[Sean67]

Hi

can anyone please point me in the right direction. I’m rapidly finding my ST is a money pit and I’ve truely had my fingers burnt.
Long story short I need replacement drive shafts, I spoke to a guy in Notts who only works on St’s and knows his stuff. He has said only buy gen Ford or gen Ford recon shafts.
I’ve spoken to BD performance and with new seals they wanting £733.00 for recon shafts.
I can’t believe they cost that much.
Anyone know of any alternative?

it’s making me question to keep the car or sell it? It needs paint as soon as light starts to go, it’s a different shade on the front. Can’t tell in bright sun light.
Shame as it has a lot of costly mods/ upgrades already done

thanks

sean

 

[jboy]

Genuine one are the way to go buy if you want cheap ones there’s a company called J & R Driveshafts which fit fine but people including myself experienced a vibration through the steering wheel . They are in my opinion a stop gap or fix until you can get some genuine ones , as for BD I’m assuming they are trying to sell you uprated shafts .

 

[teflonbilly]

I got a pair of Ford refurbs just over two years ago from carparts4less (cheaper sister company of Eurocarparts) and from memory they came in well under £400 for the pair with the discount applied and returning my old shafts. They arrived in Ford boxes with the FINIS code on, the real deal. Stock levels then became very patchy and after checking now they no longer list them for sale which is a shame.

I know some people have had bad experiences with Ford refurbs but mine have been fine. I've heard a lot more bad stories about the supposed uprated Dreamscience shafts and also shafts refurbed by a third parties such as carpartsexpress, DriveshaftUK etc. I did run a pair of J&R for a few weeks/months before I got the Ford refurbs on - no bad experiences and for a little over £100 I couldn't fault them. They are still in my shed in case of emergency need. Obviously I can't say how long they would potentially last for but definitely worth considering at that price.

These cars are money pits so your experience is really not unique. However I would advise that if the car starts biting your wallet hard just get rid of it, they do need a lot of money spent to make you really love them. After four years of ownership I'm really quite apathetic about my car now despite the time and money invested in it. I'm paying about £50 a month in tax and insurance just to watch it sat on the drive whilst it does about 500 miles a year.

 

[NickFST3]

As above it is advised to best steer clear of non Ford and/or the 'uprated' driveshafts. They either don't last or thud & knock like mad. Unfortunately your only option is new Ford or recon & most people go Ford recon as they will be much cheaper.
Why have the driveshafts failed though? Have you lost a rubber boot so got grit etc in there or are you lowered excessively? If the boots have failed then there is not much to do except replace the shafts. If you are excessively lowered then that might be worth looking into as the shafts do not like being used on very low cars. Do not be led down the garden path & be advised to fit 'longer' shafts designed for lowered cars as these don't work either! In this case it would be worth talking to Andy at A&K Motorsport on here for bits he can advise to help bring the front back into a better alignment whilst still keeping the car lowered.

 

[Bobbym]

I got 2 x refurb from BD at approx £600 and also had NSF from Ford for £220 (refurb also).

 

[Sean67]

Hi

when was that if you don’t mind me asking? I know everything’s going up in price

 

[NigelStap]

Ford refurbished shafts are about £700 for a pair. I needed a replacement in July and had to pay £350 for an o/s and they are the same price as the n/s.

Fortunately they don't take too long to fit.

 

[Bobbym]

Hi

when was that if you don’t mind me asking? I know everything’s going up in price

2 years ago mate.

 

[Bobbym]

I got a pair of Ford refurbs just over two years ago from carparts4less (cheaper sister company of Eurocarparts) and from memory they came in well under £400 for the pair with the discount applied and returning my old shafts. They arrived in Ford boxes with the FINIS code on, the real deal. Stock levels then became very patchy and after checking now they no longer list them for sale which is a shame.

I know some people have had bad experiences with Ford refurbs but mine have been fine. I've heard a lot more bad stories about the supposed uprated Dreamscience shafts and also shafts refurbed by a third parties such as carpartsexpress, DriveshaftUK etc. I did run a pair of J&R for a few weeks/months before I got the Ford refurbs on - no bad experiences and for a little over £100 I couldn't fault them. They are still in my shed in case of emergency need. Obviously I can't say how long they would potentially last for but definitely worth considering at that price.

