Owner knew when to take '03 Ford Focus SVT to the shop! CAR WIZARD shares when home fixes are unsafe 

I have a local mechanic who is very honest with me. I've taken cars to him for work and he'll come outside and tell me 'you can do this yourself and save a lot of money. Just do A, then B, then C and you're done.' Another time I took in a toyota for the timing belt service. He said he highly recommended letting him do crank and cam seals since it would hardly add anything to the cost, rather than waiting to do them separately. Another time I wanted him to replace an 02 sensor and he told me to get one off ebay because his cost getting one the normal way was hundreds of dollars more. I'm really hoping he never retires.

The mechanics tools have a price tag and anyone can buy them. It's the mechanic's knowledge that's priceless.

What also needs to be mentioned is that the work being done in a shop by a mechanic is warrantied.

I've come to do a lot of my own work because I've been burned by a couple several shops, and I really appreciate your respect towards someone trying it. The last shop I used was a trusted one people highly recommend, and they tried to quote me $1800 for two front struts in my 04 corolla! Not long after, the front brakes they replaced started squealing. The owner personally apologized, but still quoted me a ridiculous amount. It's ridiculous how scummy some of these shops have become.

Having a good relationship with your mechanic is so underrated. My motorcycle mechanic knew that when I was in school I was on a very limited budget and I did most of the work myself where I could, not because I didn't respect his price but because I just couldn't afford to spend the money on both parts and labor to keep it running right. But there were some things that I did take it to him for like tires, valve adjustment, and front shocks because I don't have the tools required to do those jobs correctly. Because of this, anytime I messaged him asking for advice because I was stuck on a problem, he would respond and be happy to tell me and when I next saw him I would bring him a 6 pack of his favorite beer as thanks for the time he took to give me advice as a budding home mechanic. The relationship was always about respect because I respected that he has a business and by giving me advice he is essentially teaching me how to not use his services, so I never pushed my luck and I always made sure he knew how thankful I was for him being such a good person and helping me when he didn't have to. Its really all about respect. If your mechanic feels that you respect them and their time they will always understand when you say that you are gonna do the work yourself because they understand its not you saying "your price is too high and unfair" you are really saying "your price is fair, I just cant afford it so I am going to have to do my best alone". If you haven't worked with that mechanic much or before, don't be afraid to just straight up tell them that.

These cars are very underappreciated. What makes the rear suspension really be an absolute PITA is those control blades. Great for handling, terrible for maintenance. In the northern states, the upper bolt that goes through the subframe basically welds itself to the bushing & subframe with rust.

The main problem is finding a reliable mechanic is like finding a needle in a haystack. Great video!

This comes with experience. In my late teens and early 20s I would rent tools and do it myself because I was in school and couldn't afford all the repairs. I live in the rust belt, so you can imagine how fun it is to remove rusty bolts. Timing belt & all the oil seals on a H22A Prelude, coilovers and full suspension refresh on a MK2 Golf and countless modifications on my 240sx come to mind. To me it was a great learning experience. For sure I was in over my head a few times and nowadays wouldn't even tackle some of those jobs. I always read the service manuals and see if I need special tools and try to source them before starting the job. Now in my 30s, I appreciate my personal time and take the daily driver in for repairs that will take more than 2-3 hours. I will only do major repairs/modifications on the weekend/track car because I don't have to have it running immediately, enjoy doing the work on it and quite honestly don't trust local mechanics with the work I want done on those cars. What I do appreciate from those early experiences is that I can quickly sniff out the bullshit from a shop and unfortunately, not many shops are of high standards in my area.

I still have my 06 Focus ZX5 and can’t part with it because I love it so much. So much fun to drive and really reliable.

I love the 1st gen Focus. Such an innovative design - they really pushed the boat out both on design and engineering. And the SVT was the king of the great handling hatchbacks. Could really show the mkIII golf the way home.

