[NCfocust]

Hello to all! I'm a newbie and have a blue 2005 ZX4 SE which I love.
Got a great deal on it cuz the owner didn't like shifting! Anyway, it
has 13k now and I hear wheel noise from the rt. front end like a
wuwuwuwuwu when coasting; my brother drove it and I could hear it from
a block away. Had the tires rotated/balanced and alignment done, NO
change in the noise. Could this be wheel bearings or something? Car is
pristine,clean background, no wrecks. How do I get warranty work done
as a 2nd owner? Any advice is appreciated because I really love this
car and also love thumbing my nose at my VERY honda biased 21 y.o.
stepson who is such a snob and thinks I'm an absolute idiot to
purchase a Ford. He keeps waiting for it to break down, grrr.

Oh yea, we took this car to PCB, FL from Charlotte, NC, and it was
excellent to travel in. At 13K I'm getting 34 mpg on the interstate
and the mileage just keeps getting better. As some folks have
mentioned, I too experience the hard clutch after cruising on the
highway but easy clutching the rest of the time; what's that
about? And what about the stock CD player reading "bad disk" on my
burned CDs like 5-6 times before playing them? Any thoughts on the
matter? I've tried different brands and it makes no difference. Only
factory CDs play the first time every time.

I would also love any stats that show up the civic (just to rub it in).
This site rules! Thanks, NCfocust

 

[Bubba Bob]

Could this be wheel bearings

Sounds like it to me.


BE carefull with your burnt discs. I got "bad disc" off and on before it ate mine.

 

[whynotthinkwhynot]

Hold on their chief.. one question at a time, and some of those questions should be posted in other Forums. I'll try my best.

The wuwuwuwuwuw sound is caused by one of several things. Late model Fords are notorious for warping factory rotors. Check both sides of your rotors on either side of the car for signs of premature wear like grooves. There are also wheel bearings that should be checked just in case. I've never heard of either of these being as loud as you described, but I may not have the best hearing. The most likely cause of the issue is the intermediate axleshaft bearing. You can check for yourself by jacking the wheel, and turning it quicklyby hand to see if you can isolate the cause of the noise. I'd have a Ford dealer check to determine the cause of the sound if that doesn't help.

I'm not well versed in transferrable warranties. If the owner is like me and didn't pay for the optional warranty, then should still be covered by the 100k drivetrain warranty. Once again, I am not completely positive about this, but a dealer should be honest with you about this because the dealer is repaid for warranty work.

As a guess, the hard clutch issue is probably caused by braking without clutching, and a small amount of pressure builds up in the clutch part of the combined master cylinder. Through a marvel of modern engineering (that I think we could do without), Ford uses the same master cylinder and reservoir for the clutch and the brakes. Keep this in mind if you ever notice a greasy build-up on your pedals. It is fairly common for these master cylinders to go out above 60k miles. There are fellow FF's who work for dealers and offer to get us parts at lower prices.

Shoot your question about CD's to the guys in the Car Audio and Electronics Forum. You might also want to check the Menu to be sure that Compress is turned off if you're not playing MP3's. I noticed that music sounds a little better with it on, but I tend to get more Bad Disk messages.

Well, it used to be that Focis were better in accidents than Civics, but that changed when Honda changed the body style recently. If you compare the new Civic Si to the ST, we're 25hp behind. We're also rapidly losing our aftermarket parts suppliers, and Ford does not see fit to produce much in the way of performance parts for the new Focis. It appears that the Focus is going the way of the Escort, and not much will be available in the way of hot-rodding parts in the near future. Sad but true.

 

[whynotthinkwhynot]

Oh, you can tell him that there is a guy in Charlotte who is running sub 11 second 1/4 mile times in a turbocharged Focus.

Click this link.

Focus Power

 

[NCfocust]

Thanks for the advice

Thanks, guys, for all your advice. Someone told me that my noise may be hubcaps, but it definitely sounds more integral to the car than a wheelcover whir.
One thing that disturbs me about Ford not producing performance parts for the new Focis is that on their euro website they seem to be beefing things up with marked improvements! Why not here?? They have an awesome Focus available there, and Focus is not their econo car in the UK. What about the Fiesta, Ka, and street Ka? Ford is really not taking advantage of it's muscle to bring some of these models over to the US at a time when all the Japanese and Korean (and soon to be Chinese) are introducing them. Why so tentative? Are they stretched too thin and in too deep over the (passe) SUV orgy?

Ford should raise the price of the Focus in order to increase the perception of quality in the minds of the consumer. I know, I know, no one wants to pay more, but all the J. manf's have done so in the past and it worked; this in turn allowed them to further refine cars that in the beginning weren't so spectacular (remember the "beer can" sheet metal on old Civics?) This is fundamental marketing strategy, and perception of quality is the primary source that drives Desire To Purchase. Maybe I'm ranting, but in the U.S. Ford needs to get away from high-volume, low dollar sales tactics before they lose another fine vehicle. Focus should move up, not down the ratings/performance/perception scale. Keep improving the Focus; introduce the Fiesta for the econo market.

These are just opinions and somewhat rhetorical because I'm a marketing person not an automotive person. Opinions and debate are stimulating, especially because we all love our Focis.

By the way, I went to the australian website and saw the Fairlane, Fiesta, Falcon, and Falcon Ute - what a trip! www.ford.com.au
Thanks for letting me rant.

 

[whynotthinkwhynot]

Just so you'd know, we've been over this time and time again in the General Car Chat Forum. One of my favorite FF's, Igor, keeps the rest of us abrest of the latest developments with Ford and other news.

We're all hoping that Mark Fields will bring Ford NA back to life and put them squarely in the 4 cyl performance market with a new SVT Focus.

Keep in mind that part of the reason that Ford is slow to produce hot rod Foci's is that they don't want anything to overshadow the performance of the almighty Mustang- even the standard GT. Personally I wish they'd make the Cobra or Boss top 450hp, and let an SVT turbo Focus top the performance of the standard GT. Europe doesn't have a Stang.. so no issue.