2008 Ford Focus SE Sedan - 2.0L Inline 4cyl.

Color: Vapor Silver

In 2014 I noticed by the Back Doors on both Driver Side and Passenger at the very bottom of the body the paint is chipping down the tp body primer or E Primer.

Pretty Annoying Frankly. The car is 6 years old but the chipping isn't caused by rust.

Ford Really, I feel had a paint / Quality issue around the 2008 Era.

Escapes, Taurus and this the Focus have Trim and Paint Issues.

So Solution , Clean Area , Prime, Touch Up Paint, Clear Coat Seal add wax.

Update from Jun 15, 2015: So i've been looking at all the 2008-2009 era Ford Focus's by the bottom corner in parking lots when i shop if i happen to see one parked.

And one thing i've noticed....THEY ALL CHIP the paint in the same areas as the 2008 Focus.

It's a common issue with them all. If you re-paint it , the weather elements will just blast the new paint off exposing the primer or bare metal.

NOT GOOD FORD!

Update from Sep 12, 2015: If you look at EVERY Ford Focus made from 2008-2010-11 the same thing has happened at the back doors in the corner as what you see in the photo i posted. The paint gets blasted off by the elements & water.

A guy at a body shop told me , sand it, prime, paint + then go to those guys that put on a clear bra or film on a cars hood. And have them put that on there and you won't have any problem anymore.

Stopped into see a guy who does that, he said about $50 to do it.

Hopefully it will hold up.

I had bought a new 2008 ford focus in march 08. I only had it about 3 months and the paint from about 3/4 the way back the rear doors, the rocker panel and the rear wheel fender the paint was all pitted and chipped. I had taken it back to the dealer and they had taken pictures and sent them to ford. The dealership paid for me to have a rental car for a week while they painted it and of course like every one else that I have read they put those stupid plastic (band-aids) chip gaurd. I was none to happy with that. Ford knows all about the problem cause I just called them and flipped out because when they put the chip gaurd on there is a space about 1/4" or so that they didn't cover and now the paint is all chipped off there again. They told me that they have had alot of complaints about this problem but yet they say they fixed it once while it was still under warranty but that is something that is normally covered under warranty. It is the design of the car......

I have had mud flap on my car since I had bought it this problem isn't my fault but they have washed their hands of it and won't do anything else about......there should be something we can do if we could get enough people involved.

I noticed the paint on my rocker panels and rear fenders was wearing off. The rocker panel was down to the yellow primer on the drivers side and the corners of the rear door wells seemed to be wore down to the metal. I took it to the dealer and they took pictures to send to Ford. Ford decided to repair the problem and knows they have a problem on these cars. They say the problem is caused because the car is aerodynamic and picks up all debris and flings it into these problem areas. They repainted the bottom of the car and installed clear plastic film over the problem areas. I guess the newer Focus models come with this plastic pre-installed now. I see many older model cars that do not have this problem and the paint is still good in these areas. First time I've heard of covering a paint job with plastic film. The dealer said that mud flaps may or may not help and I'm undecided to install them or not. The dealer wants $90.00 a set and $80.00 to install the mud flaps. I still have to take the car back because they forgot to paint some of the inner rear fender lips and the primer is still showing there. They had the car for four days but they did pay for a rental car for me. Don't let them fool you Ford is well aware of the problem.

Update from May 24, 2010: Well I took the car back to the dealer for inspection of the places they forgot to paint and was told that Ford would not cover these areas under warranty. The areas are on the bottom fender lip right behind the rear tires. The paint is worn off in these areas and the primer is showing. I asked my service man why Ford would repaint both rocker panels and not these two areas. He told me it was because the areas were actually on the rear bumper and that Ford will only pay to repaint the rocker panels. He said the rear bumper is plastic anyway and it won't rust out. To say the least I wasn't to happy.

I called Ford Canada and they told me that it was usual wear and tear. If it was due to usual wear and tear then why in the world is the paint coming off before the tires and not after them? The car is not even two years old and the paint is coming off. It does not fall under warranty but as it works it way down to the metal it will rust which is covered. So I now get to wait two more years until it rusts before they fill fix it. Ford just lost a customer with at least 30 more years of car service and buying. I was happy, now I'm done.

Update from Jun 17, 2009: Finally after much complaining and hasseling it is under warranty. They have fixed the problem and suggested I install mudguards to stop the problem from occurring again. Its good to see that Ford does listen to its customers.