Buying a WP/WQ....help appreciated

[Swordsman88]

Hi Fez owners!

I'm looking for any and all helpful hints and advice you guys might have RE purchasing WP and WQ Fiestas. As a 'Falcon' guy i admit to not knowing much about the Fiesta in a detailed sense (other than they were the best driving light cars in existance). I have done plenty of research on here and discovered some of the cars little issues but so far none seem to be too major. The car will be for my parents who will use it on a pretty highway-centric (70-80% above 80km/h) run in FNQld. They already have a Falcon so they won't be needing much space with the car being one up most of the time.

I do have a few questions which i'd love if someone could answer....

1. What are the differences between WP and WQ esp under the skin? I know zetec models got different gearing on WQ versus the base cars but what else esp interior/feature wise? Are their mechanical gremlins that were fixed on the WQ to make it worth the extra money?

2. For higher mileage cars, RE future maintenance what are the big ticket items? ie. i understand the timing belt is to be done at 150K? Is a Fez particuarly expensive to maintain given its 'euro' german built status? I am familiar with ford's locally built cars RE parts pricing but not the imported stuff....

3. Anything to look out for on test drives to indicate a problematic example and/or stuff i might need to fix?

4. Fuel burn wise i noticed alot of people get 6.5-7L/100km on highway runs? Would the WQ zetec get measurably higher burn on the highway given its shorter gear ratios? Based on my rough calcs it revs 10% higher given the diff in gear ratios in 5th??


I think the Zetec models will be a better choice since they have ABS and i'd like my mum to have that feature available esp in the wet weather they get up there. However with a lowish budget of $10k firm its pretty hard to find a wq zetec for that money, hence the WP might be a go.

Any help much appreciated guys and sorry for all the questions LOL.

[kiwijohn42]

1, the WQ Zetec also got sports suspension & 16 inch wheels. Also stereo controls on the steering column.
2, not aware of anyone on here that has had to change the belts yet. Don't think servicing is particularly expensive.
3, nothing out of the ordinary. The tyres are an odd size which seem to be hard to find & not cheap.
4, I average about 7L/100km. Gets better at 100km/h but 110km/h & it starts to burn the juice.
WP & early WQ Zetec only came in a 3 door. A 5 door was added in 07.
I think ABS was optional on the LX WQ, so you might find one of those. Or maybe a Ghia?

[mas89]

my 2004 zetec is still going strong with 104 on the clock, no major problems so far. don't think that there were any mechanical gremlins in the wp. i believe it many a face lift,different lights;dash more colours etc. i believe the wp first only came out in 5 speed box and the auto box came later.,,, go luck with search

[fiestaz]

A WP is probably the way to go with that budget, unless your parents really want an auxilary input for ipods etc. My 2004 WP Zetec is at 106000kms, had it for 10,000 kms, and not have one single issue. Really good on fuel, usually average between 6-8L per 100kms (i do alot of short trips), but have seen under 6L's on highway (mind you im stuck at 90kph).
the differences between WP and WQ is really only aesthetics, new bumpers, lights, interior a bit updated etc. And ofcourse the gearing on the Zetec WQ. So unless your parents really like their driving, getting a Zetec WP, it will do the job very well.

One thing that came up when looking for my car was the ABS. It was very important to us, and apparently the ABS can sometimes fail (not just on fiestas, but other euro's), so on your test drives make sure it works, as its can be $1000+ to get fixed.

[fiestars]

the WQ has a better interior i think and has those nipples on the headlights i love em but serious there isnt much difference between the two

[InnerDevil]

go the WP, less $$ but slightly higher kms
more ride comfort opposed to the WQ sports suspension and 16" tyres
they probably wont care for interior looks or the headunit

avg WP prices 9k approx (for a reasonable one thou)

avg WQ prices 11k approx " "

[Swordsman88]

Thanks for the info guys, and the quick replies. I am coming round to the WP moreso because of pricing and i think it will suit them better in the end then the more 'focussed' WQ. But, if i find a nice WQ in budget i might be tempted. Hell some of them still have waranty LOL.

I worked out the higher fuel burn of the WQ Zetec (on the highway anyway) can't possibly account to anything more than a hundred bucks a year or so based on their driving so doubt that is worth the trouble....

