Ford Focus ST170

Changes and Repairs toward my ST170

I like to keep track of any changes or repairs toward my car and thought I'd share this with you all. Kinda like you would see on a software with an "changelog" file, showing all of the changes being done. New additions are on the top.

• 30th July 2008 - Engine bay cleaning, dusting, hoovering, etc has been done. Phew!
• 28th July 2008 - Finished painting the brake calipers in red as it looks tacky and rusty previously. Looks much better now
• 27th July 2008 - Week off from work! Going to prepare my car for Ford Fair. I will be on the Ford ST Owners Club stand. See you there!!
• 13th July 2008 - Going to miss my car for 3 days while my car's in the bodyshop garage. Thank god for our 2nd car (VW Golf!) so can still drive to work. :D
• 3rd July 2008 - Booked my car in for bodywork repair - getting the stonechip done and also the dent FINALLY! Car is going in on 14th July, so a week away
• 26th June 2008 - Think my front's wheel bearing are on the way out. Need to have them checked out. Considering it has done over 94,000 miles, I think it've done well!
• 14th June 2008 - Gave my car some loving by taking it to a professional car cleaning company - Evolution Valet - well impressed with their service!
• 21st May 2008 - New tyres fitted to rear while the rear side got to the front. Also had all wheels balanced at SCA Internatgional Race & Rally Centre - great service!
• 18th May 2008 - Finally fitted the new oil dipstick tube and also the manifold headshield. HOWTO on ST170 Manifold Headshield and HOWTO on ST170 Oil Dipstick are up now
• 13th May 2008 - Received the new tyres. Going to get them fitted on Wednesday 21st May
• 9th May 2008 - Ordered two new front tyres as it's starting to wear out a little bit. Going to stay with the same make & model which is the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 as I found them very good.
• 23rd April 2008 - Ordered and received another K&N Panel Air filter (KN-33-2819) as my current one is very dirty and I was not able to clean all of the dirt out. So getting a new one and looking after it properly would make things easier with cleaning. Oh and fitted it! :)
• 19th April 2008 - Finished painting the manifold heatshield along with the oil dipstick tube too, as it's on the way out too. Will need to fit them someday
• 8th April 2008 - Managed to find a very good condition manifold heatshield for a very good price as my current one is loose and rusty. Will paint it with heatproof paint to stop it from going rusty again
• 1st April 2008 - It was the master cylinder! So it got replaced, along with new sealant for the thermostat housing as it was leaking. Car is all happy once again. :D
• 24th March 2008 - Leaking on the clutch pedal. Either the slave cylinder that was repaired last Oct is faulty or it's the master cylinder... grr. Booked my car for 1st April with Ford
• 19th Feb 2008 - After a long drive to Uxbridge to TOTD and got the Exhaust vernier pulley fitted - it was well worth the costs! A big thank you to TOTD for doing the job. A must-have modification to your ST170 car!
• 9th Feb 2008 - Ported throttle body fitted in my car. And cleaned the K&N Panel filter at the same time. Took my car for a test drive - what an amazing difference from the ported TB! Photos and How-to to follow
• 6th Feb 2008 - TOTD visit confirmed for 19th Feb for the Exhaust vernier pulley
• 4th Feb 2008 - Researching to have Exhaust vernier pulley fitted by TOTD - need to arrange a date
• 28th Jan 2008 - Ported throttle body arrived - will need to fit it someday
• 20th Jan 2008 - My K&N Air panel filter is in need of a clean as it has been about a year so far. Opened it up and the air filter box is full of dirt, which I have cleaned. But the K&N Panel filter is in need of a clean so I have ordered the K&N Air Filter Recharger Cleaning Service Kit - 99-5000. Should arrive soon, so I can clean it.
• 7th Jan 2008 - MOT passed. Service went well. No additional repair work, which I am pleased with!
• 31th Dec 2007 - A good 2 months of no problem with my car, which I am pleased with. My car is due for MOT and service on 7th January 2008, so hopefuly good news! A very Happy New Year to you all! :D
• 12th Dec 2007 - Decided to move my insurance policy over to Adrian Flux as they gave me a very good price than my current insurance who wanted almost £100 more! So I've decided not to renew with them and switched to AF. :)
• 19th Oct 2007 - It wasn't the clutch so no replacement needed. It was the slave cylinder. Much better now!
• 11th Oct 2007 - Brake fluid topped up. Ford noticed my clutch may be on the way out or the slave cylinder might be dodgy. Booked my car in with Ford
• 8th Oct 2007 - Handbrake light on the dashboard started to flicker - turned out to be low brake fluid - uh oh! hopefully not leaking... will visit the Ford garage to find out.
• 12th Sept 2007 - Files section added - the first file is an step by step of fitting an rear spoiler
