Hi,

I've got a Mk1 Ford Focus, petrol with manual gearbox. It's an old one a V reg and I'm having a major issue.

The cable that connects the gearbox to the gearstick pops off when going into second gear. From my research it's being called a gear linkage cable. I've been in touch with my local Ford dealer and they want a stupid amount of money for this cable which seems from research to have a common design fault. Does anyone know where to get new cables from to solve this problem at a reasonable price? I have someone who will fit it so that's not an issue but I refuse to pay nearly £300 for a cable and labour to fit a second hand one that'll end up going as well before long.

Another question I have is this. Is it possible to use a gearstick and cable setup from a Mk2 or higher model? The newer models seemed to have had a redesign of this cable system which from pictures I've seen seem to be a lot better than the Mk1 version.

I'd appreciate any help as soon as possible as right now the cars unusable.

Thanks.
Baz.