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Advice Questions - Spyder01 - 07-15-2004

Hiya everyone, my first time here. hehe i never noticed how many people like the focus in Canada :) until now :) Seen alot of cool car pics from everyone as well and i have a few questions.

I have a 2003 Silver ZTS with all the traction control/heated seat/heated mirror/moonroof gizmos which I brought last september...I also got their extended warranty for 5 years due to all the recalls i've been hearing. Well, right now, everything is stock...and i was wondering if i do anything to the engine like change the intake, would that terminate the warranty? I've also seen a few pictures of pplz with 01 and 02 focus that got their door handles and side mirrors painted to body color, very cool and i want to know how you can get those handles and mirrors? My side mirrors are heated so im not sure if its even possible to paint...or are there painted mirrors/handles avaiable in the market around the GTA?

Finally, lol, after waxing my focus and staring at the front for like 30mins, i find that front grill hard to accept...lol maybe its just my opinion, anyway, i heard that pplz can buy silver chrome looking net or mesh from Home Depot and add it over or behind the current grill....any idea what I should be looking for? hehe, Hope none of these simple modifications would ruin my warranty.

Advice Questions - Flofocus - 07-15-2004

The warranty thing has so many factors....Do you have a good relationship with your dealer? It also depends on which parts causes which other part to fail....They cant blame an intake for faulty rear wheel barings, Knowhatimsayin :lol:

As for your grill, are you looking for something like this?

<a href='http://img25.photobucket.com/albums/v76/Flofocus/Picture_029.jpg'>[Image: Picture_029.jpg]</a>

:D

EDIT: Welcome B)

Advice Questions - Spyder01 - 07-15-2004

Nah, i wouldn't say i have a good relationship with the dealer...hummm lol that car...i saw that extact car just now while coming home but it was all white. Im not really sure which grill im looking for....i haven't seen a silver focus with different grills so not sure if it'll look good...But the grill you have, is that purchased? or did you put it together yourself? Not sure about the top grill because i don't have those projectors...but the lower grill looks nice :) lol but it'll properly look ugly on a ZTS

btw, i have a question, our focus which comes with the 2.0L Zetec...do you noticed a huge loss in power when your ac is turned on? Well, at the lower revs, the car is like really super under powered...but then at like 2500rpm, i guess the Zetec kicks in..kind of like that turbo lag. Kind of cool, but just wanted to make sure that power loss at the lower rev is normal.

Advice Questions - ZX3TUNING - 07-15-2004

the zetec does not kick in... it's just a name.
look here for a really good read on it: http://www.focuscanada.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=5830

as for the grill, what about this:
<a href='http://shmee.clubfocus.net/CF%20hood%20fabrics/cfxhood01.jpg'>[Image: cfxhood01.jpg]</a>

Advice Questions - Spyder01 - 07-15-2004

yea shmee..that one looks awsome! where can i get one of those grills? different from the SVT grill yet it looks hot.

About the Zetec, I have never experienced that kind of boost with a/c on though...anyone able to explain that? or is this 2.0L just a good engine? With the A/C on, there is like a major power loss at the lower revs...but if i really step into the gas deep, it would be like a truck and accerlates very slow, then suddenly at like 2500rpm, there is a sudden boost of power and everyone in the car can feel it. kind of cool really...but i couldn't feel that kind of boost without the a/c on. pplz with other models doesn't do anything like my focus...its weird, i had nothing changed to my ZTS yet since i've heard some problems with the warranty. My 2002 protege with the a/c on feels a bit slower but it doesn't give that sudden boost...

Advice Questions - Raine - 07-15-2004

Welcome to FC. Where are you from? Maybe you can join us for a meet sometime.

Zetec is not like V-tec. There is no extra power kick in. When you get a sudden boost of power, you're either A. dropping a gear, or B. over-coming the accesory lag &quot;threshold&quot;. Everytime you run your A/C (an accessory), the car takes more power to do the same things it would with less power if the accessory was turned off. Of course when you're producing a certain amount of power, the engine is able to overcome the amount of power being drawn off it by the accessories that had been making you slow. There are several ways to correct the problem altogether and get rid of that lag at lower RPM's. The most efficient yet cost effective would probably be an underdrive pully set. Are you driving an auto?

