Advice for checking out a fiesta

andrich · 09-11-2012, 12:33 PM

Hey guys
My gf is interested in getting a fiesta but I just wanted to get some info on ten before we go and check one out on the weekend.
The car is a 2010 WS fiesta zetec. It only has 14000km and is a manual.
What things should I look out for when inspecting it?
I come from a BA xr6t so this is a little different to that. Obviously revs check and service history, plus the usual things but is their anything I should or need to keep a look out for??
Cheers for your help
Michael

Fiesta God · 09-11-2012, 01:28 PM

There was a recall in 2009 for a wiring harness - check with Ford that it's been done (nothing major though).

Check that the software is the most up to date from Ford, as there were some issues with some earlier versions (again nothing major, but some people had troubles with starting when the car was very cold).

Probably the biggest check is the wheels. Ford fitted ultra-soft alloys to the WS-series cars, and they buckle at the slightest pothole. The catch is that the rims are anywhere from $400 to $600 each to replace. Some people on here have replaced 3 or 4. You are much better fitting a set of aftermarket rims to the car which won't buckle all the time.

Brake wear can be harsh with lots of city driving (or spirited driving!), my front discs & pads went at 30,000kms so check the wear and know that you might be up for replacement of both fairly soon. Definitely go aftermarket if this is the case (the Ford standard stuff is rubbish).

Other than that, with 14,000kms you should be pretty right

Fiesta_Man69 · 09-11-2012, 08:53 PM

Read my WS Alternative Review thread in this section (it's on page 2 I think).

But take it with a grain of salt, mine was an exception... I think.

Look out for:
pinging
rust (I had $10K worth of rust in a 3 month old WS), another member on here had a leaking WS: her thread is in this section.
Zetecs alloys have a habit of deforming (read the thread, and there's talk of class action against Ford in Europe because of the faulty alloys. Replacements aren't cheap.)
Ford Aus warranty is nigh on useless if there's an issue.
Brake rotors went at 40K: expected life between 40-80K km according to Ford Aus... cos it's European lol...
Clutch went at 64K km, replacement from Ford is $1430 supply and fit (cheaper elsewhere)....
Comparitively I had a Mirage: clutch lasted over 100K km, rotors 150K kms....
At least with the manual you'll avoid the issues with the dsg... as documented by many members on this forum...

I'd especially watch the alloys...

Otherwise they're a great car. Just be careful and you should be right. Beats a Yaris anyday.

I'd drive a Swift and a newish 1.6 103kW Rio in comparison....

greenfoam · 10-11-2012, 12:44 AM

andrich, we've done 165,000 kms in ours (manual WS Zetec). The little plastic vents on both sides of the dash that face the door have fallen off (happens to all of them) and the original wheels buckled (also happens to all of them). I didn't replace the brake rotors until 155,000km and they still had life in them, clutch is still good. Car has been faultless otherwise, been outside every day for more than 3 years and doesn't have a speck of rust anywhere. Looking inside the engine from the oil filler is still shiny like a mirror, not a speck of carbon anywhere...

Great car and overall considerably better than a BA I would say. I would not hesitate to buy one second hand.. however! I would definitely NOT buy it until you have had all four wheels spun up on a wheel balancer by an independent shop looking for bent wheels as they are $$$$$$$$ to replace with originals, practically non replaceable with Ford Australia's 4x UK spares prices. If the wheels check out straight.. buy it (but put some money away for when you have to replace them) because sooner or later a hole in the road will find you and when it does you will have a bent rim/s 100%.

On the other hand for similar money you could get the previous model in a XR4 which is (apart from having no clutch foot rest and using much more fuel ) a better car (that even comes with strong wheels !