• 28th August 2007 - Starting to think what engine modification to do next...maybe underdrive pulley or something else
• 6th August 2007 - My first club stand with FFOC at Ford fair was a success! Lovely weather. Photos here
• 3rd August 2007 - Start preparing my car for Ford Fair. See you there on the FFOC Stand!
• 28th July 2007 - Had my car rolled road at Clive Atthowe Tuning, Norwich this morning. And the result is something I am pleased with. The 1st graph from Aug 2006 - standard (no mods) And with mods (K&N Panel filter and Bluefin) for this day. I'm pleased with the result. :D
• 15th July 2007 - Need to make a start with cleaning my care in prepation for Ford Fair. Hoover the insides, wash the car, inside and outside, polish, clean the engine bay and other things. Need a good weather as it has been raining a lot!
• 23rd June 2007 - Car is doing well, need a wash, tho.
• 5th June 2007 - Show plate created, ready for Ford Fair 2007
• 17th May 2007 - Had the new tyres fitted - what a difference! Better grip. Well worth the purchase.
• 15th May 2007 - Received the new tyres! Pic #1 and Pic #2
• 12th May 2007 - Cambelt change done. Car is happy now!
• 11th May 2007 - Ordered a new set of tyres - Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 - should get them early next week.
• 1st May 2007 - Finally found one Ford garage that can do the whole job (cambelt kit, Aux belt, Pulley, Tensioner and other bits) for around £280 inc VAT! So booked my car in for 12th May. Result! :D
• 28th April 2007 - Two Ford garages wanted over £280 just for cambelt kit!! Hmm, trying another garage...
• 18th April 2007 - Decided to have the cambelt changed as it has went over 80,000 miles. Looking around for a quote...
• 4th April 2007 - New wipers arrived. And I did an HOWTO... on how to stop the dribble on the windscreen!
• 2nd April 2007 - Wipers are starting to go bad, so I ordered some new PIAA wipers! But it's at different size. Wondering why? Stay tuned to find out why...
• 31st March 2007 - Almost reaching the 80,000 miles mark and it's time to look around for a good quote on cambelt change. I know it can last up to 100,000 miles mark, but I am not taking the risk...
• 10th March 2007 - Fitted new set of number plates (front & rear) as the old one were bubbling up from water leak that went in the middle of the number plates. The new plates included the website URL of this site on the bottom plates. :D
• 24th Feb 2007 - Finally sorted out with my insurance for the Bluefin install - mapped my car and woooooosh! More torque. And I'm smiling. :D
• 23rd Feb 2007 - One week later, it's awesome and I'm loving the stopping power! Go and get them for your ST170!
• 16th Feb 2007 - Got the new brakes fitted. Need to bed them down for the first 400 to 600 miles before I will tell the difference
• 12th Feb 2007 - After some searching, I've found a garage who can fit the brakes and do the brake fluids for just £64 for the whole job! So going to book my car in soon. Well worth looking around!
• 10th Jan 2007 - Black Diamond brake kit arrived. Will arrange a time to fit them somewhen in Feb. See the pictures... This is also 1 year since I got my ST170 car!
• 23rd Dec 2006 - Xmas pressie for me - Black Diamond Front & Rear discs and also Front & Rear Predator Pads. Should be receiving it around early January!
• 19th Dec 2006 - MOT passed. Service went well. Car is happy now. Only one advisory which are the brakes pads & discs needs replacing in 3,000 miles time. Going to order a new set soon...
• 16th Dec 2006 - Insurance replied, inspection and repair work booked for 15th Jan 2007. Hire car will be supplied
• 12th Dec 2006 - Booked my car in for MOT and Full Major Service for 19th December. I'm sure it will pass MOT.
• 9th Dec 2006 - While sitting on a traffic jam, a guy ran into the rear of my car! Thankfully no major damage, just scratches on the bumper, but no idea about the exhaust or internal damage. Insurance contacted to arrange for my car to be inspected. Not a good timing for Xmas!
• 7th Dec 2006 - Received the Bluefin device - plugged it in my car to test it quickly and wow, it's sweeeeet. Going to test it fully soon to pick the correct tune and then remove it. Going to reinstall it when I renew my insurance.
• 2nd Dec 2006 - Replaced the side repeaters with a smoked side repeaters and orange bulbs - it suits the black car! See my How To on fitting them.
• 2nd Dec 2006 - Both side of headlight bulb replaced, along with new sidelight bulbs - Philips Blue Vision Ultra. Very nice!
• 30th Nov 2006 - Driver side headlight bulb blew - got a new one but will need to fit them
• 6th Nov 2006 - 3rd top rear brake light replaced (FINIS 1120425) and it's looking much better!
• 3rd Nov 2006 - Got the CAT heatshield out. I think I know why this happened... I only did the stainless steel cable tie wrap on one side but not the other side... so as you can guess, it came out from the rusted nut and scraped along the road! Here are the photos