These cars are money pits so your experience is really not unique. However I would advise that if the car starts biting your wallet hard just get rid of it, they do need a lot of money spent to make you really love them. After four years of ownership I'm really quite apathetic about my car now despite the time and money invested in it. I'm paying about £50 a month in tax and insurance just to watch it sat on the drive whilst it does about 500 miles a year.

Bang on this comment, spent approx £6k getting my car where I wanted it to be and it now lives in the garage due to running cost Vs my now longer commute. That being said, I refuse to sell it as I actually enjoy driving it every couple of months 😀

 

[Richpik1]

Evening all. Hope you don’t mind me piggybacking onto this thread. I’m new to Focus ST ownership and learning everyday. Can someone explain what to look for when drive shafts are failing please. Is there any checks I can do to see how mine are currently etc.

Thank you.
Rich.

 

[Bobbym]

Evening all. Hope you don’t mind me piggybacking onto this thread. I’m new to Focus ST ownership and learning everyday. Can someone explain what to look for when drive shafts are failing please. Is there any checks I can do to see how mine are currently etc.

Thank you.
Rich.

If you have no symptoms i.e vibration when driving, clunking/ticking when moving and turning wheel (these may not even be attributed to driveshafts) etc then don't worry about it and enjoy the car.

 

[Richpik1]

If you have no symptoms i.e vibration when driving, clunking/ticking when moving and turning wheel (these may not even be attributed to driveshafts) etc then don't worry about it and enjoy the car.

Hi Bobby,

Thanks for symptoms list. Unfortunately I think I may have the dreaded failing driveshafts! When driving on bumpy roads I can feel a knocking feel through my steering wheel. I can also feel it when manoeuvring at slow speeds I.e reversing onto my drive. It’s not the most heaviest of knocks but there’s certainly something there. Is there a way I can confirm it’s the driveshafts? Thanks

 

[Bobbym]

Hi Bobby,

Thanks for symptoms list. Unfortunately I think I may have the dreaded failing driveshafts! When driving on bumpy roads I can feel a knocking feel through my steering wheel. I can also feel it when manoeuvring at slow speeds I.e reversing onto my drive. It’s not the most heaviest of knocks but there’s certainly something there. Is there a way I can confirm it’s the driveshafts? Thanks

There shouldn't be any play in them when you try to rotate them back and forward or up and down, expect them to move in/out as that is them moving along the tri-pod.
Also worth checking bottom arm ball joints as they can give similar symptoms (from experience), if unsure and before you commit, I'd certainly recommend a second opinion from a mechanic you trust.

 

[Jared]

I had a pair of recon Ford shafts fitted in 2011 . they were still om the car when i sold it in 2015 at which time it was running 350 hp on Turbo X . They handled anything i could throw at them .

 

[Richpik1]

I had a pair of recon Ford shafts fitted in 2011 . they were still om the car when i sold it in 2015 at which time it was running 350 hp on Turbo X . They handled anything i could throw at them .

hello Jared.

I have taken bobbys advice and booked the car in to get checked Saturday morning.
Apart from the drive shafts being used, are they solid? I.e they don’t have the common symptoms? How much are you wanting for them? Thanks

 

[whitetop]

They can be solid but like anything refurb, you do get the odd one going quicker but as long as you get them from ford you'll have 12 months warranty.

 

[Dabhand16]

as long as you get them from ford you'll have 12 months warranty.

I think that might depend on the dealer. MickM bougt some re-furbed Ford ones and they played up inside 6 months IIRC and when he went back they said they only had 3 months warranty. Seems odd to me, but tha's what happened. Thread on here somewhere.

 

[whitetop]

I think that might depend on the dealer. MickM bougt some re-furbed Ford ones and they played up inside 6 months IIRC and when he went back they said they only had 3 months warranty. Seems odd to me, but tha's what happened. Thread on here somewhere.

That is very strange, mine was 12 months ford warranty but now you need a mechanic report to get them replaced under warranty, i think ford got fed up of them coming back.

 

[marco_ST]

I would recommend to refurb the driveshafts in your own arrangement, there is a guide here what parts to buy and how to do it.. All for way less money than buying refurb ford shafts

 

[Phill P]

This may be totally wrong, but it's an interesting video on mk5 mondeo drivrshafts, unsure if its anything like ours