So my new Focus...only a week and a half old...didn't start. Was an ECM, apparently. New ECM....no start. More diagnosis...no solution. The service advisor said "Well, I have no idea. Neither does the technician. But after calling around there are other dealers in the area with the same problem on these cars"

Specifically 5 speed Focus(es)....and I thought the 6 speed auto was a problem. No start, no solution.

So off to the manager's office.

Gotta give this dealer a lot of credit. They have been awesome with my Escape and showed me why they are rated #1 in the area today. He offered a replacement car but the equipment, colour etc could not be easily found. I said I wasn't keen to wait weeks for a new car I haven't even made a payment on.

So, he marched me over to my Escape, still on the used car lot since I traded it, and said "want it back?" Long story short, they took the focus back, reversed all the paperwork and charges, and gave me my Escape back. They even refinanced the amount owning at a lower rate than I was paying. I get it back in 2 days after the licensing office does their thing. (I even got to keep the new windshield and front brakes they installed!!)

Not sure if I should mention the dealer or not...some forums frown on that...but I gave them HUGE props on the Escape forum for what they did.

So, back to square one. No Focus for me. I will be looking for a Fit, but probably in the summer when the deals are better.

 

Well I'm glad that a) you found out sooner rather than later and b) that the dealer was so good to you

 

Wow, really dodged a bullet there! Nice to hear the dealership did well by you and best of luck with your next purchase.

 

what are you looking for in a Honda Fit? manual or auto/sport or base model?
how about the year?

 

Needless to say he isn't my friend any more

 

The dealership did you right. Kudos to them for the great service. Good luck on your future hunt for a Fit!

 

uh huh... this post didn't make much sense when i was reading it on my tablet, since it didn't show the title of the post (mobile version of the site).

Anyway, to kevinmoose.

When they swapped the ECU, was it from a working Focus? or from their parts inventory? The difference is... if it's just a part from inventory, it could be an equally bad ECU (rare, but it does occur). But if it's from a proven working car, then the issue is somewhere else.

I wonder if the problem might not be the ECU, but something in the clutch sensor. I assume all the 5 speeds are manual... and so they all have that in common. Maybe, on individual testing, the clutch sensor works and the ECU works within their tolerances... but combined, there's just not enough "within tolerance" for them to communicate.

I know, all this talk is moot now. But I used to work with troubleshooting computers, and things like this occur there too.

 

Hopefully you get a nice Fit. She won't do you wrong.

 

Whoa, glad we didn't go for the fiesta or focus when we were test driving hatches... Even though Ford and Hyundai offered more features for the $, one look at that 16 yo daily driven prelude and my descission to stay with Honda was a no brained...

 

That was a great experience you got at the Ford dealership. I'd like to suggest you repay them by reposting your story on a Ford forum or letting your Ford-shopping friends know that this dealership is a good place to shop at. Plus letting the dealer know you appreciated how they treated you and how you'll be spreading the word so they hear positive feedback and continue treating customers this way.

 

That is great to hear. Makes you want to buy maybe a different Ford.

I have similar experiences with my Dodge dealer. A small town family dealership. I used to do website for their nephew who raced. Anyhow they did my Fit Mods - springs and exhaust and tire rotations.

 

I did...on the Escape forum.

And for the record, this dealer also owns 2 Honda dealers....so if I buy a Fit, guess where it will be bought from?

PS: those Honda dealers are Sterling in Hamilton, Ontario and Brantford Honda in Brantford, ON (birthplace of #99!!)

 

I'm not sure what they did but they had the car for several days and tried a few things....I had thought about the clutch sensor as well but that can be bypassed (ie: for a remote starter, for example) so I have to think they tried that too.

Needless to say I picked my E back up today and they still had the Focus sitting in the shop. They said they were sending back to ford.

 

Did yours have the remote start?

"Can be bypassed" doesn't mean it was.

Since they didn't give all the details, all this is just guessing. So, I think I'm gonna leave it at that.

I wouldn't be surprised if the issue was something much more simple, and easily overlooked (ie: blown fuse or the like). That has happened when doing math homework in high school. Trigonometric functions? No problem. Geometry proofs? Easy-peasy. Simple addition... DOH.

 

Looking for a 2012 Sport 5 speed.

There are a few floating around the Hamilton/Toronto area. I guess that's the advantage of using the Chinese plant for these - not affected by the Tsunami.

At this point I will take a pause and probably hold out until Spring. No Screaming deals on Fits around here right now.

I will be very specific with my order. Red. Sport. Manual Tranny. If they have to factory order it then fine. I can wait.

I plan on having the dealer put a winter tire package into the deal as well as doing window tint, A centre armrest, and quite possibly the side mouldings as every Fit I see has been hit with the door ding Gnomes. Ditto every other car without side mouldings or running boards to protect against soccer moms and their kids flinging doors open in tight parking spots.

 

Wow, I was waiting for the Fiesta in 09 and landed on a Fit since they did not come in timely. Maybe that was by luck a better decision then. However, I owned a 78 Fiesta which was a great car and had it for a long long time. Traded in for a Toyota after having the Fiesta for over 180k miles. Maybe it was designed and built in Germany that made a difference in quality.