 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Car Forum / Ford / Ford Focus / April 2005Extended warranty and auto-locking you out.
The Big Muddy's launch of his new site again piqued my interest in getting the extended warranty for my 2002 Ford Focus. This is essentially a math question. You give up upwards of $1200 up front and hope that it pays off in terms of saved repair costs. I do intend to keep my car at least to 100K miles ( I like the car.) Can anyone comment on the reliability of the 2002 version and whether the warranty makes sense? I know 95% of all such warranties (WRT all products, not just cars) are scams, but my ZTS has a plethora of fun little stuff (like sunroof, power windows, air, and so on) that I'd hate to live without just because repairing them was prohibitive. Any strong opinions on this out there? My ZTS is still under the factory warranty with about 30K. -------- On an unrelated topic, my focus locked me out with the keys inside and the car running yesterday. I've been reading about this design flaw here for years, so I always leave a door ajar, but a friend using the car didn't know. The resolution was quick and easy; the standard warranty includes roadside assistance, and Ford sent someone within an hour to open it up. The man who came said this is a constant problem with the Foci. > ...my focus locked me out with the keys inside and the car running > yesterday. I've been reading about this design flaw here for years, so I > always leave a door ajar, but a friend using the car didn't know. ... The > man who came said this is a constant problem with the Foci. I'm not going to comment on extended warranties, except to say that I don't bother with them. But as to this, what do you mean by being locked out by a "defect"? Is your door locking system malfunctioning in some way? If so, please specify. If not, I know no way to lock yourself out except by human error, same as every other vehicle on the market. And I certainly would never leave a door ajar - that's just dumb, and illegal around here. There is a simple fix for this human error, which is to take your key to the hardware store and get them to make a copy. There won't be a chip in it so it won't start the car but the key shaft will open the door. I keep this key in my wallet - it is of course far slimmer than the company key with the chip. Saves my buns at least once a year. > I'm not going to comment on extended warranties, except to say that I > don't bother with them. But as to this, what do you mean by being locked > out by a "defect"? Is your door locking system malfunctioning in some way? > If so, please specify. If not, I know no way to lock yourself out except > by human error, same as every other vehicle on the market. And I certainly > would never leave a door ajar - that's just dumb, and illegal around here. I'm talking about when the car is just idling in your driveway - we were just warming it up and clearing off the snow. Nothing illegal going on, so don't bust me. For years, I've been reading here of the Focus's design defect. People start the car (like me, to warm it up,) then close the *unlocked* driver's side door, and then the auto-locking mechanism locks them out (the car hasn't moved, I am aware of the 5MPH autolock, which I also don't care for.) It's not human error, it's poor design. > There is a simple fix for this human error, which is to take your key to > the hardware store and get them to make a copy. There won't be a chip in > it so it won't start the car but the key shaft will open the door. I keep > this key in my wallet - it is of course far slimmer than the company key > with the chip. Saves my buns at least once a year. And why not get yourself a spare key *with* the chip? I discovered the reason for this as well - it is wildly overpriced (well over $100 and only from the dealer.) Your idea hadn't occurred to me - not bad. But it's also a bit senseless to have an extra set of keys that's crippled. > And why not get yourself a spare key *with* the chip? It's too big to fit comfortably in my wallet. > reason for this as well - it is wildly overpriced (well over $100 and only > from the dealer.) $40 Can. the last time I checked. >...it's also a bit senseless to have an extra set of keys that's crippled. Well I don't know about you, but I've never lost keys in my 4 and a half decades of driving, but I have many times locked the keys in the car, so a door key is all I need, and certainly will deal with the circumstance you describe. As to your scenario of warming up the car in the driveway, I have seen no evidence that the doors lock on their own at all often, but when you bought the car it came with a spare key, don't you have that in your house? > $40 Can. the last time I checked. Correct, I'm talking about the whole enchilada, i.e., a key and a remote, along with the necessary programing. The car came with two, and I wanted three. The third set ran well over $100 USA, I believe it was actually over $150 plus a trip to the dealer. Retentive a bit, I know, but that's my view of a "spare set." > Well I don't know about you, but I've never lost keys in my 4 and a half > decades of driving, but I have many times locked the keys in the car, so a > door key is all I need, and certainly will deal with the circumstance you > describe. Good for you, but people do lose keys, and if you're not prepared, the hassle factor is mega. It's a very individual thing. Some of us are a little less meticulous than you, and there's also occasional thefts, and so on. > As to your scenario of warming up the car in the driveway, I have seen no > evidence that the doors lock on their own at all often, but when you > bought the car it came with a spare key, don't you have that in your > house? Good point. It was a "perfect storm." I misplaced (and lost) set number two, and I keep set number three off-premises as an unbeatable safety measure, just like I try to keep off-site valuable data discs and the like. Bu8t the other location is about 60 miles from my home. So we had a bad problem. In sum, I've had some nasty stuff happen in my youth so I double (actually triple) precaution important stuff. Yes, I take some of the blame. All that said, I still maintain that Foci have a defect where they're too aggressive about auto-locking doors. I've been reading about this for years here, and I believe it's a defect. Could be wrong, but I don't think so. My friend was sure the door was unlocked