Locate an Auto Repair Shop in Monroe, Iowa

I wouldn't care to bet on the Focus being "more fun to steer" than a Golf, errr, unless you're comparing a full-zoot Focus with uprated suspension, wheels and tires to a base level Golf. In this Euro comparison b/t the Golf w/ lowered suspension & new Focus w/ optional sporty Zetec suspension, "The lowered sports suspension is designed to boost efficiency, and affects comfort, as the BlueMotion doesnбжt ride with the smoothness and fluency of ordinary models. If anything, though, itбжs more compliant than the stiff set-up of the Focus Zetec at low speeds. Up the pace and the VW trails бV the Ford rides well at higher speeds and is more capable and enjoyable to drive. The Golf is safe and sure-footed, but doesnбжt have the Focusбж dynamic polish or feedback." & "As youбжd expect, the Fordбжs chassis shines the brightest. The electrically assisted steering is beautifully weighted and responds instantly, while the torque vectoring system ensures strong front-end grip. But itбжs the poise and balance that really impress, allowing the car to flow through corners. Adding to its appeal are a precise gearshift and progressive brakes. Only the unyielding low-speed ride of the sporty Zetec disappoints." Also, base on my comparison b/t the soft-riding '07 Rabbit 2.5 & the '07 Focus ST 2.3, which is stick only & costs less than $16k out-the-door after discount/rebate, I was actually quite appalled by Rabbit's lack of feel from its electric steering. But if the Focus you drove is the cheaper '06-07 SES model w/ very squishy underdamped suspension (both springs & shocks) that rubs off steering confidence plus buttoming out the front springs easily, then it's totally out of this league. The suspension of '06-07 Focus ST is firm w/ quick rebound motion. The '05 Focus ST is firmer still (somewhat similar to the Mazda3). The earlier SVT 2.0 hatch (unfortunately not as reliable) has similar suspension set up as the '05 ST but lowered & its different steering is extremely delicious!Consumer Reports found this car to be Porsche-like in handling! Only the '06-07 Focus ST, w/ its shocks replaced by the softer & slower-rebound Monroe units, can provide a "comfy but still steady" ride comparable to the Rabbit.

Now perform that same comparison between the Focus and the Mazda3 and you'll see a much different story. The Mazda has nearly as many goodies as the Focus, can be had with a stick for all trim levels, has much more rear seat room, and is thousands less. What's not to like. That's a good question. Is the Mazda3 noisier especially when cruising on the fwy? About 20 yrs ago, I was comparing the Mazda Protege to its Ford-verision Escort/Tracer, which are also available w/ the Mazda 1.8 DOHC. I really prefer the styling of the Tracer sedan, but I ended up w/ the made-in-Japan Protege for quality reason. Especially when comparing to Escort's std smooth/comfy set up that glides over bumps, the Mazda's suspension tuning has quick rebound which bounces the whole car right afterward just as high as each of the bump it just soaked up. But the solution was to try out different aftermarket shock absorbers & ended up w/ Monroe & Gabriel solving the problem. Today, Gabriels are too hard. But I'm pretty sure Monroe will solve Mazda3's quick nervous rebound motion. So far, the early Mazda3's are available w/ Monroe shocks. I prefer the exterior styling of the Rabbit/GTI V over the Golf/GTI VI, but I'm kind of annoyed by the MkV's inside door handle located so far aft for the driver. Ditto the new Focus. Like the old Focus, the new Mazda3 wins in this little detail, just like every '90-91 Protege (1, 2)

No it isn't Marilyn Monroe; do you know the name of this 1950s Blonde Bombshell or the roadster she's getting into?

The Focus had a little heavier, Euro feel to it. Hard to describe this, but having owned Audis, VWs, Mercedes, Volvo, etc, you get that kind of vibe from the Focus. The competitors, other than the Cruze, all have a lighter, ever so slightly more fragile feel to them that I find typically in Japanese cars. Subtle difference. I prefer the feel of the Focus. The Cruze feels heavier but not in such a good way, and the steering is ridiculously light . Do you mean the ride motion of the car? Typical old-style Japanese tuning tend to rebound quickly, which is useful for spirited quick transitions such as lap time... I don't like it. Mazda3 2.3 & Focus ST 2.3 are tuned that way, but replacing the shocks w/ Monroe feels as nice/comfy & smooth as if being pampered by Marilyn Monroe.

I have an extremely intermittent front-end vibration on my '08 CX-9 FWD Touring with 72K miles. It began about 6 months ago, and happens perhaps once in every hour of driving, but it might happen twice back-to-back and then not happen again for hours or days. It feels like I'm going over a "washboard" surface for about 1 second, and then goes away. Just like an old 60's vintage live-axle RWD car with bad shocks on a worn-out road. It happens at around 30-50 mph, during light acceleration. It might be associated with going over an expansion joint or rough pavement. And maybe only at the 3-4th or 4-5th shift points, although I'm not certain of that. Or it might be a combination of a shift while going over rough pavement. The problem can't be reproduced by going over the same road at the same speed. One shop drove the car for 4 days before seeing the problem! Tires (replaced at about 50K miles) have been balanced and front struts replaced (with Monroe SensaTrac's), but that hasn't helped, and problem seems to be getting more frequent. One repair shop says they believe it is the "centrifugal clutch override solenoid", but that was based only on their online searches for similar problems. No error codes have been recorded. Anyone else seen similar symptoms? Dad Cat