'07 Focus - My review after one year

[Hermann]

A couple of years ago I rented a 2008 Focus auto for a week. Honest it still had the problems of my 2000 model. It was noisy, rode rough, and had the 65 MPH and above Ford steering wheel shimmy. It did get better mileage but was geared taller. The seats and interior were actually worse than my early model. Cheapened up with hard plastics and the seats still lacked any lumbar support. But the Foci are fun to drive. Very euro in nature.

 

[MysticGold04]

I have a 2006 that I am approaching one year of ownership as well. I agree with you 100%. I Sold my 2004 Tacoma and got this car for a commuter. I have not been sorry. (ok, yes I miss my truck, in a perfect world I'd have both)

Mine is a manual trans, and since I've had it i've:

Replaced Oil, Spark Plugs, Power steering fluid, Transmission oil.
Brakes will be next - and I may need to replace the Heater/AC fan - it squeaks.

All around solid car, and I'm hoping that I can keep mine running to 200k and beyond. Its nice to only spend about $45 a fill up compared to about $75 or so for the Tacoma when I had it.

Klutch9: When you are driving on the highway, is the engine and road noise loud? I notice the engine is loud about 3k RPM.

The only other thing I nitpick about is the "lifetime" air filter, but there are solutions to that when the time comes.

 

[MysticGold04]

I forgot.. another thing I'm not fond of.. the location of the PCV valve... its under the intake manifold. Other than the air filter and location of the PCV... I love mine..

 

[Klutch9]

Yes, the road noise on the highway is noticeable, as is the wind noise. I do have some tires with aggressive tread, so that may also be contributing to the road noise. The engine does make some noise when cruising on the highway, but I think that may be in part because I have a CAI. Still, the engine noise isn't that noticeable when you also consider the simultaneous road and wind noise. Even on long trips, this car is comfortable and the noise isn't an issue. I love my noisy-ish little Focus

 

[MysticGold04]

Did you install the CAI or did it come on the car when you bought it? Naturally, mine being CA emissions, and being a PZEV, the only option is to install/remove the CAI when it's testing time because no CAIs that I know of have CA CARB approval yet. So for now I've decided to leave it be

I love my Focus too!

 

[Klutch9]

My car is also a PZEV, and I installed the CAI myself. What I did was just install a clamp-on cone style filter to the MAF housing (a very popular mod in the Focus community - can be found here Focus Stealth CAI )

This involves removing the 'lifetime' air filter/housing, then simply clamping the filter on. The O.D. of the MAF housing is an odd 3.25", as most filters have either a 3" or 3.5" I.D. However, I use a 3.5" Spectre filter that is soft enough to make up for that .25" slack and seal perfectly.

Oh, and no silly emissions tests in MI

In fact, since this mod still keeps the factory intake resonator and hydrocarbon trap, in theory this should still be fine for emissions. I honestly never understood why an aftermarket intake causes a car to fail an emissions test... I mean, yes, an aftermarket intake on a little subcompact car MAY increase emissions like 0.00012%, but it still emits WAY less carbons than a 'stock' V8 gas-guzzling SUV. Who knows.

 

[MysticGold04]

Originally Posted By: Klutch9
My car is also a PZEV, and I installed the CAI myself. What I did was just install a clamp-on cone style filter to the MAF housing (a very popular mod in the Focus community - can be found here Focus Stealth CAI )

This involves removing the 'lifetime' air filter/housing, then simply clamping the filter on. The O.D. of the MAF housing is an odd 3.25", as most filters have either a 3" or 3.5" I.D. However, I use a 3.5" Spectre filter that is soft enough to make up for that .25" slack and seal perfectly.

Oh, and no silly emissions tests in MI

In fact, since this mod still keeps the factory intake resonator and hydrocarbon trap, in theory this should still be fine for emissions. I honestly never understood why an aftermarket intake causes a car to fail an emissions test... I mean, yes, an aftermarket intake on a little subcompact car MAY increase emissions like 0.00012%, but it still emits WAY less carbons than a 'stock' V8 gas-guzzling SUV. Who knows.


Yup I saw that mod.. that's the one I'm gonna do... I think they have the spectre filter at Autozone or OReilly's by me for like $25. Did you notice any difference in the response of the engine when you changed it out?

 

[Klutch9]

I can't tell if it made a difference or not, really, as I did it so early on after I got the car (about one week). It's hard to tell. But I like the slightly throatier intake noise, and I'm sure it added a few ponies, as those dyno numbers in the how-to don't lie.