Fiesta XR4 common issues and servicing

[snapper17]

Hi

Im looking at a hot hatch on a budget and am looking at a vw polo gti vs the ford fiesta XR4

With the xr4 some of the ones available have just under 100k on the clock (80-95) and most are over at around 130k

My budget is around 8k plus onroads

What are some common problems with this car?
What are the things i should look out for?
As far as I know you need to change the belt at around 100k
Do these cars have cams that also need to be changed at 100k?

Im thinking if its had regular servicing and all major works have been done it maybe cheaper to get one thats done just over 100k rather than one thats done 80 then me doing the major in a year or so

Id travel around 10k a year

thx

[zabatron]

Hi Snapper,I have owned my 2008 XR4 since new.Now has 60000km on clock(mainly highway/freeway).Apart from a leaking water pump at @ 30000km(replaced under warranty),my car has been reliable with no other issues apart from a blown front drivers side headlight globe.
Servicing is fairly straight forward with oil drain plug,oil filter and spark plugs pretty easy to get to.Auxiliary drive belt requires replacement at @ 150000km,and engine on XR4 uses a timing chain,not a belt,but still needs replacement @ 150000km.Fuel filter is also easy to replace and should be replaced every 45000km or earlier.I do most of the servicing myself(apart from brakes or jobs I don't have the tools for),and no I am not a mechanic.
As for issues,some owners have reported a cold start issue where car revs low and sometimes stalls,wheel caps that fall off while driving,broken lower engine mount and also some gearbox issues from crunching gears,poor cold shifting to blown gearbox/diff on heavily modified cars .Go to fordxr4.com.au to read owners experiences.My advice would be to buy the best car you can find,make sure it has full service history(regardless of km travelled), and get your own mechanic to check over it,and stay away from any car with performance modifications as this usually indicates it has been driven hard.

[snapper17]

Originally Posted by zabatron

Hi Snapper,I have owned my 2008 XR4 since new....

thx thats exactly the info i was after

i was looking at an 08 ive seen one that looked in top condition and done less than 80k

i was mainly concerned with the belt/chain

I will look into that forum for more specific info on service costs as i will not do it myself.

I have a trusted mech but he is a euro specialist

I dont buy cars with mods for those reasons and also insurance is much harder to get and claim on.

[zabatron]

Euro mechanic should be fine to service an XR4 as they are built in Germany.Also,forgot to mention to check condition and color of power steering fluid as these cars have a very small power steering reservoir,and as such can work the power steering fluid very hard,especially during sustained hard driving.Walk away from any car that has black(burnt)power steering fluid,or any car that has a power steering system whine(usually due to air in system which can lead to very expensive to repair steering rack failure).