IMPORTANT: ALL MK3 Focus Owners, I could use your input.

[Twenty]

Also I should note it's the rear that's the really noisy part. The front is very mild. I suspect maybe the rear sway bar needs more grease?

[Zillon]

Originally Posted by Twenty

Also I should note it's the rear that's the really noisy part. The front is very mild. I suspect maybe the rear sway bar needs more grease?

Have you changed yours at all?

I just greased mine today, but I upgraded mine with the Steeda RSB.

Also, were you able to get ahold of Canadian Ford customer service?

[Twenty]

I have the Steeda bar, installed back in July...?

I called back, and left a voicemail.

He then called back when I was stuck in a 3-hour lecture, and left me a voicemail.

So yes and no.

[Zillon]

Originally Posted by Twenty

I have the Steeda bar, installed back in July...?

I called back, and left a voicemail.

He then called back when I was stuck in a 3-hour lecture, and left me a voicemail.

So yes and no.

Ah. Yeah, my Steeda bar was making a hell of a racket. I removed the brackets and greased inside the bushing with lithium grease, and I also greased the outside of the bushing that contacts the bracket. Overally, it's very easy to do, you don't even need to disconnect the endlinks.

I'm at a loss now with my clunk. The only things left are a possible structural deficiency, bad subframe bushings/misalignment, or bad struts. I think I'm going to follow up on the promise I made to myself and start searching for a replacement vehicle that isn't a Ford; this is ridiculous.

[BlazeFocus]

Originally Posted by Lipshurt

Hey I'm the credit card fix guy.
When its about 60 degrees my sound will show up now, but for a very short time, and its way better with the shim. Now the sound stops completely after driving about 2 to 4 minutes. It used to take 10 to 20 minutes to warm up enough. So the credit card is doing something. If it comes back, I'm going to get a set of chassis ears with wires, and trouble shoot the thing to the point of knowing exactly where the noise is coming from.
I'm not sure why nobody has done this yet. It will mean put all six mic clips in various suspicious places, record the output on 6 separate tracks on my laptop, lather rinse repeat, until its zeroed in. I can't do it till Christmas break, and I'll only have about 4 minutes at a time maximum before the sound stops. Of course I could take the credit card out.

The mics are 119 bucks at amazon.com

We could send them around to people on the forum. That would be a good data resource.
Or ford could it do it for us:)

I pretty sure that "ford customer service" will not show up here again, peddling that jive about "working on it" with engineers yadda yadda. That's total BS.

Instrumenting the car is the ONLY way to nail down the root cause so I applaud this focus (no pun intended). When I suggest that Ford isn't really interested in the big picture because of potential widespread cost and publicity, it is this very suggestion of "measurement" you are making that is THE definitive approach. At first glance, process of elimination via parts replacement makes a lot of sense - like Zillon has done extensively - but when that much work hasn't produced a marked improvement you would think Ford would want to take ANY opportunity to understand this at the engineering level. If they cared they would be all over this. Have we seen that? no.
My theory, again, is that they'd much rather limit their exposure on this by waiting for owners to register complaints by visiting dealerships. Anyone that is experiencing this issue in or around the Dearborn area should be taking this to corporate. The rest of us should be making arrangements to schedule a service department appointment; not because it will lead to an immediate remedy but because everyone needs to make this official by registering the concern - in the Ford service system. This appointment should be viewed as a minimum of inconvenience, with the expectation that you will most likely get a "everything's normal" or "no trouble found" response going into it. So be it. Doesn't matter, until it lives in the Ford service system it's not serious enough for Ford. That has been proved here on Focus Fanatic. If you aren't willing to schedule at least ONE appointment to register the concern, then the issue isn't that important to you.

Just because this thing "lives" on the interwebs in an enthusiast forum, that alone doesn't make it front & center like it needs to be. It need to be registered officially with Ford as well. Attention and bureaucratic soft peddling by Crystal and an assigned "regional" operative is a coffee filter mechanism; they'll close the case easily if strident actions are taken by the vehicle owner. I understand that their job responsibilities and limited empowerment may restrict how they handle these situations but don't let that be an impediment to getting a resolution. CSR interaction on forums isn't necessarily a bad thing and I believe it helps many people on easier issues, but in situations like this, they are VERY limited in what they can do to assist. Go to your dealership!

Corporate social media interactions a good customer response mechanism doesn't make.
It can feel all warm and fuzzy to be sure but it is not substitute for doing the "real" thing.
It's merely a facilitator and publicity function. Probably not even a union job.
It's 2012; social media response teams are in vogue and all big corporations with consumer market penetration are using them - but don't get complacent.
The more this spins in circles on the blog-o-sphere the less likely it is to get addressed.
Less talk - more action!

[GhiaFan]

I would assume Ford Corporate's attitude towards this issue is that is not a safety issue, and will not be a high priority subject.
My guess is that Ford will keep an ear on the current owners such as this thread and work at finding a fix for Job 2 MY2013 or MY2014, etc.

The gang here should give Zillion kudos for taking control and attacking the issue head on. Hoping all his hard work can find a solution
so all that are having this issue can have a nice refined ride, which is what I really like about the MK3 Focus.

[cobie56]

Originally Posted by GhiaFan

I would assume Ford Corporate's attitude towards this issue is that is not a safety issue, and will not be a high priority subject.
My guess is that Ford will keep an ear on the current owners such as this thread and work at finding a fix for Job 2 MY2013 or MY2014, etc.

The gang here should give Zillion kudos for taking control and attacking the issue head on. Hoping all his hard work can find a solution
so all that are having this issue can have a nice refined ride, which is what I really like about the MK3 Focus.

or... they're preoccupied w/ their burning issues regarding the eco boost engine... :)
(speaking of quality issues)

[suss6052]

Originally Posted by cobie56

or... they're preoccupied w/ their burning issues regarding the eco boost engine... :)
(speaking of quality issues)

Technically that's not the only EcoBoost engine, and the 2.0 L, and 3.5L have had smooth launches by comparison.

The 1.6 had been used for at least 18 months in Europe before it ever came here, so what is causing the issues all of a sudden if it wasn't happening there? Or was it happening there but no one cared to mention this?

[Zillon]

Originally Posted by GhiaFan

I would assume Ford Corporate's attitude towards this issue is that is not a safety issue, and will not be a high priority subject.
My guess is that Ford will keep an ear on the current owners such as this thread and work at finding a fix for Job 2 MY2013 or MY2014, etc.

The gang here should give Zillion kudos for taking control and attacking the issue head on. Hoping all his hard work can find a solution
so all that are having this issue can have a nice refined ride, which is what I really like about the MK3 Focus.

I appreciate the kudos, but I've just about reached the end of my rope here. I just want to drive my car and enjoy it. A simple request, you would think.

I've got one more attempt at troubleshooting that I want to try, and after that, I think I'm done. I've carried this torch long enough and far enough, with nothing to show for my labor.

I really shouldn't take the financial hit and trade the car in, but I'm tired of beating my head against the wall here.

[cobie56]

Originally Posted by suss6052

Technically that's not the only EcoBoost engine, and the 2.0 L, and 3.5L have had smooth launches by comparison.

The 1.6 had been used for at least 18 months in Europe before it ever came here, so what is causing the issues all of a sudden if it wasn't happening there? Or was it happening there but no one cared to mention this?

point taken, however, in n. america they are, for whatever reason, on fire...