Twenty

First thought from the picture: Avalance.

Dash vent swap: Today my friend Mario came over with his new Focus ST and we got to work on a little project. My SE has silver trim in the interior, but the outer vents on the dash are all black. In contrast, Mario’s ST has a blacked-out interior but the same vents have silver accents. As it turns out we both wanted the opposite to what we already had, so we agreed to swap. My SE’s original vents: No one had done this before so we had to figure it out for ourselves. It didn’t take too long. It gave us a chance to put together a how-to as well. The vents were held in place with clips and one torx screw. They were stubborn but eventually let go. Since the Focuses are different model years (mine being a ’12 and his a ’13) we also had to swap the headlight switches. 2013s receive a trunk-release button that ’12s don’t have. With the parts swapped, here’s a comparison. On the left is the piece that went into my sedan. They were all reinstalled and both of us were happy with the swap. And a bonus ST photo. Thanks again to Mario!

Congrats Sam!

I've already watched the trailer too many times.

ST side skirt test fit: This morning a friend of mine came over and we went to work testing one of the new ST side skirts on the sedan. I was 99.9% sure it'd fit on with no troubles but I wanted to know without a doubt before getting them painted. Summary: it did. The relatively nice weather means that both cars were recently washed as well. About time! First up was to remove one of the stock skirts from the car. Along the bottom edge are a few fasteners which pop out. The upper edge is then held in place with more clips; for removal, you can pull up on the top edge of the side skirt (in the door jambs) to release it from these clips; they then pull straight out from the rocker panel. These are said clips. The upper edge of the skirt has a small lip which these attach to, before the whole piece is installed on the car. All the clips and mounting points are the same with one exception. On either end of the ST side skirts these white clips need to be used as they slide into little slots on the skirts. I need to track down two more, myself. Otherwise, all original clips can be used if they survive removal of the side skirt, which they should. With the original piece set off to the side the ST skirt was put in place temporarily and it fit perfectly. *Ignore the mudflap in the second picture. I removed the bottom clips and merely pushed it out of the way when installing the side skirt. Being one-time use clips I didn't want to fully remove it. So, there it is. ST skirts fit onto sedans perfectly as long as you swap two clips for each one. Now it's time to send these off for paint!

Deer crossings seem harmless now.

That looks really nicely made!

Uh oh.

And then there were two: This morning the second side skirt arrived. Next these need to be installed for a test fit before paint. Once they're in colour then I'll need to let them cure for a while before wrapping them in 3M. Along with the skirt came a small pack of clips, I'll check to see if any need to be swapped out in order to install the ST pieces; I also have to order new front mud flaps to fit them.

I spy an R33!

I forgot how close some of you are to me! Still in Calgary.

The start of 2013's plans: I have mentioned before that I want to address the rest of the exterior, especially the side skirts and rear valence. I also want to continue drawing inspiration from the Mk3 ST, so this takes care of both. The first ST side skirt arrived yesterday. The driver's side is still coming, from a separate location. Looking at the backside it looks like it won't take much time at all to remove the old and install the new. Once a few clips and screws are removed the whole piece should just slide off. More to come when the second skirt arrives!

These guys showed up yesterday; locks to go with the summer lug nuts. I'm taking care of a few details here and there while I wait for my side skirts to show up, which will hopefully be not too long now.

Yesh, that be me. Twenty is my nickname so I use it wherever possible.

Welcome!

Hmm, can't say I recognize it actually. I like those headlights though.

Mine has been great. In the 16 months I've had it now, it has been in the shop for three "problems" which are small. -PCM was reprogrammed as very occasionally it would idle low at a red light and almost stall. Problem has been solved. -A washer had to be added to a wiper motor where the wiper arm installs. Problem solved. -A VERY faint rattle can be heard over certain low speed bumps, so we checked over the suspension. A few bolts were tightened but we haven't found the cause yet. It comes from the front suspension. If I was doing this again would I buy the Focus? Absolutely. Issues have died down now that these cars have been out for almost two years (!) but there were the usual first-year problems early on. -DCT complaints of course -MFT complaints of course -Some sunroof equipped cars had glue stains on the headliners -Some hatches had panel fitment issues with the hatch, wing, and taillights Mine though, with no DCT, MFT, sunroof, or hatch has had no major problems at all. And it's still the best standard I have ever driven.

Wait, what? I thought they'd love it because of the manual.

Thanks! Coming up on 20 since my parents bought it new too. Sorry. I've changed to a passive search for those. If I come across the parts, great. But am I hunting online for them like I used to? No. Honestly I'm pretty happy with where it is now. Thanks! I think this is the best it has ever looked.

When and when? ETA is under a week for one, maybe a month for the other. Paint/install, I don't know yet. If that's what you meant. Honestly I don't know. I believe the manuals are relatively rare though.

OEM ST side skirts: ordered.

A friend of mine (with an '11 STi) had a shift knob from them, they look like really nice pieces.

It's a milk jug. Tiny little engine. Intake part II: Tonight I picked up a couple of parts and updated the intake a little. The assembly now consists of the FSWERKS heatshield, a K&N filter, and a K&N prefilter. The reason for the filter swap was due to availability of the oils for the two filters; I can easily get (and have) K&N re-oiling supplies whereas I didn't know if I could get the specific supplies for FSWERKS' filter. Plus I have experience with this brand and like their products. The prefilter had to go on for winter as the intake's location puts the filter in the path of dirt and water being sprayed on the front of the car. I have no actual complaints with the original filter though, just to be clear. This is more about personal preference and making maintenance easier for myself.

Today (Jan 17) marks four years of me having the GP. Currently it sits in storage but it will have to be brought out on a nice day sometime soon as it needs a photoshoot; I have a few people to get in touch with regarding that. I don't really have any plans for 2013 aside from a GTP hood if I can ever get one, but I'm happy with where it is.

Congrats!