Reliability - Mondeo Tdci 130 Or Petrol Car?

[GIXXER1000]

I have 3k to spend on a used car family car for 2 adults and 2 kids. Mainly commuting (18 miles per day) and longer weekend travel. I would like to buy the MK3 Mondeo TDCI 130 (ZETEC, GHIA etc), but I am put off by the mass of horror stories about expensive DMF, clutch, Injector and turbo issues. I have considered playing it safe and going for a lowish mileage (<60k) MK2 Focus 1.6 GHIA or ZETEC, but this will compromise space, power and a little fuel economy. They are harder to find too at this price. I really want the diesel Mondeo, but scared of a potentially £600 - £1000 bill waiting just around the corner.

[FEWRIOUS]

I suppose it's the luck of the draw with the car and if you shop round for the injectors and calipers as there are abit prone there's plenty of cheaper alternatives as some places with recon injectors will take your old ones in part ex and the calipers on the likes of eBay are cheap enough and I'm sure there's plenty of people on here who will be glad to help with advice, if you read all the negatives before you bought a car these days you'd probably never get one, I went for the diesel 130 ps and it drives great but 1 & 4 injector playing up luckily garage sorting it but it has done 140k, would recommend buying from dealer with warranty

[jeebowhite]

Unfortunately all of those are modern diesels, so if you want diesel you take a chance. They are often worse sounding than they actually are. You only see when they go wrong online, not when they go right. You can replace them cheaper with aftermarket parts that can be as reliable, but otherwise I really wouldnt let it sway your decision. Buy a car with a history and see if you can find one that has had them replaced of late. Or knock off money from the purchase price and keep in in an account in case you need it.

[Wappygixer]

I've got a 56 Mondeo 2.0 TDCI.

Its my first car since passing my test earlier this year.

It came with one owner (company car) with a full Ford service history. It runs great and it's economical returning around 50mpg.

I had a knocking and stuttering on start up so decided to replace the DMF. Upon opening the gearbox I found it had already had a new DMF and flywheel. It turned out the issue I had was with a temperature sensor. A quick software update from Ford and it was all sorted.

The radiator fan wasn't working so the aircon got red hot when stopped. This is a common problem. The electronic box dies and is very expensive from Ford. I fitted a prefacelift fan and control box and spliced in the wiring and it work perfectly and only cost me £10 for the fan, surround, rad and air con cooler.

I'm still a little paranoid about injectors but if it happenes it happens. If you search the internet you will find bad reviews on everycar.

Take your time looking for the right car. I opted for a Zetec Nav spec as I couldn't find a Ghia spec at the time. I've since added electric rear windows (£30) full heated leather interior (£35) auto dim rear view mirror (£15)

Parts for Mondeos are so cheap and so are the cars themselves. I was recently looking for a Focus for my Daughter a couple of months ago and I couldn't believe how much money they were going for for the spec/age. They make the Mondeo seem a bargain.

Buy it, look after it, love it and if anything goes wrong just accept sh*t happens.

[BigD]

The radiator fan wasn't working so the aircon got red hot when stopped. This is a common problem. The electronic box dies and is very expensive from Ford.

Just to add to that, I've had my Mondeo coming up two years now in January. It's on its 3rd fan, but it isn't the control module at fault, in all cases it's the fan motor itself that's failed. The first was stone dead when I bought the car and I didn't realise. The second was from a scrappie and when that too failed after a year and a half, the fan started to turn, then stopped.

Unfortunately, changing the fan is an absolute swine of a job. I do not care what the Haynes manual says - I know from experience that it's physically impossible to remove the fan through the bottom of the car - it just does not go past the crossmember as the fan is about two inches too wide. I got it out of the top the first time, and attempting the same thing the second time, managed to rip the header tank return port (I think) clean off the radiator, so I ended up needing a new rad as well.

[MondeoJames76]

With the budget you've set yourself I think petrols represent better value and you can get lower mileage, one or two owner examples with a full service history. It also usually means you can afford a better specced example. Those characteristics would be the deciding factors for me. Along with the knowledge that whilst day to day running is a little more unexpected large bills are less likely.

[BigD]

I have a 2005 2.0 TDCI. Nothing but problems - the most recent of which is the turbo. It's the most unreliable car I've ever owned (and I say that having owned two Rovers).

[mintalkin]

i had a 06 Mondy TDCI 130 and it was one thing after another, moden diesels are getting too complicated for their own good and Ford reliability does not help. i would say petrol over diesel anytime.