I'm totally mechanically incompetent but replaced lots of things assisted by youtube, done timing belts, crank and cam seals, oil pump, suspension struts and suspension parts, every type of brake work, wheel bearings, exhausts, brake cable, body work, saved thousands in doing so and learned a lot along the way. A lot of frustration but very worthwhile.

As a viewer from the UK I got a bit excited here as it's a car I actually recognise - not only that, but my current daily driver is a 2002 Ford Focus Flight with the 1.6 Ford/Yamaha Zetec SE engine. As many other people have commented here, it's a wonderful thing to drive, especially around corners (quickly).

Surprised that they gave up on the rear suspension as that’s a lot easier to work on then the fronts Informative video Thanks wizard

Yes, I worked on old cars, rebuilt some 70’s cars, I mostly take mine to a shop who have the tools and knowledge. It works out less expensive in the long run.

I had a silver 2005 ZX3 and loved that little car. Small, great handling and decent on gas. Miss it...

these are fun cars I had the ZX5 five door hatchback the SVT/ST Focus is pretty badass for the time especially

I've had issues finding a good mechanic. And if you do find a good one they are usually rude and thier shop is a cluttered mess. We need more like the Car Wizard!

Hey Mr and Mrs Wizard. My youngest son recently purchased his first car a 2014 Ford Focus. What a fun little car to drive,and the best part of it is that he'd wanted one for several years. So proud of him,and I'd like to thank Car Wizard because he actually played a part in it by me giving the car a thumbs up. I'd seen a video and Car Wizard had good things to say about the Focus. Thank you again,both of you,from a Dad and his son. You both take care. Thank you Steve Potter

I always thought these were pretty simple to work on for a shade tree mechanic like myself. Fun little cars and they are everywhere.

I work on my own car for the experience as well. I just like to at least try to repair it. Also, lots of professional shop do sub par work and will never admit to doing any damage. I know the dirty secrets bad mechanics leave behind because I go behind them and see first hand what the pitfalls of a bad mechanic are.

I’ve have an 04 Focus SVT as a daily. I absolutely love the car as it’s such a fun car. I’ve had it since 127k miles and I am at 223k miles now.

Twenty years later and this Focus looks great. Ford really knocked it out of the park with the Focus. If they still sold this model I would buy it over most of the stuff on the market today.

I completely understand that statement and feeling you get exactly after you get a car back that someone has tried to attempted to fix. Like you said it is like flipping a coin and the way that it could go is completely unexpected sometimes. The part that you said about them costing more money and creating more work is 100 percent true and a lot of people who are not mechanically inclined or ruined parts, fasteners, bushings, etc. Fine line when you are warranting your work and you have to include their work or mistakes into the job at hand just complicated your time and work that much more. I have been in the business as you have for almost 37 years now and with the changing of everything and the amount of new tools you have to by month by month or week by week it is not only expensive, labor intensive sometimes, and the keeping up with the technology in the past two plus decades is a enormous learning and endeavor/time intensive alone today. Great afternoon to you and the Wizard family.

The regular models of the Focus were big sellers here in Britain, my gran had a 1.6LX for 16 years (and it's still going) and there's still loads of them around, the best selling car for a good few years. One difference I noticed is that on ours the bonnet is opened not by a lever in the footwell, but by using a key in a keyhole that is revealed by rotating the Ford badge on the bonnet. Excellent cars when released and so much better than the Escort it replaced. Subsequent models seemed to be hit with the ugly stick and weren't so well regarded.

Nice car 🚙, Over here in the UK 🇬🇧 it was one of the best selling cars back in the day and the best driving too 👍🏼

Thank You Car Wizard for this Video and all the details about safety.

Oh man it brings me back. I had an 03 focus as my first car, saw an SVT in my local scrapyard and raided the interior and swapped it into mine. I now have a 2010 with a stick shift as my winter beater, I've owned two first gen focus' they are such great cars Edit: I've sold the 2010 and now own a ZX4 ST. Closest thing to an SVT. I still maintain these cars are criminally under-rated.

