Your opinion: Will Ford "fix" the 2012 Focus for good?

[MyThIc3LiTe]

Originally Posted by lptousig

I also own a 2012 SEL Focus and this is the worst car I had. My friend was about to buy a Titanium. I told him all the problem I've been going thru with the transmission. After a road test he finally decided to stick with Japan manufacturer. I had a Honda, 2 Acura and Mazda and I never experienced such problem. The transmission is very rough, shake a lot at start and sometime almost stop when I start. And now it's making terrible noise when it shift in 2nd. I saw people posting on youtube the sound transmission makes when shifting in 2nd. I am use to keep my cars up to 300,000KM but I don't feel this one will last that much. I am now at 44,000Km and it just gets worst. I when to the dealer they try to fix it but nothing as changed. I like the car, great looking hatchback, good finition and it stick on the road but transmission problem on brand new car is a major problem and it's not what I expect from a brand new car, it's not acceptable. I wanted to support american job and economy but I should have stay with Japan Mfg. Very dissapointed.

Since I'm getting fed up with idiots who don't know what the DCT is...

YOU'RE AN IDIOT.

It is two manual transmissions being shifted by a computer. Still acts like a manual, just no clutch pedal.

No torque converter means no parasitic suck that all autos have, this won't be as smooth.

Go ahead an buy Japanese. The only car remotely competitive with the Focus, Cruze and Dart is the Mazda 3 but hey, don't let me tell you that the Mazda 3 is just a cast off previous generation Ford focus platform employing car. If you like paying for 5 year old tech go ahead.

There is a good reason the Japanese are losing in comparison tests. Hell, the 3 domestics get more comparison time against each other than they do with the Japanese. Car and Driver put the Fpcus ahead of the Dart, Inside Line did the same against the Cruze when the car launched.

Unless you like paying for so called Japanese engineering. Japanese engineering gets me crap interiors, crap design and crap value. All new cars so warranty and resale value mean nothing, I don't buy cars thinking ill be selling in 5 years I buy them based off what's the best value and for any scenario the Focus keeps winning.

Sorry you've had "issues" but the Focus is still 10 times the car that anything from Japan can muster.

[TheGlassMaker]

Will ford fix the 2012? Simple answer really, did they fix the extremly well known spi valve seat problem? Nope.

[collisionbend]

@MyThIc3LiTe is right. You have to drive the car, not let the car drive you. If you want a car to drive you, buy a fing Jap car.

Realize that the transmission in the new Focus is something that only appears in Lamborghinis and Ferraris: they're much happier at higher speeds and with drivers who know how to drive a car. If you don't fall in this bucket, buy something else and quit bitching about your choice here.

But don't dis a car you can't understand.

[forceflow2]

Originally Posted by collisionbend

If you want a car to drive you, buy a fing Jap car.

Classy.

Originally Posted by collisionbend

Realize that the transmission in the new Focus is something that only appears in Lamborghinis and Ferraris:

Yes...only in Lamborghinis and Ferraris. That's definitely right. There is no way that's incredibly not true.

[collisionbend]

Sorry, I was typing faster than my tiny, little mind was thinking!

What I *meant* to say was that the DCT is one of the more interesting transmission technologies that have trickled down from racing, which so far has only been commercially available in cars the caliber of Lamborghinis and Ferraris.

My point is that the DCT is meant to be driven, not babied. If you want to drive like a geezer, buy a Camry.

Better? ;-)

[MyThIc3LiTe]

Originally Posted by collisionbend

Sorry, I was typing faster than my tiny, little mind was thinking!

What I *meant* to say was that the DCT is one of the more interesting transmission technologies that have trickled down from racing, which so far has only been commercially available in cars the caliber of Lamborghinis and Ferraris.

My point is that the DCT is meant to be driven, not babied. If you want to drive like a geezer, buy a Camry.

Better? ;-)

VW is only now bringing the DSG to models other then the GTI.

Audi now finally offers a DCT worth having, R Tronic sucked since it was basically akin to BMWs SMG or Lamborghinis egear. S Tronic is akin to Porches PDK.