)

P.S My Ford dealer went bankrupt before the warranty ran out and we never had any recall fixed so that hasn't been done and nothing has happened to the car :!). I've just been servicing the car myself since about 70k

brydie76 · 10-11-2012, 12:17 PM

I've done about 12,000kms in mine in just over a year and whilst I have had some issues, the majority of them have been fixed with few hassles. I had a massive leak in mine (as mentioned above), but that seems to be a pretty uncommon issue (I am potentially the only person on here to see it, or maybe one other person did in their Fiesta?), and is pretty easy to check for if it's there (the windows will fog up at the drop of a hat and will NOT demist, and you can lift up a flap in the drivers side carpet to check the underlay and that). The dealer was very good in fixing it including replacing the carpet and underlay (they did damage he front of my car in the process, but had it repaired at their cost and my convenience which was good). My other issue was the rough running/jerking on starts, a PCM update has (mostly) fixed this, the other workaround is to simply just wait a couple of seconds after starting the car before setting off. If the car is still under warranty, easiest way to get a PCM update done is to call a Ford dealer and mention the car is running rough. They will do it under the capped price services anyway if you aren't too worried.

The current issues that I have that are currently unfixed are a dash rattle (likely from when my car was pulled apart to fix the leak, will likely have to pay to fix that due to Ford's warranty policy) and the door card speakers rattle when I play a really bass-heavy song a t decent volume (again, considered a rattle and something you may have to pay for to get fixed if it is really frustrating). If you want to check this, throw the White Stripes "Seven Nation Army" on a CD/USB drive (or pair your phone with the car), and play it at about volume no 6 and listen for any rattles!!!

Apart from that I am very happy with the car, the features and build quality (apart from mentioned issues) of the WS-es is hard to beat at this price point. I am one of the few who hasn't had any issues with the alloys so far (apart from gutter rashing one of them!) and I'm cautious, but not perfect so it is possible that some alloys out there are ok.

The things said on here may alarm you, but again every car will have its issues- we also have a Golf GTI which has been back and forth with the dealer for constant oil leaks and rough running issues. I personally still love my car despite the issues I have had and feel very happy with my purchase- although I am going to be very tempted by the ST's when they come out!!!

Franco Cozzo · 10-11-2012, 12:53 PM

I've had my WS for 3 years, the little vents on the side of the dash have fallen off, passenger window switch pops out of its hole but other than that its given me 0 issues.

brydie76 · 10-11-2012, 01:36 PM

Oh yeah, I have the side vent problem on the passengers side too now that I remember (shows how much of an issue it actually is for me haha!). Need to glue it back in soon, hopefully an easy fix like that.

Pursya · 11-11-2012, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenfoam

P.S My Ford dealer went bankrupt before the warranty ran out and we never had any recall fixed so that hasn't been done and nothing has happened to the car :!). I've just been servicing the car myself since about 70k

Any recall notice by Ford Aus can be taken care of by any Ford dealer. Recalls are the company's responsibility. If any recalls exist for your car any Ford dealer can assist you.
Same goes for warranty. Ford Aus holds the warranty, not the dealer.
In my case, my dealer holds an extended 3 year warranty on top of Fords. This does not kick in until the Ford warranty expires. If my dealer goes bust then that extended warranty goes with him.

Fiesta_Man69 · 11-11-2012, 10:44 PM

Hope you didn't pay any extra for that extended warranty.

You will find, like many other forum members have, that it ain't worth the paper it's written on.

That said, the original warranty had required me taking Ford to the Fair Trading court, so it's not much better lol...

Pursya · 11-11-2012, 11:10 PM

No extra.
Included in all cars that they sell and was not even spoken about until after the deal was done.
As I'm 3 hours drive from the dealer I doubt I would ever claim on it anyway.
The only reason I mentioned it was to point out the difference in Ford warranty and a dealers warranty. One is enforceable, the other can disappear as fast as the appointment of receivers.

greenfoam · 12-11-2012, 10:03 AM

My dealer had the 3 year exteded warranty too but they didn't really even want to fix the first headlights that blew at 20k let alone the following 6 pairs lol. They wouldn't entertain the idea of replacing dodgy made rims at all either so I gave up on the extended warranty a long time before we ever got there. I've come to see all new Ford warranties are nothing more than how the make profit on news cars when the margins are so tight. Next time we buy one ill take the first two services only to make sure the car isnt a dud then quit while im ahead

Pursya · 12-11-2012, 06:41 PM

Headlights? Or headlight bulbs?
Bulbs would come under consumables, so no manufacturer warrants that.
But 6 more pairs? Now that's a wiring issue and should have been covered. You may have had to get an auto electrician to find the fault though.

