FordFanForEver Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Let's just say I'm very politically active and leave it at that since I don't want to get into politics here. (I've had stickers with my own name on them on other cars.) It's a peel-off sticker anyway, so it won't be there permanently or do any damage to the paint. The dealer sticker isn't staying long either, but I need to keep it there for a week or two. I was wondering how long it would take for this comment to pop up. I am for McCain and your for Obama. No matter who our next president is, he will have one TOUGH job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickz Posted August 24, 2008 Author Share Posted August 24, 2008 She reads this forum with as much regularity as I do now! :lol: She wanted to know if your wife was getting a Focus as well? I also showed her exrub's car ('Minnie') and you probably can figure out the rest: "That's just darling! And they named it Minnie--oh so cute!" She really needs to get out more. Six weeks for your car to arrive, right? Each time I look at it, it makes me smile. You really made a nice choice. I think all I'd add would be splash guards. Me thinks Obama would approve! Just shy of 8 weeks--6/19 to 8/15. It would probably be less now because they didn't even start production at Wayne until 7/21. By the way, we drove the Focus down to Springfield today for the big shindig. Only got 30 MPG average on the way down because we got stuck in over a half-hour of 1 MPH backup along I-80 near Joliet. I was just watching the average drop as I sat in that mess. LOL! On the way back, we got 35.4 MPG. This was with the cruise set at 70 with the air on. Nice drive, but I really need to wash her tomorrow. You remember the scene in Men in Black where Tommy Lee Jones is inside the bug and he shoots his gun and blows it up? The front of my Focus looks like it was hit with that. Not kidding. It's a frickin' bug graveyard on the front of my car. That and there's road tar on the doors. I drive around town for a week and it's still clean. I take one 400 mile road trip and it looks like a disaster. Anyway, I passed 800 miles today. It will probably be a couple weeks before it hits 1000 though since I dont have any more long drives planned for several weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtrakking Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 By the way, we drove the Focus down to Springfield today for the big shindig. Only got 30 MPG average on the way down because we got stuck in over a half-hour of 1 MPH backup along I-80 near Joliet. I was just watching the average drop as I sat in that mess. LOL! On the way back, we got 35.4 MPG. This was with the cruise set at 70 with the air on. Nice drive, but I really need to wash her tomorrow. You remember the scene in Men in Black where Tommy Lee Jones is inside the bug and he shoots his gun and blows it up? The front of my Focus looks like it was hit with that. Not kidding. It's a frickin' bug graveyard on the front of my car. That and there's road tar on the doors. I drive around town for a week and it's still clean. I take one 400 mile road trip and it looks like a disaster. Sounds like ick-city to me! No worries though. A little sweat equity and she'll be shining like the diamond she is soon enough. How did you enjoy the long drive overall, bottleneck aside? Did she glide across the open expanses of highway nicely? Gas mileage was definitely good; even 30 MPG during the backup was good IMO, all things considered. I'm assuming the traffic tie-up was owing to construction. Proof positive that Chicago has three seasons: Winter; Summer; and construction! On a related note: any idea when Ford's going to update the website to include the '09 Focus? Was wondering out of curiosity when production of the coupe would begin, too. I also saw an SEL in the new Sangria Red color here in town on Sunday! The color is amazing on the car with the chrome highlights. The local dealer does keep his Focus supply on the lot very long; they seem to disappear as quickly as they arrive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blazerdude20 Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 Just shy of 8 weeks--6/19 to 8/15. It would probably be less now because they didn't even start production at Wayne until 7/21. remember the scene in Men in Black where Tommy Lee Jones is inside the bug and he shoots his gun and blows it up? The front of my Focus looks like it was hit with that. Not kidding. It's a frickin' bug graveyard on the front of my car. That and there's road tar on the doors. I drive around town for a week and it's still clean. I take one 400 mile road trip and it looks like a disaster. if there are a few bugs that just wont come off after washing try a little wax on a rag, works wonders. paint thinner will take the tar off easy; no it wont hurt the paint if you wipe it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted August 26, 2008 Share Posted August 26, 2008 SEL should be a hit since it has stuff people want and is a far cry from old Escorts and boy ricer ZX3's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickz Posted August 26, 2008 Author Share Posted August 26, 2008 Sounds like ick-city to me! No worries though. A little sweat equity and she'll be shining like the diamond she is soon enough. How did you enjoy the long drive overall, bottleneck aside? Did she glide across the open expanses of highway nicely? Gas mileage was definitely good; even 30 MPG during the backup was good IMO, all things considered. I'm assuming the traffic tie-up was owing to construction. Proof positive that Chicago has three