• 2nd Nov 2006 - After almost 4 months of no problems with the CAT heatshield and stainless steel tie wrap, it has snapped and caused the CAT heatshield to bunkle up as it get wedged between the CAT system and the road. And tomorrow morning is where we're off to Kettering and Santa Pod. Bad timing! Going to try to remove it early tomorrow morning.
• 27th Sept 2006 - Managed to find the time to order the new top, rear brake light (FINIS 1120425) and will need to fit it someday!
• 29th August 2006 - D'oh, I was messing about with the top, rear brake light and somehow cracked the plastic cover! Think I overtighten it. Need to buy a new one...
• 19th August 2006 - Got my car rolled road - achieved 164.4bhp (7080rpm) and 137.8lbft (5521rpm) - seems to be an average for most ST170 cars out there for standard car (i.e. unmodified).
• 5th August 2006 - Success! The stainless steel tie wrap to secure the CAT heat shield worked well! :D This is what it used to be when I firstly noticed it. After a month of no action, this is what it looks like! Now with the stainless steel tie wrap, it's much better now.
• 4th August 2006 - CAT heatshield starting to get noisy and rattling - looked under and found the it's opening up even more. Need to do the stainless steel tie wrap soon! Photos to follow
• 21st July 2006 - This will be around 2 months since I last washed my car. Need to do that as soon as the house move is all done! My poor car...
• 13th July 2006 - Got a quote from the bodyshop for repairing the stonechip and respraying - around £160 - ouch. Need to find the time to drop off my car as it will take 2 to 3 days!
• 4th July 2006 - Parts arrived, fixed and now all sorted. Picked up car, all fine now... hopefully! Photo 1 and Photo 2 of the new piece.
• 26th June 2006 - Ford says it's the "Engine Air Shut Off Control" (FINIS 4447983) that needs to be replaced along with the "Manifold Kit" (FINIS 1367457) but parts are out of stock. Waiting...
• 25th June 2006 - Uh oh. Clicking noise from the engine bay. Got RAC called, they checked and it was something to do with the silver box that is hanging on the firewall area (back of the engine). Was advised to take it to the Ford garage and was OK to drive home. Left car at Ford garage
• 22nd June 2006 - Fixed now! Something to do with the door module (FINIS 1349090) which was replaced. Works great now!
• 19th June 2006 - Took my car to Ford so they can take a look at the problem with the flashing indicators and they said the previous job they have done has somehow damaged something and they will fix it free of charge. So this should be sorted out soon
• 14th June 2006 - Looks like the accelerator cable repair has somehow affected the flashing indicators when you pressed the lock button twice - it doesn't flash at all. Contacted Ford to find out.
• 14th June 2006 - Vibrating accelerator pedal now finally fixed! Photo of the longer cable - used FINIS codes 4573474 for the cable and 6793327 for the clips
• 27th May 2006 - Big stone chip on the front of the bonnet. (Photo) :(. Finding out how much to pay for it to be repaired
• 4th May 2006 - Someone scratched the front, right side of the wing - grrr. :(
• 23rd April 2006 - Fitted the Air Deflector (FINIS 1212560) to replace the faulty part. The Snorkel (FINIS 4359190) is being kept as spare just in case. - Pictures
• 8th April 2006 - Fitted the "ST170" side sticker decals - photo #1, photo #2 and photo #3
• 8th April 2006 - Bad news! My front bumper has been scruffed by someone else! No idea what happened but it looks bad... photo #1 and photo #2 - how can anyone do it and not leave a note?
• 7th April 2006 - Washed car in prepation for the stonechipped paintwork and hopefully putting on the "ST170" side sticker decals
• 3rd April 2006 - Fitted K&N Air Filter Panel (KN-33-2819) - has improved the idle and the car pulls better. See photos of the work.
• 29th March 2006 - Cleaned the engine a bit - before and after photos.
• 22nd March 2006 - Removed the company logo sticker from the rear window using the hairdryer and nail remover product to remove the sticky goo.
• 18th March 2006 - Fitted "ST170" stainless steel tax holder - photo
• 18th March 2006 - Fitted "ST170" brake light cover - photo
• 15th March 2006 - Washed my car. Stuck on "FFOC" sticker on rear, side windows - photo
• 28th Feb 2006 - Main, left headlight bulb blew - replaced. Was hard to remove the plastic cover!
• 26th Feb 2006 - Full replacement on all windscreen wipers (front and rear), think it was over 2 years old, so it was long overdue! The Bosch wipers are pretty good.
• 24th Feb 2006 - Gave my car its first wash!
• 16th Jan 2006 - Lambda sensor failed - replaced under warranty. Was told it's a common fault on most Focus cars.
• 10th Jan 2006 - Got my car!!

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To Do

The following list is my To Do for the future when I find the time

• Cover up stonechips on the bonnet edge - see photo.