Serviceability Report: Ford Focus Revisited

In the July 2006 issue of AutoInc., I compared the 2006 Focus to the 2000 model. Well, let’s look at the next generation and see if Ford took heed of our suggestions.

Ford had a hit when they introduced the 2000 Ford Focus in 1999; it sold more than 286,000 units the first year. Sales settled down to around 175,000 for the other years but the 2012 model may change that for the better.

A look back at the 2006 model 
How good was the 2006 Focus? Here is part of what I said six years ago in AutoInc.: “For the unaware tech this new engine can really mess up your day. The lower pulley bolt can no longer be removed the old way. With no keyway on the crankshaft, removing the lower pulley bolt and then tightening it again can cause a world full of hurt. Not only will the cam timing be off, but if the cam moves too far the engine will break the heads off the valves when you try to start it up. Of course, there is a factory procedure that if you follow it, all will be fine. One must ask the question, is this progress?” 

Is the 2012 model any better? It was completely redesigned. Let’s find out.   

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Ford Motor Co.
Ford has been doing well the past few years and many would agree with me on that. Alan Mulally, the CEO, deserves much of the credit. He would most likely be quite humble about that statement, but Mulally reaffirmed that Ford will end 2012 with a net profit greater than $8 billion. Not bad for a company that was broke less than five years ago.

I had a chance to meet Mulally briefly twice at the New York City Auto Show – once in 2007 when he first took the CEO job and again last year. I also have attended some press meetings with him as the speaker. William Clay “Bill” Ford Jr., the great-grandson of Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone (Bill’s mother is Firestone’s daughter), was the CEO before Mulally and knew he needed help to keep Ford from going bankrupt. The two still work closely together, making Ford a much better American company – but do they make it easy to service cars?    

The 2012 Focus
The 2012 Focus is all-new but it does not have many engine options this year; in fact, there are only two – gasoline or electric.

The engine you can get is a nice 2-liter that puts out 160 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 146 pound-feet of torque at 4,450 rpm. Those figures put the Focus near the top with the Hyundai Elantra (148 hp and 131 lb-ft), Chevrolet Cruze (138 hp and 148 lb-ft), Honda Civic (140 hp, 128 lb-ft), Toyota Corolla (132 hp and 128 lb-ft) and the Mazda3 (167 hp and 168 lb-ft). The Mazda is the king of power, with Ford in second place.

EPA fuel economy comes in at 27 mpg city and 37 mpg highway when equipped with the six-speed automatic and the Select­Shift option, which allows the driver to manually change gears using a little rocker switch mounted on the console shifter instead of paddles on the steering wheel. The transmission is a dual-clutch unit that shifts quickly and saves fuel in the process. There is plenty of power, so the transmission doesn’t hunt for what gear to use and downshifts are correct on steep grades.

GDI Ti VCT is the Ford designation for its Focus engine. It uses VC-3-B Coolant made with organic acid technology (OAT), has an active grille (shutters that control air flow) and two fuel pumps because it uses direct injection. All of this series has electric power-assisted steering (EPAS.) No more belt as a chain spins the twin cams. This is one very nicely done small car. The PCV valve is no longer used because Ford has fitted what they call a crankcase vent oil separator (CVOS). It is bolted to the front of the block and is considered a lifetime system. I suggest that you make sure your customers use a quality 5/20 oil and change it often so that the CVOS really will last a lifetime.
    
The Ford Focus EV
The Focus Electric will be joining the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt and Mitsubishi i. Much like its closest competition, the Nissan Leaf, the Focus Electric will offer around 100 miles of range (depending on driving conditions) in a five-door hatchback, as well as all the other benefits of driving electric cars, including a near silent ride, incredible efficiency and extremely low per-mile operating costs. But the Focus Electric will offer several features that the Leaf doesn’t offer such as a higher speed on-board charger (6.6 kW), allowing it to be charged in half the time of a first-generation Leaf. The Ford also has an active liquid cooling and heating system for the battery pack, allowing for stable battery operation over a wide range of temperatures, much like the Volt. It also has neat bells and whistles in the customizable gauges and center stack displays, allowing drivers to play cool eco games while they drive.

Here is what Ford had available for specifications when this article was written: A 107 kW electric motor with a 23 kWh liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery system is going to move you.

Top speed will be more than 80 mph and of course it will have a regenerative braking system and be a front-wheel-drive 5-passenger car.

Ford recently announced that Best Buy will sell the charging stations for the Focus Electric and install them as well. Do you have a public charging station at your shop? Maybe you should, because the average electric vehicle buyer has a lot of extra cash and may be looking for the right shop for his or her other cars and trucks.

So in conclusion, this new Focus is a big deal. Ford has a winner for ease of service and a car for the times. It is clearly the best Focus ever made and it is built in Wayne, Mich. Better cars and more jobs. Way to go!

Craig Van Batenburg, AAM, is a master hybrid technician. He was the owner and lead technician for more than 25 years at his own shop that specialized in Honda and Toyota vehicles. Van Batenburg was the president of ASA-Massachusetts from 1993 to 1996. He is owner of the Automotive Career Development Center (ACDC), which he founded in 1998. He develops technical classes for those who require updating their knowledge in hybrid and electric cars. Some of his customers include the U.S. Army, U.S. Marines, Delphi, Midtronics, John Deere, Porsche of America and BG Products. You can reach Van Batenburg at craig@auto-careers.org.