A factory service manual will detail what is needed for most repairs. Make sure you get the factory manual not an aftermarket manual. Be aware the factory manual like many other good tools are expensive. You can pay for a lot of tools by doing doing the repairs and maintenance on your cars.

Svts are rare gems in great condition

I had a ‘04 red 4dr SVT! Car was built for autocross racing! TEIN suspension, Cosworth designed and built engine, 7800 redline in an American hatchback! 6sp manual, truly an under appreciated car!

Utube has been fantastic to share knowledge on repairs. I do those I can but now that I am older with a bad back, I use mechanics more. The great thing is I generally know what the repair needed is and how it is done even if I can't do it. I recall bringing a Mercedes S class with a non working window in and telling them it needed a software update. They looked at me like I was crazy but I knew they would replace the switch, then the motor before they got to that and it would cost me $500K extra. They did the software update and it was fixed for no cost.

I have really started to appreciate Mrs. Wizards reviews. It's a nice addition to the mechanical aspect.

The reason I use the shop I do is that he puts an 18 month "craftsmanship" warranty on all his shop's work. He likes me because I take my vehicles to him exclusively and just say, "Call me when it's done.". Being on a fixed budget, sometimes we talk about prioritizing fixes, but they all get done.

Don't underestimate a good mechanic. He/She is not just some dumb grunt wearing overalls. You're not just paying for their labor. You're paying for their knowledge, expertise, and sometimes their specialized tools as well. Much appreciation to the Car Wizard for truly being worth every penny he charges.

I had the 02 version SVT and it was so much fun. Great car.

One technique to use to see if a shop is honest: Ask questions that you know the answers to... If you get straight answers, you MAY have found a winner...

I've been working on my own cars since I was 16. I had no choice from the first time my 1988 Hyundai Excel piece of crap broke down. I grew up poor. I used to hate that, but now I look at it as a life blessing and I can afford a mechanic now, but being on my own maintenance and repair schedule and knowing exactly what I have done and what I need to do to all my automobiles is priceless. I don't rub that in mechanic's face though I exchange knowledge with them. The diagnosis computers are easier now than ever, and I can rent specialty tools.

this is why i pick and choose what i do myself. I look up the job that needs to be done and i do it if it's in the realm of my ability to do it, anything that appears more involved and i'll take it to a shop. It's why with the wheel bearing, for example, if i can only find a replacement in kit form i'll take it to the shop, if it comes as an assembly i'll do it myself.

I can tell the wizard isn't angry because of how many times he says he isn't angry 🤣

Been trying to fix as much as possible on my car myself.Trying to save money.youtube is great for learning how to do these things.Done new starter motor,brake pads,oil change etc I'm in NZ,found some garages round here will rip you off.if I feel confident enough to do it myself,I will.

Have ST170’s (Right hand drive SVT) The big thing I found out about was that they need a 2lb force timing tensioner instead if the stock 1lb. Sonicsvt put me onto Five acre Focus in USA who sells the springs to suit Continental tensioner. OEM part is discontinued. I pulled my trans months ago for clutch and have been rained out so car is in pieces and I really should have out the bolts etc i marked ziplock bags😂😂😂 Super fun cars, exceptional steering and handling. Still daily MK1’s and the cars have help up well. No plastic has cracked but some clear coat has tarnished.

I had a Focus Sedan that I put the SVT shocks and springs on, since they're considerably stiffer than the regular ones and I wanted the improved handling. Those rear springs are very easy to replace if you know what you're doing; the "cup" shape of that control arm allows you to put a jack under the arm and take up the spring tension, undo the bolt from the arm to the knuckle, then very slowly let the jack down so the arm hinges on the subframe and the spring will be fully eased without slipping from the "cup" shape and you can casually reach in and take it out. Seems to be a common design on 21st century Ford small cars. You've got a cakewalk getting those parts in :)

Those are great cars. It still is one of the favorite cars I have ever owned. The steering is immaculate in these cars. Good engine too.

