Ownership Verified: 2004 Ford Fiesta

Andeh

is teahte tbungafloed
Joined
Oct 23, 2007
Messages
3,514
Location
Cumbria, UK
Car(s)
Fiestas, Mondeos, Anglia, Austin 7, Corsair, Chrys
Warning: This thread contains an average European shopping trolley and may not include many updates.

Firstly, proof pic out of the way:
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Now, on to the (more) interesting stuff. It's a 2004 Fiesta Firefly (which was basically an end of the line pre-facelift base model with some alloys and a spoiler). Which means it has no luxury features, basic motoring is the best! :D It has a 1.25 Petrol engine bringing a whopping 73bhp to the table.

On the plus side, it's in (IMO) the best colour, Aquarius blue, has been in the family since new and is uber low-mileage, and is my first car. So I love it. I've been driving for about a year now, and it has never let me down. I can see myself keeping it for quite a while, but there's a few things I'd like to do in that time. Firstly, getting some painted bumpers, as those plastic ones annoy me on a daily basis. Performance wise, it is what it is, and it would be wasting money to try to do anything there. Plus, it's quite good fun how it is, and handles a damn-sight better than some of my friends cars which I have had the pleasure of driving. :p

Since I'm at University at the moment, I don't have many opportunities to spend time driving, so I'm looking forward to the summer quite a bit.

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And, with the rest of the family:
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Congratz on your first car (just guessing here, I may be wrong), have fun with it and try not to find yourself in a field, sorrounded by bits of focus and sheep that are no longer alive ;)
 
Looks good! Better than no car, remember! Make sure any mods you make aren't the usual attack on Fiestas from teenagers :lol:

Love the photos, too. Always nice to see someone who likes to take good photos of their car, not just boring phone pics :p
 
Thanks for the kind words guys. I'll be avoiding 'popular' modifications at all costs, I'm just trying to improve it's lack of features by giving it some stuff from better trim levels. So far I've got decent mats, sill plates, interior light, grille... Next on the list is remote locking!

My car does keep nice company, it's just a shame I can never drive the others... :p
 
Update: (Of sorts). Having being stored in a garage all it's life (bless it), the glue had dried out on the side trim pieces resulting in them flapping wildly in today's winds. Fearing loosing it, I pulled over to discover my car repair kit (duct tape) was missing. So I had to use my human repair kit. Elastoplast to the rescue, haha.

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All is fixed now however.
 
Rip it off, grab some glue, stick it back on. I love that part of car ownership - just sorting little bits out that the manufacturers didn't quite get right. :p
 
Nice first motor. Plus you are dividing your time between the Lake District and the Peak District essentially so you have some of the best driving roads in the country at your disposal almost all of the time. Just keep a weather eye out for wildlife to avoid any sudden and unwanted upside-downness.
 
Update: (Of sorts). Having being stored in a garage all it's life (bless it), the glue had dried out on the side trim pieces resulting in them flapping wildly in today's winds. Fearing loosing it, I pulled over to discover my car repair kit (duct tape) was missing. So I had to use my human repair kit. Elastoplast to the rescue, haha.

All is fixed now however.

I actually viewed a similarly aged Fiesta just the other day (On the same lot as my Yaris) and it had the exact same problem! I wonder if they ever changed the adhesive they used during the production run...

Either way, nice car. I do like the Fiesta, the one I saw was a lot cheaper than my Yaris but sadly it looked neglected and was a 5-door, the 3-door is a very handsome model. :D
 
I'm a big fan of this generation of car. Maybe it's mostly because we don't get anything that small/fuel efficient here in the US.
 
That's a good color, I like it. Those Fiestas are peppy little cars and very cheap to run too.
 
No exciting updates I'm afraid, just housekeeping. 8 Years old this month! Had its MOT today, passed with no advisories, was serviced beforehand. (Only thing notable here was replacement of the spark plugs). Trying to drive somewhat more economically, getting 45mpg on Motorway runs. (37.47 US MPG for any yanks interested). And, back in Cumbria full time for the summer now, so let the driving begin!

On a more interesting note, it will likely lose its garage space soon for a rather more interesting classic Ford. Watch this space. (Or mayhaps a new thread, we'll see).
 
The Fiesta hasn't been getting much love lately, which is a shame. So I decided to go for a drive into the lakes to meet some classic-car-people-friends, and got lost.... Anyway, the scenery was beautiful, sometimes you forget where you live. Regardless, I only took one picture. :rolleyes: Didn't really think this through much!

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As winter comes, and the Anglia goes to bed, the Fiesta will come back however! :)
 
Slow puncture on the rear offside tyre... Hoping it can be repaired, if it's replaced, I'll start losing potential future concours prizes! :lol:

Bonus picture of the dirtiest I have ever let it become, it was since washed:
dirtyfez.jpg
 
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Now that the Anglia is mostly done for the time being, and I've returned home from Uni, it's time to give the Fiesta some care. It's now lived outside for one year of it's nine, and it's starting to show a little. So I've decided to give it a concours level cleaning while I had the time on my side. (I'll gain use of the garage next week while the Anglia is away being undersealed).

Due to the rather hot weather today, the paint was far too hot to attack, so I've started with the wheels.

The products.
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Before you can see they're pretty clean in all honesty, some brake dust on the fronts, and some tar spots on the rear.
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First step is of course to wash the wheels, which had already been completed off camera. Next, onto claying. A very quick process here, as fastidious cleaning over the car's life has helped maintain a very strong layer of protection, only a few tar spots to deal with. For this I used an AutoGlym clay with AutoGlym Rapid Detailer as lube.
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Second step, three coats of Autoglym Super Resin Polish.
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Third, two coats of AutoGlym Extra Gloss protection to act as a layer similar to wax to protect the shine. I don't actually wax the wheels, seems a bit over the top. (Yes, honestly).
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Fourth, AutoGlym Alloy Wheel Seal/Brake Dust Repellent. I top this up regularly and it acts as a great top coat product. With a good layer of this, and combined with the previous products, brake dust and tar spots are rarely more than a quick wipe to remove. Spray on, allow to dry, buff off.
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Finally, AutoGlym tyre dressing. A new product for me, I'm always changing brands for tyre dressing as I'm never happy with either the finish or the durability. This gives a very high gloss finish, and I'll report back on durability. Spray on liberally, remove excess from wheels and allow to dry.
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Finally, admire your clean wheels and acknowledge they show up the relative messiness of the rest of the vehicle.
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Over the next week I'll be continuing the thread in this manner, as I cover the car from top to bottom and get it back to as close as new as I can.
 
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