GoesLikeAZetec · 12-11-2012, 08:49 PM

There is a known fault and fix in europe in regards to voltage fluctuations I think from memory, that stops them blowing.

greenfoam · 13-11-2012, 11:09 AM

Headlight bulbs, but it's caused by the wiring so technically it's a Ford fault, all the WS's do it at least the early ones. It just happens we've done a lot more km then the rest of you guys so have blown more of them. Like GoesLikeAZetec says, it's been a dealer recall/fix in Europe for ages now, they fix it with a resistor somewhere and all the later WT's have the fix at the factory. Ford AU however don't know about it. Gone through at least 6 pairs in 165,000ks with 50-50 day/night driving no joke!

. Been stuck on a trip once with both lights going on the same day, VERY lucky to have found a servo late at night with a pair of them after driving around a town on high beams for a while and that enabled us to make it home again (we were about 6 hours drive from home at the time). Now the car has a new set in the glovebox at all times.

We are very happy with the car regardless and this is nothing more than a quirk to us but it doesn't help your relations with Ford AU when they continuously ignore known issues with the cars they sell, I assume because they have no money

Caydus · 13-11-2012, 12:17 PM

Hmm, you say the WTs have a fix from factory? I've done 30,000km only and i've already lost one of my dipped beam bulbs. My mechanic said it was way too quick for a bulb to go, but we're thinking it's a one off and didn't make any more of it.

Fez WQ · 14-11-2012, 03:08 AM

I have done 70,000km
No issues that have been an issue
Brakes are fine
No Rust
Tyres worn out at 60,000km

Great car!!!!

Fez WQ · 14-11-2012, 03:10 AM

Stop bring up ur waste of info its not a normal issue.... You don't help

Sell you car and get over it !!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiesta_Man69

Read my WS Alternative Review thread in this section (it's on page 2 I think).

But take it with a grain of salt, mine was an exception... I think.

Look out for:
pinging
rust (I had $10K worth of rust in a 3 month old WS), another member on here had a leaking WS: her thread is in this section.
Zetecs alloys have a habit of deforming (read the thread, and there's talk of class action against Ford in Europe because of the faulty alloys. Replacements aren't cheap.)
Ford Aus warranty is nigh on useless if there's an issue.
Brake rotors went at 40K: expected life between 40-80K km according to Ford Aus... cos it's European lol...
Clutch went at 64K km, replacement from Ford is $1430 supply and fit (cheaper elsewhere)....
Comparitively I had a Mirage: clutch lasted over 100K km, rotors 150K kms....
At least with the manual you'll avoid the issues with the dsg... as documented by many members on this forum...

I'd especially watch the alloys...

Otherwise they're a great car. Just be careful and you should be right. Beats a Yaris anyday.

I'd drive a Swift and a newish 1.6 103kW Rio in comparison....

Fiesta_Man69 · 14-11-2012, 11:38 AM

Fez WQ - in my quote you selected it is clear that I say mine is an exception and should be taken with a grain of salt. Or in your rage did you miss that?

I have as much right as others to put my view forward. I believe the Op is intelligent enough to sort thru the many replies and get a good idea of the car and of Fords customer service.

Just because you've had no problems (or chose to ignore them) doesn't mean others haven't: and everyone has a right to an opinion. I suggest you read the "Ford targets customer service" thread in the pub section to hear a litany of grievances against Ford: or do all those people just need to get over it too?

Pls ignore my posts from now on: you obviously can't stand a word of, criticism against Ford or the Fiesta, your tirades are irrelevant and reflect poorly on yourself.

Fez WQ · 14-11-2012, 11:03 PM

Sorry to upset your mind. But .... I had in fact read your other posts about Ford Customer Service. No amount of customer service will fix your problem. Maybe read my posts....

The Fiesta is a brilliant car..... Its sold world wide and is a proven success.

Your issues you have had some valid some not... you need to learn to deal with them and not create hate mail on this web site.
Once again sell your car and start sleeping at night again.

Ford make cars and will do long after you have your Suz Swift