New owner | 2018 Fiesta ST

[Oso]

Hi everyone!

I don't want to begin on a lie. Originally I was shopping around for a Focus ST, however, unfortunately I was never able to find a clean one.

... And then I randomly found this Fiesta ST, and I immediately went and checked it out. I ended up purchasing it.

2018 Fiesta ST
1 previous owner
0 accidents
67k miles
~13k OTD

It isn't completely stock, though all of the mods are cosmetic, sans it being slammed.

* Aftermarket wheels and brakes.
* Tinted windows and the little shield things.
* Lowered.
* Aftermarket side skirts/front lips.
* Aftermarket exhaust.

My future plans:

I will removing the window guards as well as the body kit. I will also be removing the lowered stuff.

I will be getting it wrapped either black, or I'll be having a custom wrap created (probably horror movie themed).

Only concerns/dislikes:

* IT'S WHITE.

* When I got home from the dealership, I noticed a light oil burning smell. I know it has been sitting for a bit, and I didn't drive it home hard or anything. I'll be keeping an eye on this to ensure it doesn't have any underlining mechanical issues.

That said, if it does, I'm covered as I purchased an extended warranty (it was worth the extra money to me).

Otherwise, it's great to be here, and I'm excited to drive it!

P.S. Yo, why is my trunk so small in a hatchback? ROFL.

 

[D1JL]

Dave

 

[Oso]

​

Dave

Thank you very much! I'll be posting up some pictures later tonight. I'm going to go see the new Deadpool movie in my sexy, new-to-me ST ^_^.

 

[Zeille]

Is it Oxford white or Platinum white?
I have a platinum white 2017 & it's gorgeous. I love it so much.
I much prefer a white car to any other - which I live in a state with very much dry heat & I'd prefer to be in a car that doesn't attract more.

About the oil smell - was it consistent throughout the entire drive? Was it mostly under load?

 

[Oso]

Is it Oxford white or Platinum white?
I have a platinum white 2017 & it's gorgeous. I love it so much.
I much prefer a white car to any other - which I live in a state with very much dry heat & I'd prefer to be in a car that doesn't attract more.

About the oil smell - was it consistent throughout the entire drive? Was it mostly under load?

Hey, thank you for your response!

It's Platinum White. Admittedly, it is slowly beginning to grow on me, hah. I'd still prefer almost any other color. White and black are extremely difficult to maintain, in my experience, with white typically being a bit harder (unless we're talking about car washes!). But I definitely understand your POV, especially based on where it says you're at. White is probably your best bet. Hell, even in the midwest, I walked out to my car that same day, and after ~45min of being in the sun, it felt unbearable. At least the shift knob hasn't gotten hot yet!

No, I didn't notice it/smell anything until I had gotten home and it sat for a bit. My entire drive home was on pretty flat roads that were (mostly) clean. That said, while I have smelled it a few times since then (you can only smell it while standing behind the car), it seems to be slowly going away. I'm not a "car guy," (I'm still learning), but something tells me it's just the aftermarket exhaust fumes, maybe?

It's running perfectly fine so far. I have pushed it a few times, always paying attention to my RPMs and whatnot. When I drive it, I follow similar rules of the Focus ST, if that makes sense. I don't WOT under 2500 RPMs, I'm letting it warm up before I leave, I drive gently as it's warming up, etc. I may have the extra warranty, but I'd rather avoid dealing with a major engine issue.

I'm considering adding a catch can, but have yet to discover if it truly makes a difference.

Thank you again for your response, and I'm sorry I ranted a bit here. I'm really damn excited to own this car!

Cheers.

 

[Oso]

Hey!

Just realized I never posted a pic. Here's my baby.

 

[Zeille]

Hey, thank you for your response!

It's Platinum White. Admittedly, it is slowly beginning to grow on me, hah. I'd still prefer almost any other color. White and black are extremely difficult to maintain, in my experience, with white typically being a bit harder (unless we're talking about car washes!). But I definitely understand your POV, especially based on where it says you're at. White is probably your best bet. Hell, even in the midwest, I walked out to my car that same day, and after ~45min of being in the sun, it felt unbearable. At least the shift knob hasn't gotten hot yet!

No, I didn't notice it/smell anything until I had gotten home and it sat for a bit. My entire drive home was on pretty flat roads that were (mostly) clean. That said, while I have smelled it a few times since then (you can only smell it while standing behind the car), it seems to be slowly going away. I'm not a "car guy," (I'm still learning), but something tells me it's just the aftermarket exhaust fumes, maybe?

It's running perfectly fine so far. I have pushed it a few times, always paying attention to my RPMs and whatnot. When I drive it, I follow similar rules of the Focus ST, if that makes sense. I don't WOT under 2500 RPMs, I'm letting it warm up before I leave, I drive gently as it's warming up, etc. I may have the extra warranty, but I'd rather avoid dealing with a major engine issue.

I'm considering adding a catch can, but have yet to discover if it truly makes a difference.

Thank you again for your response, and I'm sorry I ranted a bit here. I'm really damn excited to own this car!