As for Shmee's grille, that's one from Europe. ST170 if I'm not mistaken. One of our board sponsors, Boss Euro Parts, sells them. As for making your own, at the Home Depot we sell a product called &quot;gutter guard&quot; which is a tightly woven wire mesh which can either be moulded around the grille or used as an insert as Flo has done. Mike (Malby7) has his grilles done in gutter guard. Here's a pic (hope you don't mind Mike :P )

<a href='http://www3.sympatico.ca/azimmarani/malby.jpg'>[Image: malby.jpg]</a>

Advice Questions - arskiker - 07-15-2004

Spyder01,Jul 15 2004, 03:49 AM Wrote:but if i really step into the gas deep, it would be like a truck and accerlates very slow, then suddenly at like 2500rpm, there is a sudden boost of power and everyone in the car can feel it.
When full throttle the A/C shuts off automatically. It doesn't happen immediately so you feel as though at a certain rpm the car comes alive.

Advice Questions - Spyder01 - 07-15-2004

@arskiker: Wow really? i never knew that....so if i have a/c on...and put the pedal down, it'll automatically turn off after a few sec? ooo thats a cool feature, lol feels cool though to be going like a truck and then suddenly, a boost!...it doesn't downshifts or anything, just continues like normal but theres a big boost...hehe now i know..lol cause the a/c is turned off...

aww Raine, how much would that euro grill set me back? My focus is silver so im not sure if that gutter guard would look good...maybe at the bottom but not on top. Blah, i just noticed if i get the euro grill, i'd have to get the mach hid as well...do you know where i can buy the mach hid? Im not really a big fan of internet shopping though so im looking for stores near the GTA area that are selling these mach HID.

Advice Questions - guilty - 07-15-2004

The euro grills can add a lot of simple class to the front end. Only problem is eliminating the signal lights.. There are a few solutions for that though. Some people mount the stock signals behind the euro grill so you can see them when they turn on. There are a few different headlights that incorporate the signal lights too.

The mach HID lights have signals in them, but expect to pay a lot for them and have a hard time finding them for sale within Canada.

Stock european (2002+) headlights have signals, and are available in chrome and dark gray (ST170).

The Hella and Morette projector headlights come in 3-projector versions, so you connect the signal to one of those.

For any european parts, be sure to check out www.bosseuroparts.com. He's located in BC and has great prices and service. Dont be afraid to do some internet shopping, just listen to what people say on the forums and suggest where to buy from.

Advice Questions - Spyder01 - 07-15-2004

For sure, i know i could get them from ebay like anytime during the 365 days of the year....they are selling like nuts there, the problem about internet shopping is im afraid that if the mach comes to my house and they are broken, theres nothing i can do...also, pplz can bs you and send you just the mach without bulbs or bulbs without housing...Never brought stuff from ebay before cause some pplz been scaring the crap out of me, go do a search and you'll find some extremly cheap 'cars' which i think is so cheap, its weird. I've seen $1.00usd SE focus with 110k miles...A 56k miles $500 Hummer....i mean, those are just crazy and its properly scams...which again puts me on hold against any purchases from the internet especially ebay.

Advice Questions - 2001 ZTS - 07-15-2004

There is home depot then there is the real deal:

<a href='http://www.european-parts.net/catalog/images/focusrsgrille.jpg'>[Image: focusrsgrille.jpg]</a>

;)

Advice Questions - Flofocus - 07-15-2004

Spyder01,Jul 14 2004, 09:19 PM Wrote:...But the grill you have, is that purchased? or did you put it together yourself?
That grill is a homemade grill with fiberglass and APC Grill bought from CT.

Advice Questions - paolo - 07-15-2004

Theres the grilles mentioned above, then there is the Hofele Edition grille / Euro badgeless grille:

<a href='http://ofoc.ca/hid/gallery05.jpg'>[Image: gallery05.jpg]</a>

I also have the stock 99-01 lower euro grille insert on my car to keep the grilles with matching pattern. I hate it when people have mis-matching upper/lower grille combos.



Advice Questions - guilty - 07-16-2004

Spyder01,Jul 15 2004, 12:35 AM Wrote:the problem about internet shopping is im afraid that if the mach comes to my house and they are broken, theres nothing i can do.. Never brought stuff from ebay before cause some pplz been scaring the crap out of me.. which again puts me on hold against any purchases from the internet especially ebay.
You're right to be sceptical of &quot;deals&quot; on ebay. That's a place where you really have to watch yourself if you dont want to get scammed. Sometimes you can get a good deal on ebay, but a lot of the stuff being sold on there is crap.

You just have to make sure the place that you're ordering from is reputable. There are online companies that will go far out of their way to make you a happy customer.. you just have to know which ones.

And yeah, if you're buying headlights you have to watch out for broken tabs. The way the headlight is shaped and put in the box makes the corner tab at risk of being broken. When the dealership parts guy ordered my mach HID headlights, there were around 5 broken lights shipped before I got a pair of unbroken ones. Make sure you order from someone who knows what they're doing, that's all.

