Why I will never buy another Ford vehicle.

[culicine]

134,000 km??? "vehicle with so little mileage"???

I don't know where you are from, but in Texas, we don't think that a vehicle should need many parts, beyond normal service, until after it has reached more than 250,000 miles, about 400,000 km.

Are those stop and go city miles? Big difference between stop and go and open highway. 134,000 km that's about 80,000 miles is a lot to put on a vehicle in one year. That is about 220 miles a day. No time for servicing on the road constantly

On the other hand you could have got a lemon. How much had the previous owner put into it. Had they done the normal upkeep. Had they kept the fluid levels up?

A lot of unanswered possibilities here.

The car is probably quite a bit older than a year, as it was stated he bought the car, used, a year ago. There was no indication of the age of the car.

I certainly would not be going to a dealer for those issues. New, genuine parts will be expensive. Usually a local garage can source parts at cheaper prices. It doesn't make economic sense to put expensive genuine parts in an aging ford. The original parts were obviously not much good anyway:)

[WarpSpeed]

134,000 km??? "vehicle with so little mileage"???

I don't know where you are from, but in Texas, we don't think that a vehicle should need many parts, beyond normal service, until after it has reached more than 250,000 miles, about 400,000 km.

With all due respect I think you were rather foolish in the first place to buy a car with this mileage on the clock

Nonsense..

[WarpSpeed]

I think your title should read.. Why I will never buy another USED car in Thailand...

No lemon laws here and buyer beware...

I only buy new here

Never knew lemon laws applied to used cars anyway?

[WarpSpeed]

I rented a Ford Focus in the States a few years ago. Had to drive from Seattle up to Vancouver BC to pick someone up at the airport. The vehicle showed only 9000 miles on the ODO. On the way back, heard a big POW! under the hood, and then the power steering went out. It took extreme muscling to steer the car 75 miles back to the rental shop, who did not express surprise.

Sounds like the OP's Ford had some hard use before he bought it. Next time...try Toyota.

Wow! That's a ton of experience to draw on, did you give up dating too at the first date that went wrong? There has so much nonsense posted in this thread I've ignored it until now but for such a crap car it's amazing how many people world wide were/are dumb enough to buy them with such a horrid reputation? I'm also amazed at how while most every other manufacturer was going under in recent years, FORD was the only one making profits and the number of older model Focus's that are still on the road is astounding, anyone here taking pokes ever considered the numbers? I thought not, it's called law of averages, if you have more numbers in the game it raises your odds of having more troubles. Toyota in recent years has had it's own issues as it numbers have grown and plenty of recalls to go along with them as well, so many trolls not enough time.

Edited February 14, 2015 by WarpSpeed

[robertthebruce]

I must say never been a fan of Ford...

I love my German cars too much...l very reliable, maybe a bit pricey but worth it...

[WarpSpeed]

I'm partial to German too, I've raced them with great success and owned street versions as well, it seems without even doing it intentionally, I keep trying to buy something else but always end up back with VW or a product thereof. I can't get over the nonsensical nature of posts though are so generalized and mostly based on no real factual perspective due to measurable statistics. One could almost call them trolling.

[WarpSpeed]

You think a water pump and an air compressor are the same ?

No, but an air compressor and an AC compressor are.

The AC unit is turned on and off by signal from a sensor, which actuates the clutch on the front of the compressor. You have no control of when it turns on or off.

So how can you make it run at Idle ?

Old wives tale - from the days of steam probably.

And as far as a turbo goes, unless you run it at max revs for an extended time, and then suddenly turn the engine off, no problem.

If you drive on the hiway, then on surface streets, then park in your yard, no idle time required.

Um, I hate to spark this off but there is a shut off delay on many modern cars and home A/C, heat pump units these days but it is not for cooling the system it's for relieving the pressure. Most are automatic though like my Gti does it automatically when I shut down, it then delays on restart for a few minutes, that is also to relieve the load on the engine during start up. My house A/C delays on shut down when you shut it off, that is to relieve pressure and the pool heat pumps I've worked on for decades also have a similar system to take load off of the compressor on restart.

[Skyboogie]

134,000 km??? "vehicle with so little mileage"???

I don't know where you are from, but in Texas, we don't think that a vehicle should need many parts, beyond normal service, until after it has reached more than 250,000 miles, about 400,000 km.

