My husband and I are in the process of buying a used Focus ZX4 Sedan with 133,000 miles for our son. There was one previous owner who purchased it new and later traded it in at the local Ford dealership where we're buying it. The carfax report shows that the maintenance inspections and oil changes were done on schedule but I can't find any evidence of a transmission fluid change. Are transmission fluid changes usually reported on carfax? Would the dealership have that information if it was done there?

Assuming there has never been a transmission fluid change - any advice on how to procede? I've been researching this, both here and on the internet, and get conflicting answers. Some say it should never be done for the first time over 100,000 miles, others say there's a chance it may hurt but it's better than never changing the fluid at all. Then there's the issue of flush (possibly using a cleaner) vs. a simple fluid change. I've also read a few comments about additives which can be added after a flush to prevent problems. There is a one month warranty on this car - if we do have the fluid changed or system flushed, would any issues that result from that show up in the first month?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. My son will be responsible for any future repairs for this car and the last thing I want to do is cause problems for him in the future.

Hey welcome to ff , my first question would be , what year is the focus I'm assuming 2007 plus but just wanna make sure, because if its a spi engine avoid that car in gerneral.

Thanks for the welcome. Sorry, I forgot to mention the year - it's a 2006. I don't know much about cars so go easy on me with the technical stuff! Although we haven't completed the deal, a down payment has been made. Hope there's not too much bad news about that year's model.

Thanks for the welcome. Sorry, I forgot to mention the year - it's a 2006. I don't know much about cars so go easy on me with the technical stuff! Although we haven't completed the deal, a down payment has been made. Hope there's not too much bad news about that year's model.

Oh no....
They only drop valve seats. Not too serious.

Requires engine replacement or rebuild, etc. No big deal.

don't scare the person. the 06 is a duratec and not an SPI. the duratec is a good engine and should last a long time.

+05 have a duratec engine, like mike said, those engines are said to last very long way past 200k with any prblems what so ever. You should be good if all the regular maintence has been done , but the transmision flush I have no idea sorry.

don't scare the person. the 06 is a duratec and not an SPI. the duratec is a good engine and should last a long time.

I know nothing about the differences between years. [thumb]

Oh no....
They only drop valve seats. Not too serious.

Requires engine replacement or rebuild, etc. No big deal.


Hey come on. 06 models are great lol. No worries about those that I know of

btw as far as carfax.... I personally have never come across one that said anything about the mainteneance done during its life.
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Yikes x( trans services are supposed to be done every 30,000 along with power steering and cooling system

"don't scare the person." LOL~ I agree....don't scare the person! I did as much research about this car as I could before deciding to buy it. Most of it was favorable but it's nice to get feedback from people who know the model well. The only thing that really concerns me about the Focus is the poor side crash test ratings but this particular car has side airbags so hopefully that improves its safety.

"btw as far as carfax.... I personally have never come across one that said anything about the mainteneance done during its life". This carfax report shows all the maintenance done for the life of the car - it's pretty specific. It lists inspections, oil changes, brake work, headlamp changes, tire rotation, etc. - maybe because it was a one owner vehicle and this person had all the work done at the same Ford dealership where they purchased it.

Anyone want to take a stab at my original question about whether or not to change the transmission fluid after 100,000 miles if it's never been done before? I've always heard you could be causing trouble by doing that, but never changing it sounds like it could be worse. We did have one car (90's Taurus) which developed major transmission issues immediately after a first time post-100,000 mile transmission fluid change (it was a used car). Maybe it was a coincidence but I doubt it.

I wouldn't touch it, if the transmission shifts just fine, then leave it. Some people on here swear by changing all fluids often. With how many miles are on that fluid and if it shifts fine don't touch it. If it ain't broke don't fix it..

as for the carfax report your lucky to have a detailed list of maintenance. Carfax can be great but more times than not if the car is serviced anywhere else than a dealer there is no entry's made into the carfax system. I've ran carfax reports that were detailed like yours, and others that showed me nothing, it all depends on where the car was serviced.

From Ford.....

http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu147/JustinGrove/Untitled.jpg

You can verify by entering Year, Make and Model. Can search based on mileage or see the full schedule. CLICK -> Ford Fleet Maintenance (https://www.fleet.ford.com/maintenance/maintenance_schedules/Getymm.asp)

I would NOT use any additives or cleaners in the trans. The service manual recommends NEVER using such things.

CLICK -> 2006 Owners Manual (http://www.focusplanet.com/downloads/focusmanuals/2006/2006_focus_owner_guidemanual.pdf). Refer to Maintenance and Specifications Section



My recommendation would be to drive the car (of course you would). Make sure your happy with the way it drives and shifts. Then get under the hood and pull the transmission dipstick and check the level. The fluid should bright red if its good; black if it needs changed. But if the fluid is black but trans still works and drives fine I wouldn't worry. However maybe the dealership can throw in a transmission fluid AND filter change (as its recommended to do both at 150K). If the dealership wont hook you up I'd take it to a trusted mechanic and have the fluid and filter changed. The focus is a very reliable car as long as you take care of your scheduled maintenance. This website will assist you in doing most of that yourselves!

