Focus accessories

[DeKa]

I think it's good too In Focus, but how come you didn't spend a tiny bit more and buy an LX which would have had much of this anyway? Of course, if you got a huge discount on the CL, that makes sense.

I had The Car Kit Company install colour coded rear parking sensors for $359 ($134 + $165 fitting fee + $60 painting fee) and they work perfectly. It appears they sell the same product for even less now. What is so good about the Bosch ones that makes them two or more times the price?

[In Focus]

Good question. About 12 months ago my old car (EF Falcon) was just about dead, needed a major service, so I decided to upgrade. At the time of buying, I had $21k to spend, and the LX was nearly $25k for the auto. Of course, now they're available for under $20k...

As for the Bosch, they probably aren't worth 2 times the price, but it's used by a lot of German brands as standard equipment, and I got it for a reasonable price on e-bay. Sadly, it proved a little bit of a headache for the auto sparky to install...

All in all, it FEELS a step up from the cheaper, Chinese made stuff, though a lot of the extra cost is probably because it's German made... Here's a link to a video showing it in action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNu0gl_1n7g

[In Focus]

Have I got the first new badge Focus?

[In Focus]

"Armster" armrest/centre console. Comes in two colours, grey and black. I chose the grey to suit the rest of the interior. The armrest can be lifted out of the way and/or opened up to hold your sunnies/wallet. I wanted something like this to put small stuff out of sight without having to reach over to the glovebox.

I've only got it stuck in with double sided tape for the moment. If that holds for months/years, great - I don't have to do any irreversible drilling. If not, the tape will keep it still well enough to drill through the provided holes in the existing plastic console.

[leakey]

Oh, cool. How do you find it? I mean after driving around for ages without one, is it a hinderance? I missed a full console on ebay a few weeks back that went for $60!!! and am kicking myself.

But have seen many of these about, and have always wondered. Any feed back on it would be appreciated.

[In Focus]

Hey, Leakey,

It takes a little getting used to, because you sort of have to reach around slightly to get the hand-brake, and occasionally an extravagant steering action or shift into reverse gear causes my arm to brush it (might be just my style, though). That said, don't let those points discourage you, because they really are only minor, and probably you'd adjust very quickly. After all, you have to reach over any cups in the cup-holders to get the brake, anyway.

I don't know if it would be a problem for a manual car. You can lift the thing out of the way, however. The other thing I should mention is that this really is a narrow arm-rest; it's not as wide, for instance, as others I've seen/had (the one I had in my last car, an EF Falcon, was about fifty percent wider).

On the plus side, this particular model really is a quality, well-finished unit. It can be lifted out of the way, as I said, and you can raise the angle slightly if you're taller (and your arm is higher up your torso). You can also slide the top forward to give a longer arm-rest. As I noted in my previous post, it holds your sunnies, mobile, i-Pod etc no problem, which is really what I wanted it for: somewhere more convenient than the glovebox to put things out of sight.

Overall, really pleased with it.

Tom

[HUNTER8]

Where did you get the armrest from?

[prydey]

my wife's focus is a LS LX so it has the console in it, but my mother in laws is the same model but a CL so it doesn't. funnily enough, my wife actually prefers the one without. much more 'useable'. the armrest/console in hers is pretty much for looks only. there is no real useable storage space in it. can sort of fit a pair of sunnies in the top bit but not much in the bottom bit.

not very well designed at all. i still prefer the console though as i'm into 'form over function'!! not my car anyway.

some nice touches in this thread.

[casabonka]

can you still use the cup holders fine?
would be quiet handy - its always one thing that has frustrated me - my last two cars havn't had a centre console!

[In Focus]

This is where I got mine. You may be able to get it cheaper elsewhere. Cost me 75 quid during one of these guys' 15% sales (basically, UK holiday weekends), and I got a few items at the same time to offset the freighting.

http://www.teamtorquesteer.co.uk/05-...rest-2005.html

With regards to the cupholders, you can use the front one still. To get to the back one, you have to lift the armrest up (easy to to do like this).

[prydey]

In Focus - just noticed the airbag tag on your seatcovers. i assume there is one on each side? or have you got the seat covers on the wrong seats? sorry, had to ask.

[In Focus]

Ooh, good question.

