Reached 10500 miles today. This is my review!

[jcr557]

So today I reached 10500 miles on my 2011 Ford Fiesta and I must say I overall give this car a 9/10.

When I bought this car, my intentions were to drive it until after the winter and then convert it into a rally car and enter the STPR event in Wellsboro, PA in 2012. This will most likely happen and I'm sure I will have help from another member on here who already build one for rally use (hopefully) LOL. I haven't done any performance mods, only appearance which include tint and white wheels. For those of you who haven't seen my intro thread, here's my car as it sits now.



THE GOOD:
This is my 2nd brand new car and its treated me well so far. Gas mileage is great and it clearly depends on the way you drive it (common sense). The room in the back for transporting big items is great, specially when the back seats are folded down. It definitely looks better than the accents, mazda 2's, yaris, versa, etc in my opinion. Sorry if I offended anyone.

THE BAD
As most of us know, sync directions are helpful but not that great. Updating a route can be annoying due to the time it takes to fully update. Directions are not great as a TomTom or iPhone maps, however it gets the job done, (even if it takes you a longer (not needed) way). Bluetooth audio works 99.9% of the time, it happens rarely but it will automatically disconnect or if my phone is connected it will automatically disconnect it. Sometimes it won't let me go to the next song or use my steering wheel options.

I don't know if this is a common thing with our cars, however grinding when going into reverse has been happening very often since about 8k. I do have a manual transmission and I've done and still currently do race on the side as a hobby (autocross, time attacks). All my cars have been stick shift since I was 16, (currently 22) so I know its not my fault or issue but it is my first time I've bought a Ford.

BEING SPOTTED:
I know this is a Fiesta forum, but Focus's are part of the family as well. There is yellow Focus that I see sometimes on my commutes and with a quick google search I found them. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/391695...3-hatchback-2d We always wave and/or honk passing driving the opposite direction as well as other Fiesta owners waving while driving. The most recent one was today in Reading, PA, a girl in a lime green fiesta. Btw if you see me around, don't hesitate to say hello .

THE DEALER EXPERIENCE: (not the one where I bought it):
I'm not going to mention what dealer however I went to get my first oil change at 500 miles and the dealer almost refused to do it, the mechanic even after all the paper work was done came out to ask if I'm sure I want to get it done as if I was about to commit a crime LOL, other than that, no complains about FORD or my Ford Fiesta.

OVERALL:
I didn't even want sync, however after a couple weeks of searching for a white 5 speed, that was the only one available to bring from another state but since I have that feature and its part of my everyday driving I have to give the car a 9/10. I like the car and definitely recommend it if your looking for a great mileage, good looks, roomy carrying space and if you plan on building it for racing

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.

[oracleguy]

Originally Posted by jcr557

THE DEALER EXPERIENCE: (not the one where I bought it):
I'm not going to mention what dealer however I went to get my first oil change at 500 miles and the dealer almost refused to do it, the mechanic even after all the paper work was done came out to ask if I'm sure I want to get it done as if I was about to commit a crime LOL, other than that, no complains about FORD or my Ford Fiesta.

I would actually consider that a positive experience, they weren't just going to take advantage of selling you unnecessary work without hesitation.

I like the wheels, they look sharp.

[Hammering hank]

I have always changed oil on a new car before it reaches a thousand miles. I feel comfortable in getting out original oil (?) and feel my choice will be better. Always use synthetic oil.

[grafxman]

About reverse... My previous car, a '95 Escort GT which I bought new, would do the exact same thing the Fiesta will do. You put it into reverse, release the clutch, you hear a grinding sound and the car doesn't move. Of course the tranny didn't actually make it all the way into reverse. The teeth hit each other, the gearshift stopped going back but the gear teeth aren't engaged.

I found a very simple yet somewhat nonintuitive solution. When you put it into reverse maintain back pressure on the gear shift then release the clutch. If the teeth are just touching but are not aligned, in other words it's not actually in reverse, when the clutch is released the gears will instantly mesh but back pressure must be maintained to cause this to happen. It takes a little bit of a change in one's normal shifting habits.

BTW, gorgeous looking car!

[HokieBill]

Originally Posted by grafxman

About reverse... My previous car, a '95 Escort GT which I bought new, would do the exact same thing the Fiesta will do. You put it into reverse, release the clutch, you hear a grinding sound and the car doesn't move. Of course the tranny didn't actually make it all the way into reverse. The teeth hit each other, the gearshift stopped going back but the gear teeth aren't engaged.

I found a very simple yet somewhat nonintuitive solution. When you put it into reverse maintain back pressure on the gear shift then release the clutch. If the teeth are just touching but are not aligned, in other words it's not actually in reverse, when the clutch is released the gears will instantly mesh but back pressure must be maintained to cause this to happen. It takes a little bit of a change in one's normal shifting habits.

BTW, gorgeous looking car!

Sounds like a great fix Grafxman. There have been a couple of threads on the reverse gear engagement (or lack thereof) in the past. Seems that there is general agreement that the Fiesta is considerably worse than most cars. Your solution is the first I've seen. Sounds like it should work. Damn, I wish I had thought of it.

[grafxman]

The first time I was ever in my Fiesta at the dealer for my test drive, it did it. I've generally owned stick shift cars, Merc Lynx, Mazda PU, Ford Courier, XKE, etc. but only the Escort GT and the Fiesta exhibit that behavior. If I didn't get it all the way into reverse on those other cars, nothing would happen. The car simply wouldn't move.

[rdurham285]

Great to hear. The grinding neither surprises me nor bothers me. Most cars don't have syncros for reverse. I always put it in 4th and then that sets everything to go into reverse.

[jdnepley]

Tint looks good as well as the wheels very nice clean look!

[Audrey]

My Escort did that grinding reverse thing. I went 100k miles on that clutch (total of 175k on the odo) before selling it to the next guy. I never had any actual problems otherwise, and it still worked fine. I'd not worry; try grafxman's method!

[jcr557]

Thank you!