I have seen reports of poor fuel consumption on the latest Focus, but was appalled to find my new 1.6 petrol model only doing around 34mpg, compared with 39-41 mpg on the previous model.
I bought the car brand new and it has just 1000 miles on the clock. I have just checked the tyre pressures, and found them all at 26psi. After pumping them to the correct 31/33 psi, the fuel consumption has improved to 38mpg on a 200 mile run - an acceptable figure for a tight engine in winter, I think.
I wouldn't have thought wrong tyre pressures would make such a difference, but it's a bit worrying that a Ford main dealer can't get something as simple as this right on a pre-delivery check
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 01/01/2008 at 17:58
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does a PDI include tyre pressures ?
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as churchill says ohhhhhhhhhhh yes
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When I collected my brand new Cortina Mk4 from a main dealer I thought that the ride was a bit firm. I found that the tyres were pumped up to 50 psi all round, I think they should have been 26 psi.
The car also had hardly any petrol in it, this was during a petrol strike just before Maggie got in and sorted this sort of thing out. I called at several garages which would not sell me any, but when I found one with fuel to sell, it held half a gallon more than the stated tank capacity.
Good old days!
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Think yourself lucky - the 2.0 petrol my wife had struggled to manage 31mpg on a good day. Our current 2.5T Mondeo is averaging 26mpg not driven hard. My 728i manages better than that.
What Ford are playing at with their petrol engines I have no idea - we're certainly not having any more petrol Fords for the time being!
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.......... it's a bit worrying that a Ford main dealer can't get something as simple as this right on a pre-delivery check .........
You can safely stop worrying. You've just been unfortunate in coming up against one slapdash technician at one dealership. I could give you chapter and verse of the complete satisfaction I've had doing business with four Ford dealers in four different towns/cities over a period of 30-odd years ~ but you'd just be bored. In general it's only the dissatisfied minority that broadcast their dissatisfaction. The satisfied majority just take their satisfaction as being a matter of course and say nothing.
If you have any complaints report them to the dealer ~ most dealers are only too ready to remedy problems with both their staff and with the products they sell. They want satisfied customers, not dissatisfied ones that are going to give them a bad reputation.
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Les Cargo .... "Unfortunate"???
When I read the post about the slapdash PDI , I knew that this was not untypical.
from my own family's experience of buying very few cars, actually:
tyre pressures all at 40 psi (instead of 26-28) Peugeot
4 cross-ply tyres on the car - a radial in the boot (B/Leyland)
nearly-new car not valeted as promised - Ford
I would "safely stop worrying" at your peril!
... and as for "most dealers are only too ready to remedy problems with both their staff and with the products they sell" - I've only just stopped laughing at that one. Just look at any car user's forum and you'll find thousands of examples where they don't.
But good on you, you've obviously been lucky.
And credit where it's due, my experience of Toyota main dealers has been good
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My 06 Focus II with 25k miles on is returning 42 mpg, with the correct tyre pressures so Ford petrol engines cannot be that bad.
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42 mpg sounds about right.
Anyone getting poor economy from the 1.6 needs to rectify their driving technique and stop blaming the car.
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Our 53 plate 1.6 Focus can return up to 45 mpg on a run with 42 MPG a regular reality. Though these engines are a bit gutless unless revved hard.
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And credit where it's due my experience of Toyota main dealers has been good
I praise Ford dealers, and you praise Toyota dealers, and we've both made our views known to a wide audience. This makes us unusual in that respect.
The few people who are dissatisfied with goods or service they've received quite often broadcast their dissatisfaction. I think it makes them feel better. However, the majority of people (who are satisfied) don't generally feel the need to broadcast their satisfaction because they feel good already.
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I bought the car brand new and it has just 1000 miles on the clock. I have just checked the tyre pressures ....
.....it's a bit worrying that a Ford main dealer can't get something as simple as this right on a pre-delivery check
It's a bit worrying finding out that some drivers don't check the tyre pressures until their new car has done 1000 miles.
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The tyre pressure sticker on the door of my brand new Nissan said
Normal load -29lbs and next to it 2.0 bar
I checked the car - sure enough 29lbs in the back and 20lbs in the front
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As soon as I've driven a new car off the dealer's premises I consider it's my responsibility. I go straight home and immediately give it my pdi ~ post delivery inspection. The next morning, when the tyres are cold, I check and adjust the tyre pressures. After that I check the tyre pressures, oil, brake fluid, washer fluid, and power steering fluid weekly, regardless of how many or how few miles I've driven that week.
Edited by L'escargot on 30/07/2008 at 10:24
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my answer more about FORD as a company really
I had mega problems with my FocusTDCI 1.8 and neither the dealer nor Ford Customer Relationship centre really had any interest in helping me.
Ford Customer Relationship ducked and dived so well they would get 10 golds in Beijing, and they main aim was simply to get rid of me by any method they could incuding changing my case ref number on a regular basis after closing the case while the matter stayed a problem
I intend to dedicate the rest of my life in telling my sorry tale in every pub. club, workplace, chatroom, bus et c I ever get into.
I even have a big notice in my new Ford bought january 2008 due to another issue.
why did I go ford again youwill say, well the last one got towed in for the zillionath time and it was either risk paying yet another £1922 pounds to get it supposedly fixed or walking away and without a running car I had to accept their offer on a trade and buy another on which serious issues happened the day after I bought it new.
This new one is 7 months old and its going in september and I will not buy a Ford again
DO FORD as a company care a single bit about their new car fools (sorry customers)
FORD NEVER EVER EVER AGAIN
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I intend to dedicate the rest of my life in telling my sorry tale in every pub. club workplace chatroom bus et c I ever get into. I even have a big notice in my new Ford bought january 2008 due to another issue.
How sad is that? Get a life!
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I agree. Life's too short - vote with your cheque book and don't throw good money after bad.
PDI = Pre delivery inspection. That would be a really good idea, but the business model and recruiting policies of car dealerships mean that this is just not going to happen.
As has been said, once the thing is on the road, such things as tyre pressures are your responsibility. If you enter into a contract with a dealer knowing what their (considerable) limitataions are and you are prepared to deal with them in a logical manner, you will be a reasonably satisfied customer. "Modern" cars really are pretty good now - regardless of make.
659.
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