CarComplaints.com Notes: Even though the first model year of a major redesign should typically be avoided, Ford did a good job & the 2008 Ford Focus doesn't appear to have any major defects.
That said, the following model years of this 2nd generation Focus (2009-2011) do appear to be slightly better.
I had just posted a Complaint about the Sway Bar Links for the 2008 Ford Focus...i forgot to add that combined with this brake job was about $350 @ MY mechanic after this was out of Warranty June 2012 @ 30,157km.
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BRAKES - so the new 2008 Ford Focus I Purchased in 2008 of June has only got 30,157km on it at the moment i type this. I've been hearing along with the sway bar link noise i had fixed....brakes growling and sounding like metal on metal or at least growling.
-So being as my bumper to bumper warranty was up last June 2011....I took the Focus to my Trusted local Mechanic that I always go to. He showed me the Rotors & the Pads (as he always does after a job shows me the parts) The Outside of the Rotors were ok...but the inside were toast..you could see how it wasn't shiny metal when rotors are good. And the pads were chewed up cuz of the bad rotor or vice versa. NEEDLESS to say that resulted in the need for NEW FRONT ROTORS & PADS BOTH SIDES @ only 30,157KM!!!!!! That's crazy...some people are bad on brakes ....I always get 60-80,000km out of my brakes. This isn't a situation of driver abuse....I've never been hard on brakes. Not my first go round @ the Rodeo...I've owned cars since 1969.
- NOW...THE MECHANIC SAID......its not from driver abuse he said the car just isn't driven enough ( only 30,000km ) and he went on to explain what happens with the rotor & the pads etc etc. Well he is CORRECT. I am a retired person and the car is lucky if i drive it 2 times a week. Grocery store....maybe the odd little trip here and there once & a few times a year i head over the boarder. Other than that it really isn't used like a mon-fri basis that most people use for going to work.
That being said the car has never been anywhere other than this time...as it is out of warranty......has never been anywhere other than the dealer i bought it at for Oil Changes and the inspection bi-annual or whatever they call it. So no monkey business has been done on it.
- SO THE BRAKES.....+ the Sway Bar Links x2 was $350 at MY local mechanic. Would prob have been a lot more at the dealer and they would have put on the same crap sway bar links. Like i said in my SUSPENSION COMPLAINT....i havent added my VIN cuz i wasn't real comfratable with that being on the internet. If Ford wants to contact me through the site go ahead. Won't Happen...it's out of warranty...they got me to buy it....and it's not the new model...so they don't care.
Anyway ......i figured if i don't post it.....no 1 knows...and this site is a good tool for information. Just got the car back June 21st 2012 today seems to be ok. Next step Oil change in 2thousand km and get them to fix the CROSS THREADED VALVE STEM CAP THEY MESSED UP @ MY LAST OIL CHANGE @ the FORD DEALER.
Rear brakes make terrible noise when coming to complete stop. I tried a few different cars on the lot and they all made the same noise. I guess at some point the shoes should be replaced with a different material.
- Kenneth W.,
Deltona, FL, US
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I had just posted a Complaint about the Sway Bar Links for the 2008 Ford Focus...i forgot to add that combined with this brake job was about $350 @ MY mechanic after this was out of Warranty June 2012 @ 30,157km. --------------------------------------------------------------------------
BRAKES - so the new 2008 Ford Focus I Purchased in 2008 of June has only got 30,157km on it at the moment i type this. I've been hearing along with the sway bar link noise i had fixed....brakes growling and sounding like metal on metal or at least growling.
-So being as my bumper to bumper warranty was up last June 2011....I took the Focus to my Trusted local Mechanic that I always go to. He showed me the Rotors & the Pads (as he always does after a job shows me the parts) The Outside of the Rotors were ok...but the inside were toast..you could see how it wasn't shiny metal when rotors are good. And the pads were chewed up cuz of the bad rotor or vice versa. NEEDLESS to say that resulted in the need for NEW FRONT ROTORS & PADS BOTH SIDES @ only 30,157KM!!!!!! That's crazy...some people are bad on brakes ....I always get 60-80,000km out of my brakes. This isn't a situation of driver abuse....I've never been hard on brakes. Not my first go round @ the Rodeo...I've owned cars since 1969.
- NOW...THE MECHANIC SAID......its not from driver abuse he said the car just isn't driven enough ( only 30,000km ) and he went on to explain what happens with the rotor & the pads etc etc. Well he is CORRECT. I am a retired person and the car is lucky if i drive it 2 times a week. Grocery store....maybe the odd little trip here and there once & a few times a year i head over the boarder. Other than that it really isn't used like a mon-fri basis that most people use for going to work.
That being said the car has never been anywhere other than this time...as it is out of warranty......has never been anywhere other than the dealer i bought it at for Oil Changes and the inspection bi-annual or whatever they call it. So no monkey business has been done on it.
- SO THE BRAKES.....+ the Sway Bar Links x2 was $350 at MY local mechanic. Would prob have been a lot more at the dealer and they would have put on the same crap sway bar links. Like i said in my SUSPENSION COMPLAINT....i havent added my VIN cuz i wasn't real comfratable with that being on the internet. If Ford wants to contact me through the site go ahead. Won't Happen...it's out of warranty...they got me to buy it....and it's not the new model...so they don't care.
Anyway ......i figured if i don't post it.....no 1 knows...and this site is a good tool for information. Just got the car back June 21st 2012 today seems to be ok. Next step Oil change in 2thousand km and get them to fix the CROSS THREADED VALVE STEM CAP THEY MESSED UP @ MY LAST OIL CHANGE @ the FORD DEALER.
- anonymousautobeef, London, Ontario, Canada