Cheers.

Platinum white is wonderful. It hides imperfections better than a lot of the other colors... just because the flake is... reflective.
I have had a decent time keeping my white clean, in exception for the excessive brake dust from the motorcraft s pads (which stop wonderfully, i might add).

it's worth doing a leak-down & compression test (never hurts to make sure the engine is healthy). check for oil leaks in the engine bay. especially around the valve cover.

adding a catch can doesn't matter - unless you plan to track/autocross it.

I understand your excitement - I bought mine in late-October of 2023 & it's been able to put a smile on my face since then. Get yourself an accessport & get tuned on E30. That makes a world of difference.

 

[dhminer]

Hey, thank you for your response!

It's Platinum White. Admittedly, it is slowly beginning to grow on me, hah. I'd still prefer almost any other color. White and black are extremely difficult to maintain, in my experience, with white typically being a bit harder (unless we're talking about car washes!). But I definitely understand your POV, especially based on where it says you're at. White is probably your best bet. Hell, even in the midwest, I walked out to my car that same day, and after ~45min of being in the sun, it felt unbearable. At least the shift knob hasn't gotten hot yet!

No, I didn't notice it/smell anything until I had gotten home and it sat for a bit. My entire drive home was on pretty flat roads that were (mostly) clean. That said, while I have smelled it a few times since then (you can only smell it while standing behind the car), it seems to be slowly going away. I'm not a "car guy," (I'm still learning), but something tells me it's just the aftermarket exhaust fumes, maybe?

It's running perfectly fine so far. I have pushed it a few times, always paying attention to my RPMs and whatnot. When I drive it, I follow similar rules of the Focus ST, if that makes sense. I don't WOT under 2500 RPMs, I'm letting it warm up before I leave, I drive gently as it's warming up, etc. I may have the extra warranty, but I'd rather avoid dealing with a major engine issue.

I'm considering adding a catch can, but have yet to discover if it truly makes a difference.

Thank you again for your response, and I'm sorry I ranted a bit here. I'm really damn excited to own this car!

Cheers.

If you have an aftermarket downpipe that’d explain the exhaust smell. If catless, it’ll smell terrible. High flow cat will smell a little more than stock but not much.

Catch can is highly debated, but most of us run one. I empty a few tbsp out of mine when I change the oil. I don’t know if it makes a huge difference, but I don’t want that crap on my valves. It creates a potential vacuum leak, but this isn’t much of a concern with a high quality kit and can be further protected against with a check valve.

 

[Oso]

Platinum white is wonderful. It hides imperfections better than a lot of the other colors... just because the flake is... reflective.
I have had a decent time keeping my white clean, in exception for the excessive brake dust from the motorcraft s pads (which stop wonderfully, i might add).

it's worth doing a leak-down & compression test (never hurts to make sure the engine is healthy). check for oil leaks in the engine bay. especially around the valve cover.

adding a catch can doesn't matter - unless you plan to track/autocross it.

I understand your excitement - I bought mine in late-October of 2023 & it's been able to put a smile on my face since then. Get yourself an accessport & get tuned on E30. That makes a world of difference.

I won't lie, I just noticed the reflective aspect earlier today. Made me love it even more. Likewise, however. I've noticed a ton of dirt near my wheel wells, though I assumed it's because it's lowered.

I have an appointment this weekend to take it into a performance shop. They're going to essentially do a check of the engine, replace my spark plugs, check all of my fluids, check my battery, etc. A tune-up, more or less, though I've been told that terminology is outdated.

I will be eventually tracking it, yes. That's a future venture though (probably Summer 2025). There's absolutely a smile on my face every time I see it, lol.

Have you done those mods? Curious to know how your reliability has been. With this car, I am able to launch my mobile business. I've already confirmed I'll have enough space for my equipment, but seeing as it'll be my daily (personal and business), I need it to be as reliable as possible. I can start on Google, if you don't feel like spelling things out. No worries .

Cheers!

If you have an aftermarket downpipe that’d explain the exhaust smell. If catless, it’ll smell terrible. High flow cat will smell a little more than stock but not much.

Catch can is highly debated, but most of us run one. I empty a few tbsp out of mine when I change the oil. I don’t know if it makes a huge difference, but I don’t want that crap on my valves. It creates a potential vacuum leak, but this isn’t much of a concern with a high quality kit and can be further protected against with a check valve.

That may be what it is then. It's a rather faint gas (maybe oil?) smell, but it isn't anything I'd consider "terrible." As days progress and I continue driving it more, I've noticed it has been going away more. As I said above, however, I have an appointment to get it checked out this weekend, so they'll be able to tell me what all it has going on. I'm not too concerned about it, based on how it's operating otherwise.

I appreciate your info on the catch can. I maybe end up getting one simply because I will be tracking it at some point, but I'd like to get an idea of where my engine is at before I begin changing things. I will definitely be reverting the suspension and removing the body kit ASAP. I love how it looks lowered, but I'm already sick of dodging every little crack in the road, lmfao.

Cheers!