise steering coupled by an equally responsive (and powerful) throttle response. Manoeuvring around heavy traffic around town with the responsive steering can't be made easier with the Focus.

Thanks for the information. The mid-bass drivers seem to be pumping out a lot of quality bass lines.

An update. I just got my car back 2 days ago after leaving the car in the service centre for 7 days. Yes, 1 week although initially I was informed it will only take 2 days. Yeah, that was kind of unexpected but anyway, they need more days to troubleshoot a new problem that crops up after replacing the clock spring of the steering wheel. Some electronic problem that has got something to do with the airbags and warning lights.

Well, long story short the car is very nice to drive now without the annoying friction sound when steering wheel is turned. And surprisingly, the jerk or shuddering is almost completely gone now atlhough they have not done any software update to the car. Perhaps when troubleshooting the other problems in the vehicle, those problems may have indirectly reduce the jerks. Now I don't experience any jerks when driving at low speeds around car parks in shopping malls or even up and down concrete ramps. Even when on speed bumps, there isn't any jerk when approaching the speed bump and accelerating away from it, which is great.

However, there is one (negative) aspect that I think is worth mentioning. The vibration of the vehicle when it is idle/stationary at traffic lights. Either in D or N it is the same. I can feel the engine vibration in the vehicle when the car is stationary. The vibration is not very serious but it is not very mild either. I am not sure if the engine vibration can be reduced or eliminated completely. I will be sending my car for service early next month. Does anybody feel that the engine vibration is reduced after the vehicle is serviced?

Anyway, the engine vibration is a small issue. Just thinking if it can be reduced or eliminated completely it would be nicer. The silent steering wheel and jerkless drive have now increased my enjoyment toward the driving experience. The Focus is certainly a nice car to drive, and it's good to see more and more Focus on the road these days. On average I see at least one Focus in a day, which is a good thing. Just today when on the road a Focus Titanium in the same Midnight Sky was just behind my vehicle.

Apparently we can request for replacement car if it's too long. THis can be arranged by the SC. If the particular service advisor is not helpful, can speak to the manager or the customer service.

Yes, it is true that very few people can afford to leave the car in the workshop for 7 days. Since the Focus is my backup car(my everyday car is the Preve Turbo), I didn't request for the replacement car.

What are the symptoms of a leakage that had happened to your vehicle?

Currently the mileage on my vehicle is 6500km+ with occassional stop-go-stop-go traffic and there are minimal to no jerks and grinding sound now. As a matter of fact, I actually prefer the sensitive throttle action of the dual clutch Powershift transmission which had contributed to the light and responsive acceleration of the Focus in comparison to say the conventional CVT gearbox of the Proton Preve where there is not only a lag in acceleration but also it actually jerks more than the dual clutch of the Focus(even though it's a CVT) and the vehicle felt heavy due to the lethargic acceleration. In short, I actually thought the dual clutch of the Focus performs much better than the CVT of the Proton Preve. But then again the CVT of the Preve may be just crap, and other conventional auto gearboxes especially the Super CVT in the Toyota Altis may be a different story altogether.

There may be very limited courtesy/replacement cars, though if you expect that your car will be left in the service centre up to 1 week or more, and you really need a car, then that can be arranged should you ask SDAC to arrange it for you in advance. Best is to talk to the manager instead of the service advisor(the service advisor I got is quite useless).

Due to a recent (unexpected) experience of having my car in the workshop for 7 days(was told 2 days only initially - can't really trust their words), we requested for a replacement car now(a Ford Focus) even though my car was recently left in the service centre for 1 day. Even though the mileage on that replacement car is only 8,000km+, the condition of the car is like a 6 year-old car. There is rattling sound on the driver's seat and left door panel, and the engine has a weird growling sound during acceleration. The suspension was also pretty beat-up as there is knocking sound on the front suspension when going over bumps, which is louder. Guess that car has been trashed quite badly.

It pays to take car of your car. After driving the replacement car I now appreaciate my car even more. People will just take the opportunity to drive a test-drive/replacement car like there's no tomorrow since they don't own it, treating it as a rally or race car.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Apr 10 2014, 07:53 AM

I was just wondering if alignment and balancing of tyres are something that everybody does in every 10,000km or 20,000km interval. Has anybody done alignment and balancing of the tyres on your vehicle?

I was actually intending to rotate the front and rear tyres since the tread on the front tyres are showing considerable wear compared to the rear tyres. However, a colleague informed that when doing alignment and balancing, we can usually request the tyres to be rotated. Has anybody rotated the tyres yet? Or the rotation is done together with alignment and balancing?

Also, has anybody changed the stock tyres on your Focus? So far I read the Michelin 3ST and Yokohama Advan DB501 or 511 are the top two quietest tyres so far. Is anyone using either of these tyres on the Focus?

