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My Ford Focus ST = the new daily

afstruct

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OK last may used this to go up SE QLD = mum's 90th , did post but it's not here ,so guessing in , What did you do on your car today.
A few months after said / figured use the Maloo for the next trip , also figured at Christmas.

We're here in this thread because none of that happened, = sister was working over christmas , mum's in a nursing home now and not very mobile= of any vehicle we own this is the most likely she could get into and also being a small country town = go later and can take her out to a pub or cafe for lunch = nothing open over christmas/new year.

The missus didn't go on this trip= was a little disappointed / sort of early on but I got do what I wanted.
Also because only me = stayed with my sister and brother in law.

So last thursday 25/01 head off .
Thunderbolts Way= fxxk I love this , Gloucester to Walcha , 159 kms of well everything from tight windy ( signposted 15 km corners) to fast open sweepers and straights =( well you could do stupid speeds illegally ).
Thursday night stay in Glen Innes .
Having a couple of beers in the motel behind the ST


Friday , Australia Day , spent some time in a park ( enjoying the beautiful day ) before heading off.
This was because the next stop was only ( 40 kms ) 30 odd minutes up the road .
A little town called Deepwater and they have a craft brewery , only open 2 days a week and from 11 am ( been wanting to visit for a few years and yes!! finally= did , did not disappoint ).
Dam nice beers , had a BBQ chicken pizza with bacon and mushrooms for lunch , holy fxxk that was so delicious fresh ( kept some and also got a takeaway 6 pack = brother in law and I shared ).



Anyway on to Laidley Heights.
Don't know the name of the road , even most in my sisters area I guess just know as the Clifton to Gatton road= another heaven = has everything , tight corners , fast sweepers and straights all with sometimes poor quality road conditions.

This next bit probably should be in , https://forums.justcommodores.com.au/threads/things-that-leave-you-gobsmacked-in-a-good-way.295239/

Was totally in the groove / enjoying the really windy section and came up on a Jeep Wrangler just ( well my version is plodding along ) and thought = there goes the rest of my fun , but a couple kms down the road ( and the first opportunity ) , they pull off on this gravel side bit and let me go !! Win win for everyone !!!

On Saturday went to another brewery ( sister and brother in law love ) , again the food was fantastic.



Spent a few fantastic day with my sister and brother in law and of course my mum ,who is now closer to 91 than 90 .
( these were the real reason for the trip ).

Was going to leave on Tuesday but !!!!!
Probably belongs in Extreme Weather
Monday night and early Tuesday morning lots of rain ( bucketed down ) in SE QLD including the Lockyer Valley.
Lots on flash flooding on country roads . Both my sister and one of her daughters tried to get to work = no go ( not without being totally unsafe ) , ( it's such a thing they have a flood leave !! ).

Couldn't even get into see mum ( in Laidley = apparently main stream media were in town ,again , filming= creating a bigger storm ,than ,well!!! the weather storm ).

Brother in law got to work and late in the day he asked my sister can you check your end of this back road , ( most would only use under these more extreme circumstances ( quite a bit of it is dirt/gravel= would only take 1 of my vehicles on in life threatening circumstances ).
His main concern was this 1 causeway ( it was clear ) but you could see the high tide mark ( so to speak), !!! , = yes would have been over the roof of a 4by!!!!

Anyway after visiting mum again on Wednesday = head off .

Thursday lunch in a cafe ( my missus really likes , = yes I was thinking of her = got her some slices and jams ETC at a few places ).
Yes , another brewery!!!




It's been an absolute hoot !!!
Again on the way home reverse Thunderbolts Way , passed Ol'mate farmer a few kms out of Walcha and then a few cars going in the opposite direction but not another car in my direction until , ( not sure but guess around 30 kms from Gloucester)
That =at least 120 kms of uninterrupted biss .

And you thought with all this there by now wouldn't be a photo of a car !!
Just because = parked in the motel in Tenterfield on Wednesday night.
 
Last edited:

afstruct

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Last Saturday , after food shopping go to start, ( in carpark), ( as usual , depress clutch and press starter button = safety crap !!! ) , it fires up , lurches FWD on the hand brake and stalls ), 2nd attempt= same = 3rd we're off and home .

Thank Fxxk this didn't happen the other month!!!

Used on Wednesday = all good .
Yesterday/Friday = no start = CV8 Monty got to venture out ,( way overdue ).
Tried again this arvo ( knowing , gut saying it won't, =and it didn't ).
Have pulled 1 switch but research has since says it's for cruise etc.
Started pulling dash panel below steering etc but didn't want to break.
Limited space between Focus and Maloo,( can't fully open doors ) and showers on and off today , so it's beer o'clock time and tomorrow is a new day!!!

More google searching , = recon I know how to remove lower panel tomorrow.
Not so sure about clutch safety switch as u tube vids I've seen are not quite as mine looks like .

Tomorrow is another day , research also says switch can fail in open position = so don't need to depress clutch= WHY THE FXXK COULDN'T MINE DO THIS !!!!!!!!
But SAFETY FIRST FOR ALL THE BRAIN DEAD WAXKERS OUT THERE!!!!!!

WTF I've been driving manual cars since 1979= don't need some stupid Waxker nanny safety starter switch

Yes rant and frustrated !!!
 

afstruct

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Well I'm a dumbass goose.
No I didn't get a new switch and the switch wasn't the problem.
Note to dumbass self , simple things first.
It was simply the battery.
Don't know how old the battery was but I've had the car almost 4 years , so guessing at least 5 or 6 years.
 

Skylarking

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Glad you sorted it out and it was a relatively simple fix though I must say that changing batteries on some cars requires programming which takes it out of the simple fix ideology :oops:

In a lot of ways I prefer older dumbarse cars because they match up more with us dumbarse diy owners . However it’s got to be said newer cars do have some niceties about them that the older cars simply don’t.

Guess your situation just highlights that whenever something odd occurs with modern cars, the #1 check should always be a battery load test :cool:
 
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