Am I going to kill a 2004 Mondeo doing 25 miles a day?

[W201_190e]

I've got the opportunity to buy one for very cheap, a Ghia X. Nice car, diesel not normally my thing, my commute is 27 miles round trip, circa 25 minutes each way. The aim of another car is to keep my 190e off the road in the winter. What are these diesels like? I'd be slightly worried that I wouldn't be driving it far enough, for a diesel.

[bobtail4x4]

give it a decent run once a week it will be ok

[W201_190e]

The pros are cheaper tax and cheaper to insure than it's petrol equivalent, although there are loads of decent looking petrols for circa £500.

[CoreyDog]

I believe the DPF wasn't fitted onto the Mondeo until 2007 (Happy to be corrected there) so that's the main thing that could cause an issue removed.

As had been said, a decent blast occasionally would be fine but reckon long as you service it, should be good.

[Jazoli]

bobtail4x4 said:

give it a decent run once a week it will be ok

There's no need, 25 minutes is plenty.

[bearman68]

No you won't kill it. No where near.

[ZX10R NIN]

It was built for that type journey & more.

[quinny100]

2004 will be a Euro 3 so there isn't any fancy emissions stuff to go wrong and the EGR valves are vacuum operated.

First things I'd do is whip the EGR valve off and give it a good clean, and repeat every 12 months. It's very easy to do, remove a couple of hose clips, pull the vacuum pipe and remove 2 bolts. It's right on the front of the engine on the left and there's nothing in the way bar the engine cover (if it has one) which just lifts off.

[mbwoy84]

As long as it's running ok, it will eat up those miles without an issue.

BUT

The Delphi Fuel Injection system in the MK3 Mondeo TDCi is one of the most problematic and difficult (and expensive) to sort out when it does go wrong. The tiniest of metallic particles in the system will cause havoc and you will have to clean out the entire system from the tank forwards. and have to end up changing all 4 injectors (very expensive on this system and don't bother trying second hand units, it would be like peeing in the wind on one of these), the high pressure fuel pump (there is no lift pump on these, which would have been a help) and various other parts unless you can be sure they're properly cleaned out.

Also, make sure the fuel filter is a Delphi. Any other brand doesn't have the correct filtration level and WILL knacker the system up sooner or later. Have never known that be such an issue on any other system.

Google the issues with these cars, it's a minefield like no other in all my years of working on cars!

They drive beautifully when working though, particularly the 130BHP model.

[jonwm]

My wife does mega low mileage in a diesel 5008 (new shape), coming up to 3 years old now and since new has done 1 to 2 miles a day then left a few days, with school being off its still on the £30 diesel I put in on the 20th March, the longest trip its had since then is 21 miles to pick something up of facebook marketplace, it literally goes to the tip (2 miles) the local shop (3 miles) and lately the kids to some parks that have opened up.

Only issue it has is it always flashes up "economy mode activated" when started and the start stop hasn't work for the last 2 1/2 years, we go away in it if we go on holiday and even then the start stop doesn't work, Peugeot just said its because the battery is low, still fired perfectly after not moving for 8 weeks during total lockdown.

[stevemcs]

My 06 2.2 has been fine and it’s doing even less than that. It owes me a spring, lower arm a shock absorber, rear discs and pads and an egr valve in 2 and a half years / 12,000 miles