Mondeo 1.8tdi opinions

On Wed, 06 Jun 2012 20:56:46 +0100, R D S wrote:


I'm a Ford fan; I've bought nothing else since 1983.

The one car I wouldn't consider is a Mondeo, and especially a TDCI (which
an '03 will be).

Clutch life on any car is impossible to predict because it depends so
much on driver behaviour. Replacement is a bit more expensive than on
similar cars; it's not one to do on the driveway!

More of an issue is the dual-mass flywheel, which *will* fail at some
point in time. Replacement, including the clutch at the same time, will
be the thick end of a grand, and more if the starter motor has filled
with iron particles.

Injector failure is very common; the injectors are coded, so need
specialist equipment to fit. Their life may be less than 60K.

Both front and rear suspension are likely to need parts replacing at MOT
time on a Mondeo of that age. Front springs are prone to breaking.

There have been three Mk3 Mondeos in my friends and family group. All of
them have needed a lot of work done on them, and have been unreliable. (I
know that's a small sample size, but google will produce a lot more
evidence.)

Chris

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On Wed, 06 Jun 2012 20:33:55 +0000, Chris Whelan wrote:


Thanks for the input, points noted and will be passed on.

It turns out that it's a 2.0 TDCI 2004 (assuming it's the same one as is
listed on their website (at £350 less than the price that they had on the
screen). In case that makes any difference.    

As a ford fan, what is is that you do buy? Are Focus any better?

R D S wrote:

so: clutch problems, fuel pump faults, injector aggro, handbrake faults, ECU
problems, reverse switch failure, fan resistor packs, crank pulley,
suspension faults (lots), door handles (these are the tip of the iceberg
faults that I saw regularly on them, I now turn them away)

One of the first things Honest John says is: Older 2.0TDCIs can become money
pits.
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/ford/mondeo-iii-2000/?section=bad  

On Thu, 07 Jun 2012 01:27:15 -0500, R D S wrote:



I bought a new Focus in 1999, and spent less than 100 quid on it in non-
consumables over 10 years. I then foolishly drove it into the back of a
Discovery, writing it off.

I went straight out and bought an '03 Focus, which has been equally
painless over the last 2 1/2 years.

Before that, I had two Escorts and an Orion, all bought between two and
three years old, and kept for around three years. None of them broke
down, or failed to start. The biggest repair I had was a rear wheel
bearing. I mostly do my own maintenance, and am possibly a bit anal about
it.

Unless your MIL has specific needs, I would advise getting the best Mk1
facelift Focus petrol she can find. (Diesels are only worth the extra
pain of ownership if doing more than 20K/year.) This will be possibly an
'04 plate.

If fuel economy is important, the 1.6 engine is between 5 and 10% more
frugal; the 1.8 is a nicer drive, especially if you regularly drive in
hilly areas, and/or fully laden. The 2.0 can feel a bit harsh, and is
thirsty, and avoid the 1.4, if you could ever find one!

If comfort is more important than absolute handling, avoid the Zetec trim
level; it has slightly harder suspension. If it's going to live outside,
you *will* want a heated front screen! A fully loaded LX would be my
choice, or a Ghia if one can be found with a 1.8 engine, and at a
reasonable price.

I still enjoy driving the Focus, and have always preferred it to anything
more modern I have driven. It still handles exceptionally well, and is
comfortable.

Chris

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Chris Whelan wrote:

Largely my experiences too, I liked them so much I got one for myself! and
that really is rare.  Diesel focus tend to have quite a few expensive engine
bay faults, like injector pump, alternator, etc.

On 07/06/2012 09:09, Mrcheerful wrote:

Me too.  The only thing I have replaced other than normal service parts
was the water pump on my Mk 1 04 plate 1.6 petrol Focus.
My wife is having difficulty changing gear due to arthritis in her left
hand so we are considering changing it for an automatic - any opinions
or recommendations on an automatic Focus?
John Weale

A similar age Focus mk2 1.6 or 1.8 petrol will be several orders of
magnitude more reliable than a Mondeo TDCI.

Tim..

Avoid the MkII 1.6TDCI - it was an awful, gutless and surprisingly
thirsty heap of shite.

Oh, and the 1.6 petrol autos are equally rubbish, and even more thirsty.
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SteveH

I keep looking at the new Focus, but can't find any with all the
features of my 1.8 Mondeo Satnav, without adding them as extras.
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Gordon H
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I had a Focus MkII for a few months from our car pool - finally managing
to chuck it back at them as it was absolutely awful.

On the other hand, the MkIV Mondeo I hired in December was really quite
good in 2.0TDCI Zetec Powershift trim.

I wouldn't bother with integrated navigation again - my Prius had it and
by the time I sent it back to Lex, it was 5 years out of date and cost
more than buying a new TomTom or similar to update. I use Navigon on my
iPhone now.
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SteveH

Mine is a 54 plate, and I rarely run out of data, even though it has the
original CD, nearly 8 years old.      It would be a pain to have to
unship and hide a satnav every time I leave the car.

I would have the additional features like speed limit and speed camera
warnings I suppose...
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Gordon H
Remove "invalid" to reply

When i say Mk2 I am refering to the facelifted old shape pointy nose Focus,
the proper original Focus.  The diesel option was the Endura-DE 1.8 TDCI
only.

Tim..

On 07/06/12 09:06, Chris Whelan wrote:

Based on everyone's input, we will rule out a Mondeo and focus on the Focus.
Plus i've been to see the car she had heart set on and it's a demic.

I've always believed diesels to better from a 'pain of ownership' point
of view, is this not good thinking anymore, or are the Focus diesels not
good?

Ta,
Rick

On Thu, 07 Jun 2012 12:11:55 +0100, R D S wrote:

[...]


My POV is that old technology diesels were slow, noisy, but reliable, and
new technology ones are fast, quiet, but unreliable. This applies to them
all, not just Ford although Ford's record in this respect is not the best!

Unless you are going to be doing higher than average annual mileage, or
particularly like the driving experience of a modern diesel (which is
very different from that of old-school ones), then they make no sense at
all.

Chris

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wrote:

My 1.8 TDCI Focus is great on the motorway and for overtaking in 5th
gear...
Massive amounts of torque !

On 06/06/2012 20:56, R D S wrote:

Armed with the advice, for which I am grateful, we turned her off a
Mondeo towards a Focus.

We have gone for a 1.8 TDCi though which on balance I reckon was the
right choice as out of all the cars we were looking at which were around
the same price, including a 1.8 petrol model, the TDCi was a stunner, a
Ghia model and had a new clutch last year.

Cheers,
Rick

On Sat, 09 Jun 2012 18:19:13 +0100, R D S wrote:


Thanks for the feedback; I'm sure she will enjoy it!

Chris

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