first off let me say I love my focus...but my DCT started acting up and I've lost confidence in the design and in Ford having a fix for the problem.

my clutch needs replacement before I've gone through the first set of tires...I have 23k miles on the car and the DCT has been acting up for $2k miles. I believe if I replace the clutch i'll be dealing with the same problem in the future and soon my car would be worthless so I pondered an exit strategy.

since I really like the focus and they are heavily discounted right now I stopped by the dealership. within two hours I was driving off the lot in a 2014 ST, which is tuxedo black just like my 2012 SEL.

the price of the 2014 ST was $20400 which is exactly what I paid for my 2012 SEL about 16 months ago. the dealership offered me $10k for my SEL I countered with $12k but the highest they would go is $10500 so I took it.

Hey Golden, that was an elegant way to take care of your DCT problem. I did a similar thing this summer. I had a DCT Hatchback with all the problems that come with it and got rid of it for a 2013 SE Hatchback 5 speed manual. Why should I throw the baby out with the bath water just because of the DCT? I loved the Focus but could no longer tolerate the auto trans.

You took it to another level with the ST. And a 6 speed manual! I'm jealous.

Congrats on the purchase. Very wise decision.

 

Why should I throw the baby out with the bath water just because of the DCT?

Well if the baby is a retarded runt and since there is no morality or legal issues to throwing out this kind of baby....there isn't much reason for it to NOT go out with the bath water. []


My focus went well beyond just DCT problems, and in a way I am happy it did. Made it easy to drop that POS asap with no regrets doing so. Had it mainly been just the DCT, it may have been a harder decision to make.

 

thanks Wavesine. what kind of deal did you make....how big of a hit? this car looks very similar to my other but ir sure is a different beast!

 

Best possible resolution, congrats, GoldenHour! Enjoy!

 

Congrats on the ST!!

 

those are my immediate thoughts. I now own a 2014 tuxedo black ST. i'm stoked but reserved. I do feel relief that I no longer have the DCT to worry about.

I've read many posts from ST owners with clutch/transmission problems. In most cases, their car was not driveable.

Conversely, posts about a "broken" DCT that actually left the owner stranded seem rare, especially considering the number of DCT Focuses in existence.

From what you said, it seems that you would be happier with your SEL (with a properly functioning DCT) than you would be with the ST that you traded for.

 

I've read many posts from ST owners with clutch/transmission problems. In most cases, their car was not driveable.
Conversely, posts about a "broken" DCT that actually left the owner stranded seem rare, especially considering the number of DCT Focuses in existence.

From what you said, it seems that you would be happier with your SEL (with a properly functioning DCT) than you would be with the ST that you traded for.

i'll bet they got it fixed too. I never felt like the DCT would leave me stranded only that I would get the slow stroke from ford before they replaced the clutch and the problem would eventually reoccur.

 

Wow, I must have missed all of these ST owners who are having transmission problems! Maybe 1 or 2 if that! Go over to Focus ST and you still won't find a large number of folks complaining about transmission problems. A couple of people out of a large number of owners does not a massive problem make. And BTW, my in-laws have a 2012 SEL with the DCT and have had ZERO, allow me to repeat for emphasis, ZERO problems with the vehicle.

 

how many miles on their focus? mine was fine for 21k miles, and I drove the hell out of it.

 

thanks guys.

 

-- leather seats. I really liked them. the interior in my SEL made it look like a luxury car. the recaros are cloth but they are more comfortable than the SEL seats.

-- regular key. I don't like the fob.

-- automatic trans. I would prefer an automatic but I think focus autos are ticking time bombs. hence the trade-in.

-- great gas mileage. I am mostly an in-town driver and I am averaging 28.6 mpg for the year. i'll be happy to get 22 with the ST but it also requires premium fuel.

-- no sunglasses/garage door remote holder?

The seats shown in the ST you linked to are the base ST1 seats which were identical to the SEL seats except wrapped in the SE Sport cloth pattern with the ST embroidery in the seat back. Only the ST2 and ST3 have the Recaro Seat option.

The ST will run on regular just fine as long as you leave it stock, but of course you will not be getting the best performance from the engine.

The base ST1 only gets the mini overhead console with the sync microphone in it, it seems. Every other ST above that one has the overhead console afaik. If you'd had the moon roof it would probably also have the full console with sunglass holder.

Otherwise congratulations on the new ST and enjoy.

 

you're right about the seats. so I guess for comfort I do prefer them to leather. I hate sun/moon roofs. i'd rather do without the sunglasses holder . the other stuff is minor. it takes some time to adjust to a new car.

 

Glad you found something you're happier with, and moved up a couple model years as well!

 

That's the smartest move I had seen so far! Congrats in your new ride!

 

thank you. if you consider what I paid for each car ($20.4k ea) and the fact that I put 23k miles on the SEL and moved from a 2012 to a 2014 I think I did okay especially if we learn in a year or so that there is no fix for the DCT issues. I think so. I bought the SEL to drive for about 100k miles. it didn't work out that way.

the only issues I had with the SEL were 1) rattletrap 2) DCT. sure my sync was dodgy but it met my expectations and looked nice.

 

i asked the service rep about the DCT issues today. she said the DCT is indeed a problem but the replacement DCT "should" fix the problem.

the replacement DCT is a refurbished unit. she said they have been instructed to replace faulty units but the refurbished clutches are on "national backorder".

she also said that they have not seen a single unit return with a replaced clutch but most of the clutches have been replaced in the past few months.

so the fix is a failed unit from another focus that's been refurbished which in my mind means there is no real fix but you can get your clutch replaced on warranty at least once if you can convince the dealership that yours is faulty.

 

Current replacement clutches should have a part number ending in "D", meaning it's the fourth revision. The "D" series seems to be having some success and, with the new part number, sure doesn't seem like a refurbished component to me. If you do get another replacement clutch, insist on the "D" iteration and confirm it by reviewing the repair order. (Unless, of course, an "E" exists!)

Are you sure she didn't mean the gearbox itself was a refurbished unit rather than the clutch? That would make a lot more sense.

 

GoldenHour:

Congratulations on your ST.
It's your hard earned money and the important thing is that you are happy with your car.

 

thank you. overall I am not happy over the money I lost but i'm happy to have the DCT behind me.

I think if you get a good clutch it'll be good for maybe 20k miles if you drive it hard. a bad one will be a problem early on.

we'll know more as time goes on because there are plenty of focusses on the road.

 

the way I see it I was going to lose money now or later. I decided to lose money now instead of losing sleep and possibly my mind [cool].

 

Glad to hear you enjoy the upgrade. Ive been considering dropping my "highly optioned" SE for an ST1 for awhile. After this last week of weather I'm considering finding another Audi though. My first winter with Quattro in the wifes A4 and it made getting around sooooo much easier.

Actually stopped to help push a MK3 Titanium (with summer tires) up a small incline on Sunday. Once he was moving I hopped back in the AWD and drove off like it was dry.