hello all.

[alpinewhite]

hello guys, checking in on focaljet from newtiburon.com, crookedh.com and hyundaihouseofpower.com!

my longtime GF has a 2002 wagon and im basically here to get a bit of general maintenace info (bulbs, fluids, brakes etc etc). can anyone point me to a FAQ?

she needs some new brakes, (the ABS light is on too... think it must be a sensor) and im thinking about putting an A/M intake on just to gain a couple MPG . ive also wanted to pick up some new wheels, one of hers has a decent ding in the rim.. maybe someone local has a set for cheap... ill look around. i was also thinking of picking up a set of headlights (her oem ones are kinda hazy) and maybe some of those tinted signal and sidemarker lights
... i put a lebra on the front becuase her paint had basically flaked off due to more than one old person backing into the damn thing (she worked in a geriatric doctor's office for a while) . the rear bumper is flaking off too
but paint issues aside, is there anything i should be looking out for? we recently had the struts/springs replaced due to a recall..
thanks guys!

PS.. can i post pics in my 1st post? i was to post a couple of my mild 03 Tiburon.

[GapBoyPCS]

Welcome!

All I can say is keep her (the wagon) in good shape (i.e. maintain her and fix the small problems), and you'll be fine. Many of us here have put countless miles on our cars.

Pics go in Team Rigz .

[alpinewhite]

well we have already had out fair share of problems with it... all i can say is that its actually a good thing that she was talked in to the extended warranty, as it's paid for itself already with leaking seals, broken sway bars, broken ignition etc, etc... but the miles are starting to rack up and such things do become unavoidable. i'd just rather not replace the rear main seal at 60k miles LOL.

i actuallly almost bought a focus ZX3 myself several times, but i could never manage to work out a good enough deal for the right model, etc. this isnt our first ford either, i was the proud owner of a '93 Ranger XLT, 96 Contour SE (actually a really great car, other than the crap auto trans) and an Escort ZX2 which was also great... the only reason i sold it was the mileage was catching up to it.

here's a teaser of my other girlfirend, the '03 Tiburon. im going to wash the focus and take a nice pic of it soon too

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d4...8_edited-3.jpg

[guitarseth]

Hot Tibby!

Feel free to post whatever questions you have. There is a great thread in Exterior Mods about how to get old headlights looking new again. As far as a general maintence FAQ goes, I'm not really sure that there is a cohesive one posted.

Bulbs - OEM headlights are 9006, Foglights are 893 and I'm not sure about taillights or turn signal bulbs. I've actually only had to replace 2 foglight bulbs in the 94K miles I've put on the car in the last 5 years.

Fluids - The only thing I've changed so far is the oil, and I just use Motorcraft 5w20. Its starting to get to the point where it needs to the brakes bled, so I'll probably just drain them and replace all the fluid.

Brakes - I replaced my fronts around 70K. I just got Autozone rotors and a set of Motorcraft pads. I think it came out to around $110 and took about 20 minutes to put them on. I'll probably be replacing the rear shoes (and probably drums) within the next year. I've heard that they're a PITA, but they don't wear that quickly.

Obviously, I'm not the best person to ask about maintence, but hopefully it'll give you a starting point.

[Bparks717]

focus's are amazing will last forever if maintained properly wich people in america do not do.
The focus was designed in europe, for europe, to be driven in europe,
you gotta maintain it like a european

check for problems dont wait for problems

[alpinewhite]

Originally Posted by guitarseth

Hot Tibby!

Feel free to post whatever questions you have. There is a great thread in Exterior Mods about how to get old headlights looking new again. As far as a general maintence FAQ goes, I'm not really sure that there is a cohesive one posted.

Bulbs - OEM headlights are 9006, Foglights are 893 and I'm not sure about taillights or turn signal bulbs. I've actually only had to replace 2 foglight bulbs in the 94K miles I've put on the car in the last 5 years.

Fluids - The only thing I've changed so far is the oil, and I just use Motorcraft 5w20. Its starting to get to the point where it needs to the brakes bled, so I'll probably just drain them and replace all the fluid.

Brakes - I replaced my fronts around 70K. I just got Autozone rotors and a set of Motorcraft pads. I think it came out to around $110 and took about 20 minutes to put them on. I'll probably be replacing the rear shoes (and probably drums) within the next year. I've heard that they're a PITA, but they don't wear that quickly.

Obviously, I'm not the best person to ask about maintence, but hopefully it'll give you a starting point.

aweosme, thanks! actually, i need to know the signal sizes as thats the particular bulb i need to change at the moment, LOL. she doesnt have fog lights so im not too worried about that... i may get her an HID kit though now that i know its a 9006... thats the same as my tib's fog lights.. maybe i can get a deal on 2 of them . having the HID's in my tib is so much better at night.

....yeah i have the new rotors already, will probably get some ceramic pads and knock out the fronts soon... i will have my cousin (master mechainic) do the drums though... i am not tackling that LOL

Originally Posted by Bparks717

focus's are amazing will last forever if maintained properly wich people in america do not do.
The focus was designed in europe, for europe, to be driven in europe,
you gotta maintain it like a european

check for problems dont wait for problems

so was the acura TSX should i tell my friend who owns one to go out and inspect his rear main seal because its a european inspired car, and it should be gone over with a fine toothed comb, regardless of the fact that was built in Japan??

i have to giggle a little bit at that statement. thats the worst excuse ive ever heard for a car having problems.

everyone knows that cars will run better/last longer if you properly maintain them. "maintain it like a european?" europeans dont take better care of their cars than anyone else, dude.... fact is, europeans are, in general, much less obsessed with their cars than americans...

oh, and BTW, the focus was not designed strictly for europeans... it was designed to replace the escort... globally. it was also not built in europe... it was most likely built in the 3rd world country of Mexico, so the build quality tends to suffer as such. thats why sway bars snap, struts crap out early and seals leak. poor build quality...

[guitarseth]

Originally Posted by alpinewhite

oh, and BTW, the focus was not designed strictly for europeans... it was designed to replace the escort... globally. it was also not built in europe... it was most likely built in the 3rd world country of Mexico, so the build quality tends to suffer as such. thats why sway bars snap, struts crap out early and seals leak. poor build quality...

Unfortunately, a surprising number of build quality issues, such as problems with rust around the rear door latches occured in Sedans and Wagons, which were built at Wayne in Michigan. The Mexico plant actually built fairly high quality cars, thats why their building the Fusions and Milans down there now.