I would like to check with Titanium owners in which the vehicle comes in Goodyear Assurance Fuelmax tyres. May I ask how long do these tyres last, and whether you have rotated your tyres, assuming you will be changing all 4 tyres when they are worn-out.

Currently at about 8,000km mileage clocked on the vehicle, I noticed the tread wear of the front tyres is high. I am not sure if I can wait until 10,000km before I rotate the tyres. Perhaps I will do it earlier at about 9,000km.

Has anybody managed to use these tyres up to 30,000km or more. Looking at the wear rate on these tyres I think they don't last very long, perhaps up to 40,000km or so.

Any information would be most appreicated.

As I have mentioned above, the wind noise in my Focus can be heard starting from 100km/h onwards. I'm not too sure about others but it seems that you experience the same too. At about 100km/h the wind noise is just starting to come up, so the sound is not too loud, though it would be slightly disconcerting to have the wind noise come up at those speeds which seem rather low. The wind noise gets louder at higher speeds, 120km/h to 130km/h etc.

It depends on what are you comparing it with. You will hear the sound from motorbikes with any car, and it is just a matter of how loud is the sound of the revving motorbikes. The Nissan Sylphy does not have wind noise up to about 150km/h(quietness the Focus lost to Sylphy in two critical areas, wind and suspension noises), and the sound of motorbikes is more muted in the Sylphy than the Focus. Even my other car the Proton Preve Turbo, I can't hear the wind noise at speeds of up to 130km/h. Maybe that car's engine noise has masked the wind noise(the noise from the Turbo engine is loud even at cruising speeds of 110km/h).

I don't know where does the sound from the wind originates from. Maybe it is due to the thinner glass of the windscreen. Perhaps it is the thickness/quality of the rubber seal, or maybe it's just the shape of the car.

I read from an article in the Motortrade magazine last month that the new Focus offers quieter ride through the use of thicker carpets, thicker side glass and improved engine bay insulation. I have that article with me and will upload it when I have the time.

Looks like they have acknowledged the current Focus model is not very quiet (in comparison to quieter vehicles).

Thanks bro. I just rotated the tyres yesterday too at about 8000km.

These are some of the images of the front bad back tyres that show the tread wear. It is difficult to describe the extent of wear without looking at the real thing.

Front tyres :-



Back tyres :-



This post has been edited by SportyHandling: May 2 2014, 09:12 AM

I guess any 2.0-litre car will not register good fuel consumption in crawling stop-go-stop-go traffic in comparison to 1.6 litre or lower capacity models, and the Ford Focus is no exception. It just gets better fuel economy compared to my previous Nissan Sylphy and current Proton Preve Turbo. When the Sylphy is stuck in traffic, you can literally see the needle on the speedometer going down. Scary.

THe Mazda6 should be a heavier car than the Focus, and yet it gets better fuel economy? That iStop feature must be something really special. Having said that, to move the car from standstill will use up quite some fuel. Interesting the Mazda6 can be frugal on this aspect and better than the Focus.

Highway drive on open roads, yes, the Focus is good in fuel economy.

Thanks for the information. Yes I am aware that the tyres will wear of faster if cornering are done at higher speeds.

Haven't really tried filling the tyres with nitrogen, though I usually pump the air into the tyres once ine very week.

I have rotated the tyres at 8,000km mileage. I read the benefits of rotating the tyres are not only to preserve or prolong the lifespan of all 4 tyres but the handling of the vehicle will be improved as well.

Don't know why the tread looks like that. Really weird huh? Perhaps the tyre was designed in such a way to show that pattern so as owners will change the tyres sooner than expected.

Suspension noise I think it is something that is inherent in the vehicle? The last time I complained they mentioned the bolts and nuts are tightened, and in the end it's the same. Are you referrring to the sound from the suspension when going over bad roads or concrete ramps with grooves? On good roads there isn't any sound from the suspension of course. It's only when the vehicle goes over some of the rough surfaces the sound from the suspension comes up louder in comparison to vehicles with quieter suspensions.

Grinding noise I don't hear it too much already.

As for steering noise, is it a squeaking sound when you turn the steering? Or even when you drive up concrete ramps of shopping malls, there is a slight rattling sound from the steering? Is this the sound you are referring to when you mentioned steering noise? Regrettably I have this too even though they have changed the clock spring, a part which was suspected to be the fault of the steering noise. I wonder if they have even changed the clock spring?

I just figured out the sound from the steering may just be the shiny metal piece on both sides of the steering wheel that is moving/grinding against the hard plastic of the steering or something. Try pushing or pressing the shiny metal piece around. Do you hear a squeaking sound? This is the same sound I get when the steering wheel is turned left or right, or when the vehicle goes over some rough or bumpy surfaces. It is still bearable at this point of time for me, though when it gets louder to the point of annoying I'll bring this up to the service centre.