when the car was started for warm up, then we couldn't get in. I've been reading about this for years > here, and I believe it's a defect. Could be wrong, but I don't think so. > My friend was sure the door was unlocked when the car was started for warm > up, then we couldn't get in. Its happened to me a couple of times and to some of my friends as well. Its a defect. Fud >>$40 Can. the last time I checked. > [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > My friend was sure the door was unlocked when the car was started for warm > up, then we couldn't get in. The Focus isn't the *only* car to do that. So many other cars must have that *defect* also. I've had to open many cars that autolock, had a GM of some kind several years ago, had to open twice in a row in sub-zero weather, got it open, let it close, it immediatly locked again, Doh! . My '00 ZX3 only auto locks after I start moving, and only the first time I start moving, ie, if I get out after moving it will not relock. > All that said, I still maintain that Foci have a defect where they're too > aggressive about auto-locking doors. Well I agree about auto-lock in general. I hated it and had the dealer turn it off on my 2000. I understand you can do that yourself on later models, so I guess Ford heard the complaints. But I have no idea if that solves your original problem, since it never happened to me. Another thing I really hated was the upshift light. Didn't take me long to yank that little sucker out. But I don't call these things defects so much as just design features I don't like. > Well I agree about auto-lock in general. I hated it and had the dealer > turn it off on my 2000. I understand you can do that yourself on later [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > yank that little sucker out. But I don't call these things defects so much > as just design features I don't like. If, in fact, the door locks a person out while the car is standing still and idling, there is no question whatsoever that this is a design defect. The only question remaining is whether this happens. It is a fact that several people have complained of this, and it seemed to happen to my friend the other day, but I wasn't there to see it. The mechanic who responded to my service call commented that he sees this routinely. As a criminal attorney, I have had guilty clients get off because the matter could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, properly so. Since the Ford doesn't get that kind of protection, my verdict is guilty. I too am annoyed by the non-defective auto-lock behaviour, BTW. Ford probably ought to include a switch to toggle it on and off. But finally, I reiterate, I really like the car overall. >>Well I agree about auto-lock in general. I hated it and had the dealer >>turn it off on my 2000. I understand you can do that yourself on later [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > other day, but I wasn't there to see it. The mechanic who responded to my > service call commented that he sees this routinely. Then most if not all car manufacturers are guilty of this 'defect', this is not unique to Ford. > As a criminal attorney, I have had guilty clients get off because the matter > could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, properly so. Since the Ford [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > probably ought to include a switch to toggle it on and off. But finally, I > reiterate, I really like the car overall. I agree, that may not ba a bad idea, the ability to turn it off, or maybe some level of settings, ie. anytime the car is on then lock, only lock when put in gear, won't lock if your leaving it to idle and warm up, lock on starting to move, liek my '00 ZX3 or never autolock. > And why not get yourself a spare key *with* the chip? I discovered the > reason for this as well - it is wildly overpriced (well over $100 and only > from the dealer.) Your idea hadn't occurred to me - not bad. But it's also > a bit senseless to have an extra set of keys that's crippled. "well over $100 and only from the dealer" == WRONG. You can buy brand new key blanks with the transponder chip for $15 or less (including shipping) on ebay (I just bought one of these myself). Any locksmith can cut the key to match, and if you have two working transponder keys you can program the new key into the car's computer yourself for $0.00. I previously bought a blank transponder key from a Ford dealer, it cost a _lot_ less than $100, I forget exactly how much but I'm sure it was less than $40. I know the locksmith charged me only a few bucks to cut the key and I programmed it into the car's computer myself. If you just want to keep an extra key in your wallet to unlock the doors when you leave the car locked and running to warm up, not having the bulky transponder chip head on the key is a positive bonus. > > ...my focus locked me out with the keys inside and the car running > > yesterday. [...] > . But as to this, what do you mean by being locked out by a > "defect"? Is your door locking system malfunctioning in some way? If so, > please specify. Over the past three years or so, I've read several reports here of Foci auto-locking while idling in park. > If not, I know no way to lock yourself out except by human > error, same as every other vehicle on the market. Even if it's a human error situation, I think the Focus' power lock switch is especially easy to accidentally bump while getting out of the car. If it happens frequently, it's a sign of bad design. I love my Focus, but the door locks are not one of my favorite things about the car. > And I certainly would > never leave a door ajar - that's just dumb, and illegal around here. I roll my driver's side window down while warming up the car. > Over the past three years or so, I've read several reports here > of Foci auto-locking while idling in park. [...] > Even if it's a human error situation, I think the Focus' power > lock switch is especially easy to accidentally bump while getting > out of the car. If it happens frequently, it's a sign of > bad design. Lots of complaints about it in this forum over the last three years. I could be wrong, but I'm fairly sure this defect exists in the Foci. > I love my Focus, but the door locks are not one of my favorite > things about the car. Ditto, it's been a constant annoyance for me. A flaw in a car I otherwise like very much. > I roll my driver's side window down while warming up