I bought my 07 Focus 3 door last May from a Ford main dealer. It had one previous owner who had put 9000 miles on the clock in the year he had had it. As it has a plastic painted roof spoiler I was no longer able to use the boot mounted cycle carrier I had previously used on the 03 Focus I had replaced. This was because the straps would have put too much tension on the spoiler.
I set about looking at alternative solutions and opted for roof bars and cycle carriers.
Having checked the Ford website and Accessories catalogue I was able to source the correct authentic Ford roof bars and Thule 591 roof carriers from EBay (both used).
Last week I went to fit the roof bars for the first time, removed the blanking plates from the roof of the car only to find there are no screwholes underneath, Just painted metal.
Needless to say, having paid the best part of £200 for the kit I was fuming.
Some may say I should have checked beforehand but why would Ford not include the machining of fitting points in to the manufacturing process for all its Focuses? The roof bar information on all the documentation states it can be used on 3 door cars.
I want to approach the dealer I bought the car from to complain about the situation I'm now in. Is there any point in this (other than to make me feel a bit better!)?
The only solution I'm left with is to invest in a towbar and utilise a towbar mounted carrier. I note in an earlier posting these are seemingly highly rated. Obviously there will be another cost attached to this.
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Doesn't sound like Ford production;repair after accident???
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The fixpoints for the roof bars, (under the plastic covers), are filled with sealant before the bodyshell is painted and are not obvious. The sealant has to be removed from the threaded holes and cleaned out before the bars can be fitted.
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Has Phil C juniour got a magnet ?
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It's very easy to find the tapped holes. just prod around with a small screwdriver or similar, and you'll soon find them.
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Thank you for your prompt replies.
I've gone and had a quick look at lunchtime and, by rubbing my finger along the roofline, can feel something under the paint. I also have made a pinprick with a paperclip and seemingly have found something resembling sealant under the paint.
I'll give an update once I've had a proper go at home.
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I got home from work last night and, using the roof bar blanking plate as a guide (that had a hole in the middle of them) I wearily sunk a small screwdriver in to the roof of my car.
After breaking through the paint, true to form I found approximately 1/2 to 3/4 cm depth of sealant which I removed to find a plastic screw. Once I removed this I gained access to the tapped screwholes for the roof bars.
Again, thank you everyone for you help on this. It is much appreciated.
One last question - what would people do to protect the screwholes when they are not in use? Will the normal blanking plates provide enough protection or should I do more (eg. grease the holes etc)?
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Id just replace the plastic screws to flush with the roof when the bars are off, should stop the holes filling with rain and corroding.
Edited by Old Navy on 25/08/2009 at 13:55
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With a little bit of grease on the threads.
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