The grinding sound in your vehicle must be very serious if your mum commented about it. Usually the hearing of old folks would have degraded throughout the years, and to have them complaining is a bad sign.

The grinding sound only comes up when the vehicle is moving at low speeds isn't it, say 0 to 40km/h.

Do keep us informed on how it goes. My colleague who owns the Ford Focus Turbodiesel informed his car broke down last weekend right after the 3 years warranty. Bad luck for him. He pretty much does not have confidence in Ford these days with sub-par service, other than the common complaints of the car(he is equally as critical as me in the unrefined suspension of the vehicle that is noisy when going over bad surfaces). His car is now in the workshop since last Friday night and as of today, the service centre still has not figured out what exactly is the problem with the vehicle although they have looked into the problem. Guess the local lads are not very competent in troubleshooting problems.

And guess what. The car broke down on Friday night. And on Saturday the next day, he placed a booking for a brand new Mazda CX-5 2.5 CBU from Japan. He told me he had enough of the Focus. Haha.. He will still be keeping the Focus though, just passing on to his wife after the problem is fixed.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: May 7 2014, 08:02 AM

The DCT of the Focus isn't really "problematic" as some people would have suggested. As a matter of fact, I do not have issues with the transmission of the car at all now. The "problematic" comment had mainly come up due to the juddering of the vehicle at low speeds. I don't experience this anymore after the software upgrade.

For me, based on my observation there are two weaknesses in this new Focus. They are not exactly critical and will vary with expectations. Some might be absolutely fine with it while some might not be so receptive. My observations are as follows:-

1) Noise from the suspension - the suspension of the Focus is not very quiet on bad roads. There is a certain rattling sound from the suspension as if hollow plastic bottles are hitting against each other when the vehicle goes over bad roads or concrete ramps with grooves in building car parks.

2) Grinding sound - at low speed especially when going uphill, sometimes there is grinding sound (from the gearbox?). The sound is like a bunch of gears or metal plates grinding against each other.

Of course, just by reading on these complaints makes one think that the vehicle is "problematic". Nevertheless, these can be non-critical issues to most people. As picky and critical as a person I am, I can still live with these anomalies in the Focus. On good roads or highways, there is NO noise from the suspension. Absolutely quiet. As for the grinding sound, currently it doesn't come up too frequently(it only does at low speeds), and even if it does, the sound is not very loud, yet. In order to hear these noises, the stereo or sound system of the vehicle needs to be switched off. If music is playing at low to moderate volumes, you won't hear these noises anymore.

The main strength of the Focus. If you love a bit of sporty handling and driving dynamics in a practical sedan or hatchback, the Focus will deliver the goods. I have not driven many vehicles before but the Focus surely nails it when it comes to power and performance. One of my colleague who happens to own the Focus also shares the same view although he is like me, equally critical of the noise from the suspension. In most cars, the faster you drive the more unstable the vehicle gets. In the Focus, the faster you drive the more stable it gets. Somehow defies logic but that is my experience. At higher speeds, the car seems to stick onto the roads more effectively. The car feels rock solid and stable at these higher speeds and does not wobble. Somehow it just gives the driver a feeling of confidence when taking the car out for a spin, especially when the going gets tough. Around twisty roads and bends, body roll is minimal in comparison to most Japanese equivalents. You just feel in control of the vehicle if you love to drive at a bit higher than normal speeds.

The Focus is also a powerful car in its class. In the most difficult or demanding conditions the Focus rarely fails, up a steep slope along the highways or the twisty steep bends up Genting Highlands. The acceleration and instantaneous burst of power of the Focus(other than driving dynamics as mentioned above) are superb. You won't feel the power to be lacking in this vehicle.

When it comes to handling, I believe there are not many vehicles that can touch the Focus other than "fun cars", cars that are specifically tuned to be sporty in nature. Bearing in mind the Focus is a normal passenger vehicle that is practical for everyday use, it also delivers if the driver loves a bit of thrill and excitement in the drive. Fun cars that have superior handling are usually not very comfortable due to the harder suspension setup and sports seats etc. The Focus may not be as comfortable as say the Toyota Altis or Nissan Sylphy (comfort-tuned suspension, comfortable and plusher seats, more generous rear legroom for passengers at the back seat), but it presents the best of both worlds in practicality and performance.

Test-drive with confidence.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: May 10 2014, 08:36 PM

No experience with Cerato. I am not interested in Koreans anyway. Best is to view both cars in the showroom, test drive and decide which one you would like better. Too bad the Seremban branch does not have a test-drive unit. Why is that? How do they expect potential owners to buy the car without a test-drive unit?

