It seems improbably but I have witnessed two accidents live due to texing. One was an SUV running a red light in the rain, T-boned a guy making a legal left turn. Missed a direct hit on his door by less than 2 feet. The other was a rear end at a red light. 50MPH direct hit on the rear fender.
People get pissy at me on the road but it's so common I never roll through stop signs if I see anyone remotely close, and I will occasionally slow down at green lights at intersections I know to be dangerous. It's a mad house here.
I think the Focus is a good car. I don't recall that model year specifically.
These days 40k on a car is still fairly new... if the price is right and the physical condition is good I say that's a solid buy. Particularly if it comes with a Certified warranty of some sort
Brake pads: $$
Four new tires: $$$
One new tire a week later after getting a screw through one of them: $$
A protection plan on the tires because fuck that happening again (it likely will as there's hella highway construction in my area): $
Mysterious drooping plastic engine tray panel underneath the car, turns out something hit it and smashed a bigass hole through it and tore off most of the plastic screws keeping it in: $$
And I still haven't put those brake pads in yet since all of that other stuff has prevented me from buying a floor jack!
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webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
Damn! They weren't able to fix the tire with the screw in it? SUCK.
My may was a bike service on the Bonneville including both tyres: $$$$
.. And then stacking it around a 90 degree left turn coming off a raised crosswalk (so cement) in front of a construction zone so a lot of fine silty mud on the road. Riders, when your brain says 'hey that looks slippery, best take care' you should really heed that warning.
Luckily the only bit that snapped off was the peg on the gear shifter. At first I wasn't sure whether I could get the stub of the peg out of the shifter arm, so I asked for a price on both.. the shifter arm is $200. For a little piece of cast ally. That motivated me to extract the stub and just replace the peg.. $15 later, back in business, albeit with a few scratches (bike only).
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Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
My may was a bike service on the Bonneville including both tyres: $$$$
.. And then stacking it around a 90 degree left turn coming off a raised crosswalk (so cement) in front of a construction zone so a lot of fine silty mud on the road. Riders, when your brain says 'hey that looks slippery, best take care' you should really heed that warning.
Luckily the only bit that snapped off was the peg on the gear shifter. At first I wasn't sure whether I could get the stub of the peg out of the shifter arm, so I asked for a price on both.. the shifter arm is $200. For a little piece of cast ally. That motivated me to extract the stub and just replace the peg.. $15 later, back in business, albeit with a few scratches (bike only).
Had a dirtbike when I was a wee lad that I did that to. Snapped off the little peg of the gearlever, I mean.
My old man just took off the lever, drilled out the end, fitted a bolt through it and stretched a length of garden hose over it for grip. Worked perfectly!
I was tempted to do that if the peg was also ridiculously priced. I saved the old peg, so I had the proper rubber bit, so the plan was to get the correct sized bolt from Bunning and see if I could find a collet or something to make it work.
My girlfriend just called me and told me that the following things just happened to her '06 Jetta 2.5l:
Battery light came on.
There was a loud pop, like she had run over a plastic bottle.
Her engine temperature jumped up.
The dash told her to "Check Coolant."
I am at work so it's difficult for me to troubleshoot it with her over the phone. The car was running fine and continues to start and run. There is not smoke from either the engine bay or the exhaust. The coolant reservoir appears to be full. There are no apparent drips or leaks.
My girlfriend just called me and told me that the following things just happened to her '06 Jetta 2.5l:
Battery light came on.
There was a loud pop, like she had run over a plastic bottle.
Her engine temperature jumped up.
The dash told her to "Check Coolant."
I am at work so it's difficult for me to troubleshoot it with her over the phone. The car was running fine and continues to start and run. There is not smoke from either the engine bay or the exhaust. The coolant reservoir appears to be full. There are no apparent drips or leaks.
Did you lose the belt?
Just remember that half the people you meet are below average intelligence.
webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
edited May 2014
Depends on the belt, could have been an ancillary belt, not sure how the Jetta is laid out. Water pump might have blown up without losing the gasket. Engine would be still full of coolant but with no way to circulate it.
Even if the water pump is run by the timing belt, the alternator belt flying off could have damaged a coolant sensor wire depending on location. Depending on how the sensor/gauge works, a disconnected wire could make the gauge jump to maximum. Just speculating on what could have affected both the charging and cooling system at the same time.
SiliconStew on
Just remember that half the people you meet are below average intelligence.
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webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
edited May 2014
oooh yea, could just be the serpentine belt, it would shut off the alternator and water pump at the same time and would probably throw those codes along with a paired spike in temperature. Would make a popping noise too and the car would still run without the serpentine belt, though it would fail quickly as it overheated as well as drained the battery, and if it hasn't been replaced in forever it is a prime candidate. Easy fix and unless it damaged things on its way out the engine should be fairly unharmed.