Advice Questions - Spyder01 - 07-16-2004

So would the SVT grill be cheaper than the euro grill? because the SVT grill comes with the turn signals...seems like the only good looking one that comes with the turn signal. Anyone know if that'll fit into my 03 ZTS? And i can get them from any dealership right?

Advice Questions - paolo - 07-16-2004

The going price for the euro and svt grilles should be similar in price to one another. It has nothing to do with the fact that one has turn signals and the other doesnt. Yes any focus UPPER grille from 1999 to 2004 is compatible with all models/makes weather its euro or north american. Its the bottom grille that you have to watch out for.

Advice Questions - guilty - 07-16-2004

The SVT grill has a kind of honeycomb pattern in it, and matches the SVT lower grill. But since the SVT bumper is shaped differently, the lower grill isnt a direct fit in the stock bumper (people have modified it to fit, not sure what's involved there).

And what paolo said about the lower grill is what you need to watch for. The 99-01 european bumper is shaped the same as the north american bumper, and the euro lower grill will fit our cars (with a tiny bit of modification to your foglight mounts). Any grill replacement for the 99-01 lower euro grill will also fit, but any european grill 2002+ will not fit since they changed the style of the bumper. (ie. the ST170 upper grill will fit your car, but the lower grill is a different shape)



Advice Questions - naz - 07-16-2004

i haven't read the whole post, but i read something about home depot and grille

don't do it man.. it will look exactly like what it is.. chicken wire over plastic.. unless you have some serious skill



Advice Questions - GapBoyPCS - 07-16-2004

Spyder01,Jul 14 2004, 05:02 PM Wrote:Hiya everyone, my first time here. hehe i never noticed how many people like the focus in Canada :) until now :) Seen alot of cool car pics from everyone as well and i have a few questions.

I have a 2003 Silver ZTS with all the traction control/heated seat/heated mirror/moonroof gizmos which I brought last september...I also got their extended warranty for 5 years due to all the recalls i've been hearing. Well, right now, everything is stock...and i was wondering if i do anything to the engine like change the intake, would that terminate the warranty? I've also seen a few pictures of pplz with 01 and 02 focus that got their door handles and side mirrors painted to body color, very cool and i want to know how you can get those handles and mirrors? My side mirrors are heated so im not sure if its even possible to paint...or are there painted mirrors/handles avaiable in the market around the GTA?

Finally, lol, after waxing my focus and staring at the front for like 30mins, i find that front grill hard to accept...lol maybe its just my opinion, anyway, i heard that pplz can buy silver chrome looking net or mesh from Home Depot and add it over or behind the current grill....any idea what I should be looking for? hehe, Hope none of these simple modifications would ruin my warranty.
Quote:Well, right now, everything is stock...and i was wondering if i do anything to the engine like change the intake, would that terminate the warranty?&nbsp; I've also seen a few pictures of pplz with 01 and 02 focus that got their door handles and side mirrors painted to body color, very cool and i want to know how you can get those handles and mirrors?&nbsp; My side mirrors are heated so im not sure if its even possible to paint...or are there painted mirrors/handles avaiable in the market around the GTA?

As mentioned, have a good relationship with the service advisors and techs at the dealership. Best thing to do is see if there are other &quot;modified&quot; cars in their bays, and talk with the owners and the techs. Most of them are car guys, and if you do things within reason (i.e. no hack jobs), they'll be accomodating to your modifications. That being said, warranty can be a tricky item. If there are extenuating circumstances e.g. warranty audits/issues with a specific dealership, even the most accomodating staff can say &quot;no&quot; and you're left on the hook.

For the door handles and mirrors, get the SVT ones and/or the 2005 ST. Mirror wiring should be similar as they also have the heater element. Don't attempt to paint your current black matted mirrors. Unless you prep the surface really well, it will peel and be left with a fugly job.

Quote:So would the SVT grill be cheaper than the euro grill? because the SVT grill comes with the turn signals...seems like the only good looking one that comes with the turn signal. Anyone know if that'll fit into my 03 ZTS? And i can get them from any dealership right?

The SVT upper grille is actually a bit cheaper than the non-SVT grill &lt;_&lt; . It's a direct replacement piece. Fits on my ZTS no problem! For the lower SVT honeycomb mating to the non-SVT front, you're looking at a lot of cutting and epoxy.

<a href='http://www.ofoc.ca/gallery/dynoatdasilva/dyno05.jpg'>[Image: dyno05.jpg]</a>