You need to manage your expectations over here brother. A lot of us in this forum know how to PMCS our equipment. Most folks in general just turn the key and drive. They may service the vehicle to keep it under warranty, but once that warranty is over they may never service it again.

[WarpSpeed]

134,000 km??? "vehicle with so little mileage"???

Ford Focus........secondhand ford focus......'top of the line ????

A ford in the UK with that mileage would be heading for the scrap yard.

Pretty sure he means top of the line offering for Thailand.

They don' take very good care of their cars in the UK then? Or is that owners there are clueless as to how to do that properly? As it's well publicized how much more reliable British makes are is that related to British assembled Fords then is it? What's that say then?

[WarpSpeed]

Fix Or Repair Daily

For Old Retired Drivers.

Found On Rubbish Dump

or

Full Of Rusty Dents

Any more out there!

Found On Roadside Dead

While it's not necessarily my feeling, it has been known to happen quite often.

First

On

Race

Day

Edited February 14, 2015 by WarpSpeed

[seedy]

The bearing will run continuously which is what fails, same as a turbo. Over time in can increase failure. Do I do either myself ? Only because of getting the kids in and out the car.

It does not run all the time. The AC compressor only runs with the electric clutch engaged, triggered by the sensor. When not compressing it stops, engine running normally. Lift the hood and look. Hear the loud click - clutch engaged, AC compressor turns. Loud click, clutch disengages, AC compressor stops rotating.

[hanno]

You got a lemon and didn't get rid of it fast enough.

Now you know what to do if something similar happens again.

Right, so I got 3 lemons at once? I just think that the Fords assembled in Turkey are not of the highest quality. Makes you wonder when even the Ford dealer admits as much.

[transam]

The bearing will run continuously which is what fails, same as a turbo. Over time in can increase failure. Do I do either myself ? Only because of getting the kids in and out the car.

It does not run all the time. The AC compressor only runs with the electric clutch engaged, triggered by the sensor. When not compressing it stops, engine running normally. Lift the hood and look. Hear the loud click - clutch engaged, AC compressor turns. Loud click, clutch disengages, AC compressor stops rotating.

Your right, the compressor does not run all the time but the pulley does, that pulley uses a bearing.

[stingray]

I had many Fords, mosthly Fiestas and Rangers. Never got any major troubles. Service was allways fair and garranty work, was quikly done. Ford is not bader then any other brands. Maybe u got a lemon, but lemons can be any brands

[WarpSpeed]

^Yep and the numbers of vehicles of a given model increase those chances considerably. Such as a popular model like the Focus.

[kjhbigv]

I would say at 130k km, that is exactly where things are going to start need replacing if it has not been maintained correctly.

If it hasn't been replaced yet (which it should have been), get the cam belt changed if that snaps, you are potentially looking at a serious bill.

Also, next on the list (especially if it is an auto) will be new brake discs and pads all round at that mileage.

For a little car like a Focus, 130k km mileage is high. If it was a diesel truck, then it would just be getting run in.

[cmth]

I'm from the US and I have to say that any expectations of going 250,000 miles without problems is not my experience. My personal experience is that 100,000 is the time to sell the vehicle. Things will start needing replacing after that. With that being said I had a BMW 325i go almost 300,000 miles without major repairs. Also a friend of mine had a Toyota pickup that went for over 400,000 miles. Highways miles, cooler climate, proper and timely maintenance will make a difference. Personally if I were to buy a car in Thailand I would go to the extremes. Either high quality brand new or old piece of crap. With the new one you know that it is serviced and driven properly. With the old piece of crap you just drive it until the wheels fall off then junk it and buy another POS. For now my motorcycle is all I really need. I did rent a car for 3 months during the rainy season last year. 30,000 baht total and didn't have to worry about a thing. May do it again this year.

[transam]

I'm from the US and I have to say that any expectations of going 250,000 miles without problems is not my experience. My personal experience is that 100,000 is the time to sell the vehicle. Things will start needing replacing after that. With that being said I had a BMW 325i go almost 300,000 miles without major repairs. Also a friend of mine had a Toyota pickup that went for over 400,000 miles. Highways miles, cooler climate, proper and timely maintenance will make a difference. Personally if I were to buy a car in Thailand I would go to the extremes. Either high quality brand new or old piece of crap. With the new one you know that it is serviced and driven properly. With the old piece of crap you just drive it until the wheels fall off then junk it and buy another POS. For now my motorcycle is all I really need. I did rent a car for 3 months during the rainy season last year. 30,000 baht total and didn't have to worry about a thing. May do it again this year.

