'04 Focus-Lifetime air filter

[Louis Zerr]

There are reportedly 2 charcoal filters on outside of the actual air filter element that can be removed for up to 5 whp.

I am a focus owner and i would never buy a corolla. An SE, hmmm, not the best of the Focus line, the ZX3 with lighter weight wins my vote.

I have an '02 and have driven models that range from stock '01 to '04 ST. along with 2 turbo and a vortech supercharged foci. They are fun cars, especially when lowered with a nice tire set up.

 

[Colt]

Can't speak of the ZX3 but I can of the SE ZXW.
I agree with www.edmunds.com review on the '05 Focus.
Just realized the company car is an '05.
Leased on 8/04.
Other than maybe the engine and trans,the car is a piece of schlit.


Pros
Fun-loving character, forgiving ride quality, responsive steering, comfortable seats, simple controls, wide selection of body configurations and features.

Cons
Sloppy build quality, mismatched interior plastics, inadequate storage and cupholders, no rear head restraints, 2.3-liter engine limited to ST

[ December 20, 2005, 03:07 PM: Message edited by: Colt ]

 

[vad]

Toyota's cons per Edmunds:

Cons
Awkward driver-seat position, bland on-road personality, gets pricey even when equipped with just the basics.

You can call the Focus "piece of schlit" but the Corolla will still remain a totally boring, pricey 4-wheel applience, doesn't matter high quality or not.

 

[Louis Zerr]

I don't want to stray too off topic here, i personally don't think i could have bought a better car for the 12K i spent. Yes, i have blown up the engine and the transmission is currently dead, but then again after the engine was rebuilt i hit well over 200whp and will be shooting for 300 this spring. As far as interior fitment, i have no gripes about that and cup holders, i guess that i am too busy driving to notice i don't have enough place to place my latte

 

[Colt]

Yes Vad,the Corolla is boring.

I bought the Corolla LE 4 wheel appliance as a second car for the wife so she can go from point A to point B in a dependable quality vehicle.
She likes the Corolla.
I drive the company car Focus everyday and my vehicle is a '05 Explorer.
I'm not a Ford hater.
The Focus doesn't compare quality wise to the 4 wheel appliance Corolla.
Sorry you don't like my review but that's how I feel.

BTW
You posted the Cons.
I guess you forgot to post the Pros on the Corolla.

High-quality and roomy interior, outstanding gas mileage and crash test scores, long list of safety features, illustrious reliability record

 

[earthworm]

And everyone forgets that the American vehicle carries a $500 to $1,000 burden(high cost of retirees health care) that the Japanese cars do not.
Thus far the unions wish to do little and our federal government will do nothing...
And what can our auto-makers do but cut QC and everything else to the bone..
The time has come (actually it came 30 years ago) to do something.
We must have a reformed health care system..and a tax system, and a general attitude change..

The $180 "lifetime" air cleaner - good for 150K miles ????
Given that regular filters cost about $9; are good for 30K miles...
And a blind man can change most of them ( except the '93 VW Passat VR6...)

 

[Colt]

That's true,earthworm.
Another problem the American badges have is that when they offer rebates and Employee pricing,that's less money for the research and developement dept.
Gotta please those stockholders.


On the Focus air filter...
No way would I go 50-75K let alone 150K miles on a airfilter.
Heck,I change the airfilters in my vehicles every 12K.
Now I have a Amsoil EA air filter in my Explorer.
So I can clean it.
I must check and see if one for the Toyota is available now.
It wasn't when I bought the Ford filter.

 

[vad]

quote:

---

The $180 "lifetime" air cleaner - good for 150K miles ????

---

It wasn't about "lifetime".
The PZEV Focus was designed as a partially zero emmission vehilce.
The filter is a part of the overall zero emissions technology. It tracks the fuel vapors and prevents them from escaping the fuel system while the engine is not in operation. Or something like that.

 

[vad]

Colt, I'm not a Toyota hater either.
The Corolla is not a satisfying car, period.
Reliable, nicely assembled - yes.
But not satisfying to drive.
The Scion (a division of Toyota) Tc is another story. It rocks.

 

[vad]

quote:

---

It tracks the fuel vapors and prevents them from escaping the fuel system while the engine is not in operation.

---

Sorry, It should read "traps", not "tracks".

 

[speedtc]

I bought a 2005 focus st. Is it better than a corolla? Probably not. I enjoy it much better than the corolla because i researched them both before i purchased. A looked at the cobalt also but shyed away because it was in it's first model year. It seemed nice though. The cobalt has failed miserably in first year dependability which honda or toyota never have. I do love my focus. The corolla IMO is boring. I wanted something else.

 

[vad]

quote:

---

The cobalt has failed miserably in first year dependability which honda or toyota never have.

