My time with the 3 series is over...

Hi all,

As some may remember, back in Aug last year, I decided to change cars and have changed to a Ford Focus are being unhappy with service provided with BMW.

I placed the order towards end of Aug and was expecting it to arrive in December but December came and went and no news.

I phoned the dealer in 2 weeks ago as no update on the car's eta and the road tax was due to run out end of Jan so wanted to see if any further news as didn't want to tax it, if it was due before.

Turns out, car was due 5th of Feb so I setup road tax to pay by DD monthly with a view to cancelling it in Feb so not to pay for March as wouldn't have the car.

Couple of days later, I get a call from the salesman to say, as the car is due 5th Feb, would I like to take delivery then or if I preferred, I could wait and take delivery in March and have it on a 22 plate. So decided to go with that, setup couple days holiday so I could get used to the car prior to driving to work etc.

Then, 2 days ago, I get a call to say the car has come into stock and as its before Feb, they can't hold till March but on the plus side, I can take delivery this weekend. So went down Friday morning, filled out some paper work and have collected the car this morning.

First impressions is it looks quiet nice, drive isn't as bad as I was expecting on first impressions. Naturally, it doesn't have the power of my old 320D M sport but that aside, it does pick up speed well on motorways for over taking, seats are comfortable and the auto gear box is smoother than I was expecting. Controls so far have been ok to use and steering is a lot lighter than in the 320D M sport but still feel like the car is connected to the road. Car always shows the speed for the road so that's a plus, in my Dad's, it shows it but then it goes off.

The Auto Hold feature is taking a bit to get used to and Elec. brake is new to me. but overall, seems ok so far, quiet happy with it.

Upon checking the car out, My dad noticed no diamond bright pack in the boot, upon checking, there is no sticker for it on the car either, so a quick call to the sales guy and he has apologies as believe it could have been missed so I'm taking it back on Wednesday and they will clean, valet it and then put the diamond bright on it.

Apart from that small niggle, overall quiet happy with it.

Not got any pictures as after approx. 200 mile round trip it now needs cleaning so will let them do that on Wednesday

Kev

 

Hope the new car is a good one. I’ve always enjoyed the Focus hire cars I’ve had, lovely drive.
Hope the dealer sorts the issue out asap.

 

I have been thinking hard and the focus is one car i have never driven.
Glad you are liking your new wheels and looking forward to some pictures ?.

 

I wonder how many other people pay for dealership paint protection that is never actually applied but they do not realise ?

Enjoy the new car Kev its many years since ive driven a Focus, let us know how you get on

 

Thanks all, will update with some pics once it's been done on Wednesday.

Kev

 

Will be interested to hear your experiences with the Focus, Ford always do a great job on the handling and ride front so hopefully it won't be too painful a switch.
I have always found the brand reliable too so fingers crossed.

 

Nice one, Kevin Looking forward to your report once you've put a few miles on her and got used to the different driving dynamics. [and the pics, of course ]

 

@Kev2005 Congratulations on the new car.

I hope that it gives you good service and lots of driving pleasure.

 

Hope you are happy with the new blue oval, good to try a different marque every now and again.

 

@Kev2005 congratulations on finally getting your new car hope you enjoy the ford ownership experience

shame that you had to move away from BMW but as you explained before the dealers really gave you the run around regarding the wheels on your 3 series and the alloy corrosion. they lied to you from the start saying they would extend the warranty on the wheels but would not put anything in writing then when you went back after warranty had expired they told you to jog on

the dealers you used really let you down so not surprised you lost faith in the brand

 

That's you banned then get ya coat

 

Hi all,

Well dropped the car off this afternoon and 1 hour later(bearing in mind they had to clean it & apply the diamond bright, I get a call to say its ready to collect.... have to say, was a bit surprised, was expecting it to take a bit longer than that...

Didn't manage to get a pic as was dark but here is a generic pic of the car i bought to give you a idea:-



Kev

 

I'm finding the Auto hold / auto stop/start not too bad, once you get used to it.
As soon as i come to a stop, auto hold kicks in and so does auto start/stop, then i tap accelerator and it starts up and then releases the auto hold. It's ok in general traffic but at a roundabout, i not quiet got it down yet, there is a bit of a delay when you waiting for it to start and drop auto hold but that could just be me as I've not read the manual, just learning as I go

Why i not read the manual i hear you ask? Because its a online manual, you don't get a actual book now...

Kev

 

I think these latest Focus model look excellent especially the ST-Line models....how does the 1.0 engine feel?

 

Hi all,

Thanks. 1.0 engine doesn't feel too bad, its obviously not as quick as my 2.0 but its not too bad, was on motorway the other day and it was ok at picking up speed to over take etc. Car feels quicker than it probably is but I tend to always find that with the Fords, not sure why but it always feels quicker.

Kev

 

Idle curiosity really, but does anyone still bother with olde-stylee 'running in' procedures?

I've never had a brand new car, so......?

@Kev2005 Glad you're pleased with the new badge so far .

 

Well done Kev, i do like the styling of the latest Focus.
Hope you get a better experience with your Ford dealer compared to the BMW one you had.... was it Shytners by the way?

 

Hi all,

@slim_boy_fat Sales guy didn't say anything about running in procedure but I do recall from a previous Ford focus I had, they said there was no need as they were all run in at the factory so were good to go. The service interval is 18k miles but I'm sure I did read somewhere that it still needs a oil change ever year so will wait and see. I'm waiting to hear regarding the Ford service plan which I plan to sign up to.

Thanks @Adie - yep was them....

Kev

 

The most interesting running in procedure I been advised (by the manufacturer) was my previous litre bike. It was along the lines of : "During the first 300 miles do not hold maximum revs in any gear, and do not hold wide-open throttle. Use the gears freely as this helps running in the transmission." This restricted you to 185mph while running in. Mind you, not too different from competition engines I've fettled, where 40 to 50 miles avoiding full throttle would be do it.