Your girlfriend should be able to take a close picture of the alternator or something else and you can see if the belt is there or not.
Next time I'll avoid commenting and let the pros verbally diagnose problems.
No joke, y'all're impressive.
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AngryThe glory I had witnessedwas just a sleight of handRegistered Userregular
I have a 2013 Focus and can't recommend it to anyone.
The six speed auto is atrocious, the interior is cheap, the base model audio system is terrible, and Sync is the buggiest, crashiest piece of shit.
I've had to pull the fuse for sync out 10 times in the year I've owned the car to reset it.
Ford themselves have also been terrible to deal with, from the awful service department to the head office that denied I had 2 years free maintenance, despite it being you know, in my contract.
If it hadn't been an insurance pay out I probably would have spent more time retesting everything and ended up spending more and being happier.
I actually park next to a dude with the exact car at home. Black pack, everything. He is also not a fan.
I still really like the exterior styling at least.
that's the first I've heard any negative feedback about a Focus
I mean, I can't say it surprises me. At the end of the day the Focus isn't exactly a luxury car, and any common brand base model compact isn't really meant to be the height of motoring experience
However if you just look at American brands, I would put Ford near the top of the list in terms of "not a blatant piece of shit". I guess that's a low bar, but when you're talking about 15k american compacts...
I think some of it has to do with trim levels. a Loaded Mazda 3 is bordering on entry level luxury. A base model 4 door mazda 3 is just a hunk of steal with wheels attached. I assume the same is true of Fords. If you get a pimped out Focus that will be pretty cool. Don't expect miracles at entry level trim.
As far as service I think that varies by dealers. I get my Mazda serviced at a Ford/Mazda hybrid dealer and I would rate them as "pretty decent"
Somebody just transferred to my building with a red Focus ST. I don't know who they are yet, but I'll know as soon as they come into the gas station and I can get a better look. Those Recaros are pretty sweet.
Yeah, it does. Easily explains why everything failed like it did.
How long ago did she purchase the car? A serpentine belt blowing is either due to a shitty belt or lack of maintenance. If its the latter then that car needs to go in and have its timing belt checked, and probably a full tune up as well. I've had a timing belt break and got very lucky it didn't nuke the engine when it went. Unless you have proof that the timing belt has been changed within the last 100k miles of the car I would be getting it to the shop ASAP.
Yeah, it does. Easily explains why everything failed like it did.
How long ago did she purchase the car? A serpentine belt blowing is either due to a shitty belt or lack of maintenance. If its the latter then that car needs to go in and have its timing belt checked, and probably a full tune up as well. I've had a timing belt break and got very lucky it didn't nuke the engine when it went. Unless you have proof that the timing belt has been changed within the last 100k miles of the car I would be getting it to the shop ASAP.
She got the car at the end of last summer. It has ~115,000 miles on it right now. I'm not entirely sure what maintenance was explained as being done to it before now. Her dad bought it for her as a college graduation gift, I know he purchased it from a Lexus dealership's used inventory. I do know that he had a standard tune up done right before winter, and they have also changed the oil a couple of times now.
Luckily, the 2.5L Volkswagen I5 uses a timing chain instead of a belt, so the risk of failure is lower. I guess the advised change period is still 80k miles though. I'll be sure to mention it to them. I have also had a timing belt break on me, but luckily the 3.1L V6 in my old Camaro was a non-interference engine so there was no damage.
Edit: Although now I learn that the 2.5L engine in the 2005/2006 VWs has a design flaw that involves the timing chain guides deteriorate and shorten the life of the chain (and thereby engine) considerably. Going to have to look into that too.
I was driving into work this morning, normal highway commute speed, probably about 60 mph
All of sudden, with no warning that I can recall, there was a pretty loud BANG sound, loud enough to make me flinch and wince away.
At first, I thought it was a rock to the windshield, but there was no sign of any impact. Then I realized my radio had changed from FM to AM.
When I got to work, I did another check for any impacts, but couldn't find anything.
Anybody have any kind of idea what this could have been? Radio changing bands makes me think something electrical, and that's bad, but I'm really operating out of 90%+ ignorance here.
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webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
edited May 2014
Capacitor in your radio pop? Did you have any weird smells in the cabin afterwards? The bang could have been massive feedback through the speakers from the stereo. Also look under your car for leaking fluid now that it has sat for a bit, maybe something went underneath the car and caused the noise. The radio thing is weird though.
I would think if you had a noise loud enough to flinch from and it was mechanical, you would have either felt it on impact or afterwards in driving performance, or a light would have came on the dash.
