Hi, I am new to the forum and was wondering if anyone can help me.

I have recently purchased a FOCUS TITANIUM 2.0 TDCI 136 08 plate. I am currently only doing very short in town driving, so trips of 1 - 2 miles or less. I am getting approx 240 miles to the tank and approx 23 mpg. is this normal - I would have thought the urban mpg would have been better than this.

Are there any tips for testing the mpg to see if the car is tuned to the optimum? are there differences to the diesel I use? this is the first diesel car i have had so all advice is greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,

Jon

First of all Jonh welcome to the forum. Secondly, I am going to assume you have a DPF for the advice below...

Diesels are much better for long journeys, as during short journeys they take longer to warm up, dont heat up the DPF enough, and as such can get clogged up and cause some cack to build up inside the system. to improve MPG review the following as a start:

1) When was the last time the following were replaced?
[list]
[*]Oil Filter
[*]Fuel Filter
[*]Air Filter
[*]Glow Plugs
[*]DPF (If done)
[*]EOLYS Fluid
[/list]
If any of the first three have not been done in the last 2 years, consider them as a possible contribution.
I suspect you may have the DPF on this model, and as such the mileage will impact on it. How was the car driven before you purchased it? same sort of daily commutes? what is the mileage of the car? if about 37500 then the Eolys fluid will need replacing if not done, and the DPF will need replacing if it has passed 70000 miles.

2) What grade of fuel are you using? supermarket or otherwise?
3) have you tried any additives? the likes of BG244 are very good at removing carbon deposits and clearing the engine block to allow a more efficient combustion process.
4) Consider something such as "Whynns EGR Cleaner" as if the EGR is cacked up then that might help also
5) Take the car for a motorway run, keep the speed at a 'legal' place on the speedo, but keep the revs high (above 3500 would be good) and maintain that rev range for a moderate amount of time (a good run at this engine speed for 15-30 minutes will help). This will get the exhaust gasses up to a high temperature, and will do a "passive regeneration" on the DPF. This will clear it out, reducing back pressure, and making the engine work easier and more efficiently.

That is a good place to start

Thanks you very much Jeebowhite! much appreciate your help.

I am not sure if it is a DPF - how would I know this?

Mileage on the car is 27k. It sounds like if i am doing short distances i could be causing damage to the car? would you advice then doing a longer run every couple of weeks and using these additives on a regular basis?

I bought the car recently from a big main dealer I wonder if they would have changed the filters you mention

[quote]2) What grade of fuel are you using? supermarket or otherwise?[/quote]

Have been using a supermarket one.

[quote]3) have you tried any additives? the likes of BG244 are very good at removing carbon deposits and clearing the engine block to allow a more efficient combustion process.
[/quote]

Not tried this will give this a shot, do i just add this to the petrol tank?

[quote]4) Consider something such as "Whynns EGR Cleaner" as if the EGR is cacked up then that might help also
[/quote]

Is it best to get a mechanic to do this?

[quote]5) Take the car for a motorway run, keep the speed at a 'legal' place on the speedo, but keep the revs high (above 3500 would be good) and maintain that rev range for a moderate amount of time (a good run at this engine speed for 15-30 minutes will help). This will get the exhaust gasses up to a high temperature, and will do a "passive regeneration" on the DPF. This will clear it out, reducing back pressure, and making the engine work easier and more efficiently.
[/quote]

Will give this a shot!

Thank you so much.

De Nada! glad to be of help!

[quote name='Jonh' timestamp='1325166366' post='158509']
I am not sure if it is a DPF - how would I know this?
[/Quote]

visit http://www.etis.ford.com/vehicleRegSelector.do and pop your reg in, see if that states what catagory emissions you have on your engine, cat five for Euro emissions is DPF, other than that - call your local dealer give them the Reg / VIN and they can tell you if its equipped.

[quote name='Jonh' timestamp='1325166366' post='158509']
Mileage on the car is 27k. It sounds like if i am doing short distances i could be causing damage to the car? would you advice then doing a longer run every couple of weeks and using these additives on a regular basis?
[/Quote]
Not necessarily doing damage to your car, its just that your not helping it? basically [if (as I suspect you may)] have the DPF, then you will need to help clear out the cack that builds up in the filter, the longer the drive / higher the revs the more it helps to burn off the soot and cack from the filter. Its advisable that if you only do short trips, once every 2 - 4 weeks you take it for a brisk and Hot run (as described above) just to help heat it up and clear things out.

[quote name='Jonh' timestamp='1325166366' post='158509']
I bought the car recently from a big main dealer I wonder if they would have changed the filters you mention
[/Quote]
You would hope, however you should check with them. They should be able to give you a list of what parts they replaced / changed, and may even be able to give you a full service schedule of what has been done since its birth!

[quote name='Jonh' timestamp='1325166366' post='158509']
Have been using a supermarket one.
[/Quote]
Sometimes its better to use a better grade of fuel - its not always beneficial, however in some instances it makes a real difference. at an average oif 1 - 2p more expensive per litre for a decent fuel, you can sometimes get better MPG and more miles, so run a tank of decent fuel (or two) and see if that makes any difference - if nothing else, it may help to clean the fuel system *a little bit*


[quote name='Jonh' timestamp='1325166366' post='158509']
Not tried this will give this a shot, do i just add this to the petrol tank?
[/Quote]

Believe so, I think its just like Redex, stick it into a full tank of fuel (preferably a decent grade / BP / Shell etc) and drive it as you normally would.

[quote name='Jonh' timestamp='1325166366' post='158509']
Is it best to get a mechanic to do this?
[/Quote]

No need if you are handy with a spanner, I cant recall the exact process, but I believe you just need to undo a bolt or clip or two, and then whilst the engine is running, spray the contents of the canister into the inlet as advised on the bottle. This then takes the chemical, runs it through the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve, and helps to break down and get rid of the cack within.

Thank you very much - will let you know how i get on.