I love my 03 zx5 glad you did a video on this car.

I had 2 bad coils in my car and paid a mechanic to replace them. It cost 120€. I've been thinking I should've bought the tool to get the coils off of the engine + fault code reader to be able to replace the next ones myself. Somethings might be better to fix yourself, but others most people should definitely pay a mechanic to fix them.

Another great video wizard I actually have a 2003 Ford focus ZX3 that the door handle quit working I pulled it all apart and tried to figure out what the problem was I did it twice and still couldn't figure it out so I took my car to one of my local mechanics really really nice guy he actually met me in the driveway and he had it back together for me and probably a couple hours and he didn't charge me that much to put it back together but you're right respect is everything and if you don't give respect you're not going to get respect back

Car Wizard is One Special Tech...Love your segments

I recall a YT clip of wacky business signs for a car repair shop that said 'When you DIY becomes OMG'. Too much work needs special tools, knowledge, access to info, experience that they cannot be done by 'amateurs'. Even oil changes, especially with disposal of the oil, mess are not worth it for most to do on their own.

I had a very reputable mechanic in Santa Cruz that was also a county ombudsman. He gave special attention to seniors keeping their vehicles not always 100% repaired when he knew they couldn't afford it, but running and safe. I also did a lot of repair to my 1989 Jeep Wrangler, but since he was literally across the street I had him do the lube and oil changes (when it needed it he also put in a new clutch). He would actually give me advice on repairing some issues he run across during the oil changes. A really great and honest guy.

One tool I "discovered" is the air hammer. I don't know how many times it has helped me get stuff apart!

Bought my daughter one of these as her first vehicle. Fantastic machine! This "European Car of the Year" winner was the least expensive European Car to fix up, ever! New headlights and lenses are only $80/pair on eBay. New radio key fob was $12 shipped on Amazon. Brake bads $18 shipped. Excellent handling, excellent seats, and very reliable powertrain. Would recommend on of these or even the 2.3 5M as a perfect starter car.

Wow from the registration sticker and inspection sticker on the windshield. That car came all the way from New York.

I was just in this same scenario. My door no longer opened from the inside or out as the door lock actuator broke inside. It was a $200 part to replace so I wanted to do it myself. I tried to disassemble the door panel to get the door open but couldn't get one of the screws out without damaging it so I took it to the shop. $700 out the door with no damage to the door panels and I have a working door and the outstanding recall addressed.

This customer hasn’t upset me I just keep bringing it up 😂😂😂😂😂😂

The tone of “I know” when the customer brought the car in is the sound of a mechanic who has heard this story one too many time 😂

All 3 mechanics in my town or either dishonest or incompetent or both. So my only choice is to work on my car myself, or drive 15 miles to another town which has a good mechanic. So sad that there are very few mechanics like car wizard, mechanics who are honest, and actually diagnose the problem rather than just throwing parts at the car.

Front and rear suspension on a focus is simple to replace when switching to lowering springs. If you are mechanically inclined. Done it myself in a parking lot in an hour and half.

I have a great local shop. A few times they've given me a loaner vehicle when things took longer than expected. I flushed my minivan radiator over the summer with a rust removing flush. Had to remove the thermostat because the rusty sludge clogged it. After two flushes, and draining the radiator each day and adding a gallon of distilled water, I had the cooling system a lot cleaner. They asked about the thermostat and said "You could reinstall it." I read a lot about air bleeding challenges with cooling systems so I was happy to pay the pros.

Agree on everything but I will say at least here in nyc its hard to find a good honest mechanic like yourself.

Those rear springs are so easy to do even on the ground. Jack the car up, place a jack stand, move the jack under the spring, undo the bolts and slowly drop the jack and the spring will fall.

I've always wanted to drive one of these, I owned a 03 Mini S which shares the same gearbox with these, loved that manual.

