Mk3 focus st

[Michael 38]

Hi i test drove a 13 plate focus st with 60000 miles on the clock today and the clutch was very heavy and i had trouble engaging first at a couple junctions, has anyone on here had one ?
Is it a sign of imminent gearbox clutch problems ?

[StackH]

Hi i test drove a 13 plate focus st with 60000 miles on the clock today and the clutch was very heavy and i had trouble engaging first at a couple junctions, has anyone on here had one ?
Is it a sign of imminent gearbox clutch problems ?

I have a 16 plate so not the same age but I don't find the clutch heavy at all. There are loads of ST's available, so if it were me and I had any doubts I'd look elsewhere.

[Michael 38]

Thanks for the reply unfortunately all the other cars for sale are either hundreds of miles away or out of my price range this car was reasonably priced because of the milage and fairly close

[StackH]

Try the Focus ST owners forum: http://www.focusstoc.com/forums/foru...k3-discussion/. There are probably owners with similar age/mileage cars who may have a more relevant experience.

[senwar]

Thanks for the reply unfortunately all the other cars for sale are either hundreds of miles away or out of my price range this car was reasonably priced because of the milage and fairly close

If you're already asking questions about concerns then this car is one you should definitely walk away from

[WORKSIMON]

Have a read of this :

http://www.focusstoc.com/forums/topi...-heavy-clutch/

[StackH]

Have a read of this :

http://www.focusstoc.com/forums/topi...-heavy-clutch/

That's a discussion about the MkII ST (the old Volvo 5 cylinder engine), but I'm pretty sure a 13 plate will be an early MkIII (or pre-facelift) which has the 4 cylinder ecoboost.

To the OP: I have to echo the previous comment, if you have any concerns then walk away. Any potential saving by buying this reasonably priced example could be blown out the water by clutch or gearbox repairs. This one may be local and convenient, but decent ST's are not hard to find if you can expand your search radius a bit.

[ernestrome]

It is probably worth travelling for a decent car rather than buying a lemon because it is local. Northern Irish buyers for example frequently find it cheaper to fly to England, Scotland or Wales to get a car because of the larger market. Obviously there is the risk that you make a long journey and the car is not right but again better to walk away. It concentrates the mind to check everything possible before going a long way to kick the tyres.

[Michael 38]

Thanks for replys I found out someone at works son has a 14 plate st and says his sons clutch isn't stiff or heavy and it slots into gear perfectly first time so will steer clear of the car I looked at,

the gear box and clutch could well be the reason the previous owner got rid of it and as stackh said I don't want to be saddled with undoubtedly big bills for clutch or gearbox repair/replacement

[carlt69]

Definitely a walk away one this one for you.

Good luck finding a nicer example


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[billymac]

If the price can be adjusted to allow the fitment of a new clutch would that not be an option? In my experience fitting a new clutch makes driving any car so much better. Clutches do get heavier with age/miles and if that was the only issue, fitting a replacement would make it a far better driving car for the time that you own it. One proviso, fit oem parts and don't be tempted to upgrade, that just might be the reason it is heavy in the first place!

[Michael 38]

I could have tried to get money off for a clutch,but it would have still left the gearbox problem which could have been due to the clutch or something wrong with the gearbox itself which I wouldn't want to chance