seasons: Winter; Summer; and construction! On a related note: any idea when Ford's going to update the website to include the '09 Focus? Was wondering out of curiosity when production of the coupe would begin, too. I also saw an SEL in the new Sangria Red color here in town on Sunday! The color is amazing on the car with the chrome highlights. The local dealer does keep his Focus supply on the lot very long; they seem to disappear as quickly as they arrive. I spent a few hours on Sunday doing the full detail. Turtle Wax Bug & Tar remover worked wonders. Actually, most of the bugs washed off in the rainstorm we drove through on the way back up. Only the really stuck on stuff remained. The car feels really good on the highway. It's quiet and it's got enough power for passing if you're not trying to be an Indy driver. Driving through rain at 70 mph, it has a great grip on the road. This was actually the first rain I had since I bought the car. What I really liked was how much of the windshield was covered by the wipers. They're huge! Great visibility. While I was vacuuming the inside, I decided to pull the panel off the center console and route my iPod cable underneath to the center console storage area. Now I can keep the iPod in the car inside the console the way it should have been (and all the other Fords do it). The only thing that shows is the USB connector and about 2 inches of cable. When I get around to it, I'll take some pics of the "mod". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aneekr Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 No compass or thermometer display. The display panel actually has spots for them, but they are unused in the Focus. (You can see the extra unused elements on the display panel by shining a flashlight on it.)Kind of a shame too because how much would it have cost Ford to make the external temp and compass displays work? A few bucks for the sensors? Of course the same can be said of a trunk release button and putting the USB port inside the console. Thanks for the info, nickz. Job 2 Foci (due to arrive at dealerships Dec. '08) will have an ambient temperature and compass display in the center dash, an interior trunk release button, and SYNC 2.0 (for vehicles equipped with that feature). Apparently Ford IS committed to continuous improvement on this car and others in the North American lineup. Yay! Hope your experience thus far with the Focus has continued to be a positive one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aneekr Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 (edited) Oh yes, I saw an '09 Focus SES sedan with the 17" anthracite colored wheels today. Looked sharp! Edited September 10, 2008 by aneekr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89-Pony Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Oh yes, I saw an '09 Focus SES sedan with the 17" anthracite colored wheels today. Looked sharp! Hey, now that's HOT. How do you get it without those fender vents? This looks awesome -- no vents and with those wheels. Is it available from the factory this way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopyto Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Hey, now that's HOT. How do you get it without those fender vents? This looks awesome -- no vents and with those wheels. Is it available from the factory this way? the 09 SES comes without the chrome Fender Vents. My wife has Sangria Red and wanted the vents on it. So I bought them and did a minor Mod and put them on. Car looks pretty sharp with the vents on it. Actually, it made her "Happy". Thank God I can do something right!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex D. Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Thanks for the info, nickz. Job 2 Foci (due to arrive at dealerships Dec. '08) will have an ambient temperature and compass display in the center dash, an interior trunk release button, and SYNC 2.0 (for vehicles equipped with that feature). Apparently Ford IS committed to continuous improvement on this car and others in the North American lineup. Yay! Hope your experience thus far with the Focus has continued to be a positive one. That's encouraging news! I always wondered what was up with the lack of a temp. compass display since it is the same display as the Escape and since the early press release pics of the '08 Focus showed outside temp. and compass. Unfortunately, I have an '08 and really want the compass and outside temp. display. Oh well at least they're incorporating these updates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickz Posted September 10, 2008 Author Share Posted September 10, 2008 That's encouraging news! I always wondered what was up with the lack of a temp. compass display since it is the same display as the Escape and since the early press release pics of the '08 Focus showed outside temp. and compass. Unfortunately, I have an '08 and really want the compass and outside temp. display. Oh well at least they're incorporating these updates. Too late for me. Kinda pisses me off too since I just spent all that money on an 09 and I don't have this on mine. The temp thing is no big deal, but I'm already finding it annoying not having a trunk release. