I always try to keep a 30mpg car for a daily driver and commuter. After owning a Honda Fit for 2 years i just couldnt deal with all the shortcomings and sacrifices it took to maintain 32mpg. Small/noisy/lack of power/strange tire size/small brakes etc etc.
I liked the 2012 Ford Fusion because it was non-DI and non CVT. Oil changes are fairly easy and transmission fluid changes are just as easy. The 2.5 Duratec seemed to have a good reptutation as well.
I bought the car with 30K miles and i just hit 70K.. so here is how its been so far.
Car came with Uniroyal Tiger Paws that had zero miles- they are wearing like iron. I dont like them but want to get every penny out of them. No issues with them except they are a little noisy and wet traction isnt very good. I will get new tires in the spring i think.
Car came with OEM brake pads.. i inspected and the back plates fell apart in my hands. I installed Raybestos E3 pads and rotors front and back happy with brakes for around 30K miles.. I had a brake hose that was causing caliper to stick so i think i probably ruined one side in the front. Its starting to pulsate more and more on hard braking.. so i think i will have to get new pads for the front soon.
At around 50K miles i heard loud chirping on startup. Found a idler pully was going out. After reading it is a common issue, some kind of plastic thing can go bad, explode and throw belt, take out other stuff with it.. there was some kind of OEM updated part that is metal...its been a little while so i forgot but i installed it.. its a bracket and metal pulley that solves the issue.
At around 60K miles the car started losing power and de-rated. Threw a code. Throttle body failure. Ordered part..took about 20 mins to swap out. Turns out this is a known issue.
Last month all kinds of chimes and dongs alerted me that AdvanceTrac needs servicing. I went down a rabbit hole on youtube..seems that all kinds of stuff can cause this. My OBD reader cannot read ABS codes so i had them read and a rear speed sensor was the culprit. All good now.
During inspection of the speed sensors i found a broken spring in the front. Seems this is also pretty common on these cars. I assume its been broken awhile i just didnt notice it.
Front struts installed, had an issue with noise but turned out it was a sway bar link that was a tad loose. All good but front sits up higher than rear..
Rear shocks looked impossible to do at home. Took them to one shop they said no. Took to another shop and it took them 3 hrs..but only charged me 2hrs. Said it wouldve been impossible to do at home unless i had special tools and two jacks to lower the suspension. Shocks were dead... all the way dead.
Ride height good now. KYB front and back. Very happy with the ride now.. front and rear was worn out.
Complaints- Radio reception is poor. Seems this is a known issue. I dont think there is anything i can do about it. You cannot open the window if its slightly wet or raining at all. all water goes right in your face and lap.
Final thoughts- I am averaging 32 mpg and more than that on long trips. I wanna complain about the wrenching that it has needed but in all fairness i think its somewhat acceptable for a 10 year old vehicle that has driven alot of rural country roads.
My gut says that everything that was weak or gonna go wrong has went wrong. I think it should be good for awhile.. with gas prices unknown im keeping it for a good while.
I liked the 2012 Ford Fusion because it was non-DI and non CVT. Oil changes are fairly easy and transmission fluid changes are just as easy. The 2.5 Duratec seemed to have a good reptutation as well.
I bought the car with 30K miles and i just hit 70K.. so here is how its been so far.
Car came with Uniroyal Tiger Paws that had zero miles- they are wearing like iron. I dont like them but want to get every penny out of them. No issues with them except they are a little noisy and wet traction isnt very good. I will get new tires in the spring i think.
Car came with OEM brake pads.. i inspected and the back plates fell apart in my hands. I installed Raybestos E3 pads and rotors front and back happy with brakes for around 30K miles.. I had a brake hose that was causing caliper to stick so i think i probably ruined one side in the front. Its starting to pulsate more and more on hard braking.. so i think i will have to get new pads for the front soon.
At around 50K miles i heard loud chirping on startup. Found a idler pully was going out. After reading it is a common issue, some kind of plastic thing can go bad, explode and throw belt, take out other stuff with it.. there was some kind of OEM updated part that is metal...its been a little while so i forgot but i installed it.. its a bracket and metal pulley that solves the issue.
At around 60K miles the car started losing power and de-rated. Threw a code. Throttle body failure. Ordered part..took about 20 mins to swap out. Turns out this is a known issue.
Last month all kinds of chimes and dongs alerted me that AdvanceTrac needs servicing. I went down a rabbit hole on youtube..seems that all kinds of stuff can cause this. My OBD reader cannot read ABS codes so i had them read and a rear speed sensor was the culprit. All good now.
During inspection of the speed sensors i found a broken spring in the front. Seems this is also pretty common on these cars. I assume its been broken awhile i just didnt notice it.
Front struts installed, had an issue with noise but turned out it was a sway bar link that was a tad loose. All good but front sits up higher than rear..
Rear shocks looked impossible to do at home. Took them to one shop they said no. Took to another shop and it took them 3 hrs..but only charged me 2hrs. Said it wouldve been impossible to do at home unless i had special tools and two jacks to lower the suspension. Shocks were dead... all the way dead.
Ride height good now. KYB front and back. Very happy with the ride now.. front and rear was worn out.
Complaints- Radio reception is poor. Seems this is a known issue. I dont think there is anything i can do about it. You cannot open the window if its slightly wet or raining at all. all water goes right in your face and lap.
Final thoughts- I am averaging 32 mpg and more than that on long trips. I wanna complain about the wrenching that it has needed but in all fairness i think its somewhat acceptable for a 10 year old vehicle that has driven alot of rural country roads.
My gut says that everything that was weak or gonna go wrong has went wrong. I think it should be good for awhile.. with gas prices unknown im keeping it for a good while.