Ford TDDi/TDCi engines
Discussion
I had a Focus TDdi that I took to 240k commuting 140 miles a day. Not as bad as people make out if your just after economical, reliable transport. The only major problem on mine was the cambelt snapped at 190 odd thousand miles which was partly my fault believing Fords 100k intervals, its a 30 minute job so no reason to put it off. I once managed 74mpg from a tank brim to brim (90% motorway at 60 mph) but typically mid 50's. Mine was an ex taxi and cost me 100 quid in depreciation over 2 and half years and 80k miles. I'd have another if I was in the market.
Over the last 10 years I have had:
51 plate 1.8tddi focus, did 20k miles in it, approx half of the miles after I bought a chip for it, economical, sounds rough but pulls well and once the chip went on pretty nippy. Absolutely reliable apart from having the original clutch replaced at just over 100k miles
53 plate mondeo tdci 130, did 30k miles with no breakdowns, 28k ish done once I had bought a new chip, chip put it up to 160bhp ish, 40mpg round town, 50 ish at a steady 80.
57 plate mondeo tdci 130 company car, took it from 60k to 100k miles,at approx 75k miles it needed a DMF and the gearbox was losing 3rd gear. also needed a new PS rack at 100k miles.
DMF and gearbox cost about 4k at dealer prices, PS pump going needed rack replacing too due to all the swarf flying round the system, cost £1300.
Despite this cars unreliability I still liked it, it was a good drive but the trained ape that had it before me had properly abused it, it had scratches and or dents on every panel (including the roof) so tbh I 'm not surprised it broke.
My dad had a 52 plate tddi mondeo (115 bhp) that I drove a fair bit was ok but it felt like I was driving around with the handbrake on compared to the 130.
61 plate tdci 163 , taken it from 11k to 29k over the last 8 months, not as economical as the older 130 tdci but goes better.
Watch out for DMFs, and personally I would be looking for a ghia or titanium with the 2.0 130bhp engine, they go well, are economical,and should have enough toys and they are (on the whole in my experience) pretty relaible.
51 plate 1.8tddi focus, did 20k miles in it, approx half of the miles after I bought a chip for it, economical, sounds rough but pulls well and once the chip went on pretty nippy. Absolutely reliable apart from having the original clutch replaced at just over 100k miles
53 plate mondeo tdci 130, did 30k miles with no breakdowns, 28k ish done once I had bought a new chip, chip put it up to 160bhp ish, 40mpg round town, 50 ish at a steady 80.
57 plate mondeo tdci 130 company car, took it from 60k to 100k miles,at approx 75k miles it needed a DMF and the gearbox was losing 3rd gear. also needed a new PS rack at 100k miles.
DMF and gearbox cost about 4k at dealer prices, PS pump going needed rack replacing too due to all the swarf flying round the system, cost £1300.
Despite this cars unreliability I still liked it, it was a good drive but the trained ape that had it before me had properly abused it, it had scratches and or dents on every panel (including the roof) so tbh I 'm not surprised it broke.
My dad had a 52 plate tddi mondeo (115 bhp) that I drove a fair bit was ok but it felt like I was driving around with the handbrake on compared to the 130.
61 plate tdci 163 , taken it from 11k to 29k over the last 8 months, not as economical as the older 130 tdci but goes better.
Watch out for DMFs, and personally I would be looking for a ghia or titanium with the 2.0 130bhp engine, they go well, are economical,and should have enough toys and they are (on the whole in my experience) pretty relaible.
JREwing said:
If you're not part of the "I hate Vauxhalls and they're for disgusting scum" brigade and you're not looking for something particularly exciting, what about the mk4 1.7 diesel Astra? I hear very few bad things about them other than being boring.
Worth a look, definitely.I was drawn to the Ford and PSA options as something that would be comparatively fun to drive (if potentially more problematic) and the VAG 1.9 diesels as sensible and dependable; hadn't really considered where an Astra might fall into that spectrum. I'm sure there's a standalone thread in that somewhere.
On that note, is there much difference between the petrol and diesel service intervals/costs for cars of that sort of age? I've done a few sums and decided that purely in terms of 'x' mpg for 'y' pounds per litre diesel works out usefully cheaper - even for a few months.
Blown2CV said:
They were badged TDi. They also didn't have DMF.
I bought a 2002 (02 plate) Mk3 Mondeo Ghia estate in 2004 with 62,000 miles on it. It was definitely TDDi but not even badged as a diesel. It did have a DMF (still has, my daughter now owns it). I doubled the mileage and the only problems I had were a broken front road spring, split turbo hose, and a siezed o/s rear caliper handbrake mechanism. Never used a drop of oil, returned mid 40mpg in mixed use, towed my Westfield on its trailer happily, and is most comfortable and in some ways better equipped than my X-Type Sovereign 2.2 TDCi. I heard at the time that early TDCi models were trouble sometimes so I steered clear - they changed over in UK in 2002. Obviously I have one now in the X Type, but that is much later. Do not labour the engine in too high a gear as this thrashes the DMF, pull away with minimal revs when you can but not on idle. This protects the DMF from abuse and it 'should' last. I hope my daughter and her partner take heed...ETA it's chain cam, not belt. The TDDi and the TDCi are both the same engines but with different fuel management.
I would never have a tdci or in fact a Ford again.
Myself and my partner purchased 2 identical cars. Both 2009 1.8 tdci's. Both from Bristol Street Ford.
