Hi all
I’m thinking about buying a 1.0 ford fiesta st line. Is this model reliable, I’ve read some stuff about the wet belt on fords being prone to damage, does this also go for this model and how big a issue is it if it does.
Can you recommend a better alternative
Needs to be a 5 door hatchback Decent on fuel Will be used for motorway drives as well as quick run about Budgeting around £8k
No, definitely don’t touch a 1.0 EcoBoost.
Just check out the Facebook groups—there are plenty of examples of them going “boom” even after 2020.
For what it’s worth, a close neighbor of mine recently finished his saga with a 2020 Focus 1.0 EcoBoost. Ford refused to honor the goodwill period because he was just under 500 miles late for the first service. The wet belt failed at 26,000 miles.
He ended up paying off the finance with a credit card and sold the scrap for about £3,000 to recoup some of his losses. Overall, he’s down around £3,000. They also have a slightly older Ford Kuga, which they’re getting rid of too. There’s nothing wrong with it; they just don’t want to have Ford at their doorstep anymore.
2019 is a crossover year when they might have started using a chain to drive the camshafts.
However, it still uses a wet belt to run the oil pump, so it’s still an “EcoBooom.” The cost of replacement remains the same, as the chain needs to be removed to access the pump belt.
Personally, I’ve seen just as many oil pump belt failures as cam belt failures on these engines. So Ford still hasn’t addressed the main issue: if the oil pump belt loses teeth, you lose oil pressure. If you don’t switch the engine off within 30 seconds of the red oil can light coming on, your engine is toast.
Having a service history with itemized invoices is crucial when buying one of these used. It must use branded Ford spec oil (WSS-M2C948-B) and should be changed at least every 12 months, regardless of mileage. It’s the older, low-mileage cars (over three years old) that tend to suffer more belt failures because short journeys lead to greater oil contamination, which deteriorates the belt material.
Any Golf/VAG derivative.
This engine is terrible; it’s right before Ford switched to the somewhat less problematic half-chain-driven engines. Avoid it like the plague.
Consider alternatives like the Seat Ibiza, VW Polo, Mazda 2, Honda Jazz, or Toyota Yaris. All of these will be better options than a 1.0L EcoBoom.
Any engine with a wet belt setup should be avoided like the plague. It’s not a question of if the belt will need to be replaced, but when—and replacing it requires disassembling the engine.
Even aside from that, rubber and oil don’t mix well; all the oil galleries, passages, and pipes will become clogged with tiny pieces of degraded rubber, similar to the arteries of someone with a poor diet. I believe Peugeot produced some wet belt engines for a few years, so those should be avoided too.
It’s a terrible engine design. It’s great that you’ve done your research and are inquiring about the wet belt; many people buy these cars thinking, “It’s a Ford, it won’t go wrong,” completely unaware that they have an EcoBoom lurking under the hood!
The reliability of a 2018 Ford Fiesta 1.0 litre largely depends on how the previous owner maintained it. The wet belt engines are extremely sensitive to the brand and correct oil specification, specifically Castrol Magnetec 5W30 that meets the WSS-M2C948-B standard.
If the car was used for short daily journeys, an oil change should occur every six months; if it was regularly driven long enough to reach operating temperature, once every 12 months is acceptable.
It’s also important not to redline the engine immediately after starting; allowing the oil to warm up a bit is crucial. Given the variability in maintenance, buying a used model can be risky.
I’ve had mine since it was brand new, so I’ve made a concerted effort to keep up with these maintenance points. Although mine has low mileage (44k over 8 years), my brother has the same car with 70k miles and has owned it for the same length of time. We’re both still on the original wet belt.
As someone who lost ££££s on this exact car, run the fuck away. They are shit.
Any alternative is better, and I say this as a lifelong Ford fan. In my opinion, the Mazda 2 and 3 with Skyactiv petrol engines are some of the best modern engines out there. The Civic 1.8 is also an excellent choice.