Lambo itself has a ISR system, it's double clutch essentially. Ferrari is ALL DCT. BMW as well. Mercedes has its MCT in practically everything it offers now.

Basically any high end brand is now employing this tech.

And in our segment guess which cars offer it? The Focus and the Veloster. I own both of them. Partly because they happen to be fine cars, the V is a bit of a design oddball but I love it, but also because they have DCTs.

You don't go back to torque converter bullshit automatics unless you really have to. And I'm happy with my insane shifts and at speed smoothness and since I actually know what to expect from a DCT the low speed shenanigans don't bother me at all.

[collisionbend]

Which is another angle to what I was trying to say: it's certainly worth overlooking the low-speed shenanigans for the fun and performance - which is what the DCT delivers.

What I found interesting, while shopping for cars, was what the competing car salesmen were saying about the Focus' DCT: basically, "you never know what their trannies are doing down there." (I had one say exactly that; he was selling Kia, I believe.) It doesn't make much sense, in an arena where technological advancement sets your product apart from your competitors, to act the luddite.

And this isn't to say that torque converter automatics don't still have their place: I certainly don't want to be stopped at a traffic light on a steep hill behind a fully-laden F-150 or F-250 with a DCT.

[Mazingo]

A year ago I was talking to the owner of a Ford dealership who was telling me that the Focus was one update away from being 100% bulletproof.A year later nothing has changed.

[VectorZ]

Originally Posted by Mazingo

A year ago I was talking to the owner of a Ford dealership who was telling me that the Focus was one update away from being 100% bulletproof.A year later nothing has changed.

Mine is.

[lptousig]

FYI you jump pretty fast to conclusion IDIOT. Yes I use the word automatic since it's shifting automatically. DCT is nothing new. I did work on DCT while at university for SAE Formula competition if you know what this is, which I doubt. I agree with you that DCT cannot be as smooth as automatic ttransmission since it doesn't have any torque converter but For Your Information good DCT design are suppose to shift more quickly and more smoothly, at least, than with a single-clutch. Which is not the case of the FOCUS. I recommend you go to BMW and make a road test with their DCT and you will feel the difference. If the focus didn't learn how someones drive after 45000KM, it will never adapt. What about the increasing noise it makes? Next time don't loose people time instead jumping to IDIOT conclusion.

Originally Posted by MyThIc3LiTe

Since I'm getting fed up with idiots who don't know what the DCT is...

YOU'RE AN IDIOT.

It is two manual transmissions being shifted by a computer. Still acts like a manual, just no clutch pedal.

No torque converter means no parasitic suck that all autos have, this won't be as smooth.

Go ahead an buy Japanese. The only car remotely competitive with the Focus, Cruze and Dart is the Mazda 3 but hey, don't let me tell you that the Mazda 3 is just a cast off previous generation Ford focus platform employing car. If you like paying for 5 year old tech go ahead.

There is a good reason the Japanese are losing in comparison tests. Hell, the 3 domestics get more comparison time against each other than they do with the Japanese. Car and Driver put the Fpcus ahead of the Dart, Inside Line did the same against the Cruze when the car launched.

Unless you like paying for so called Japanese engineering. Japanese engineering gets me crap interiors, crap design and crap value. All new cars so warranty and resale value mean nothing, I don't buy cars thinking ill be selling in 5 years I buy them based off what's the best value and for any scenario the Focus keeps winning.

Sorry you've had "issues" but the Focus is still 10 times the car that anything from Japan can muster.

Originally Posted by MyThIc3LiTe

I have a June 2011 - issues? None.

I haven't had to go for TSBs on the DCT either. MFT sucks, but that's a given since they went crazy with it and didn't optimize it at all till the update.

As far as the DCT goes. People who have a 2012 Focus probably don't know how DCTs work. They will never, ever be as smooth as torque converters. I knew, coming from experience with VAG dual clutch boxes that I shouldn't expect for slow speed smoothness.

At high speeds? Oh god does this gearbox work wonders, but thats a given for all DCTs.