[InnerDevil]

exactly right, if u find one at a good price, low kms, on warranty....then id do the same

interior, factory headunit, ride height, nipples headlights and 16" wheels.....id pay that lil more for them in a heartbeat..but when i bought mine all WQ where well ova $10k>

[robjh80]

For Highway driving go the LX model over the Zetec as the gearing is slightly taller .. ie: the LX won't rev quite as hard on the highway in 5th gear.

In saying that all WP/WQ Fiesta's are not really built for highway cruising, maybe consider a different car with taller gearing? ... my parents Hyundai Elantra Auto rev's pretty low on the highway, about 2k at 100km/h from memory, my Fez is more like 3k at the same speed.

[Swordsman88]

Originally Posted by robjh80

For Highway driving go the LX model over the Zetec as the gearing is slightly taller .. ie: the LX won't rev quite as hard on the highway in 5th gear.

In saying that all WP/WQ Fiesta's are not really built for highway cruising, maybe consider a different car with taller gearing? ... my parents Hyundai Elantra Auto rev's pretty low on the highway, about 2k at 100km/h from memory, my Fez is more like 3k at the same speed.

yeah have already considered that in my thinking. Fact is that most of the cars that atcually burn less (and their aren't that many) are far from interesting or drive very well. I'm sure i could find a car that would burn less (say in the 5s regularly) but the newer models that do well in that scenario (e.g. WS fiesta) are outside the budget and the older cars taht burn less are all very average IMO.

Although happy to hear any other recomendations if people have them to be honest i think the Fez is still the way to go. I realise it will be revving a fair bit but based on my calcs (given the average speed is closer to 80 than 100) it will still burn quite reasonable numbers even if it is a bit noisy LOL.

Their other car being a falcon (which returns respectable 9L/100km) there is no need for extra space so might as well go for a smaller car. Considered a Focus as well but the LR models have the 1.8 (my sister has a 2.0 LR zetec but it burns more than a fiesta anyway) which is a bit gutless based on reports. Hard to find an LS model for 10k.... Older mazdas are too boring and hondas too expensive to maintain.

[morbo]

wq have upgraded electrics - though i dont think there were any problems with the wp. just small little improvements such as
- distance to empty
- 3 indicator blinks when you touch the indicator stalk
- home safe lighting
- hazards automatically flash when you do emergency braking from high speed

just drove the wq lx auto from melbourne to sydney, average fuel consumption was about 6.75L per 100 km/h - travelling at exactly the speed limit in vic and 110% of speed limit in nsw.

i found that travelling at around 80 km/h isn't too bad - revs at around 2.1

[Swordsman88]

Originally Posted by morbo

wq have upgraded electrics - though i dont think there were any problems with the wp. just small little improvements such as
- distance to empty
- 3 indicator blinks when you touch the indicator stalk
- home safe lighting
- hazards automatically flash when you do emergency braking from high speed

just drove the wq lx auto from melbourne to sydney, average fuel consumption was about 6.75L per 100 km/h - travelling at exactly the speed limit in vic and 110% of speed limit in nsw.

i found that travelling at around 80 km/h isn't too bad - revs at around 2.1

not bad economy for an auto. i would assume the manual spins less RPM at 100 than the auto? or is the gearing setup so tall on the auto to save fuel its the other way around?

I'm still looking at cars but so far i think the Fez will get the nod purely because its a light car for the job (budget and size) either way so might as well get the best one. Even if it isn't best on the fuel out of all the light cars it seems the best all rounder....

EDIT: just found in the tech docs under 'rpm at 100km/h ford aus models' that it is 3093 rpm at 100km/h for a 2008 fez (is that lx or zetec??) and 2821rpm for the auto. interesting. Still not convinced you'd save gas in the auto over the manual on the highway though due to torque converter unlock etc on hills....

[Swordsman88]

Hey guys, just an update. Am test driving a 2005 WP zetec on monday by the looks of it. Good price i think at just $8400 and he may be negotiable. The car does have 116000 kms though so a tad concerned about that. How many of you WP guys have got kays up around this and are you experiencing any major issues requiring overhaul? I've read a bit on here about pedal boxes, water pumps and eventually possibly timing belt replacement? Oh and spark plugs? Thanks for any help guys and gals.