I seem to remember it saying on the pack both sides were "splittable", but I better check.

EDIT: Yep, just checked. Splits on both sides. Good pick-up, though. Definitely worth the question.

[leakey]

wow, 'eagle eyes' - bet you're glad Prydey didnt notice that big dildo in the back seat of that other pic. Pheeww!

Your car is looking great btw.

[In Focus]

Originally Posted by leakey

wow, 'eagle eyes' - bet you're glad Prydey didnt notice that big dildo in the back seat of that other pic. Pheeww!

I hide it in the Armster now...

Originally Posted by leakey

Your car is looking great btw.

Thanks, mate. Appreciated. These things are mostly window dressing, but if they encourage me to keep the car for a few years, then they're well worth it I reckon.

[In Focus]

Latest cosmetic accessories.

Climair Wind Deflectors. Not sure I've got them quite right yet, because the window still brushes them when it's going up. Which isn't too much of a problem, since I like to just have the windows down an inch for ventilation/cooling. The wind noise isn't any more noticeable than what you get from the wing mirrors, and I reckon they look good.





And the aluminium look handbrake cover. Looks and feels good. The old one was a b***d to get off. In fact, replacing the stock airbox with an Apollo CAI was a far easier task (apart from positioning the intake hose). This is one of the jobs on a Focus that makes a man of you.

[DZFord]

How did you get the handbrake cover off in the end?

[In Focus]

I got a sharp knife and sliced it length-wises, kept working it into the groove I had opened, digging in a little further each time. Still took half an hour. Trying not to slip and slash the car, or myself, in too many places is what makes it hard.

[DZFord]

Wow, a slice and dice job! A delicate job too...no wonder it took so long.

[Russ]

Oh no


Look what you did to your seat with that knife

[In Focus]

Originally Posted by Russ

Oh no


Look what you did to your seat with that knife

image

No, that wasn't the knife. I left the window too far open, and a bird flew in.

[Russ]

Originally Posted by In Focus

No, that wasn't the knife. I left the window too far open, and a bird flew in.

He must have eaten a quarter pounder with double cheese to leave that mess

[leakey]

Here's an odd one you dont see too often in OZ.

Genuine umbrella holder.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/GENUINE-F...item43ae16b93e

[In Focus]

Got some faux carbon fibre stickers. This one is for the strip above the licence plate that's body colour in the upper spec models, which has been bothering me for a while - whether to paint it or not. This doesn't look too bad up close, I found, although it probably doesn't look any different to the normal strip from a distance. No telling how it will react to long-term exposure to sun and rain etc, either.





I was less successful around the head unit, as the stickers were not a 100% fit (there's more than one, and it's pretty fiddly getting them on). Forget about the lower parts, especially around the auto shifter (designed for a manual?). It probably looks OK to the casual observer, but I keep seeing the silver bits uncovered around the stereo/radio at the top, so I'll most likely end up ripping it off in a week or two when I sufficiently get the *****.

[leakey]

You did a good job on them, they are so bloody fiddly to get right, usually end up with a pin ***** of dirt or an air bubble or a hair beneath.

These are the kits on ebay?

I bought an odd accessory from the UK. On LS/LT, there is a bumper insert, grey on the top lip of the bumper. I bought one with integrated reverse sensors built in. Not sure if I like it yet? Will post some pics when/if I sort it all.

[leakey]

Funny how the auto roody monitor picks things up.

In the context of the sentence, I used the word pr ic k in a non rude way.

[In Focus]

Yes, they are the e-bay items. Unfortunately, there are a couple of air bubble in the head unit one - one of the reasons I'm not completely happy with it.

I might try the one for the front chrome bonnet strip next - I'm not big on chrome fittings (too American, for me) - but if it's not 100% fitting, the chrome will stand out for sure around the edges and look pretty ordinary.

As for the swear filter, I actually swapped the "i" for a "1" in the word I used, but it was onto me...

[ConradP]

that CF stuff looks pretty neat, I've been toying with the idea of getting some matte black vinyl and going to town on a bunch of bits, and the roof...

[Franco Cozzo]

Damn your car is clean, mines covered in so much dirt and mud, and when I wash it I can't get the dirt out of the bear bumper near the boot.