New Canadian member with a '12 Focus

[CMB76]

I've never seen a yellow sedan before.

[stilix]

Nice dude.

[TheGlassMaker]

Welcome to the site, car looks good congrats on the buy. Can't wait to see more upgrades!

[Twenty]

Thanks all!

I've been using it as my daily the past few days, and I must say it makes a great around-town car. The daily commute is lots of fun with it.

I'm still looking for little things to do here and there to the Focus, but I think it won't be long before the warranties are in danger. Let's hope I can control myself.

[Twenty]

I got bored again. Browsing the forum I saw that blacking out the chrome upper grill was becoming more common, and I really liked it. I luckily had some matte black vinyl laying around so I went ahead and wrapped the chrome pieces.




The major items on my agenda now are a clear bra on the nose, winter wheels and tires, and other items to prepare the Focus for the coming 6 months of snow. Meanwhile I'm also waiting on more parts to come out for the '12s, because (Who was I kidding) I can't leave it alone. My Grand Prix will have competition for my attention.

[TheGlassMaker]

Originally Posted by Twenty

I got bored again. Browsing the forum I saw that blacking out the chrome upper grill was becoming more common, and I really liked it. I luckily had some matte black vinyl laying around so I went ahead and wrapped the chrome pieces.




The major items on my agenda now are a clear bra on the nose, winter wheels and tires, and other items to prepare the Focus for the coming 6 months of snow. Meanwhile I'm also waiting on more parts to come out for the '12s, because (Who was I kidding) I can't leave it alone. My Grand Prix will have competition for my attention.

It's your car but a car bra will ruin and fade paint over time. If you are worried about rock chips and want to spend the money get the clear mask.

http://www.clearmask.com/

[Twenty]

Originally Posted by Twenty

a clear bra on the nose

That's what it'll be getting. My dealership has a guy that wraps new cars as we prepare them for delivery, so I'll talk to him and get a quote.

[Twenty]

And now, parts!



On Wednesday I ordered a couple of things and was told to expect them next week. While I was at work on Friday however, my co-worker from parts let me know that my order had come in early. Next week I'll get to throw these on the car:

OEM front mudflaps (Not really exciting, but needed)...



...and of course, OEM Titanium fog light bezels.



Slowly but surely the Focus is starting to progress.

[Twenty]

Last night I went ahead and put in my Ti fog light bezels. I figured I'd take a few pictures and notes of the procedure as well, since it seems to be a common question. It's not a fool-proof step-by-step manual, but something to hopefully help.

All of this was done on my garage floor with the Focus' front wheels up on some trailer-leveling blocks. Entirely possible to do it this way, but at times it was a bit tight.



First up, the tray under the bumper has to come out. There are 6 clips and about 16 screws holding it in place.





With the underside exposed, each fog light is held in with two small screws. This is where it gets a bit tight. Unclip the harnesses, remove the screws, and pull out the fog lights.





This is where I took a slight detour-while they were out, I redid the tint on the fog lights since I had much better access now.



Now, on to the bezels:



Each is held in with four clips (Top/bottom/left/right). It's easier to release one of the side clips, and a good tug should see the bezel pop out. If not, release them one at a time until it's loose and comes out.



Putting the new ones in is just a matter of pressing them into place. I noticed that the tabs can be a little weak though, so make sure they're actually popping into place and not just twisting as you push.

The fog lights go back in, and are reattached with the two screws. You'll notice each fog light has four tabs for screws, the screws go into the lower inside and upper outside tabs. The other two fit onto little 'pins' which are a part of the bumper.

Put the lower shield back in place and place the clips and screws back into their respective places.

Most importantly, step back now and admire your Ti fog light bezels.






While the car was out today, I went ahead and used a bit more of my vinyl to lightly darken the rear bumper's reflectors. It's a very light tint, to keep them visible but tone down the bright red. I used the same tint last year on my Grand Prix's brake lights.



The mudflaps will be thrown on next, and after that there are a couple more OEM accessories I wouldn't mind getting my hands on.

[JeremyT]

Twenty - Did you take the chrome grill piece out to wrap it or were you able to do it without removing it?