Hello to all. Im a new member. I have a 2008 Super Duty F250 and have been a member of the "Ford Truck Enthusiast" forum for some time. That forum has helped me out a great deal when I needed answers and has saved me alot of money and time. I have also helped others there too. I thought this forum may help also with my ownership of the Focus.

I just purchased a used 2012 Ford Focus SE from an individual with 35,200 miles to commute to work. I think I got a pretty good deal at $10,700. But I have a few questions.

I gambled and purchased without a certified mechanics inspection. I did crawl around underneath and inside with a flashlight looking for leaks and general broken and dinged parts. I found that the right front fender had been replaced so I ran a "Carfax" report which indeed did indicate "moderate damage" accident report was noted. But car appears to have been repaired well and is spotless inside and out. Barely a scratch and a beautiful little car. I figured since it had 800 miles left on factory warranty, I had time to get it checked out and repaired by Ford.

I had my shop do an inspection today (after purchase) and the only things they could find were that the radiator mounts were zip tied and it was throwing a "P0073 code" which is "Ambient Air Temperature Sensor Circuit High".

So I have two questions:

A) The P0073 "Ambient Air Temperature Sensor Circuit High" code sounds like its just the outside air tempurature sensor which sounds trivial to me. There is no light on on the dash. Am I correct on this? And should I just replace it myself?

B) I dont like the idea of the radiator being zip tied to the mounts. Maybe they did this when it was repaired from the collision? Possibly by Ford? Should there be a mount kit?

Thanks in advace as always....I love these forums.....

Oh yeah.....photo....

 

Looks like it is in good shape although I wonder about the zip ties too!
The ambient temp thing may be involved with the evap emission system.
Best to have Ford check it out and correct any problems before the warranty runs out.

 

the shpe is great, but i prefer other colors

 

The Focus up here looks pretty nice..congrats on the new purchase..
Welcome to the forum and have a great time out here with your Focus..i hope you enjoy your stay.

 

The code for "ambient air temp" turned out to be a loose connection that wasn't connected right when installed. Tech reconnected and code didn't come back. Tech found what he though was a fluid leak near rear of engine.....possibly oil from rear seal or transmission. Took it to Ford and they repaired a transmission leak under warranty. I pulled the CarFax on it and new it had a "moderate" front end damage from a collision. Looks like whatever body shop they took it to decided to do some short cuts with radiator supports. Going to take it to a body shop guy/friend and see what supports need to be installed. Shoudlnt be a big issue though.

 

Thanks....despite a couple of issues, I think I got a pretty good deal at $10,700.