I traded in my 2000 Escort ZX2 for a 2011 Focus earlier this year and am already feeling a little less than confident about my decision. I didn't do a whole lot of shopping around, after 11 yrs and 177,000+ miles on my Escort I figured a Focus would be a good fit. It took a little while but I've gotten pretty attached to her now.
Here's the weirdness with her though, at about 4,000 miles I got the first oil change done at a Ford dealership near where I was visiting family (about 650 miles from my home). I declined the upsell offer of tire rotation, just wanted the oil change as I was anxious to get to the hospital to visit my terminally ill family member. The mechanic seemed annoyed with me from the start. Not sure what could have happened during the oil change but after that my brakes were squeaky and the steering felt loose. I also started to notice a hesitation during acceleration as if the gears weren't shifting at the right time. I mentioned this to several family members also on the trip who are mechanics, I was assured the shifting was normal, I'm just used to a manual not automatic. I was told the other things were imagined.During the second 1,300 mile round trip the following week I noticed the same issues, the steering felt a little more "loose" but this was attributed to strong winds.
I now have 15,000 miles on the car and continue to notice a hesitation on acceleration, especially if I slow down to turn a corner and accelerate while turning but also when I slow down and accelerate without coming to a complete stop. It seems like the car is also louder than it was when I bought it, just the general running noise. There is also a slight vibration while driving that I would almost be willing to accept as tire noise, but we haven't been able to find anything unusual with the tires. The vibration/shutter is often present when coasting, like going down hill, even if I'm not touching the brake. It has recently started to shutter more when I press the brake. And the last oddity, what appears to be a squeak from the rear passenger side suspension.
After dealing with a multitude of car problems last year I thought buying new would avoid dealing with anything odd for a couple more years. I haven't been able to get the car in to be checked but did call a local dealer to discuss issues with their mechanic. His tone and response suggested what my family mechanics have already said...I'm imagining things. So, has anyone had any similar issues that might suggest I'm not nuts on this?
Thanks
Here's the weirdness with her though, at about 4,000 miles I got the first oil change done at a Ford dealership near where I was visiting family (about 650 miles from my home). I declined the upsell offer of tire rotation, just wanted the oil change as I was anxious to get to the hospital to visit my terminally ill family member. The mechanic seemed annoyed with me from the start. Not sure what could have happened during the oil change but after that my brakes were squeaky and the steering felt loose. I also started to notice a hesitation during acceleration as if the gears weren't shifting at the right time. I mentioned this to several family members also on the trip who are mechanics, I was assured the shifting was normal, I'm just used to a manual not automatic. I was told the other things were imagined.During the second 1,300 mile round trip the following week I noticed the same issues, the steering felt a little more "loose" but this was attributed to strong winds.
I now have 15,000 miles on the car and continue to notice a hesitation on acceleration, especially if I slow down to turn a corner and accelerate while turning but also when I slow down and accelerate without coming to a complete stop. It seems like the car is also louder than it was when I bought it, just the general running noise. There is also a slight vibration while driving that I would almost be willing to accept as tire noise, but we haven't been able to find anything unusual with the tires. The vibration/shutter is often present when coasting, like going down hill, even if I'm not touching the brake. It has recently started to shutter more when I press the brake. And the last oddity, what appears to be a squeak from the rear passenger side suspension.
After dealing with a multitude of car problems last year I thought buying new would avoid dealing with anything odd for a couple more years. I haven't been able to get the car in to be checked but did call a local dealer to discuss issues with their mechanic. His tone and response suggested what my family mechanics have already said...I'm imagining things. So, has anyone had any similar issues that might suggest I'm not nuts on this?
Thanks
] Please PM me with your VIN, contact information, mileage, & servicing dealer name/state so I can help.
