2008 Ford Focus vs 2010 Ford Focus: how they messed up a good thing

I drove a 2008 Focus for about 4 years and that thing was solid. The engine bay had room to work, the transmission shifted fine, nothing weird. Then my buddy got a 2010 model and I helped him change the alternator last weekend. What a nightmare. They moved everything tight against the firewall for no reason. Had to take off the wheel well liner just to get to the belt tensioner. The older version was way easier to fix and cost way less in parts. Has anyone else run into a car that got worse after a refresh like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese_patel1d ago

...and that's exactly why I still drive a 2008. I'm not even a mechanic, I'm just some guy who learned to fix stuff on YouTube. The 2010 is a parts butcher's dream job. Reminds me of every relationship I've ever had - started off great, then they moved everything around and made it twice as hard to get anything done. I'll take my old, roomy engine bay and my busted knuckles any day. Some things just don't need a "refresh.

joseph5291d ago

Guess the engineers figured if you could afford a 2010, you could afford a mechanic.