I know nothing about the differences between years. [thumb]

Since this is clearly true, why post mis-information? Just to see your name on the screen?

I'd drop the pan and change the filter.

I've heard of flushes royally screwing up things................

I'd drop the pan and change the filter.

I've heard of flushes royally screwing up things................

How does doing a trans fluid flush screw up things?

Isn't it supposed to be done? Im not sure if mine has been done before I owned the car but im at 123,000 now and plan on doing it soon as it needs to be changed.

How does doing a trans fluid flush screw up things?

Isn't it supposed to be done? Im not sure if mine has been done before I owned the car but im at 123,000 now and plan on doing it soon as it needs to be changed.

I was talking of the flushing machines..........

Dropping the pan, changing the filter and refilling the fluid won't be a problem.

I was talking of the flushing machines..........


I think this is probably true, if the tech is unfamiliar with the process it's relatively easy to get too much or too little fluid into the system. Ask me how I know... no, don't.

Besides, she never said if it was an auto or manual, did she? AFAIK there is no way to do a "flush" in a manual car.

It's entirely possible too, and probably likely, that this has been done when it was supposed to be. If I had any doubt in my mind, I would politely ask the previous owner if it had ever been done, they'd likely be truthful since the car is already sold, right?

I was talking of the flushing machines..........

Dropping the pan, changing the filter and refilling the fluid won't be a problem.

Oh my bad didn't catch that.

Drop the pan and replace the filter and fluid.

Now to answer your questions. The way the car shifts and the color of the tranny fluid is going to answer most of your questions.

Red fluid, does not smell burnt, shifts well = Good tranny
Dark red fluid, smells burnt, slips when shifting at high RPM = Caution
Brown or black fluid, smells burnt, shifts poorly = Warning

I would avoid flushing the system. There is a lot of controversy on whether or not a flush will cause a damage to the tranny. The theory behind flushing causing damage is:

The tranny has 133,000+ miles on it with the fluid going, lets say, clockwise through the system. When the tranny is flushed the fluid is reversed, so counter clockwise through the system, and refilled with new fluid. The thought is all the little metal flakes and debris with in the system will break free and cause damage.

If a flush is done at regular intervals, 30 to 60 thousand miles, it is considered fine.

Again there are those out there that believe flushing is a good thing regardless of the millage. I would error on the side of caution and replace the filter and fluid.

I do encourage you to read up on the positives and negatives of flushing and form your own opinion.

@Vrod21 - That's the theory I've always heard about why transmission flushes are bad in high mileage cars which have never had the fluid changed before (dislodging the metal flakes and debris in the dirty fluid). I did a lot of research on the internet and couldn't find anything definitive - just people's opinions on the subject. Opinions seemed to be evenly divided, pro and con.

I'd be surprised if the previous owner of the car didn't have the transmission fluid changed because he faithfully had all the other maintenance work done. I'm fairly sure he didn't have the transmission work done at the Ford dealership though because it didn't show up in the carfax report. Apparently everything that was ever done at the dealership was listed there, including minor things like changing exterior lightbulbs! It's possible he had the transmission work done somewhere other than the dealership. I would love to talk to the previous owner if the dealership would share that information with me.

Again - thanks all for taking the time to reply. I'm sure we'll be returning here for advice about the Focus in the future.

Not all trans flushing machines are bad news. You really have to know which the shop has and ask how it works before you decide to do it or not. The one we use is merely a fluid exchanger and uses pressure in the trans cooler lines to exchange the fluid. The trans pushes its old fluid into the machine and the machine uses this pressure to pump the fresh fluid out of itself and back into the transmission. No excess pressure, no reverse flushing, no damage. Works great and never had a problem.

Keep in mind we always drop the pan and replace the filter as well.

change the fluid its a cheap piece of mind, New fluid wont hurt your trans.

its along the same lines as oil....full synthetic oils can do 5-7k intervals np, trans fluid 15-30k shouldnt be an issue though I personal wouldn't run it past that

I would SERIOUSLY doubt its original fluid, that doesnt make any sense. If it were all the more reason to change it.

Wecome to the site.I'd drop the pan install new filter and 4 quarts of Merconv fluid.I,ve changed mine every 30,000 miles

Maintenance work does not always show up on a Carfax. Somebody has to report stuff for it to show up on Carfax. Thre are plenty of instances of accident repair not showing up on a Carfax.

If the previous owner had the car serviced at a dealership ask them for a service record for the car. My local Ford dealer still has the service records for my 1997 F-150 that I sold to buy my 2001 Focus.