[dannyhilton]

Having owned a WP Zetec, I can report they are an awesome little car. Apart from the odd rattle here and there and a replaced Master Cylinder Cluth, plus needing a new Belt, the car was perfect. It did have a hard life, and was driven in the QLD outback, so that'll probes explain why I had the issue I had at 100,000km. Even still, the Master Cylinder was about $200, and the belt $300. Just get one with a good service history, and don't be too worried about miles. Although they experience different driving conditions in the UK, there are ones over there with well over 250,000km and still going strong. Definitly a tough, fun to drive, unkillable, good looking, cheap little run about. I could not recommend them more!

[InnerDevil]

Originally Posted by Swordsman88

Hey guys, just an update. Am test driving a 2005 WP zetec on Monday by the looks of it. Good price i think at just $8400 and he may be negotiable. The car does have 116,000kms though so a tad concerned about that. How many of you WP guys have got kays up around this and are you experiencing any major issues requiring overhaul? I've read a bit on here about pedal boxes, water pumps and eventually possibly timing belt replacement? Oh and spark plugs? Thanks for any help guys and gals.

Yr basically describing my 04' WP LX when i bought it last august,
mine was 113,000kms and had 6months rego still

Original price on the net was $9,000, by the time i saw the car a few days later he'd dropped the price down to $8,300, and after picking a few things here and there we eventually got it for $7,500

And mine hasn't skipped a-beat at all, i had a weird rough idle for a few weeks but was due to bad fuel (shell 98) but was gone within a few weeks

As for belts, i haven't changed mine yet, i will at 150,000km thou
Spark plugs were $116 for NGK Iridium,
And i haven't had any of the other issues you've stated or the one that Danny had either

[fiestaz]

mines at 106000, getting serviced on tuesday. all it needs is the usual stuff, oil, oil filter, but also driving belts are getting replaced (not the timing belt) because they are cracked and dried out. the engine does sound like a diesel at this many km's, but really it does run great.

[Swordsman88]

Hey guys. Took the Fez i spoke about earlier for a spin today. Have got the guy down to $8k if he does the 120k service (which is one of the major ones involving spark plugs, fuel filter plus air filter and oil/filter usual). Car ran really well for its age and kms and apart from some small scratches and a few stone dings on the bonnet it was great outside too. Interior looked quite good also. Wheels have been scuffed (by the previous owner i've been told) in some places but good overall. Drives great to be honest. Such a hoot in the corners (sticks like the proverbial to velcro) and once you get the engine to 3k it just goes off he he!!

Just a quick question. The seller says he will do the car for 7.5k without the 120k service or 8k with it. Thing is he was adamant the timing belt had to be done at 120....based on what i've read its 150k and that is what the ford dealerships i rang said. They quoted between $460 and $620 (eek!) for the 'major' 120k service.... Does this sound right? Surely you can get it cheaper from a non-ford service dept.... If it really is that much i might just get him to do the service (timing belt or not) and go the $8k no??

[dannyhilton]

I believe Ford revised the timing belt to 120k as there are a few Fiesta owners in the Uk who had to get their belt changed at 120k. Can't remember what it said in my old user manual though, but I'm certain Ford changed something on the 1.6L engines with the servicing?

[fiestaz]

i always thought that the belt was at 150k or 10 years?

however if he will service it, and put a new timing belt on etc, for basically $500 of your money i'd let him get it done (assuming he takes it to a mechanic or dealer)

[Swordsman88]

Just updating this thread guys. The car i test drove and described in 13 was the one i purchased on behalf of my parents. The car was driven up to FNQld starting on the day i picked it up so that was a bit of a risk RE the tight schedule. It ran like a charm for 1400km or the 1700km trip but in townsville (where it was very hot for suposed winter at 28deg in the shade!!!) it blew a heater hose but thankfully i got it all shut down before things went boom. Had to wait there for a few days for parts (useless ford dealer parts supply by the way in townsville....grrrr) but got on my way again and made it to cairns no prob.

