"They all do that, Sir". Or at least all the ones that I have followed do.
Sounds unlikely to me, if that 60k is genuine.
Dunno. Sorry.
Sooting is caused by too much fuel being injected for the amount of air available to burn it in. A blocked-up air filter will thus be one potential cause, as it will restrict the flow of air into the engine.
If the black smoke is bothering you (or likely to cause an MOT fail), then one thing to try is a clean air filter then an "Italian tune up".
I changed the injectors on a Fiesta with this engine and it was very easy. I don't know if the Mondeo installation makes it more difficult.
In fact I removed the injectors, took them to my local Lucas Diesel Centre who reconditioned them in a couple of hours and then I refitted them with new washers, rubber tubing and fuel filter. Draper make a special injector socket to remove them, and you should to torque them back in, although I had to nip a couple of mine up a bit as they were weeping. Glow plugs are also easy in the Fiesta installation.
Smoke was reduced and the fuel economy improved dramatically. The Fiesta had done 135,000 miles. Yours *should* be okay.
At 60,000 miles I would try a dose of injector cleaner first, and then a shot of Millers Diesel Plus with every re-fuelling. Check your air filter is clean, and the air intakes all clear. As someone else has pointed out, if you drive it gently, a good thrash will help as they do tend to soot up if pootled for too long.
A fuelling or turbo problem can also cause smoke. All this presumes that servicing is up to date.
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