Ford Alloys too soft?

Dr Kamikazi

I recently bought a '99 Ford Focus. On the way home the car felt a bit wobbledy.
No problem, thought I, go to the tire place and have them balanced.
Turns out, ALL 4 where bent, buckled and warped beyond all repair.
Went to several scrappies, one of which had a full set of the same alloys.
3 of which where f*cked is the only way to say it.
The last scrappy was able to sell me a set of 4 steel rims with pretty good tires on it and best of all they're straight and now I drive a Focus again instead of a Ford Boneshaker.
Had the same problem with a previous Focus and so did the rest of the guys who had one.
One scrapyard owner advised me that most rims have average demand and only every now and then he sells one or two.
Ford rims, however he can't keep on the shelves, they're screaming out the door fast and furious.
Anyone else had this problem? I for one wouldn't put Ford alloys on my Focus if you paid me!
Also, the girlfriend (who drives faster than me) has a Mazda with 4 perfect alloys on it with no dent or flat spot.

Henry Ford III

I'd be reasonably confident that Ford don't make alloy wheels. Can anyone confirm?

EPM

Henry Ford III wrote: »

I'd be reasonably confident that Ford don't make alloy wheels. Can anyone confirm?

In fairness you get his point. They came with the car and presumably are OEM

Wossack

Possibly hinting at the same alloys being rebadged and used on a variety of makes..?

Drummerboy08

I've never had a problem with the wheels on my Focus. Are you sure that its not the roads your driving on?

Dr Kamikazi

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

I've never had a problem with the wheels on my Focus. Are you sure that its not the roads your driving on?

In fairness the roads are pretty bad, but according to several people and my own experience with several cars, some of which where not owned and driven by me, Fords seem to be especially prone to this.
Girlfriends Mazda is perfect for example.

Henry Ford III

EPM wrote: »

In fairness you get his point. They came with the car and presumably are OEM

I do EPM, but by the sounds of it the 10 year old car had lived a pretty hard life resulting in mangled wheels, and the buyer only noticed a problem on the way home.

Come on now.

Dr Kamikazi

Henry Ford III wrote: »

I do EPM, but by the sounds of it the 10 year old car had lived a pretty hard life resulting in mangled wheels, and the buyer only noticed a problem on the way home.

Come on now.

Her Mazda is 10 years old...
Also, what's Enterprise Project Management got to do with this? ;-)

EPM

Henry Ford III wrote: »

I do EPM, but by the sounds of it the 10 year old car had lived a pretty hard life resulting in mangled wheels, and the buyer only noticed a problem on the way home.

Come on now.

I was referring to the Ford as a maker of wheels bit:p

OP, some people don't give a toss and some actively seem to seek out potholes. This often damages wheels. 10 years can do damage to any wheel, alloy or not. I never noticed anything untoward on my Focus but then again that was only running on 15 inch alloys and the profile was high enough

Henry Ford III

Dr Kamikazi wrote: »

Her Mazda is 10 years old...
Also, what's Enterprise Project Management got to do with this? ;-)

Her Mazda may well have had a gentle owner(s), and your Focus the opposite?

It's a recurring theme here when folk give out about a car they've bought that reveals a problem(s) after the purchase.

Dr Kamikazi

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Her Mazda may well have had a gentle owner(s), and your Focus the opposite?

It's a recurring theme here when folk give out about a car they've bought that reveals a problem(s) after the purchase.

Gentle? You obviously never took a drive with the missus! :eek:
Anyway, with all the rain and flooding any kind of normal car will soon become totally pointless in this country. This will be my next motor:
http://www.caradvice.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/defender-2007-283.jpg
Not that I'm upset that a 10 year old banger I bought is not in perfect condition, it's only to knock around in for a year or so. I knew the second I drove it it wasn't a peach, but for the price it was alright.
I would even have expected one or two alloys to have flat spots on them.
But for all 4 to be totally demolished?
Also, I had this problem before and the rest of the guys in the fleet had it.
The Ford parts department told me not to go for alloys and a scrap dealer told me that Ford alloys are particularity popular, over and above other brand of alloys due to their deforming more than other brands.
The problem could be more pronounced here in the Galway region, because the roads are terrible, but even so, Fords seem to suffer more.
All I'm asking is if anyone else out there has had the same experience?
I'm not saying anything against Fords in general, they're great as long as you don't buy any made in the 80's (sh*te the lot of them), this is simply stating my experience and asking if other people can share their experiences.
Or tell me it's the same for other cars, or maybe there's differences in alloys, which logically there would have to be, so not every wheel reacts the same to being bumped around.
Maybe even some advise on aftermarket alloys? What to buy and what to avoid?
Some useful feedback would be appreciated!

robtri

Dr Kamikazi wrote: »

I'm not saying anything against Fords in general, they're great as long as you don't buy any made in the 80's (sh*te the lot of them),

not to go far OT..... but are you Mad.... Ford, the 80's the Sierra RS Cosworth, the RS500, the Escort Cossie....... they where some of the greates fords ever built....

Back On topic.... never had issues with Ford Alloys..... had always heard older BMW Alloys where crap..... but never saw any evidence of it...

Dr Kamikazi

robtri wrote: »

not to go far OT..... but are you Mad.... Ford, the 80's the Sierra RS Cosworth, the RS500, the Escort Cossie....... they where some of the greates fords ever built....

Back On topic.... never had issues with Ford Alloys..... had always heard older BMW Alloys where crap..... but never saw any evidence of it...

Yes, nice cars, but looking at their mainstream cars, the Escort MKIII, the Fiesta of the time and even the hideousness of the first Sierras.
Had a MKIII Cortina, a MKIII Escort Breadvan and 2 Focuseseseses (or Foci?) plus a Transit Connect.
The Cortina was hideous to drive and seriously scary at anything over 60 mp/h, but pretty and quirky enough to be fun.
The MKIII Escort would rust at record pace, the chassis was so soft the door would jam shut if one wheel had mounted the footpath and as a result would break away on a wet road absolutely without warning. Also it was bland, slow, horrid and boring. Not a patch on the MKII.
The Focus was a revelation as an every day car.
Had the 04 TDDI 2 door, that was simply the greatest car I ever owned, great fun round backroads but also anywhere else really.
Current Focus a bit slower since it's older, heavier and an Estate car, but you can chuck it in the corner and still feel it's a Focus.
The Transit is pretty much the same only a bit bargier minus the lift off oversteer (wahey!)
Have all the time in the world for Fords, or failing that, pre 1994 mercs but best pre 1985.

corktina

Mazda ARE Ford arent they? could be the same manufacturers wheels on it...

Plug

The car is 10+ years old. the roads in this country are dirt. Saying that I have a 99 focus too and my alloys aren't that buckled.

Dr Kamikazi

Plug wrote: »

The car is 10+ years old. the roads in this country are dirt. Saying that I have a 99 focus too and my alloys aren't that buckled.

Not that buckled? Once they're buckled, they're f*cked. The primary job of a wheel is to go round.
Once it can't do that anymore, throw it out.
And yes on the roads in this country. Bad place to start with alloys.
Land Rover Defender, nothing else will get you around safely.
But even that may be too little, too late, we might have to seriously consider this:
http://216.150.3.251/uploads/noahs-ark-zoom.jpg