Mine had engine problems from the first 6 months. Failed injectors. In and out of the garage over 3 weeks for repairs.
The following year complete engine failure 3.5 years old - 61,000 miles.
Required new engine, turbo, electrics and injectors.
This week my partners also failed. It's been in and out of the garage with issues of juddering. Each time software updates completed. Now needs a new engine 82,000 miles 4.5 years old.
Absolutely no help or support from Vertue motors or Ford UK
Myself and my partner purchased 2 identical cars. Both 2009 1.8 tdci's. Both from Bristol Street Ford.
Mine had engine problems from the first 6 months. Failed injectors. In and out of the garage over 3 weeks for repairs.
The following year complete engine failure 3.5 years old - 61,000 miles.
Required new engine, turbo, electrics and injectors.
This week my partners also failed. It's been in and out of the garage with issues of juddering. Each time software updates completed. Now needs a new engine 82,000 miles 4.5 years old.
Absolutely no help or support from Vertue motors or Ford UK
I tend to view a TDCi as a hand grenade where the pin isn't clearly marked.
Some people get away with it but they are hungry for pumps and a failed pump can take out the injectors and - indeed - the whole engine.
It's not like other turbo diesel engines don't fail in the same way but the TDCi does seem particularly prone - no idea if it's a design thing or a maintenance thing or what.
Some people get away with it but they are hungry for pumps and a failed pump can take out the injectors and - indeed - the whole engine.
It's not like other turbo diesel engines don't fail in the same way but the TDCi does seem particularly prone - no idea if it's a design thing or a maintenance thing or what.
You just have to bear in mind most of the DVx and DW engines are a JV with Peugeot.
DV4 (1.4) - 8v and 16v versions in the 206, 207, C1 etc.
DV6 (1.6) - In the Suzuki SX4, Mini Cooper D, plus nearly Mazda, Volvo, Ford, Citroen or Peugeot
DW10 (2.0) and DW12 (2.2) - mostly as above, ford PSA fiat..
Then you had the 'only in name' related DLD418 - otherwise known as 1.8 TDCi. This is pretty much a common-rail development of the old Endura-D that ran up to 2000 model year in Fords.
As with most modern Stage 4 & 5 diesel engines, they can be quite fragile and the cost of injectors, DMFs, DPFs and so on have given them a precarious rep (see the 206 HDi GTi!).
I've been using an 8v 1.4 HDI which is well over 200k miles - still get 70 mpg and no DMF or DPF to worry about as it's pre-stage4 (2006), although it's not exactly a grand tourer hence why i'm changing it.
If it were me looking to buy an older more robust diesel, I'd look no further than the 2.0HDI as they DW10 is reasonably robust and can sneak into cheap tax with the right models.
DV4 (1.4) - 8v and 16v versions in the 206, 207, C1 etc.
DV6 (1.6) - In the Suzuki SX4, Mini Cooper D, plus nearly Mazda, Volvo, Ford, Citroen or Peugeot
DW10 (2.0) and DW12 (2.2) - mostly as above, ford PSA fiat..
Then you had the 'only in name' related DLD418 - otherwise known as 1.8 TDCi. This is pretty much a common-rail development of the old Endura-D that ran up to 2000 model year in Fords.
As with most modern Stage 4 & 5 diesel engines, they can be quite fragile and the cost of injectors, DMFs, DPFs and so on have given them a precarious rep (see the 206 HDi GTi!).
I've been using an 8v 1.4 HDI which is well over 200k miles - still get 70 mpg and no DMF or DPF to worry about as it's pre-stage4 (2006), although it's not exactly a grand tourer hence why i'm changing it.
If it were me looking to buy an older more robust diesel, I'd look no further than the 2.0HDI as they DW10 is reasonably robust and can sneak into cheap tax with the right models.
Edited by cj2013 on Monday 10th November 19:58
Chris71 said:
Devil2575 said:
Get a Petrol car if you can stomach the increased fuel costs for the 5 months where you are doing high miles. Far less to go wrong which at the shed end of the market is important. You are unlikely to get much history on that budget, especially with a Ford, so checking if the DMF etc has been replaced is going to be difficult.
Focus 1.6/1.8 Petrol. Should do 40 mpg on a run if you take it steady and it will be more fun to drive. The Mk1 Focus has a lovely chassis and pin sharp steering and a big old diesel lump does it's best to blunt these.
The thing is, I'll probably dump this lumbering estate car (whatever it is) for something smaller and more entertaining, so it's those first few months that count.Focus 1.6/1.8 Petrol. Should do 40 mpg on a run if you take it steady and it will be more fun to drive. The Mk1 Focus has a lovely chassis and pin sharp steering and a big old diesel lump does it's best to blunt these.
Funnily enough my outgoing car is/was a 1.6 mk1 Focus. Good chassis, but I always thought the economy was rather poor for the mediocre performance.
I'd point you towards a 1.4/1.6 petrol Civic for a workhorse with decent economy and minimum chance of unexpected bills.
HustleRussell said:
You still have the DMF and EGR valve to worry about though.
With a few simple tools you can have the EGR off in about 2 minutes. Cleaning it is the filthiest job on the planet 1st time around, but doing it every 15k becomes a simple 15 minute job at most.A TDCi mondeo is incredibly quick & easy to service but beware injectors failing & writing the car off.
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