Wow crazy coincidence you uploaded this today, just got done helping my friend drop the drivetrain out the bottom of his 04 svt focus. It needs a full engine rebuild, the head gasket started leaking externally at around 200,000. Fun fact, the 6spd manual is a Getrag unit, with a lsd.

My experience is the opposite unfortunately. Take it to a mechanic who mucks it up. Then have to redo it all myself properly using the right tools. Stripped bolts, missing parts, wrong parts. Stranded. So hard to find a great mechanic like the wizard

Hey Wizar I appreciate your video keep on the good work 👏

I work on my own cars too but without access to a lift I can only do so much. Anything more then suspension or engine work and tires, to the mechanic it goes!

From the looks of it, the customer did a good job on the fronts. No complaints from the wizard on it, let alone the stuff you see on Just Rolled In channel. It may well be that the customer discovered first hand the joys of suspension work on high mileage vehicles. That twenty minutes RU-vid video forgot to include things like spending thirty minutes cursing while fighting a stubborn ball joint or the brake caliper that kept getting in the way and there wasn't anything handy to hang it with so it doesn't bust the brake line. Maybe the customer got his dose of fun doing the front axle and decided that paying the shop the quoted rate was the easier path vs DIY

So nice to see, small european car in your shop. Great reliable cars, I have a 2004, You have just shown me something I thought would be simple............ I wish I had a reliable mechanic like you Wizard.

I owned a the same model from new until 2020 and finally traded it in with 175,000 miles on the clock. It was a great car until the end when the clutch and alternator failed at the same time. I did a majority of the work on my own as far as regular maintenance but had a mechanic do the suspension, alternator and clutch. I know when I have reached my limit for mechanical knowledge and the equipment needed to repair this car. At my age I do little to none of my own maintenance beyond an oil change. I don't have a lift and just don't feel like doing the hard work required anymore. I prefer to pay for the service these days. Thanks for another great video.

Dropping the exhaust and fuel tank to do the fuel pump on a Focus is fun when you only have a jack and a couple of stands to get enough clearance. If it gets dropped again - back seat is coming out and a hole will be cut out above the fuel sender.

Your experience is what makes these videos worth watching.

I've always liked that focus body style. I hadn't seen a svt interior before. I like it. Thanks for showing it off.

Had my fuel pump fail. Cut a hole under back seat to access, otherwise would require removal of fuel tank at the shop

My local Chrysler dealer wasn't able to diagnose an intermittent low brake pedal on my 2011 Grand Caravan. A shop on RU-vid had the same problem with the same car. One of the rear calipers had a defective piston causing it to go out of adjustment at times. I changed both rear calipers and problem solved.

Can you do an actual repair video? I’d love to see how you fix some of these issues.

Had a Ford Focus SVT with a no start condition. Upon scanning here is my diagnostic process - Key on, scan all parameters, hear fuel pump prime but the FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR on the rail went from reading 0psi (verified fuel pressure) to 5000+ psi on the scan tool (broked) Replaced fuel pressure sensor and was able to get the car running and poorly. Found that the oil and coolant was mixed. Few weeks go by, and I have finally replaced the blown head gasket, swapped in ford coolant and lots of maintenance items etc.... start it up and its running on three cylinders replaced the plugs, wires, and coil, and finally! It runs on all four cylinders! Test drive goes not so well. Slow as a dog. Ended up having to retime the car three times to finally get it correct without timing correlation codes. This was with the correcting timing belt kit. Pay close attention to the soft touch of a seasoned mechanic on the variable intake cam gear. Hard stop means you'll be timing it wrong. Second test drive.... better, but no power anywhere. Scan for codes - Get the code for variable intake manifold - stuck open. Remove IMRC control box in the fender, remove circuit board, found the Schottky diode is burned up. It's easily a 5amp diode. Replace at will. After replacing the circuit board, then ... FINALLY!!!!!! I was able to experience all 170hp. It is truly a fantastic engine from the likes of Ford, SVT, and the input from Cosworth on the cylinder head. Awesome unspoken competitor to the Honda B series!

