For those who have renewed the insurance on your Focus, may I ask what insurance company you have used, and what is the value the car was insured at? RM85k? RM90k?

I am currently on AIG but am planning to change to another new insurance company soon.

OK thanks for the information. Much appreciated. Mine is also the non-Plus model. Guess it should be about RM95k+/- then.

Recently the car is beginning to jerk more when accelerating at low speed. Mileage is currently at about 10,500km. Will need to monitor further and see if the judder will get more serious (or reduce) with time.

My recent experience with an AIG-appointed workshop for insurance claim isn't too good. They didn't order the complete parts of the bumper when I went to the workshop for the first time. I had to drive to the workshop again for them to open up the bumper to have access to the code number so as they can have the part ordered. And they do not have the courtesy to inform once the part has arrived. After waiting for weeks I had to call the workshop to inquire whether the part has arrived. Bad service.

Also, I got to know that FORD SDAC does not actually deal with the workshop in ordering the parts. I called SDAC to check whether the parts have been ordered(I presume the workshop ordered the parts through SDAC), but apparently SDAC does not have the information and suggested that I call the workshop to find out. Thing is, I don't trust the workshop and that's the reason I had called FORD. Anyway, no more issues as everything is settled. I'm just not very happy on how things are handled by the workshop which to me isn't too professional.

Good that you don't experience any judder now at 26k. I am gentle with my footwork and often drive at highway speed limits 90% of the time, and it's only occasionally I drive faster than usual. The jerks are erratic. Say this week you don't have jerks, then next week you have more serious jerks, then the week after the jerk reduces. Perhaps the jerks are influenced by the driving style. (When I'm not driving the car, my dad usually drives it).

For my case, it is a minor accident with the bumper so I didn't send to SDAC as my car will be stuck with them for days or weeks. The bumper replacement will only take less than half a day(one trip to the workshop is all that is required), but due to the incompetence of the AIG-appointed workshop I had made 3 trips to the workshop to get everything settled.

For those who add insurance cover to the windscreen, may I ask how much is the additional premium you have paid and what is the sum insured? My insurance quoted an additional premium of RM150 for RM1k sum insured.

Does anybody know how much does the front windscreen on the Ford Focus cost?

What about the cost of each side windscreens?

Mine is the low-spec non+. I wonder why the windscreen for the + and non+ is different? Perhaps it comes with the rain sensors or something.

Once GST kicks in mid of next year, you will have to pay more not only for automobiles but property and everything else. Whether you shoudl wait for the facelift or not is a personal thing. IF you really need to replace your current vehicle now then the answer is clear. However, if you still can hold on to it then it is probably useful to do so, despite that one may have to pay higher(or lower) prices for new vehicles in the near future. The government's future policies are something that we cannot predict.

Not sure about the year of manufacture but the grant of my car indicates Ford Focus Ghia too although it's a Titanium. Bought September 2013.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Aug 15 2014, 11:57 PM

Last weekend I was invited to our COO's farmhouse further down from Jalan Hulu Langat. When going into the narrow gravel road into the kampung area, along one stretch of the steep gravel road, the tyres lost traction when going uphill, and I got stunned for a while when the display showed "Transmission Overheating" after the vehicle failed to move upwards(the tyres were spinning fast but the vehicle ain't moving, some smoke can be seen resulting from friction between the spinning tyres and gravel/small rocks). Immediately switched to Sports mode and played with the pedal for a while, and finally the vehicle inched upwards.

A lesson learnt is not to drive a sedan vehicle on a bad unfinished road with broken rocks, sand or gravel but park on some place and walk on the road instead.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Aug 25 2014, 01:07 PM

It is not so much about Electronic Stability Control(ESC) as the car is moving very slowly up the gravel road. It's more to the loss of traction between the tyres and the ground which consists of small tiny stones and rocks. IN simpler terms, there is not enough friction between the surface of the tyres and the ground.

My friend's CX-5 also experienced an almost similar situation when going up the steep gravel slope.

You can imagine the road to be something like this, except that it's not a mud road but consists of mostly small rocks and sand.


This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Aug 25 2014, 04:56 PM

Don't need to add anything and just enjoy the driving experience. What is your previous car?

A colleague just replaced the stock shock absorber on the Ford Focus TDCI to the Bilstein B8 shock absorber and reported an improvement in the handling. The front stock shock absorber of the Focus looked a bit "tiny" when compared to the Bilstein P8 as the tube is narrower and thinner compared to the thicker and larger tube of the Bilstein. Price isn't cheap though, close to RM3k plus installation.

