Mini review.

So do as you are, and don't try / buy / drive any of it then.

Meanwhile those of us who are happy with it for the reasons stated elsewhere will continue to do as we please in this respect.

Maybe, maybe not - I'm not in the market for a new car for the foreseeable - when I am, maybe I'll take a look at what they've got to offer.

A mate of mine funnily enough, has a 2006 Mondeo 2.2 TDCI ST thingy... low mileage, bought from the local main dealers within the last 18 months.

The PAS has just started to play up on it... and he's now facing an =A31100 bill to get it put right

The parts to sort it are on back order for the foreseeable, which kind of indicates it might be something affecting quite a few of these right now.

It's that kind of thing, together with the way the 130bhp ones of those should almost have the DMF listed as a 80k mile service item, that puts me off certain brands, no matter how good or bad they look in the flesh.

We weren't getting worked up?

Go on, point out the bit where you reckon I was getting 'worked up'... :-P

If anyone is familiar with a TV series called 'TV Offal', they'll remember the regular feature whereby Victor Lewis-Smith did a feature 'This is how they sound to me'... something which poor old Mr Firth appears to be suffering with in older age.

Yes, and?

Your Exploder weighs about 4 tons (1) - that's a lot of weight for A: the engine to move, and B: it to get round corners - tis no wonder Firestones were blowing out on these.

Would you like a new set of tyres for that... I'm sure there'd be no shortage of people willing to chip in and buy you a set of those for it.

(1) That's 2 tons for the car itself, and 2 tons for the combined weight of the chip on your shoulder and that of your swollen head.

-- JackH

The 2.2 ST isn't much quicker than a TDCi 130.

I've not known anyone needing one nor are the MEG and MOC forums full of posts from people with failed pumps. If he's been quoted £1.1k, they're ripping him off. Certainly when I had the alternator fail, it was £10 cheaper for a brand new one from Ford than a recon from motor factors.

80k for a DMF/Clutch that costs about £600 to replace. Works out at 0.75p per mile, assuming it needs to be done that early.

It felt quick enough when he nailed it the other week.

It's not just having a pump... apparently it's having the whole lot replaced - the fluid has been contaminated by something failing in the system and this in turn has damaged other components.

Like I say, apparently - I've not seen the failed components or diagnosis report for myself.

Well that's yet another reason to avoid buying a Ford then really, isn't it; he's been quoted this by the main dealer that sold him the car in the first place!

ew one from Ford

I'm just going by what he's told me.

Actually, I had to get an engine temperature sensor for the M3 the other day - common failure on BMWs of that era, apparently.

Anyway... it was cheaper from the local BMW dealer than I could find it anywhere online, including eBay and the usuals, as in GSF and ECP, and it's come with a two year warranty as well.

Yes... or alternatively buy something else without a proven track record of failures of this nature is perhaps the more sensible option.

As I've pointed out many times before in the past, I didn't like the

55 plate 130 Mondeo I tried anyway.

On paper it made real sense - was stupidly cheap for such a new car, but it wasn't a patch on the Passat it would have been replacing in any respect other than it was a hatch and not a saloon, unfortunately.

I know you like them... I respect the fact you want to own and drive one... but for me *personally*, it wasn't a patch on the Passat, so don't look at the above as a 'how dare he diss my choice of car' kind of statement. ;-)

-- JackH

The bay has become an atrouciously overpriced source for a lot of parts

- dunno when that started but I think a lot of people are trying to capitalise on the "it's on ebay, it must be a bargain" sentiment, even if it isn't.

And VAG have there share of DMF / Clutch problems.

Of course, the narrow power band, DMF and smoothness issues can be solved with a torque convertor and autobox, unless it's a Ford.

No, it's why it died. The manual one also ran like a dog, and unless the delivery driver had filled it with Petrol I don't think misfueling could be an issue.

*nods* Anyone have any figures for whether it's any more common on the TDCi/HDi lumps than on the VAG tdi?

I wouldn't say so, but whatever, if that's what you think. My boss has a Mondeo TDCI. It's a nice enough car, but I wouldn't say it's any more interesting than the equivalent Passat. Let's face it, for interesting, we wouldn't be talking about any eurobox really. As it is, my diseasel fits my needs well, isn't dull as ditchwater, and doesn't cost me a fortune.

To be fair, DMFs are probably an 80k service item on any car: Ford, PSA and VAG all have them fail. I'd say that's not a bad life for a clutch either, depending on use, so just replace them....

No problem, fully understand. As you said, it appears to be more than just the pump.

Not taken that way at all. Each to their own. I like Capris and that is definitely one of those "matter of tast: cars.

>

I've not seen a DMF fail on any of the VAG 1.9 TDIs I've had.

The ones on the Citroen C3 1.4 HDI and Doblo Multijet I've had to drive on and off on occasion in the last few months are much lower mileage than 80k and both play up from time in terms of juddering etc.

Obviously cheap and nasty.

-- JackH

Quite possibly a knock on from how much the fees cost these days.

-- JackH

Nor me, but I've heard of a few. I'd imagine that like a clutch they are oepn to driver abuse.

I don't think Merc DMFs are entirely problem free either - I'm sure people have said that getting a Sprinter clutch done involves replacing the DMF as a matter of course. Just a sad fact of modern stuff that it's another part that can be considered a service item, that happens to be expensive to do. I've got no idea if my petrol powered Sprinter has got a DMF (probably not), but it's not something I overly worry about as the clutch is still absolutely fine at 226k miles, and on the original (and the last 77k or those have been with me driving it, stopping and starting the engine 80-odd times a day, and using it for multidrop work).

Yup. Like you say, as long as it's a decent autobox.

No idea, but I remember Doki's 406 needing it doing - one of many things that got him annoyed about the fact that he'd bought something french and diesel.

I'd be shocked if a clutch needed replacing after 80k.

Don't think so - Amazon fees aren't much cheaper, but a lot of things seem to be cheaper over there.

I've had to dig in a bit more on some of the bike bits I've sold tbh, for that very reason.

I've not tried there - not sure it's quite the ideal platform for bike spares though. ;-)

-- JackH

A few - they're not known for it like the 130bhp Mondeos are though.

I expect so.

They're a shit idea anyway - I believe some manufacturers have quietly sloped back to SMFs now anyway, which says it all really.

-- JackH