Capacitor in your radio pop? Did you have any weird smells in the cabin afterwards? The bang could have been massive feedback through the speakers from the stereo. Also look under your car for leaking fluid now that it has sat for a bit, maybe something went underneath the car and caused the noise. The radio thing is weird though.
I would think if you had a noise loud enough to flinch from and it was mechanical, you would have either felt it on impact or afterwards in driving performance, or a light would have came on the dash.
No weird smells that I noticed. Just went and took a look, no fluids under the car. I'm due for an oil change. Rather than going to an oil changer, since I'm still under warranty, I might go in to the dealer and let them check it out. The capacitor idea might still have some merit.
I have a 2013 Focus and can't recommend it to anyone.
The six speed auto is atrocious, the interior is cheap, the base model audio system is terrible, and Sync is the buggiest, crashiest piece of shit.
I've had to pull the fuse for sync out 10 times in the year I've owned the car to reset it.
Ford themselves have also been terrible to deal with, from the awful service department to the head office that denied I had 2 years free maintenance, despite it being you know, in my contract.
If it hadn't been an insurance pay out I probably would have spent more time retesting everything and ended up spending more and being happier.
I actually park next to a dude with the exact car at home. Black pack, everything. He is also not a fan.
I still really like the exterior styling at least.
I had a Focus from new in 2003 until a couple years ago. I will never buy another Ford based on how bad 3 separate dealerships were to deal with.
I was driving into work this morning, normal highway commute speed, probably about 60 mph
All of sudden, with no warning that I can recall, there was a pretty loud BANG sound, loud enough to make me flinch and wince away.
At first, I thought it was a rock to the windshield, but there was no sign of any impact. Then I realized my radio had changed from FM to AM.
When I got to work, I did another check for any impacts, but couldn't find anything.
Anybody have any kind of idea what this could have been? Radio changing bands makes me think something electrical, and that's bad, but I'm really operating out of 90%+ ignorance here.
Check the connections on your battery and make sure they're tight. The radio going to AM does indicate it lost power, and when it's powered back on with the ignition on, you will often get a pop through the speakers. Could be a loose connector on the stereo too. Can't guess much more without a better idea of what it actually sounded like or other symptoms.
Just remember that half the people you meet are below average intelligence.
Car thread, I am currently sitting at a repair shop because one of the bolts on my front driver side tire sheared off while I was driving on the highway. I was an idiot and heard the noise but didn't notice the tire so I drove on it for 3 more hours on the highway. Car thread I am here to tell you that is not a good idea. When I got the the shop most of the bolts could be turned by hand. I am lucky I am not dead.
Posts
It seems improbably but I have witnessed two accidents live due to texing. One was an SUV running a red light in the rain, T-boned a guy making a legal left turn. Missed a direct hit on his door by less than 2 feet. The other was a rear end at a red light. 50MPH direct hit on the rear fender.
People get pissy at me on the road but it's so common I never roll through stop signs if I see anyone remotely close, and I will occasionally slow down at green lights at intersections I know to be dangerous. It's a mad house here.
2012 ford focuses? Worth buying after having 40k or so put on them?
These days 40k on a car is still fairly new... if the price is right and the physical condition is good I say that's a solid buy. Particularly if it comes with a Certified warranty of some sort
Brake pads: $$
Four new tires: $$$
One new tire a week later after getting a screw through one of them: $$
A protection plan on the tires because fuck that happening again (it likely will as there's hella highway construction in my area): $
Mysterious drooping plastic engine tray panel underneath the car, turns out something hit it and smashed a bigass hole through it and tore off most of the plastic screws keeping it in: $$
And I still haven't put those brake pads in yet since all of that other stuff has prevented me from buying a floor jack!
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
.. And then stacking it around a 90 degree left turn coming off a raised crosswalk (so cement) in front of a construction zone so a lot of fine silty mud on the road. Riders, when your brain says 'hey that looks slippery, best take care' you should really heed that warning.
Luckily the only bit that snapped off was the peg on the gear shifter. At first I wasn't sure whether I could get the stub of the peg out of the shifter arm, so I asked for a price on both.. the shifter arm is $200. For a little piece of cast ally. That motivated me to extract the stub and just replace the peg.. $15 later, back in business, albeit with a few scratches (bike only).
Had a dirtbike when I was a wee lad that I did that to. Snapped off the little peg of the gearlever, I mean.
My old man just took off the lever, drilled out the end, fitted a bolt through it and stretched a length of garden hose over it for grip. Worked perfectly!
My girlfriend just called me and told me that the following things just happened to her '06 Jetta 2.5l:
Battery light came on.
There was a loud pop, like she had run over a plastic bottle.
