As regulars will know I sold my 330 convertible to my nephew after 6.5 years of complete reliability, apart from requiring a new alternator, which hardly counts.
Two months down the line the roof has started having a life of its own. It's lives outside, whereas previously it was predominantly garaged. Some mornings all the windows are down and the roof half open!
He is now saving up to get married, buy a house and doesn't want the expense of a main dealer investigating the cause. His plan at this point is to p/ex it for a Focus folding tin top from a garage... I sold it to him for £5k and the Focus is priced on the forecourt at £4.5k.
I'm feeling slightly guilty, although it was sold in perfect working order and excellent condition for the year.
I did ask for first refusal to buy back, but with two elderly relatives my current 5 door hatch is all I need, and I cannot justify two vehicles. Such is life.
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Go on LL, you know you want to and anything that gives you pleasure doesn't need to be justified if you can afford it.
Pat
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Pat, that covers a very broad spectrum of pleasurable activities....
Moving swiftly on..
I would love it back, but wouldn't want to incur massive expense in rectifying the situation. Nor does my nephew, hence the easier option of p/ex in its current state, although goodness knows how much a garage will knock off its value.
And I really cannot justify two vehicles and the associated expense of running them. Especially when I now spend seemingly half the year overseas ( currently I'm at gas Mark 5 in Turkey)!
If anyone wants it I'm sure he would sell it cheap...I'm not sure about the folding mechanics of a Focus tin top either.
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>>currently I'm at gas Mark 5 in Turkey)!
190°C??
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I would have thought it was worth having it looked at so he knows whether it's a serious (i.e. big money) problem or not. Had I bought that car I would have expected to spend the £5k and the same again over 5 years to keep it tidy and everything working properly if nothing serious went wrong.
The simple fact is that 10? year old cars cost money in maintenance, and if he has a what is essentially a good one then he's better spending money on keeping that in order than throwing it away in dealer margins and possibly ending up with something else that is not as good to start with, and will also require servicing and repairs from time to time.
Granted, my MX5 has always been a bit ropey, but I have spent over £800 a year average on servicing and repairs (including some sill repairs and a new hood, replacing burst hoses, fettling the head, replacing a failed coil and ABS sensors, in addition to normal maintenance), adding up over 5 years to a multiple of what the car is worth.
That's older cars, unless you are going to do everything yourself. In my mind I accept up to £1,000 a year as the cost of running a (now) nearly 18 year old car for fun, and when it reaches the end of the road I can write it off. It's still cheaper than depreciation on a newer one.
If he went into it without the expectation that he will need to spend money on repairs, then it is to be hoped he has learned something.
What do you call cheap? I quite fancy one of those...
Last edited by: Manatee on Fri 19 Aug 16 at 11:05
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Swapping to the Focus is going to cost the best part of 2k (in accounting terms, if not in cash). Surely there can't be *that* must wrong with it. Have you tried google? This suggests that living outside is quite probably the problem.
www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1903928-Convertible-top-opens-automatically
www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=423598
Last edited by: Mapmaker on Fri 19 Aug 16 at 11:20
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>> His plan at this point is to
>> p/ex it for a Focus folding tin top from a garage... I sold it to
>> him for £5k and the Focus is priced on the forecourt at £4.5k.
Have I not been paying attention?
I didn't know Ford did a Focus convertible, of any description. Auto Trader shows none?
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Sure did. Its called a Focus CC.
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>> Sure did. Its called a Focus CC.
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Ah! Daylight.
tinyurl.com/h27sz5u
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Iffy has / had one. IIRC the roofs on the early ones were prone to leaks.
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The first ones were recalled I seemed to remember because the roof mechanism could fail. In fact the problems delayed the UK availability.
Something like that. Not helped because they could close/open the roof on the move and it will be a lot heavier to shift than a soft top.
See:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/ford/focus-cc-2006/?section=good
That would put me off that's for sure.
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I remember the Focus CC used to leak - I think there were recalls to change all the seals
Don't see many about, but I would have thought they were OK being based on the Focus
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As I said they were recalled. In 2007 soon after they were on sale.
I wouldn't have one that's for sure.
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I totally get why someone might want a 3 series convertible. Sports car with an element of everyday practicality. A car to put a smile on your face on a sunny day but capable of being a daily driver provided you don't often need to carry large loads.