My dad decided to have it looked over closely by our own (trusted) mechanic and is going to do the timing belt change while it it in the shop.

I was very impressed by its performance even on the highway and was able to average approx 6.3L/100km for the entire trip. Was noticeable it increased to just over 6.4 in the 110km/h zones but got it down to 6.16L/100km in one of the slower portions. Seems to return better fuel burn around 90-100km/h which is perfect for my mum's uses RE average speed.

Only other issues to mention for your comment/ideas:

1. The radiator fan on these things seems to be pretty relucant to cut in. After fixing the hoses and driving it around i noticed it never seemed to cut in and thought it was the cause of the problem. However, the mechanic tested it with the aircon on and eventually it did cut in. Is this normal for the fiestas? Certainly on the highway runs it was never on based on my experience....

2. The CD player gets 'crackly' after using it for long periods (say an hour or more). The radio is not affected by any music from the CD gets an interference type sound through the speakers after extended running....

3. The car may have an intermittantly failing passenger side (front obviously) door actuator. I noticed this when it failed to lock on the passengers side at a servo on the road trip. Later that day it was working, then it stopped working again when i got it home. Sourcing a new one is quite expensive but i have a few leads on second hand ones alot cheaper. Problem is they are all 4pin? Does anyone know the difference between the 8 pin and the 4pin RE the cars they were in? Ford told me it was 8pin for central locking but 4 pin for the normal key lockign cars? Weren't all WP/WQ fiestas in aus central locking? It apperas the LX had the 4 pin but the zetec the 8??

Thanks for any help guys....

[fiestaz]

can only answer the fan question, mine doesnt cut in very often when just driving around, not stopping at lights and so on. in car parks it almost always cuts in and stays on for a few minutes after walking away (especially when struggling to find a car spot), and it cuts in with the A/C on. so it doesnt cut in alot when driving, in summer it does a bit more.

[Kariharnett]

Yeah i live in Townsville, And my fan is rarely on, if the air con is on the ac fan goes but not the normal fan, but in our summer a lot of time i turn the car off and the fan continues running for 3 - 5 minutes after to cool down. the worse thing about owning a fiesta in Nth Qld is the potholes during the torrential rain season my WQ lx 5 door suspension really stuffs ya spine up. but good luck i sure they will have many years of happy motoring, i usually get 640km's out of my tank going from cairns to townsville.

[Swordsman88]

Originally Posted by Kariharnett

Yeah i live in Townsville, And my fan is rarely on, if the air con is on the ac fan goes but not the normal fan, but in our summer a lot of time i turn the car off and the fan continues running for 3 - 5 minutes after to cool down. the worse thing about owning a fiesta in Nth Qld is the potholes during the torrential rain season my WQ lx 5 door suspension really stuffs ya spine up. but good luck i sure they will have many years of happy motoring, i usually get 640km's out of my tank going from cairns to townsville.

Thanks for the reply kariharnett. I have since driven the car around cairns (where it was raining alot....) after another quick trip north. It is running very well and while i heard the aircon fan on a bit the cooling fan was not on for most of the driving due to the comparitively low temps and lots of rain....

I was getting 500-540kms ouf the tank then refilling but the guage still showed plenty left. At what point does the fuel light come on in these things? The WP (having a digital fuel/temp guage) goes down in 1/8th tank blocks (1-16th for right down the bottom of the tank) but i get the feeling 'empty' is not really empty.... My sister's LR focus has the same issue, with the guage showing empty but it taking only 50 litres (60 litre tank)...unlike a Falcon where empty really is empty (the orange/red block at the bottom of the guage denoting the reserve portion you are now using up. Is the reserve on a fiesta 10L or 5L?

Based on my calcs the WP zetec man. would have done 700+km if you ran it dry on the highway. That is pretty impressive when you consider its small 45L tank. A falcon can 750+km out of a full tank but then again you do have 68L to play with...

[fiestaz]

the economy is pretty impressive (very good when your a p-plater i might add), as for the fuel light, it comes on, on the very last bar on the gauge. I have found at that point i have about 7-10 litres left. i have had it even lower than this where no bars were showing at all, i had about 3 and a half litres left at that point, but i havent let that happen for a while lol.