Her engine temperature jumped up.
The dash told her to "Check Coolant."
I am at work so it's difficult for me to troubleshoot it with her over the phone. The car was running fine and continues to start and run. There is not smoke from either the engine bay or the exhaust. The coolant reservoir appears to be full. There are no apparent drips or leaks.
Did you lose the belt?
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Your girlfriend should be able to take a close picture of the alternator or something else and you can see if the belt is there or not.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
No joke, y'all're impressive.
The six speed auto is atrocious, the interior is cheap, the base model audio system is terrible, and Sync is the buggiest, crashiest piece of shit.
I've had to pull the fuse for sync out 10 times in the year I've owned the car to reset it.
Ford themselves have also been terrible to deal with, from the awful service department to the head office that denied I had 2 years free maintenance, despite it being you know, in my contract.
If it hadn't been an insurance pay out I probably would have spent more time retesting everything and ended up spending more and being happier.
I actually park next to a dude with the exact car at home. Black pack, everything. He is also not a fan.
I still really like the exterior styling at least.
Was it running the water pump too?
I mean, I can't say it surprises me. At the end of the day the Focus isn't exactly a luxury car, and any common brand base model compact isn't really meant to be the height of motoring experience
However if you just look at American brands, I would put Ford near the top of the list in terms of "not a blatant piece of shit". I guess that's a low bar, but when you're talking about 15k american compacts...
I think some of it has to do with trim levels. a Loaded Mazda 3 is bordering on entry level luxury. A base model 4 door mazda 3 is just a hunk of steal with wheels attached. I assume the same is true of Fords. If you get a pimped out Focus that will be pretty cool. Don't expect miracles at entry level trim.
As far as service I think that varies by dealers. I get my Mazda serviced at a Ford/Mazda hybrid dealer and I would rate them as "pretty decent"
Yeah, it does. Easily explains why everything failed like it did.
How long ago did she purchase the car? A serpentine belt blowing is either due to a shitty belt or lack of maintenance. If its the latter then that car needs to go in and have its timing belt checked, and probably a full tune up as well. I've had a timing belt break and got very lucky it didn't nuke the engine when it went. Unless you have proof that the timing belt has been changed within the last 100k miles of the car I would be getting it to the shop ASAP.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
She got the car at the end of last summer. It has ~115,000 miles on it right now. I'm not entirely sure what maintenance was explained as being done to it before now. Her dad bought it for her as a college graduation gift, I know he purchased it from a Lexus dealership's used inventory. I do know that he had a standard tune up done right before winter, and they have also changed the oil a couple of times now.
Luckily, the 2.5L Volkswagen I5 uses a timing chain instead of a belt, so the risk of failure is lower. I guess the advised change period is still 80k miles though. I'll be sure to mention it to them. I have also had a timing belt break on me, but luckily the 3.1L V6 in my old Camaro was a non-interference engine so there was no damage.
Edit: Although now I learn that the 2.5L engine in the 2005/2006 VWs has a design flaw that involves the timing chain guides deteriorate and shorten the life of the chain (and thereby engine) considerably. Going to have to look into that too.
http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/bilder/monaco-spezial-helme-2014-red-bull-f1-ritter-mit-bronze-helm-8386760.html
All of sudden, with no warning that I can recall, there was a pretty loud BANG sound, loud enough to make me flinch and wince away.
At first, I thought it was a rock to the windshield, but there was no sign of any impact. Then I realized my radio had changed from FM to AM.
When I got to work, I did another check for any impacts, but couldn't find anything.
Anybody have any kind of idea what this could have been? Radio changing bands makes me think something electrical, and that's bad, but I'm really operating out of 90%+ ignorance here.
I would think if you had a noise loud enough to flinch from and it was mechanical, you would have either felt it on impact or afterwards in driving performance, or a light would have came on the dash.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Stock. Exhaust.
No weird smells that I noticed. Just went and took a look, no fluids under the car. I'm due for an oil change. Rather than going to an oil changer, since I'm still under warranty, I might go in to the dealer and let them check it out. The capacitor idea might still have some merit.
Wait no, this is certainly it.
I had a Focus from new in 2003 until a couple years ago. I will never buy another Ford based on how bad 3 separate dealerships were to deal with.
Check the connections on your battery and make sure they're tight. The radio going to AM does indicate it lost power, and when it's powered back on with the ignition on, you will often get a pop through the speakers. Could be a loose connector on the stereo too. Can't guess much more without a better idea of what it actually sounded like or other symptoms.
I love the Dodge gave Chevy a big ol' middle finger and was like "Flowtie? Pshhh, our HEADLIGHTS are intakes."
Now to wait a month for it to actually arrive.