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtrakking Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 (edited) Thanks for the info, nickz. Job 2 Foci (due to arrive at dealerships Dec. '08) will have an ambient temperature and compass display in the center dash, an interior trunk release button, and SYNC 2.0 (for vehicles equipped with that feature). WTF??!?? Why can't Ford just get it right THE FIRST TIME? What a pain in the a** this is. Now you have to wait until Christmas to get BASIC features on a new car? Ford gets a huge :slap: !! Edited September 10, 2008 by amtrakking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordanij Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 Here's an interior lighting pic. Nice car; I like that interior color too. I'm glad to see they changed the sunroof controls, added rear seat head-restraints and have installed full ESC. I do notice by your picture the the transmission selector illumination is still too weak when compared to the other interior back-lighting. If Ford keeps tweaking the Focus at this rate, I'll be an owner of one by the new year. Now if they'd just smooth out the steering wheel spoke edges and upgrade the width of the sun visors; I'll have no excuses for waiting. Best regards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_in_va Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Oh yes, I saw an '09 Focus SES sedan with the 17" anthracite colored wheels today. Looked sharp! That looks light years better than the standard SES. They should make them all with those wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegeneral Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 2004-2008.5MY Mazda3's Don't have a trunk release button on the key FOB. 2009MY does though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nibyak Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 That looks light years better than the standard SES. They should make them all with those wheels. To each his own. I have never liked the look of the dark grey wheels. To me they look like silver wheels that are dirty. It reminds me of all of the Beemers and Mercedes I see driving around DC with filthy wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickz Posted September 16, 2008 Author Share Posted September 16, 2008 2004-2008.5MY Mazda3's Don't have a trunk release button on the key FOB. 2009MY does though. We were talking about a trunk release button in the car, not the key fob. The key or the key fob (for models with keyless entry, which is all of them but the "S") is the only way to open the trunk. There is no release in the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickz Posted September 16, 2008 Author Share Posted September 16, 2008 To each his own. I have never liked the look of the dark grey wheels. To me they look like silver wheels that are dirty. It reminds me of all of the Beemers and Mercedes I see driving around DC with filthy wheels. +1 I like the bright aluminum look of my wheels. Don't care for the dark ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickz Posted September 16, 2008 Author Share Posted September 16, 2008 Nice car; I like that interior color too. I'm glad to see they changed the sunroof controls, added rear seat head-restraints and have installed full ESC. I do notice by your picture the the transmission selector illumination is still too weak when compared to the other interior back-lighting. If Ford keeps tweaking the Focus at this rate, I'll be an owner of one by the new year. Now if they'd just smooth out the steering wheel spoke edges and upgrade the width of the sun visors; I'll have no excuses for waiting. Best regards. Don't use that photo to judge it--it's misleading. The transmission indicators are not visible in that photo at all because they are recessed a half inch from the panel and at the angle the photo was taken they can't be seen. To see what you were talking about I just went and sat in the car and checked it. If you dim the panel lights all the way down to where they are barely visible there is virtually no illumination on the shifter indicator. At about the half-way position where I normally set it, the indicator is quite bright, and on full-blast it is very bright, equal to the dashboard lighting. Not an issue as far as I'm concerned. I now have over 2000 miles on the car after exactly one month of ownership. I hope to sit down in the next couple weeks and do a more thorough write-up of my overall impression of the car (preview: very good), and some of the minor issues I've run into. I won't make any promises as to how soon though since I just started grad school this past weekend and I already have enough writing to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pioneer Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 I saw in the order guide that the SEL comes standard with heated leather seats. I had an '03 with heated leather seats. It was part of the "weather package". The weather package also included heated side mirrors. Does the new Focus offer this as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickz Posted September 16, 2008 Author Share Posted September 16, 2008 I saw in the order guide that the SEL comes standard with heated leather seats. I had an '03 with heated leather seats. It was part of the "weather package". The weather package also included heated side mirrors. Does the new Focus offer this as well? Yes. Heated mirrors are standard on all models that have power windows/locks/etc (again, all but the "S"). In a preview to my longer writeup I should mention that although it's only September, I've already used the heated seats. My wife discovered this while playing with the controls, but even in warm weather, the heat on the lower back really helps if you have a bad back and it keeps you from stiffening up on long road trips. Just a few minutes of heat every so often feels REALLY good. Her suggestion for improvement? Heat and vibration. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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