"Old piece of crap" cars in LOS are waaaaaaaaaaay to expensive...... ..Sadly.

Edited February 16, 2015 by transam

[In the jungle]

When I looked at a Ford Focus a few years back the dealer told me it was manufactured in the Phillipines.

To echo what others have said you cannot judge the quality of the Focus by this one car whose history is unknown.

Properly maintained I would expect just about any modern car from a reputable manufacturer to go on and on. It is not going to self destruct at 150,000 km.

[In the jungle]

That said the Focus is no Golf.

Back in Blighty I bought a Mk II Golf with just over 100,000 miles on it. Ex company car. It looked like new.

I put more than another 100,000 trouble free miles on it and it still looked like new.

Had to sell as my wife could not be insured on the Golf.

[casualbiker]

Air conditioning pumps fail if they are not treated like turbos are meant to. Idled before switching on and after switching off. Wife has had 2 Honda ones fail int he last 4 or 5 years. Apparently this is the reason.

AC compressor is the correct term.

Does your water pump in your car need idle time ? NO

Does the water pump in your house need idle time ? NO

Do air compressors need idle time ? NO

Where did you get this idea ?

Actually most aircon in homes do idle for a few seconds before turning off.

[casualbiker]

When I looked at a Ford Focus a few years back the dealer told me it was manufactured in the Phillipines.

To echo what others have said you cannot judge the quality of the Focus by this one car whose history is unknown.

Properly maintained I would expect just about any modern car from a reputable manufacturer to go on and on. It is not going to self destruct at 150,000 km.

Yep. The earlier one's were manufactured in the Philippines. Later ones here in Thailand!

[lj cm]

I will recommend Amnuay Motor Air 2 (on the super highway; opposite Makro) for repairing your aircon.

I don't know if they do power steering's, but I would not be surprised, if they do.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

However, the service manager's throwaway this-is-Thailand line narks me somewhat. So what he's basically saying is, put up with it because my country is crap and we don't give a ****.

I'm guessing that sort of remark comes after an incessant Farang-nagging session going on about how far he can drive in Texas. You can only hear that so many times before politely moving on, and reminding the person where we are on the globe.

Other points (that I'm sure have been made on the previous pages)

* NOBODY uses dealers and their pricing after warranty. If an aircon breaks, you go to an aircon shop. Chaichana in Chiang Mai is good and affordable (off the Lamphun Road past Nong Hoi market, past the old blue hotel) Same for other common parts that wear out.

* Fords in Thailand are assembled in Thailand, and they're mostly fine. Especially the pick-ups are solid. (Possibly because they're Mazda designs, but ok. )

Edited February 16, 2015 by WinnieTheKhwai

[stingray]

I guess a power steering oil pressure hose was blowed. So there is no failure by Ford. It's a failure by the manufacturer of the (maybe made in china) power steering hose. Something like this can blow on any car, any time, anywhere in the world.

I rented a Ford Focus in the States a few years ago. Had to drive from Seattle up to Vancouver BC to pick someone up at the airport. The vehicle showed only 9000 miles on the ODO. On the way back, heard a big POW! under the hood, and then the power steering went out. It took extreme muscling to steer the car 75 miles back to the rental shop, who did not express surprise.

Sounds like the OP's Ford had some hard use before he bought it. Next time...try Toyota.

Wow! That's a ton of experience to draw on, did you give up dating too at the first date that went wrong? There has so much nonsense posted in this thread I've ignored it until now but for such a crap car it's amazing how many people world wide were/are dumb enough to buy them with such a horrid reputation? I'm also amazed at how while most every other manufacturer was going under in recent years, FORD was the only one making profits and the number of older model Focus's that are still on the road is astounding, anyone here taking pokes ever considered the numbers? I thought not, it's called law of averages, if you have more numbers in the game it raises your odds of having more troubles. Toyota in recent years has had it's own issues as it numbers have grown and plenty of recalls to go along with them as well, so many trolls not enough time.