It's good that the customer stopped when the Reality Light came on: I'm at my limit of competence and tools. The Wiz is right, the needed review of customer work adds to the completion cost and it may be a toss up in this case whether or not the owner saved any money with the DIY. My experience has been that if I need new tools, or have any question whatsoever about the R/R process, I'm far better off paying the experienced and equipped mechanic to handle it.

I have an 07 focus with a 5 speed manual transmission, it has 273k miles on it, it's fun to drive. I love that SVT Focus

I had one of these and the only problem I ever had was the alternator. It literally only comes out one way and you have to turn the alternator to that one perfect way to get it out, or move the engine forward after taking the bolts of the motor mount. I lowered mine as well, and the rear shocks are easy but springs are a pain to get out.

The tough part with these is the bolts get fuzed with the bushings in the rear lower control arms. Most of the time you are better off just cutting the bolts off and slapping in New lower control arms. It's not too bad if you get it on jack stands, take the outer bolt out with a jack under it and slowly release the spring. I have also gotten away with using a spring compressor kit and leaving the control arms alone. Sweet cars if mine hadn't been smashed up I'd probably still have it. I did a complete part out. I had a 2003 5 door. CD silver with blue seats.

They are called an ST170 in the UK. The duratec engine has some nice parts inside it

BILSTEIN makes a B12 kit which pairs an Eibach Pro-Kit spring with their B8 dampers. This man chose H&R springs which is quite similar.

That's so funny when you said, "it's geared towards performance", but one of it's issues is that it won't start!

This generation focus was the first car to help the car industry get out of the “bubble look” of the 90s. I remember the first time I saw a Ford focus. It was revolutionary at the time

I've always loved the look of this car. Those strut/spring assemblies for the front do make it super easy to DIY with basic tools, but the way it's set up in back is definitely much scarier. The shock looks easy to replace but I'm no mechanic so there's no way I'm touching that spring!

I have an 05 st with 2.3, the supposed successor to the SVT and I love it....its got 193k miles and just minor issues...

Those old Focus SVTs were cool cars!

Thanks Mr & Mrs Long.......l had a great friend growing up in the late 1940's his name was Dana Long ans we went to Vietnam together .. He went into the Air force and l went into the Navy as a Navy F-4 Phantom fighter pilot.....We both lived to come home... Shoe🇺🇸

Thank you for the great videos David aka Wizard 🧙‍♂️ and Mrs Wizard. I stopped a friend buying a equinox thx to you!! Toyota!!

I did that exact job on my non svt focus 18 years ago. I would do the shocks and springs again, but the poly bushings were so much work for squeaky suspension that didn't handle that much better. Best car I ever had, sold it with 285k running like a top after 15 years. Best car I'll probably ever own, wish I hadn't sold it 😪

It's very important to know when to ask for help. Cars are a very as soon as you need help ask situation. It's helped me keep mechanics because I didn't strip the car to a box of bolts and they could start from the beginning like it was a fresh job.

I'm always amazed that most people don't do even the most basic maintenance on their own cars. Completely mind blowing.

I had a 2001 Focus ZTS with a 5 speed. Great car! I sold it at 220k miles and it was still going strong.

I liked that both Mr Wizard and his Mrs used the word focus in their script

These cars are so rare good luck finding one.

very nicely explained hands off

Working on the Rear suspension (shocks & springs) is easier & quicker than working on the front suspension.

When I was a supervisor, one person decided to stay home due to car trouble. I asked him what happened. He said the mechanic wanted too much and he decided to stay home and fix it. Did a little math for him, and it looked like he had pissed away 8 hours of pay for to save what he he could have earned in way less time.

i drove a regular version for some time, lovely car, the handling and steering are very nice….

Thank you Wizard and Mrs. At least he put it back together and not walking in half done project and a box of parts. Or just use mechanic for free diagnostics and tips

thanks 4 video!