You might be interested in this review which is mainly for the new Nissan Sylphy. Though it compares the Sylphy to the Cerato, new Altis (and Ford Focus) briefly.

http://paultan.org/2014/04/18/dnew-nissan-...t-drive-report/

Are the Focus models in Taiwan shipped from Thailand as well? What are the symptoms of transmission fluid leakage of the gearbox (in the Focus)? Severe jerking of the vehicle when the gears are changing?

Ok, so the severe judders/jerks are the symptoms of the transmission fluid leakage of the gearbox. Currently I don't experience this in my Focus, though the 5 years warranty would have covered for this defect I presume, unless the leakage tend to come up after the warranty period.

The place where the vehicle was manufactured may matter although models in other countries show this problem. Since you mentioned the later batches of Fiestas do not exhibit this problem anymore, Ford may have improved some of the mechanism of the later batches of the Fiestas to rectify the problems that plague the earlier Fiesta models. In the case of the Focus, we won't know if the mechanical parts of the gearbox of the Focus models coming out from the Thailand factory are exactly the same as the Focus models that the Taiwanese are getting. I believe there will be differences, though not major, with car models produced from countries in different regions.

Okay, thanks for the information. So, the new seals have done the trick.

Yesterday evening, a bad day for me as a car knocked on the rear of my Focus. A loud bang and the first thing that went in my mind is the hassle of an accident. I knew the damage was done, but was surprised at the extent of the damage on the Focus.

The front of the car that knocked on the Focus :-


The rear of the Focus :-


I am surprised there isn't any dent on the Focus just some very minor scratches on the metallic paint and slight cracking on the plastic strip at the bottom.

Yes, will get the brackets checked. The electronic rear sensors still working though.

Yes, barely a scratch on the Focus. When the police was attempting to take a picture of the damage with his DSLR, he was looking left and right and couldn't locate the scratches, and I have to finger-point the small little nicks to him.

I'm quite excited on the new Focus, although I am already driving one. No complaints on the current Focus in terms of performance so far. From one writeup, notable improvements include improved NVH(quieter car. yes!) due to the use of thicker carpets, thicker side window glass and improved engine bay insulation.

The driving dynamics is also reported to have been improved with a stiffer front end, revised suspension and retuned shock absorbers, apart from a new electronic stability programme. All these effort to best the Volkswagen Golf. Looks like it is tuned more to performance than comfort. Comfort levels may take a slight dip with increased levels of sporty performance though.

Some other notable improvements or changes include a cleaner and less complicated centre console and controls on the steering.

I've driven the Focus up Genting, mostly in Sports mode. There are no grinding and jerking as the rpms are mostly above 4000 with the gear presumably in 2nd or 3rd most of the time. Though there is a prompt message when I reached the top though "Transmission Overheating, stop for 10 minutes", something like that. I guessed I pushed the car too hard and was having too much fun.

I can understand the loss of "kick" during acceleration with the software upgrade. Similarly I have updated the software and don't feel the kick anymore. It is certainly exhilarating when you feel your whole body being pushed back to the seat when the car accelerates. The strong jerks that give you the kick (not the mild transmission jerks).

Yes, cornering with the Focus is the best I've experienced. It is not a sports car or performance car, but as a common passenger car the handling deserves some mention. You just feel a certain stability in the car when you compare the Focus with other equivalent sedans during cornering. I stress cornering, as it is where the Focus scores when it comes to cornering capabilities. From the steering feel when you control the steering during cornering, up to the control and rock solid stability of the car when it sticks to the road like a leech with minimal body roll. The control of the Focus certainly shows. Once you've experienced this sort of control, you'll feel "less satisfied" driving something else.

Surprisingly you have managed to get a clear blurry-free snapshot of the speedometer at that speed. :-)

The car is surely stable at high speeds even in excess of 200km/h. Late last year, I touched 210km/h on a barely empty North-South highway early in the morning. The car feels rock solid and it's as if I'm only doing 160km/h instead of 210km/h. I think the stability of the car owes much to the suspension. Since mine is the Titanium sedan, the Sports hatchback would feel even more stable.

The Sony sound system of the Focus is already excellent on its own with a full punchy bass. With the addition of a subwoofer, the bass would be even more visceral. I can imagine the "sensation" of blasting away on the highways with some rock music playing in the background. Certainly sets the mood.

Other cars can be driven at high speeds too but they don't possess the stability and solidity of the Focus at these speeds as they wobble - up and down, left and right with all undulations/imperfections of the road. The suspension of the Focus surely works magic in soaking up all the imperfections, producing a ride that's solid and stable at any given speed.