So I’ve been leasing a 23 plate 0.99 Ecoboost fiesta for nearly 2 years now. I love the car, it’s amazing. I really don’t want to part with it. But I’m now at the point where I have 3 options:
Pay the final payment and keep it (paying a bank loan off monthly for this)
Hand it back & look at a Puma
Hand it back & look at somewhere else.
I’ve heard people saying that the newer engines aren’t reliable and the 5 years it would take me to pay it off - it just wouldn’t last and isn’t reliable enough. What do you think?
I mean, it’s a new car, and if you’ve taken good care of it and serviced it regularly, I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to keep it after leasing it for the past two years. Every car has its issues; it just depends on whether you’re aware of them and take steps to prevent them.
I’ve heard about the wet belt issues & overheating. I know every car has problems, but the thought of spending lots of money on a car that might “unreliable” hurts my soul
I think some new models don’t have the wet belt with oil (but you should probably check if you’re unsure). However, as long as you service it every 7,000 miles or so, or at least once a year, your belt should last a long time. I wouldn’t say it’s unreliable; it’s just that the design from Ford could be better.
Is it the MK8 or the MK8.5? I’m pretty sure the MK8.5 doesn’t have a belt; they switched back to a chain for that model. If it’s well maintained, the wet belt shouldn’t be a problem, but I understand your apprehension given all the horror stories surrounding them.
If you get it serviced correctly you shouldn’t worry about it on year 2. This is sadly not a car that’s going to make it to 25 years, but the first 10 years should still be relatively problem free if it gets serviced correctly.
Yeah the wet belts are known to shred with time blocking up a strainer with rubber leading to a drop in oil pressure and if not realised in time can lead to some serious engine issues. The 1.0 is the most well known for having wet belt issues. Sure it’s likely overhyped but they didn’t get the name ecoboom for no reason.
I keep coming across videos about wet belt timing belt changes and the issues that arise when people don’t change their oil or the belt on time, which can lead to oil starvation in other parts of the engine. Sometimes they fail because owners neglect their cars with inadequate oil changes, but other times they just fail for reasons unknown—I’m not sure what the proportions are for each. Changing a wet belt is very expensive, but it’s still cheaper than wrecking your car. It’s not just a Ford issue, either. You might want to start by watching this video and others by the same creator.
Stay on top of the services using the right oil, and it should be fine. It’s a great car with an excellent engine. I traded my 2016 1.0 EcoBoost at 85,000 miles, and the only work I had done outside of regular services in six years of hard driving was replacing two rear coils. Now, I have a ST-Line X Edition 155 MHEV, which I love, but I still miss the MK 7.5.
