New Toy - hot hatch
Dec 7, 2019 23:28:52 GMT
Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2019 23:28:52 GMT
So, thought I'd give you an update after two and a half years and nearly 20,000 miles.
The good: I think I've covered it with the handling and performance. It's just mental. After two and a bit years it still makes me grin from ear to ear just getting in it.
The to be expected: Fuel and insurance are the biggies. The main dealers still take the Michael with liquid gold oil at 200€ a pop, the second service with aforementioned nectar of the gods lubricant, filters, brake fluid change and a gearbox oil change at my request came in at 680€. The first year service was only 95€ (see below).
Fuel consumption floats around 24mpg though I have seen 19mpg more than I'd like.
The inconvenient: Not really the fault of the car.
The first year, no problems at all. No fluids consumed, huge laughs all the way and then the recall letter arrived at the time the first service was due. Ford had apparently fitted the wrong, Mustang, head gasket to some RS cars which has different water channels to the Mustang 4 banger. My car was tested and they determined it required the recall rectification work. This was done at the same time as the first service so dodged the nectar of the gods cost as the oil and filter were changed as part of the recall to refit the head gasket and cylinder head if required. The next 6,000kms consumed almost a refill bottle of 26€/0.85ml nectar of the gods.
I was on my way to the garage to ask them to check the engine when it misfired three times then let go in a most impressive way. The kind of thing you see watching motorsport on Sunday afternoon TV with a Lewis Hamilton kind of bloke at the wheel. Hole in the block wall, crank and balancer shaft complete with unwound oil pump cog out through the sump. The explosion was quite impressive, I was overtaking a V8 Mustang accelerating out of some roadworks and my 4 banger was making a whole load more noise than his 8 pot. I now have a 2018 engine in my 2017 car.
The new engine feels strong, just like the car did in the first year. No oil consumed, water where it should be. I'd really like to keep this car and it did come with a five year warranty BUT I dunno, there's always that nagging 'what if' at the back of my mind. A trip to Mountune to extract a few more ponies from this lowly four cylinder could get me 520PS in a Focus !!!! They have also benched this engine with E30 fuel at 680bhp. Hahahaha. Someone tell me why I need to downgrade to 6 cylinders and a bhp figure starting with a 3
Back to reality what I have found is with a new air filter and some light reworking of some bits and bytes this car can bother E63 AMG V8 bi-turbos in anything but bone dry conditions. When the road gets damp those AMGs just cannot get the power down through the back tyres. I can hear the tyres spinning from inside my car.
The good: I think I've covered it with the handling and performance. It's just mental. After two and a bit years it still makes me grin from ear to ear just getting in it.
The to be expected: Fuel and insurance are the biggies. The main dealers still take the Michael with liquid gold oil at 200€ a pop, the second service with aforementioned nectar of the gods lubricant, filters, brake fluid change and a gearbox oil change at my request came in at 680€. The first year service was only 95€ (see below).
Fuel consumption floats around 24mpg though I have seen 19mpg more than I'd like.
The inconvenient: Not really the fault of the car.
The first year, no problems at all. No fluids consumed, huge laughs all the way and then the recall letter arrived at the time the first service was due. Ford had apparently fitted the wrong, Mustang, head gasket to some RS cars which has different water channels to the Mustang 4 banger. My car was tested and they determined it required the recall rectification work. This was done at the same time as the first service so dodged the nectar of the gods cost as the oil and filter were changed as part of the recall to refit the head gasket and cylinder head if required. The next 6,000kms consumed almost a refill bottle of 26€/0.85ml nectar of the gods.
I was on my way to the garage to ask them to check the engine when it misfired three times then let go in a most impressive way. The kind of thing you see watching motorsport on Sunday afternoon TV with a Lewis Hamilton kind of bloke at the wheel. Hole in the block wall, crank and balancer shaft complete with unwound oil pump cog out through the sump. The explosion was quite impressive, I was overtaking a V8 Mustang accelerating out of some roadworks and my 4 banger was making a whole load more noise than his 8 pot. I now have a 2018 engine in my 2017 car.
The new engine feels strong, just like the car did in the first year. No oil consumed, water where it should be. I'd really like to keep this car and it did come with a five year warranty BUT I dunno, there's always that nagging 'what if' at the back of my mind. A trip to Mountune to extract a few more ponies from this lowly four cylinder could get me 520PS in a Focus !!!! They have also benched this engine with E30 fuel at 680bhp. Hahahaha. Someone tell me why I need to downgrade to 6 cylinders and a bhp figure starting with a 3
Back to reality what I have found is with a new air filter and some light reworking of some bits and bytes this car can bother E63 AMG V8 bi-turbos in anything but bone dry conditions. When the road gets damp those AMGs just cannot get the power down through the back tyres. I can hear the tyres spinning from inside my car.