Anybody here on Bilstein shocks? I wonder how long the stock shock absorbers will last before a change is warranted.

It is certainly interesting to see if the improvements across the board are tangible. The exterior looks of the hatchback, particularly the back doesn't look as good as the current Focus. The front is a more of a mix bag. However, the interior dashboard looks better with a much cleaner look. The steering wheel also looked better. I am more curious on the sedan model, whether it will look as good if not better than the current Focus model (I am a sedan guy).

There are comments on improvements in NVH levels as the car is said to be quietest car in its class with thicker insulation in the wheel wells, door sills and windscreens which is a good thing. Suspension is also said to have been tweaked and is more responsive. Certainly interesting as the current suspension of the Focus is already quite remarkable.

In the video it was mentioned that the Focus is on 1.0-litre Ecoboost engine with 125hp, which is a bit on the low side if compared to the current Focus. Not too sure the engine options we will be getting over here.

Good to know. though 150hp is still 20hp less than the current Focus which is rated at 170hp if I'm not mistaken. Hence, I hope (and expect) the new Focus to have at least this horsepower figure, if not more. The 1.6L Ecoboost should be more powerful than the standard 2.0 NA in the current Focus.

The new torque converter gearbox is interesting. Hopefully the performance is on par with the Powershift in terms of shifting speed. The jerks in the Powershift do not bother me too much, though the grinding sound does.

As for the paddle shifters, they would be useful but to a certain extent. On the straights or winding roads the paddle shifters can provide a bit of fun, but for sharp bends or turns when the steering wheel is required to be turned a full circle, it would be difficult or impractical to use the paddle shifters to upshift or downshift the gears as the paddles shifters will follow the turn of the steering wheel. In these circumstances the manual stick is more practical.

After a while, the normal D would be used most.

Personally, as much as I love the current Focus model, I think you should wait for the new model if you can afford to. I am not too sure about the new gearbox mechanism in the new Focus but I feel that will be the most tangible mechanical change that will likely be the move in the right direction for Ford. The Powershift transmission in the Focus does have its anomalies. The other claimed minor tweaks and improvements in the suspension, noise levels and cleaner and sleeker dashboard and steering wheel are all nice.

I don't think there is a fix for the transmission shudder/jerk at low speed acceleration as it is an inherent characteristic of the Powershift transmission, apart from the slight grinding noise during acceleration. So far these anomalies do not bother me too much. The jerks and grinding noise are quite minor in my vehicle and so far are acceptable to me. If the shuddering during low speed acceleration(only happens when the gear upshifts from 1 to 2) is too severe, then a "system update" will ameliorate the jerks by reducing the intensity and/or the frequency of the jerks.

Not too sure about the clutch replacement but I believe that is only applicable when something is damaged (severe jerking or breakdown).

Enjoy the Focus. The handling is the best I have experienced in a common passenger sedan vehicle.

Clutch replacement, I think it is only if it's faulty, ie. abnormal or too severe jerks, or transmission failure. The 5 years warranty would cover that.

Apart from the low gear shuddering in which the severity varies with different vehicles(I tried the courtesy/replacement Focus when my vehicle was in for repair at the service centre, and the shuddering of the replacement model was less prominent, but the acceleration felt less powerful than my vehicle), there is this grinding noise that you will have to deal with as well. The grinding sound at low speed acceleration may not be very prominent if the ground is flat, but when the vehicle is going uphill a steep slope, then the grinding sound can be quite loud to the point of annoying. Again, only at low speeds when the vehicle is in the transition between 1st and 2nd gear.

The Focus ST is more to the niche market as it is more towards handling and track racing rather than the more common Focus Sports that is more suitable for everyday driving. Apart from the more powerful acceleration from the Focus ST, the suspension system is different and the seats are sports seats which hugs you all round. You sit slightly lower in the car if I'm not mistaken, and the seats may not be as comfortable as the Focus Sports. Due to the revised suspension and bigger 18" tyres, handling is much improved and it can attack corners much better than the Focus Sports.

IN other words, the Focus ST is more suitable for those who like speed and driving fun, or track junkies. Not that the Focus Sports is lacking(it has good handling as well for a common vehicle) but the increased levels of power and handling of the ST sets it apart from the Sport and may have contributed to the higher price(or duty).

You are correct that the Mondeo is a more powerful vehicle when compared to the Focus due to the 2.0 Ecoboost engine. Official 0-100km/h time for the Mondeo is 7.8s and as usual, owners' claimed times are a bit quicker at 6.8 ~ 6.9s.