[umbanda]

For the Ford manager said that you cannot expect the same quality of an American car here, is not just false, it is incompetence and showing no pride for what he is selling. Quality inspection is higher for exported cars. Anyway..I do not like Ford. I had one in the US and was enough.

I said here before, to buy an American car in Thailand is too look for extra expenses, sooner or later. Thai mechanics are good repairing Japanese brand, and its parts are available even for very old cars. The US mechanics are trained to CHANGE parts, never fixing anything, even basic problems. Dealership just follows that trend, that may apply only to the US because its cost of labor. Not here in Thailand.

Something hard to understand for me. Why somebody will pay more than a million THB for a Ford Focus, when for the same price or less, can buy a top of the line Nissan Teana, Toyota Camry, or Honda Accord...that in the US were known by the names Infinity G30, Lexus 300 and Acura LT. Dream Japanese cars for many, and big competition to luxury European brands in the US.

[stingray]

I had 2 Vigos, every year the AC System failed. Have to remove the whole dashboard to replace the AC unit. Every year new battery. There is no Battery in TH which lives over 2 years in unless you buy the Puma brand. Apart of that, Vigos are good, but in my opinion very boring, like all Toyotas.

Bought a brand new 4 door Wildtrack in 2010, never had any issues with this cars, except replaced one wheel bearing front left side. 3 Batteries and regular service. Bought a 1 year used Nissan 4 door Navara in 2011 as well. Replaced once the brakes. Never any other troubles, except the usual yearly Battery changes.

Drive now a used 99' Nissan Cefiro for 2 years as my daily commuter in Pattaya and BKK. Never any problem, excerpt normal Service and oil change. Have a Chevrolet Estate 2010. Bought it second hand a year ago. Never any troubles.

You can buy used cars in Thailand, but you should have common senses, not look at the pictures in the internet end go buy the "cheapest" Check the car carefully before you buy it. Not with the local mechanic, because many times he ask the dealer for a commission, if he says the car is good.

BTW in my home country, Switzerland, you see more Chevrolets and Ford on the Road, than Toyotas.

To buy a Ford or Chevrolet in Thailand you must be very brave. There is a reason Ford and Chevrolet, among a few others, have a much higher depreciation.

I just sold my Toyota Vigo 3.0G AT. I had the car for 9 years and drove 180000km with it.

Breakdown=0

Tires changed at 90000km once

Break pads changed once at 100000km service

2 new batteries in 9 years

at 150000km new timing belt (standard service) and water pump, water pump was recommended by the mechanic more as a precaution.

Apart from that only regular service always at Toyota (not expensive)

Never did any service or cleaning to AC and is still blowing ice cold air.

The Vigo was the most reliable car I had in the last 25 years.

I think Ford makes very good looking cars, the Fiesta compared to the old Mazda 2 looks nicer. (I bought the Mazda five years ago)
The new Ranger is IMHO at the moment the best looking pickup in Thailand.

The Focus also looks very modern.

The new Everest coming this year is a real beauty. Ford sales people most of the time very friendly.

Only problem is service in case of a problem and if you have a problem the driving

If I should need a rental pick up for a 1 day or a week and could decide between a Vigo and a Ranger I would always take the Ranger.

Little bit like the decision between a gogo girl and a farmers daughter. For a short period the gogo girl is nice to look at and makes fun to ride, for the long run the farmers daughter is better

The old Ranger (until 2012?) and Everest were tough cars but drove live tractors.

Next month we get a Nissan X-Trail - I really hope it is the same quality as the Toyota, but I doubt it...

[transam]

I had 2 Vigos, every year the AC System failed. Have to remove the whole dashboard to replace the AC unit. Every year new battery. There is no Battery in TH which lives over 2 years in unless you buy the Puma brand. Apart of that, Vigos are good, but in my opinion very boring, like all Toyotas.

Bought a brand new 4 door Wildtrack in 2010, never had any issues with this cars, except replaced one wheel bearing front left side. 3 Batteries and regular service. Bought a 1 year used Nissan 4 door Navara in 2011 as well. Replaced once the brakes. Never any other troubles, except the usual yearly Battery changes.

Drive now a used 99' Nissan Cefiro for 2 years as my daily commuter in Pattaya and BKK. Never any problem, excerpt normal Service and oil change. Have a Chevrolet Estate 2010. Bought it second hand a year ago. Never any troubles.

