Ford Focus III on the secondary market: all the flaws and weaknesses We took this Ford Focus from https://automama.ru – a retail network of used cars, where each copy undergoes a thorough check and diagnostics. At Automama, you can buy a car with warranties and get honest information about its condition online. Years of production – 2010-2019 Restyling – 2014 Prices – from 270,000 to 1,250,000 rubles Focus is often criticized – it is cramped, low and not cheap. There are also technical difficulties. For example, the Powershift box – a preselective “robot”, which replaced the usual “automatic”, is very problematic. There are eight versions of software for the combination of “powershift” and the “one and six” engine – and not a single ideal one. The external control unit of the “robot” turned out to be weak not only in software, but also in soldering. Defective ECUs were sent to assembly lines all over the world until 2013. Ford admitted the mistake, but not all units were replaced. It is worth clarifying the fact of replacement. Are the robots smart? On the one hand, Getrag, which made this unit, acted wisely: the drives here are reliable, purely electric, not hydraulic. But they saved on the penny-pinching primary shaft seals. As a result, the cuffs began to leak on almost new cars, and oil got onto dry clutch discs. They slipped or became so saturated with oily liquid that the friction linings swelled and the discs became displaced with the basket. And if the grease ended up on the forks, it, like a magnet, attracted dirt and sand - and all this crap accumulated under the fork boots. As a result, the forks stopped moving normally, and the electric motor could not move the fork through this clot of oil and dirt. Thus, on pre-restyling Focuses, the gearboxes killed themselves in 30-40 thousand km. Then new firmware appeared, Getrag changed the suppliers of the ECU and seals, plus, the release bearing and forks were redesigned. After a number of iterations, the "robot" was brought to mind, but we still do not recommend taking it. Getrag also made a "wet preselective", and it is not bad in contrast, but it was installed only on diesel engines. So there is no decent automatic? Yes. With the 1.5-liter turbocharged Ecoboost, a regular automatic is available. This is a good resource six-speed, which loves two things - warming up (at least short) and clean oil. So it is better to renew the lubricant every 45 thousand km. And is the mechanics reliable? Not very. This mechanics is well known since the second Focus. The box is weak in seals, so one day it may be left without oil. The five-speed gearbox that is installed in the junior engines often makes noise with the primary shaft bearing. It usually needs to be changed after 100-120 thousand. Which engine is better? There are almost no diesel or petrol turbo engines on the market - more than 80% of the cars offered for sale have a naturally aspirated engine "one and six", which was transferred to the third "Focus" from the second. The volume is the same, but the power is different: 86, 105, 120 and 125 horsepower. Ford has been making this engine for so long that, in theory, there should be no trace left of childhood diseases. Alas, new ones were added to the old ailments. The first runs of the third "Focus" not only started poorly, but also instantly became overgrown with carbon deposits. It turned out that, "finishing" the ancient unit to the latest emission standards, IT specialists wrote a very crooked firmware ... Normal ones appeared at the turn of the eleventh and twelfth years. Are Russian-assembled engines no worse? In September 2015, the engines received Russian registration, and six months later they began to be installed on the Focus. Crankshafts, blocks and heads were cast from our raw materials. In addition, the "Made in Russia" stamp was proudly carried by the main bearing caps, spark plugs and even pistons. Our engines are no worse than the British ones. In addition to the 1.6, it is still possible to come across a two-liter naturally aspirated engine - this is 15-20 percent of all ads. It is worth thinking before buying - they hung direct injection on a good engine and ruined everything. Moreover, the good quiet "four" after the introduction of direct injection became wild and capricious. Vibrations quickly destroy the engine mounts. There is a version that the jerking is due to a leaky fuel injection pump. And is the suspension tenacious? Complaints about a crunch when turning the steering wheel are due to the support bearings of the struts. They started to crunch after only 10-15 thousand. In 2014, Ford released a unit with improved protection against moisture and dirt. The steering rack was also treated for knocking, but, as time has shown, it was not cured. So, if you hear a knocking sound from under the hood when driving over bumps, you will have to put up with it. There are many recipes on the Internet for getting rid of this noisy scourge, but none of them cures it 100%. Not only the rack can rattle, but also... the steering rod boots! A car after restyling does not have this problem. The mileage of the suspension does not depend on the year of manufacture. The main source of waste is the rear shock absorbers: on taxi cars, some give up after 20-30 thousand km. In civilian mode, the damping elements last for 50-70 thousand, no more. With this unpleasant exception, the rear multi-link steering works for about 150 thousand km. Then the longitudinal rods are sent for repair, and the transverse ones are replaced.