[Twinpiston]

In a WQ the fuel light comes on when you hit 80k's to go on the DTE!!

I have seen this on both full highway and my usual work commute and the needle is in different positions.

Cheers

[shroomies49]

The fuel light comes on at 80kms with the WS too =)

[Kariharnett]

I have found it comes on at 80km's but it constantly re adjusts to your driving conditions and turns off and on. i have left it till 4km's on the DTE and it took 44 litres. so now i keep it topped up when it gets 3/4's empty. i found the best fuel for my car is United E10 as they use 95 octane, any less octane and it makes a loud knocking noise under acceleration

[fiestaz]

Originally Posted by Kariharnett

I have found it comes on at 80km's but it constantly re adjusts to your driving conditions and turns off and on. i have left it till 4km's on the DTE and it took 44 litres. so now i keep it topped up when it gets 3/4's empty. i found the best fuel for my car is United E10 as they use 95 octane, any less octane and it makes a loud knocking noise under acceleration

unfortunately the WP misses out on a distance to empty screen :(

i have used 91ron in the past on my WP and i noticed the slight knocking noise, also pinging, down on power (its burst of torque at around 4000rpm dissapeared, and it rattled alot louder, was just louder in general and ran rougher. definitely dont put any lower than 95 in.

i found 98 V-power (shell/coles) it absolutely loves, never tried any E10 mixtures.

[Swordsman88]

Thanks for the info guys. I quite liked my time with the little Ford.....sadly it has now passed to its actual owner (my mum) so i won't be driving it much anymore. Just hope it can deal with her mishifting for the next couple of weeks while she gets up to speed in it...first time back driving a manual for a few years (though it didn't stall once when i took her for a test drive despite perversely low throttle openings on take off he he)

Originally Posted by fiestaz

unfortunately the WP misses out on a distance to empty screen :(

i have used 91ron in the past on my WP and i noticed the slight knocking noise, also pinging, down on power (its burst of torque at around 4000rpm dissapeared, and it rattled alot louder, was just louder in general and ran rougher. definitely dont put any lower than 95 in.

i found 98 V-power (shell/coles) it absolutely loves, never tried any E10 mixtures.

Without any DTE system i wonder how the fuel light is activated in the WP? Had a look in the manual but didn't seem to say much. It did not come on at all for me and i took it down to just under 1/8th of a tank.... One would think it is a volume based set up...it is 10L for most cars that use this 'hidden reserve' system. Given its small tank its probably 5L for the fiesta....

I ran the wp on 95RON only for the entire trip and that is what i have advised my mum to put in it. Is it E10 compatible? My sister's LR focus Zetec is not which is a pain but it probably doesn't make that much diff since i don't think i've seen any 95RON E10 pumps in FNQLD. I use 95premium E10 from my local Freedom servo here in bris and my Falcon loves it.

[fiestaz]

Originally Posted by Swordsman88

Thanks for the info guys. I quite liked my time with the little Ford.....sadly it has now passed to its actual owner (my mum) so i won't be driving it much anymore. Just hope it can deal with her mishifting for the next couple of weeks while she gets up to speed in it...first time back driving a manual for a few years (though it didn't stall once when i took her for a test drive despite perversely low throttle openings on take off he he)



Without any DTE system i wonder how the fuel light is activated in the WP? Had a look in the manual but didn't seem to say much. It did not come on at all for me and i took it down to just under 1/8th of a tank.... One would think it is a volume based set up...it is 10L for most cars that use this 'hidden reserve' system. Given its small tank its probably 5L for the fiesta....

I ran the wp on 95RON only for the entire trip and that is what i have advised my mum to put in it. Is it E10 compatible? My sister's LR focus Zetec is not which is a pain but it probably doesn't make that much diff since i don't think i've seen any 95RON E10 pumps in FNQLD. I use 95premium E10 from my local Freedom servo here in bris and my Falcon loves it.

Hmm i thought it would have come on, from memory 1/8th is the last bar on the gauge? thats when mine has always come on...

as for E10, i do believe it will take it E10 and that a few forum members use it themselves on their WP/WQ. According to the NRMA website it will take E10.