Hello,
I got myself into a pretty bad spot out of desperation a few years ago and purchased a 2016 ford focus, which as of today I still owe $5200 (bad credit which is something I am still working on).
The focus’s transmission is about to die, I was told it’s on its way out about 3 months ago and it is starting to get noticeably worse so I don’t think I have much time left. I am trying to figure out what, if any, are the best next steps.
I have $4000 currently in savings, I owe $5200 on the car, it would cost $4000 to replace the transmission. I just don’t want to panic and get myself into a bad spot again like I did when I was younger. From my understanding I need to keep insurance active on the Focus in order to not breach my financing agreement, so while I considered getting a beater and just continuing to make payments on the Focus, I cannot afford to make insurance payments on 2 cars per month. Just looking to see if anybody has any creative ideas or advice. I understand I may just be SOL at this point. (Yes I know the situation I got myself into was bad, was a very scary and tumultuous time in my life and I am trying to do better now)
Thank you!
ETA: there is no warranty still on the focus for the transmission, I did look into the things ford provided for the transmission issues but the car is no longer eligible for them.
Upside down on a car with a transmission that is about to kick the bucket
byu/mommyofdragons inpersonalfinance
Posted by mommyofdragons
20 Comments
$4000 to replace the transmission is still quite a bit less than a new car.
If it was Japanese car I would fix it but a focus?? Dam bad scenario to be in.
Generally you need to fix a car your paying on but you could buy a corolla with that money and be in better shape.
Get quotes for a used transmission and make a decision. Can you do the work yourself or a buddy?
You’ve got a tough spot, but dumping $4k into that transmission is risky since those Focus gearboxes are known to keep failing. I’d check first if there’s any warranty/recall coverage left. If not, selling or trading it as-is and rolling the negative equity into something more reliable might be the cleaner move, even if it’s not ideal..If you keep it, just drive it lightly while you plan your next step, but I wouldn’t rush into another bad loan.
The absolute best solution would be to replace the transmission yourself, if you had the skills, time, space and tools, as a used one from a junkyard is about $1500. Barring that, I would suggest you ask around for junkyards that also have repair bays. Some still exist and are usually the most reasonable. Other than that, shop the job around, or ask on Ford Focus forums for best options in your area.
If the Focus is otherwise serviceable/reliable then get the transmission replaced. You’d spend WAY more buying, registering, insuring, and maintaining a beater WHILE STILL MAKING PAYMENTS AND REGISTERING AND INSURING THE FOCUS than you would getting the Focus fixed and getting as many more years out of it as you can.
I think your best bet is fixing the Focus and continue driving that. I would think it’s going to be worth more than $4K more once it’s repaired than trying to sell it with a bad transmission. And there is absolutely no financial reason to have two cars.
I’m assuming you have the automatic? That’s the short coming of that model.
First, get several quotes on the transmission if you haven’t.
You’re not going to find a reliable car for less than $4,000 so you’re likely better off doing the transmission.
Think this through. Sooner or later you will have to do something with the Focus. Either sell it or fix it. No sense in keeping it if you will not drive it. That said, if you are going to have two cars, usually insurance will not cost twice as much as a single car policy all things being equal. Also, maybe try a transmission service done or 2nd opinion on the Focus. Several years ago Aamco tried to tell me I needed a new transmission ($5600) after the my car was towed thier shop. I declined and had it towed to my house and found the transmission cooler/radiator was rusted and busted; I replaced the radiator and the fluids for ~$300 which solved the problem.
Sorry you’re having to deal with this, but you need to face the facts:
It is a well known fact that cars wear out, and they require money to keep running. While everyone hopes to get lucky and have their car run trouble-free for 250,000 miles, that’s never going to happen.
A replacement transmission will be cheaper than another car, however dumping $4000 into this car, or any car, does not magically make it run trouble-free for years. Again, cars wear out.
That’s a rough spot, but you’re not completely stuck. Putting 4k into a transmission on a car you still owe 5.2k on usually only makes sense if the rest of the car is solid and you plan to keep it for a while. Might be worth checking what you could actually get for it as-is and compare that to the cost of fixing it. Sometimes the gap isn’t as bad as it looks. Also not a bad idea to call the lender and ask what happens if the car becomes undrivable, just so you know your options ahead of time. Main thing is not rushing into another loan just to solve this quickly. You’re already thinking it through more carefully now, which helps a lot.
