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If you're looking for a suspect in the killing-off of the large sedan segment in Australia - beyond the obvious SUV, of course - look no further than Ford's chameleon Focus, a small car that fulfils so many briefs it should be its own car brand. Available as a sedate, $43,010 city car (ST), a practical sedan (Sport), a warmed-over hatchback (ST) or a $54,780, fire-breathing performance vehicle (ST X) - and even as a wagon in some markets - the Focus wears a lot hats. Fortunately, then, it wears most of them well, and is traditionally a strong performer in Ford's Australian lineup.
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There are lots of potential causes for this sort of behaviour, starting with an alternator that is not working properly or even a body computer that is on the way out. But these symptoms are also a classic indication of a very simple problem; a poor earth somewhere on the car. A modern car has multiple earthing points, and if one is a bit sketchy, it can throw the whole car into chaos. Flickering lights and gauges and warning lights on the dashboard are classic indicators of a bad earth. If that’s the case here, an auto electrician should be able to chase down the fault and fix it permanently.
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This generation Ford Focus was the first to use electro-hydraulic power-steering. As such, you can’t transpose the rack and pinion hardware from any other model; it would need to be this exact version of the Focus for everything to be compatible.
Once you’ve swapped the hardware, the electronics would also need to be coded and matched to the car’s body computer, as this is what controls the speed-sensitive variations in the steering assistance as well as functions such as the self-parking facility.
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You could scour wrecking yards (as they used to be known) for the bits and pieces you need to replace, but you would potentially be buying parts with the same – or more – wear than the ones you already have. Some things, like rubber belts, globes, tyres and filters, you just can’t trust unless they’re brand new.
Pulleys and their bearings are considered service items meaning they will eventually need to be replaced. When that time comes, the best advice is to replace them with good quality replacement parts, as that’s the only way to make sure the same problem won’t reoccur in a short space of time.
Be wary, too, of really cheap replacement parts you can order online from no-name suppliers. That’s not to say cheap parts can’t be good parts, but quality is sometimes pretty sub-standard and you won’t know that until you’ve paid for them to be fitted and they’ve subsequently failed. And getting your money back from an online seller can be next to impossible in many cases.
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* Price is based on Glass's Information Services third party pricing data for the lowest priced Ford Focus variant.
The Price excludes costs such as stamp duty, other government charges and options.Disclaimer: Glass's Information Services (GIS) and CarsGuide Autotrader Media Solutions Pty Ltd. (CarsGuide) provide this information based on data from a range of sources including third parties. Whilst all care has been taken to ensure its accuracy and reliability, GIS and CarsGuide do not warrant or represent that the information is accurate, reliable, complete, current or suitable for any particular purpose. You should not use or rely upon this information without conducting an independent assessment and valuation of the vehicle.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, GIS and CarsGuide exclude all liability for any direct, indirect, special or incidental loss, damage, expense or injury resulting from, arising out of, or in connection with your use of or reliance upon this information.