I absolutely don't get why anyone ( ok make that any man ) would want a convertible Focus.
I find those sorts of cars inexplicably annoying.
Irrational I know. Each to their own of course.
;-)
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I totally agree Runfer. I've done some elementary sums re fuel savings on mpg over 20k miles pa and forwarded them to the relevant parties.
For large loads I had a detachable Westfalia towbar fitted, fully homologated you know! I then fitted a ladder rack to my 6'x4' trailer because I forgot it was there a few times when giving it beans. Oops.
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>>Iffy has / had one.
Diesel.
:-(
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As an aside I've seen a few Macans knocking around Bodrum these past few days ( together with veritable convoys of Rangies, X5s, X6s, SLs, 5GTs ) and when I get lucky with my PBond next month it will be a toss up between one of those and a Panamera.
Panoramic sunroof of course ....
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I have a panoramic sunroof on my new car. ( have I mentioned that before? ) well, when I say "new" it has already got 8.5 thousand miles on it. Must get a proper job.
;-)
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I had one of those once.
And I'm not refering to a panoramic sunroof...
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Anyway, when did you go back to Turkey? I can guess why of course but when did that happen? I mustn't have got the memo ! Are you in the same hotel ?
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My last new car has about 16k miles on it. Except mine is two years old this October not a few months old.
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I returned a week ago after developing a taste for Turkish Delight. Despite all the unnecessary unpleasantness, and latest mass murder, I am enjoying myself, albeit feeling slightly guilty with all the current turmoil.
Same place, lovely friendly people, and decent weather with lower humidity during the day which helps my arthritic hip.
Suns up, so an hour in the gym now then a swim in the sea, followed by a late leisurely bfast of fresh fruits, sunflower bread & honey.
I sincerely hope that your line of business has not been affected too much by Brexit, although suspect it will have been to some extent....had a half day out in Leeds recently and bought two pairs of proper shoes, which are still being worn in.
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Good stuff ! Hope you enjoy it.
Thanks for your kind thoughts. We do indeed face many new, and in my continued opinion, unnecessary challenges as the result of recent political events. However, I have decided not to bother discussing them further with those who will not listen and will not see. Too annoying and too distracting given the practical pressures we have to deal with as a consequence.
Good scuba diving opportunities near you I remember. If that's of interest to you.
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Latest news from home is that in all probability it is going to be part ex'd for the Focus CC ( tin top) 2.0 petrol, next week.
Lower miles y'see. And a few years younger. Fewer squeaks and rattles from the roof ( which I became accustomed to and are to be expected in a soft top).
No idea whether it will be p/ex'd as is or repaired first.
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Update
I 'asked' elsewhere and the reply pointed to maybe the roof opening & Windows rolling down because the key was being sat on whilst vehicle was in line of sight.
Nah... My bruv said my nephew not that stupid
So they tried it & guess what....
Huge cheers all round and the 330 is going nowhere
All parties relieved, especially myself, as I was feeling guilty about selling a car to my nephew which had been 100% reliable in my 6.5 years ownership.
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I am unreasonably relieved. A Focus with a folding roof could have mentally scarred your nephew for many years to come.
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>> I 'asked' elsewhere and the reply pointed to maybe the roof opening & Windows rolling
>> down because the key was being sat on whilst vehicle was in line of sight.
>>
Two of the links I posted in reply to you in technical questions
www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?f=1&t=23009
stated
" it was something simple (like the button was accidentally pressed while the key was in his pants pocket). I'm guessing it was the latter ... and the OP is too embarrassed to say so "
and
" I was baffled until I was working in the garage a few days later and, while leaning up against my workbench, I heard the windows go down. Turns out I was accidentally pressing the fob in my pocket up against the bench, "
and so on.
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Many thanks BBP
I looked at the links you kindly posted whilst I was overseas on holiday last week, and emailed back home to say I would forward the links on my return...I'm useless at stuff like that and only have a tablet so was getting a friend to show me how tonight!
I admit to Luddite tendencies and was preoccupied with other matters in Turkey, so was very remiss in not thanking you for your time & trouble. Sorry.
Please accept my apologies... I shall still get my friend to show me how to do these links!
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BMW 3-Series E46 - I don't believe it - Pat