Fix the transmission, drive it for 2-3yrs, keep saving, then buy a more reliable car. It stinks. We had an Elantra with a $4k tranny swap, just had to do it. So long as the motor is good (keep doing regular oil and coolant changes), drive that sucker to get your money out of it, while keeping an eye out for good reliable used cars so when the time comes you’ll know you’re getting the right deal at the right time.
Start making phone calls. Your mechanic is an idiot.
The focus has a dual clutch automatic. The transmission itself almost never needs replaced in these, it’s the clutch that wears out. A new clutch is around $500 and is a very replaceable part.
The absolute max this repair should cost is $2000. It’s surprisingly diy friendly if you find a reasonably good mechanic that’s willing to do it. A buddy did one in his garage, said it took some head scratching but managed to do it himself.
If and when you get your car fixed don’t drive it like a grandma anymore. It sounds counterintuitive but these things love to be driven hard. The worst thing you can do to this transmission is creep along in traffic, the second worst thing is to baby them. I know of a few that are over 200k miles, but all are driven by people that never get stuck in traffic and always drive them hard. When you baby them the transmission attempts to shift slow, which is slipping the clutch. When you’re on the gas more the computer calls for a faster shift which slips the clutch less.
There’s really no way for any mechanic to say with any certainty that your transmission has 3 months left to live.
What’s the mileage on the car? What year? What symptoms is it exhibiting?
I would find a different mechanic and get the transmission serviced (drop pan, replace filter, new fluid – NOT a flush). Depending on what they find in the fluid, there very well may be a lot of clutch wear, you may be able to get by with some Lucas Transmission fix, etc. I’d also ask about having the TCM (transmission control module) reset – clearing out all of the driving habit learning adaptations and starting fresh.
Also, maybe check into any recalls, TSBs or settlements related to your car. A quick google search lead me to believe that there was a class action about that specific transmission.
No good options here…but a few options as I see them:
-Just pay the $4k for a new transmission and hope for the best. You can probably shop around a bit and save a bit. Or DIY replace the transmission if you’re handy or know someone who can help you. It’ll probably buy you a couple years before it happens again…but gets you out of this bind until then.
-Buy a new to you beater for the ~$4k you have and hope for the best as you continue to pay off the Focus then unload the focus for ~$1k on FB after it’s paid off. You say you can’t afford to insure both, but you might be able to drop the insurance on the focus to storage only (check the terms of your financing) and save a bit on insurance that way – and in any case, it should be *significantly* cheaper than 2x the Focus’s insurance to insure both cars. The risk here is that if the new to you car is a dud, you’re in a bigger hole. Do you have any friends or family looking to get rid of a car sometime soon?
-Roll the negative equity into another car…but you risk running into the same problem you have now in a few years…just worse.
-Can you get away with not having a (fully-functional) car for a bit? Public transport or car pooling or buy a cheap bike, e-bike, or e-scooter to use the car sparingly for the time being (assuming that the failure is more use-based than time-based). Even stretching the Focus’s life a few months could buy you more time to pay down the loan or save up a bit more for one of the options above.
Stepping back a bit…what can you do to increase your income or reduce other expenses?
Are you sure it needs a new transmission??? More than likely the issue is with the clutch or the TCM not the entire transmission both of which should be More than likely the issue is with the clutch or the TCM, not the entire transmission, both of which should be significantly less than $4,000. I would call A few independent transmission shops and ask them if they have experience diagnosing and repairing 2012-2018 Ford DCTs.
Only you know the condition of your current car. 4k doesnt buy you alot of car any longer and you have no idea of its real condition. I would fix the tranny and keep the car.
You ever try any of the transmission additives to help you limp by till you get more money for a car? Its not gonna fix it but ive heard people have luck with the Lucas transmission additive. Not sure what your transmission issues are but it may help
Your existing car is about to completely die. If that’s not an “emergency”, then what would qualify?
No guarantee but for 20 bucks try transmission in a bottle fix stuff. Run the car till it doesn’t go.
2016 focus’s had some recalls on transmissions. Wouldn’t hurt to check to see if any apply to you