You can buy used cars in Thailand, but you should have common senses, not look at the pictures in the internet end go buy the "cheapest" Check the car carefully before you buy it. Not with the local mechanic, because many times he ask the dealer for a commission, if he says the car is good.

BTW in my home country, Switzerland, you see more Chevrolets and Ford on the Road, than Toyotas.

To buy a Ford or Chevrolet in Thailand you must be very brave. There is a reason Ford and Chevrolet, among a few others, have a much higher depreciation.

I just sold my Toyota Vigo 3.0G AT. I had the car for 9 years and drove 180000km with it.

Breakdown=0

Tires changed at 90000km once

Break pads changed once at 100000km service

2 new batteries in 9 years

at 150000km new timing belt (standard service) and water pump, water pump was recommended by the mechanic more as a precaution.

Apart from that only regular service always at Toyota (not expensive)

Never did any service or cleaning to AC and is still blowing ice cold air.

The Vigo was the most reliable car I had in the last 25 years.

I think Ford makes very good looking cars, the Fiesta compared to the old Mazda 2 looks nicer. (I bought the Mazda five years ago)

The new Ranger is IMHO at the moment the best looking pickup in Thailand.

The Focus also looks very modern.

The new Everest coming this year is a real beauty. Ford sales people most of the time very friendly.

Only problem is service in case of a problem and if you have a problem the driving

If I should need a rental pick up for a 1 day or a week and could decide between a Vigo and a Ranger I would always take the Ranger.

Little bit like the decision between a gogo girl and a farmers daughter. For a short period the gogo girl is nice to look at and makes fun to ride, for the long run the farmers daughter is better

The old Ranger (until 2012?) and Everest were tough cars but drove live tractors.

Next month we get a Nissan X-Trail - I really hope it is the same quality as the Toyota, but I doubt it...

Try a Boliden silver calcium battery...My Vigo goes 2 years per lead acid battery, Boliden 3 years with about 25% of the fluid drained out... ...via transportation to me....(Mrs.Trans fault)... Sure it would have lasted longer.

Ride now in it's eighth year and A/C has never been gassed up, works fine. Lucky perhaps eh.

Edited February 16, 2015 by transam

[kkerry]

Something hard to understand for me. Why somebody will pay more than a million THB for a Ford Focus, when for the same price or less, can buy a top of the line Nissan Teana, Toyota Camry, or Honda Accord...

You might want to check the prices in Thailand for the cars you mention... but Iet me save you the trouble to help you understand

Ford Focus 759 -1.079k

Toyota Camry 1.279 - 1.879k

Honda Accord 1.299 - 1.799

Nissan Teana 1.270 - 1.570k

So there's quite a difference in price between the top of the line Focus and the others cars you mention, not same price or less.

In fact the top of the line Focus is on average 200,000 baht cheaper than even the most basic model of all the cars you claim are cheaper for a top line model...

[WarpSpeed]

For the Ford manager said that you cannot expect the same quality of an American car here, is not just false, it is incompetence and showing no pride for what he is selling. Quality inspection is higher for exported cars. Anyway..I do not like Ford. I had one in the US and was enough.

I said here before, to buy an American car in Thailand is too look for extra expenses, sooner or later. Thai mechanics are good repairing Japanese brand, and its parts are available even for very old cars. The US mechanics are trained to CHANGE parts, never fixing anything, even basic problems. Dealership just follows that trend, that may apply only to the US because its cost of labor. Not here in Thailand.

Something hard to understand for me. Why somebody will pay more than a million THB for a Ford Focus, when for the same price or less, can buy a top of the line Nissan Teana, Toyota Camry, or Honda Accord...that in the US were known by the names Infinity G30, Lexus 300 and Acura LT. Dream Japanese cars for many, and big competition to luxury European brands in the US.

Erm there is no Acura related to the Accord in the states, the Accord in the states is the Accord by Honda and the Camry is the Camry By Toyota not a Lexus either. Teana is it's own model without a cross over here it was previously the Cefiro there and before that a Skyline as well in other markets, but here it does not have a crossover, the Infiniti G class is based on the 350-370Z platform. Now we have the Skyline GTR but that is off the radar screen in price comparison and performance.

Edited February 16, 2015 by WarpSpeed