the car. Good idea, generally, but it was a snow/rainy situation when the problem arose on Sunday. >... I think the Focus' power > lock switch is especially easy to accidentally bump while getting > out of the car. If it happens frequently, it's a sign of > bad design. But one good thing about locking the doors this way - you can easily unlock them again, since you have the remote. I have mixed feelings about the remote in general. I've set off the alarm more than once just touching the buttons in my pocket accidentally. (That thing has range!) I also once opened the hatch on someone else's Ford van. The batteries are amazing - they're both still going after almost 5 years. But once they die I doubt I'll replace them. More trouble than they're worth. . >>... I think the Focus' power >>lock switch is especially easy to accidentally bump while getting [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > more than once just touching the buttons in my pocket accidentally. (That > thing has range!) I also once opened the hatch on someone else's Ford van. My reomte won't get over about 10' anymore, I replaced the battery, got >100' the first day or so, then back to ~10' range, my wife's Sable gets over 100', for over a year now. > The batteries are amazing - they're both still going after almost 5 years. > But once they die I doubt I'll replace them. More trouble than they're > worth. Simple 2 min job, pry it apart near the keyring attachment, put in new coin battery, snap it together done. Wrong. Car running, keys inside, get out and lock the car = call locksmith (unless you have a key for the lock). Two stories: 1. Purchased new cool remote keypad. Programmed and stuck on car. Let's go skiing. Car idling in driveway--oops, forgot wallet, get out of car... hmmm, I want to try out my new remote keypad again. Lock car. Retrieve wallet. Look like idiot trying to get back in running car (keypad remote don't work). Felt like idiot calling locksmith and waiting for an hour in ski gear for him to show up. 2. Out skiing (cross country, BTW). Frigid, real cold. Been locking everything in the car and using the remote keypad (uh, oh) to get back in. Guess what had a drained battery? Luckily, a ranger let me call a locksmith to get back in, but it was -20F below and, oh by the way, I felt stupid again. anybody want a used remote keypad?  SignatureRapid Rick "Just drive, baby" >>... I think the Focus' power >> lock switch is especially easy to accidentally bump while getting [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > . > Over the past three years or so, I've read several reports here > of Foci auto-locking while idling in park. Just out of curiosity, I did a Google Groups search of this NG for the past three years for the terms "door lock". On a quick look, I see only four comments that seem to be about this particular problem. Most complaints were about wanting to turn off the auto-lock feature when starting to move. It doesn't seem to me like door locks are high on the list of Focus defects. Anyway, see for yourself if you're curious. > > Over the past three years or so, I've read several reports here > > of Foci auto-locking while idling in park. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Anyway, see for yourself if you're curious. Before I read your post, I did much the same search. Just checking to see if my recollections matched what was in the archive. You know, I'd be happy to be wrong. Then I could stop leaving my window down, especially in the rain. I saw more than four, include one that claims there is a TSB on this, altho' I was unable to find it, even fixing his bad link. But I found what looks to be a reference to it here: http://mecanipat.com/fordfocus/NHTSA_ODI_-_Technical_Service_Bulletins.htm Here's five from this group. I hope I got the links right. http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.autos.ford.focus/browse_frm/thread/2fc80 9c30da7ba94?tvc=1 http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.autos.ford.focus/browse_thread/thread/6c faec0c55da2ad2 http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.autos.ford.focus/browse_frm/thread/4ea71 2190a486422/ http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.autos.ford.focus/browse_frm/thread/d2eea d22f36166b2/ http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.autos.ford.focus/browse_thread/thread/15 85c18b3c9758c2/b88985e605ca88c6 > On an unrelated topic, my focus locked me out with the keys inside and the > car running yesterday. I've been reading about this design flaw here for > years, so I always leave a door ajar, but a friend using the car didn't > know. The resolution was quick and easy; the standard warranty includes > roadside assistance, and Ford sent someone within an hour to open it up. > The man who came said this is a constant problem with the Foci. Hasn't happened on my Focus yet, but my 2004 Dodge Dakota did that to me last week when I was scraping the ice off the windshield. Same thing happened to another guy with a Ford Explorer Sport-Trak. I now make sure my remote is in my pocket when I scrape the windows when the car is warming up. Wonder if it has something to do with the cold temperatures making the contacts work differently? JPH > ... I now make sure > my remote is in my pocket when I scrape the windows when the car is > warming up. The remote won't save you with the Focus! It doesn't work with the engine running. >>... I now make sure >>my remote is in my pocket when I scrape the windows when the car is >>warming up. > > The remote won't save you with the Focus! It doesn't work with the > engine running. Focxus isn't the only car that it won't work on while the car is running.had ot go withmy dad to Rochester for a Ford pickup, don't remember which model, same problem, left the car running, thinking they could use the remote, it didn't. >>... I now make sure >>my remote is in my pocket when I scrape the windows when the car is >>warming up. > > The remote won't save you with the Focus! It doesn't work with the > engine running. Thanks, didn't know that. Can't open the rear hatch either? (ZX5). I'll have to try that on my Focus and Dakota to see if they're both that way. (I'll make sure I have the spare key with my remote when I try it though.) That would have been a bummer to have the doors lock with my remote in my pocket, and then finding out that it won't unlock the door! JPH |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.