Ford Focus: Focus Air Condtioner Problem with low milage!

In alt.autos.ford.focus Walter Blackman <net>: 

Take the car to some "lousy" Ford dealer?

No problems with my 1999 Focus and A/C, the car is just as
reliable as any other Ford, quite a few, I owned. From reading
here, it seems as if European Focus are general much better
quality then those made in north America. Makes you wonder what
are the reasons?

- Better third party parts?
- Better/more knowledgeable Ford worker/management over here?
- Just for the reason the Focus was AFAIK developed in Europe
(Ford Germany)?
- All of the above?

A shame Ford made the latest Focus model look as any other car,
while the first Focus had a more or less unique design.;(

--
Michael Heiming (X-PGP-Sig > GPG-Key ID: EDD27B94)
mail: echo qr | perl -pe 'y/a-z/n-za-m/'
#bofh excuse 28: CPU radiator broken

"Walter Blackman" <net> wrote in message
news:com... 
Any 


Most likely a direct result of you not using the a/c regularly.- the seals
have dried out and the gas escaped.

Ford is not liable.

The owners handbook states quite clearly the A/C should be exercised at
least once a fortnight to keep it in good order and the seals moist.

Tim..

"Walter Blackman" <net> wrote in message
news:com... 


A 2000 Focus with only 6500 miles has obviously sat around for long periods
of time. You can expect many problems due to seals drying out, corrosion
etc. It's not Ford's fault, any vehicle will have this issue. Cars are not
designed to sit unused.

I have a collection of GM & Ford Older cars ( circa + 30 years) all with
A/C. They sit around and are only run a couple of times a month.
The GM do not seem to loose Freon as the system they use is screwed
together fittings. The only weak point in GM systems is the lip seal on the
compressor.
The Fords are always loosing Freon as the system they use is crappy, cheap
design. Its made up of press together fittings with O-rings. The O-rings dry
out and leak if the system is not used on a regular basis.The Fords'
actually leak when the system is used on a regular basis any how.
You just need to get it recharged and leak tested and use it all the time. I
leave my A/C on all the time and just adjust the fan speed and temperature.
In the winter or when its cold out the system only kicks in occasionally,
enough to keep the seals moist.
Hope this helps.

"Walter Blackman" <net> wrote in message
news:com...
Have 2000 Focus zx3....only 6500 miles.
Today, air conditioner selector light went out. Air conditioner does not
work. Only used air conditioner four or five times. Any suggestions? Any
unannounced warranties by Ford? Never had this type of problem in low
milage car. It seems that Ford made a lousy car.
Any suggestions?

"Henri" <com> wrote in message
news:ieGke.1469240$.. 

I can't comment on your particular collection of cars, but you need to be
cautious about comparing experience of three decades ago with a modern car
like the Focus. Air conditioning has undergone many changes, particularly
with the change of working fluid resulting from the freon ban over a decade
ago.

There have not been any "real" changes they still use the same components
only smaller and lighter.
All my cars converted to 134A and parts replaced as needed. New cars use
smaller compressors and they have to work harder to cool the same volume and
do not do as good a job. Ford still used push connectors on most of its
model GM still uses screw connections.The auto manufacturers have still not
invented a totally sealed system for their vehicles - as used in fridges and
freezers.

"Dave Gower" <ca> wrote in message
news:ca...

"Henri" <com> wrote in message
news:ieGke.1469240$.. 

I can't comment on your particular collection of cars, but you need to be
cautious about comparing experience of three decades ago with a modern car
like the Focus. Air conditioning has undergone many changes, particularly
with the change of working fluid resulting from the freon ban over a decade
ago.

"Henri" <com> wrote in message
news:XVIke.1470365$.. 

You ignore the many invisible routine refinements, particularly in the
composition of materials.
 


I'm not an auto air conditioning expert but I do know that household
appliances do not do well if left outdoors in climates with large
temperature swings, particularly the cold temps we get around here. The
joints tend to leak. I would suspect that the vibrations in a vehicle would
be hard on them as well. So I doubt that fridges are a meaningful
comparison. Perhaps someone with professional qualifications is reading this
and would like to comment.

On Mon, 23 May 2005 22:29:08 -0700, "Walter Blackman"
<net> wrote:
 

Well, the new Focus manual clearly states (with a warning sign) that
the air condition must operate at least 30 minutes every month. I
assume something similar must be written in the previous model manual?

-Nick