---

The '01 Civic redesign was pretty bad during the first (for a Civic) simultaneous worldwide launch.
Previously all the Civics used to be launched in Japan and other markets first, were allowed to expose the most of its first year model bugs and only then were being brought to the US.
The domestics have never been able to enjoy such a luxury.
BTW, are you aware that the Euro-build Focus has been recognized by the German Quality Survey Agency - TUV as the most reliable car on the market among 1-3 year old vehicles.

 

[powerboatr]

we got 118k on a v-6 duratec in our contour, except for plugs and wires it runs great strong and zero oil usage between 10k changes

 

[r961161]

We have a 2005 Focus Wagon ZXW SES at our work that we bought in November of 2004. As of today we have clocked approx 40000 miles (64000 Kms)in one year and this car has not skipped a single beat.

Very reliable, we were a bit hesitant when we made our decision to by the Focus, but it has proved to be very reliable vehicle. The car has been dealer maintained as it is still under warranty. Very good pickup, smooth engine and good fuel economy. And best of all, for our work we needed good amount of usable cargo space in the back, and on the ZXW after you put down the rear seats, the cargo volume is amazingly huge.

Some of the materials used in the car are not top quality, but still the car is worth every penny.

[ December 24, 2005, 06:44 PM: Message edited by: r961161 ]

 

[tenderloin]

"Reliability
In the US spec models, despite a series of major recalls early in the car's life [1], reliability has steadily been improving. In fact, there have been no Focus recalls in the United States since 2002 [2]. The Focus now at Ford dealerships has Consumer Reports Best in Class rating for small cars [3]. The car has also received a Consumers Digest Best Buy Rating, [4] an award that takes numerous factors into consideration, including reliability and recall history"

Also

Car and Driver
Ten Best List
2004

Ten Best Cars
Price cap: $69,000

Model Times on List
Acura TSX 3
Audi S4 Quattro 1
BMW 3-Series/M3 15
Chevrolet Corvette 12

Ford Focus 5
Notice...Focus on list 5 times(years)

Honda Accord 20
Honda S2000 4
Infiniti G35 2
Mazda RX-8 3
Toyota Prius 1

BTW my son has a 2002 Ford Focus ZTS with the 2.0L dohc Zetec. He has 80,000 miles on it. Runs and looks like new. Silver paint rivals brands/cars costing much more. Interior still tight and quiet. Only issue was factory 6 disc changer and front suspension links (replaced twice under warranty, but new part developed for a replacement is perfect).

Very good car and IMO hard to beat for the price.

Not going to knock Toyota...we all know they build fine cars.

Oppss...Air filters LOL My son started out with K&Non his Focus(factory filter replaced at 7,500 mi), then used STP (they had a batch made in England that looked sooo good), when those ran out he has been using Wix.Changes them out at 7,500 miles. He now is using Accel Kool Blue.
The fit/seal of this filter has been the best so far.

[ January 01, 2006, 06:20 PM: Message edited by: tenderloin ]

 

[vad]

I've got that british made STP branded filter too.
A great filter at a very low price.




How come such short intervals before replacement?
I'm in So Cal and change my filters at around 40K miles.
I'm not a fan of cotton gauze filters. Too much of maintanance and guessing just to keep them properly oiled.
Why doesn't he try the new Amsoil EA filter and keep it in for at least 30K miles?

 

[luvs2drive]

Why does everyone dump all over the Corolla as boring? I own one, and I find it to be pretty good. I've owned sport cars in my past. Contour and SE-R.
The Corolla for what it is, has decent power, superior fuel economy, and handles nice (once you took the garbage Goodyears off of it) Not to mention it will holds it's resale value.
Yes, I've driven a Focus and a Mazda 3. They are awesome cars! Handling is super crisp and it puts a smile on your face to drive it. I won't deny it. I just don't think the Corolla as boring as some say.

Then again, maybe I'm just getting old

and want more from a car than fun to drive.

 

[MC5W20]

All I can say is I'll never buy a Toyota. Yes, I do have reasons. Three of them, for the three dealers I shopped at, when, at one time I did condsider buying one. Never gonna set foot in a Toyota dealership ever again.

 

[obbop]

Over the years I have read several reports regarding customer satisfaction with the dealerships for the various manufacturers.

Toyota consistently rated near or at the bottom despite high approval ratings for the actual vehicles.

Guess the dealers feel they can treat the customer as they want since the vehicles are in high demand.

 

[luvs2drive]

You know, funny you guys should mention that. I too have a high praise for the car. My dealership experiences though have been nothing but frustrating to say the least. They seem to want to treat me like an idiot. I have to fight them every step of the way to do only what I want done to the car. It seems their computers are set up to rip people off, and there is only one way to do things. Probably why I take my Toyota to my Nissan mechanic for work!