2018 Black FiST in So Cal

Hey all, I recently got myself into a black 2018 FiST (109k) and have been doing a lot of reading up here which has been great.

I’m coming from a Hyundai Kona N which was an absolute blast but wanted to cut my payment in half and get back to something more raw. A few cars back I had a 14 FoST ST3 so I’m generally familiar with the STs but really didn’t know a great deal about the FiST at that time. I wish I had. Once I started looking for a cheap, fun, manual this went straight to the top of my list.

The mods I’ve discovered are in my sig. The car looks to be Stage 2-ish and handles really well. It has some quality parts but the car is beat up a decent amount. But for $9k in So Cal I felt it was the right deal and leaves room in the budget for some maintenance.

For those looking at getting one, here are the things I'm dealing with on a car that's in pretty good shape but in the 100k mile club.

Want/need to fix:

• a suspension clunk at low speeds -- I suspect tie rods or end links but not sure
• backup camera not turning on (not a bad screen or video issue, it's not engaging at all when I go into reverse) -- I've checked fuses, replaced the camera, and checked out the hatch wiring. All seem good, next is checking the rubber path between the hatch and car. If nothing there then it's time for the dreaded follow-the-wires task I've been trying to avoid.
• tune -- The car looks to be running well given the numbers I'm seeing on an Lufi X1 gauge, but I have an AP is on the way to make sure I'm on a safe map. Would prefer to run an OTS for now while I get used to the car than to stay on one I know nothing about (if it even has one).
• radiator support rattle -- The A/C line/radiator line at the front-left of the bay has a lot of play and by hand I can jiggle it to cause a rattle. It's not my suspension issue but I'm not sure if this is normal or not.

Fixed

• brake rotors/pads -- in really rough shape, I replaced these all around
• TPMS sensor alert -- front left sensor was dead, got an ebay set of sensors for $22 and a $10 tool and now I'm all good (if you want links lmk)
• Windshield side rubber strips have deteriorated -- replaced with offbrand set
• misc bulbs -- one brake light, one front side marker

I’m in Orange County CA and Carfax shows this as a CA car, last in the LA area. If anyone knows the previous owner (or the car) I’d love any insights.

There's an open recall on the backup camera but there is no fix available for it.

TPMS is probably because the previous owner didn't replace sensors when their sensor batteries died. Or they rotated tires and didn't relearn the sensors. This is the sensor you need: https://www.amazon.com/Motorcraft-T...qid=1781902293&sprefix=tpms+12,aps,156&sr=8-1

If the link doesn't work for you it's a Motorcraft TPMS12 sensor. $24.95 at Amazon. need 1 per wheel.

The tool to do the reset/relearn is https://www.amazon.com/Arozk-Progra...1902414&sprefix=ford+tpms+tool,aps,156&sr=8-3

This is the TPMS19 reset tool. $12.99.

I'd get the tool and try the relearn procedure. You'll be able to find out if any or all of the wheels has a working sensor in it. If none of them respond, get 4 new sensors and have a tire shop swap them in. Then use the tool to have the car learn them.

The windshield rubber strips are easy to replace. There are threads on here about it. There is a little trick to getting them on without damaging the tabs. The parts are AE8Z-5403136-A (passenger side) and AE8Z-5403137-B (driver side). Used to be cheaper but have gotten pricey. You can use parts.ford.com to order them for pickup at your local Ford dealer.

You'll have to lift the car off the ground and examine the suspension for the clunk noise.

Beautiful, thanks so much! Appreciate all the links.

The TPMS relearn tool sounds like a great, inexpensive first step.

Thinking about the backup camera, you might check the text of the recall. https://www.ford.com/support/recalls-details/

I can't remember if it can make there be no picture at all. Seems like I remember something about upside down pictures.

I don't get any activity at all, like I'm in any normal gear. No screen changes or even a flicker that something is trying to happen. The head unit just stays where it is. When I wiggle the rubber hose between the hatch and the rear of the car (that wiring feeds through) I can hear a little knock like something might be loose. Or maybe just not secured.

Small update before it got too hot in the garage:

1. TPMS - I found my TPMS tool and it must have been from my FoST days because it worked! It's an EL-50449 which looks to be $10 on Amazon now. Anyhow, I was able to go through the relearn process (super easy to do) and my front left sensor is dead, the rest are all fine!
2. Windshield molding - I replaced these with this offbrand $35 set (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2XSHFH1?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title). The tracks they sit in were a little banged up but these feel in there solid and should hold.
3. Front rattle at low speeds - From the top of the bay, after jigglying everything I could touch it was super obvious that my radiator is the culprit. Before I take off the bumper I'm going watch some vids to see what I'm dealing with but this is almost certainly the noise I'm hearing as it's metal on metal.

That’s a super clean looking FiST, congrats on the purchase

Thanks! I've still working through some little quibbles but they've all been minor or easy to deal with (and somewhat expected). Nothing dramatic and I'm really enjoying the car. Very happy with my purchase.

I still have a low-speed suspension knock that I suspect is tie rods or end links given how some other rubber bits on the car are dried out. But I'm going to take it to a place to have the whole front setup looked over for piece of mind.