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Apr 15 2014, 09:30 PM

Similarly I've done the software upgrade recently and experienced the same thing. Jerks at low speed cruising, particularly at traffic jam crawls are virtually eliminated. However, when accelerating, the acceleration seems to be too smooth now. I know it's funny. The jerks when stuck in traffic jam crawls are annoying, but during hard acceleration, the jerks when the gear is upshifting, this jerk is different. It gives the driver a sense of kick and drive. Somehow I seem to miss the jerks when the car is accelerating. These jerks are not to be confused with the shudder/judder of the vehicle at crawling traffic speeds which I admit can be a nuisance. The jerks when you want speed, when the car is bursting off the block and full of energy. Now it seems like the acceleration is too smooth without the jerks which gives a feeling of a less powerful acceleration. The kick is missing.

Need to monitor further.

Haven't tried S mode yet and will probably do that tomorrow morning. I rarely engage S mode. The last time I used S mode was during a trip up Genting Highlands. That was one thrilling ride I would admit, as I pushed the car until the display showed "Transmission Overheating, stop for 5 minutes" something like that, when I reached the top, searching for parking at the First World Hotel car park.

Tried S mode. IT is the same as D. The jerks when the gear upshifts are missing. Anyway, although the kick isn't there anymore, the acceleration is still powerful.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Apr 18 2014, 11:46 PM

Anybody heard of KL Auto? They do soundproofing for wind noise. Anybody tried this and find it to be effective for the Ford Focus?

Not too sure if they can soundproof the noise from the suspension though.

Wind noise can be heard from 100km/h onwards which is worse than my previous Nissan Sylphy which the wind noise only comes in at around 140km/h.

There are certainly owners out there. This is one of them, though I am sure it's not yours. Photo taken more than a month ago.

Dang, did you spray the car with a new coat of paint? The black looks much better than yellow. If I'm not mistaken the stock Focus ST only comes in yellow isn't it?

Nice looking car. Understated looks but accelerates like a rocket.

Going from the Golf to the Focus would be a downgrade? My colleague who owns the Ford Focus test-drove the VW Passat recently and commented on the smooth and refined ride of the vehicle vs. the Focus. He mentioned it is on another level from the Focus, more refined and sophisticated. I suppose the DSG of the Volkswagen is different from the Powershift of the Ford. Having said that, the Focus drives reasonably well for me.

I own the Focus Titanium though I believe the Sport and Titanium mostly share the same parts with the same transmission. No issues so far. The transmission may behave erratically at low speeds with mild jerks in the first 1,000km though that will iron out with higher mileage. I believe there is now an updated (most recent) software upgrade from Ford that resolves the juddering of the transmission, though at the expense of robbing some thrill out of the drive. With this software upgrade, the jerks with every gear upshifting are now missing, ie. when the gear upshifts from 1st to 2nd, or 2nd to 3rd. The jolt everytime the gear upshifts during hard acceleration that pushes your body to the back seat, you don't feel the kick now with the missing jolts, giving the impression of a less powerful acceleration. It's not too bad though, since the car still accelerates fine. Without the jolts, the transmission now behaves more like a CVT than a 6-gear Powershift.

Sorry I got carried away.

Not many issues. Just a minor gripe in audible wind noise when the vehicle is traveling above 100km/h. I am not sure if it is only my vehicle that has this problem. I plan to bring this up to the service centre in my next appointment to see if they can resolve it. My ears are very sensitive and I like my vehicle to be quiet, free from rattling, wind or suspension noises. Rattling is the cause of poor fittings, and I am happy to report the Focus does not exhibit any annoying rattling noises(so far). Wind noise, the Focus does not match up to my previous car the Nissan Sylphy which is quiet up to about 150km/h. The suspension of the Focus is also not very quiet as when the vehicle goes over bad-surfaced roads or concrete ramps with grooves up shopping complexes, the noise is quite loud.

A caveat is I am a picky person. All the above may be minor issues to you.

Coming back to your concern on fuel consumption during heavy or crawling traffic. I don't know about the VW Golf but comparing the Ford Focus with the Nissan Sylphy and Proton Preve Turbo 1.6, the Focus registers better fuel economy when both are stuck in heavy traffic.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Apr 29 2014, 10:09 PM

Sound of bikes revving and other vehicles on the road. I have to say you can hear that too in the Focus. ON this aspect, the Focus also, regrettably, loses slightly to the Nissan Sylphy. Somehow I guess NVH is not the priority or main strength of the Ford(Focus) as it delivers in other areas mainly in handling and driving dynamics. Though the Golf GTI is on another level I presume.

The Ford Focus fuel consumption, even in bad traffic is indeed quite good. Perhaps the light throttle response of the vehicle contributes to the low FC. Just a light tap on the pedal and the car will glide forward. In this sense, good drivability in crawling traffic. Unlike some cars when you need to exert more force on the pedal(higher rpms and engine revving louder) to get the car moving in crawling traffic.