Ford Mondeo MK3 Query

Hank_Marvin

Thinking about getting another car and this one is a diesel, so was wondering if the 2 Litre TDCI S 130bhp was a good car. Anyone got any advice/info about this car?. Car has done 96,000 on an 03 plate with supposed FSH 3 previous owners and is priced at £2500 it's from a small independent garage and it's local to me so might pop over at week end, but thought i'd ask in the motoring forum 1st. Sort off a fact finding mission!!. A friend off mine did say this engine has a problem with Injectors/flywheel and if they go it's a lot of money to fix it. Thanks for reading my post.

Strider590

Flywheel on the Diesel = Dual mass flywheel = DMF = HOOOOOGE cost to replace and they're extremely prone to failure..... That goes for most modern diesels too, not just the Ford.

Hank_Marvin

Ah cheers for that. so what your saying is the flywheel problem can happen to any diesel car and not just the ford mondeo?.

davidjwest

I've got one, bloody brilliant car (in my experience) but Strider is right, I think my DMF might be on the way out but it's done 130k miles (04 plate 2.0 TDCi Ghia) Having said that I've suspected the DMF is on its way out for about 5k miles now so maybe it's not. Garage that did my MOT and service last month didn't mention anything, fingers crossed!

I'd still seriously consider getting one though as it doesn't affect them all - if you test drive one the warning signs are fairly easy to spot, the main one is vibration through the clutch pedal.

I suspect pretty much every car on the market has some kind of flaw, the Mondeo is excellent value for money and good in most areas if a bit of a rep-mobile.

Rolandtheroadie

Excellent car. Never had any problems with the DMF but it is reported to be common (55 plate, got rid at around 40k ish). A works transit currently has this issue at 78k tho.
Expect around 45 MPG even if you kick it's head in and it has a faster 0-60 time than the 2 litre petrol.
Driven sensibly 55 MPG was about my usual.
See if theres plenty paperwork and reciepts, the DMF may have been changed before.
Does the dealer do work to cars himself on the premesis? If he does, perhaps enquire about how much he would take to do the DMF should it go and what that would entail (DMF, clutch, starter possibly, theres others on here could supply a parts list).
I wouldnt let the worry of a DMF stop me buying it if everything else is good.

Hank_Marvin

david so the warning signs are when driving if the dmf is dodgy is vibration through the clutch?? anything else!!

scotsman i think so and when i go and look at it & speek to him i might be surprised to find out it may come with parts & labour warranty which would be ideal if it did.. I drive a Daewoo Lacetti on a 54 plate so anything will be an improvement on that lol....
BTW is the milage a biggy on this car [96,000] as its scaring me, i like low milages like my Lacetti which 2 years ago had 19,000 on it and it's got 28,000 on it now..

thetope

I loved mine, the clutch and flywheel was replaced at 43,000 miles (before i bought it, and since it had been replaced i assumed it would be ok for me) however it failed again at 63,000 miles and cost the guts of a grand to replace. i was not happy! I'd be reluctant to recommend one on that basis unless you are prepared to fork out for a new clutch, flywheel and possibly starter motor (if not caught early enough the DMF failure will also take out the starter)

forgotmyname

Clutch and Injectors are the main expense. Clutch £600+ £1000+ at Ford.

Injectos are £150 each reconditioned but need coding to the engine after replacement.

EGR valves get clogged and reduce MPG but can be blocked on pre 53 reg cars.

Turbo pipes split, Fairly common £ 50/£60 a pipe.

davidjwest

Hank_Marvin wrote: »

david so the warning signs are when driving if the dmf is dodgy is vibration through the clutch?? anything else!!

scotsman i think so and when i go and look at it & speek to him i might be surprised to find out it may come with parts & labour warranty which would be ideal if it did.. I drive a Daewoo Lacetti on a 54 plate so anything will be an improvement on that lol....
BTW is the milage a biggy on this car [96,000] as its scaring me, i like low milages like my Lacetti which 2 years ago had 19,000 on it and it's got 28,000 on it now..

From what I've read on the net (ie take with a pinch of salt) the clutch vibration is the most obvious sign, although this doesn't always indicate the DMF! There are other symptoms, do a bit of research, might be worth getting an AA inspection if you are really worried.

I've seen people quoting £500-£900 to replace the DMF with the associated work so it isn't cheap.

Mine had 93k when I bought it and I've added 38k to that in the past 13 months of mainly motorway driving. I average getting on for 60 MPG (mainly motorway miles done at 60 mph) but never had less than 45 MPG even when it was new and I was thrashing it (performance is surprisingly good, certainly felt quicker than my old MX5) MOT was last month and it just needed a new bulb!

There's no reason why a fairly well maintained diesel wont do 200k without any problems and 300k shouldn't be an impossibility. If it has history and you get some kind of warranty with it then all the better.

Good luck!

forgotmyname

Seen several sold with over 300,000 miles on them. Fetch silly money as well.

bigjl

I have had my Mondeo 130 TDCi for two years now, done nigh on 50k in it, had to replace a boost hose, and more recently the rear discs, pads and both rear handbrake cables.

Gives almost 50mpg all the time, high 50's on a long run.

I just change the oil and filter every 5/6000, do the fuel filter once a year and change the air filter every other oil change.

It is on the original DMF/Clutch/exhaust/shocks/springs/wishbones/subframe bushes, the interior is unmarked, no wear on the gearknob or steering wheel, just the gearshift gaiter is a little worn.

It will need the subframe bushes this year probably, maybe I might treat it to some shocks.

It is an 05/05 and they had modified the DMF by then, though I had a Passat with the DSG box for 3 months two years ago and the DMF exploded and took the gearbox with it at less than 60k, but the car was abused by a previous user so I think that DMF's can fail due to user abuse.

I would have another one, mine cost under £2500 two years ago at just over 3 years old, and was up on miles, 80 odd thousand, now well on the way to 150k.

I haven't cleaned the ECG yet but will get round to it soon.

All in all they are a great car, though the LX seats aren't as comfy as some of the better spec models in my opinion.

You can't go wrong with a Mondeo, unlike the 1.9 CDTi engine in Vectras which has many more issues.

One day, when on a trip to Germany, I decided to give mine the beans, just out of curiosity, it did a GPS verified 131mph! It was still pulling but there was some traffic and couldn't max it.

Remember that any Mondeo that had a old type DMF will have had it changed by now, not sure when they started to fit the modified DMF but my 05 plate has it, and my car was built in 2004.

Don't worry about somebody that has had one fail, these where mostly fleet cars when new and cover huge mileages, there is a minicab firm in Grays and loads of the drivers have TDCI Mondeos.

Also don't be concerned about a high mileage car if it has been properly looked after and not hammered, a car is meant to be used within its design tolerances. A low mileage car has tended to be used on short journeys and can in fact be more worn than a car that gets used a lot more.

I still think that the injection system issues is more due to misfueling at an early point in a cars life or more likely the use of cheap supermarket diesel.

The TDCi Mondeo is very sensitive to fuel quality, mine feels like the hand brake is stuck on when I have filled it at Tescos and does at least 5 mpg less.

If I use BP or Shell the lost performance and economy is back almost immediately.

When my wife has borrowed my car and put Tesco or Asda diesel in it i can tell straight away, wierd but true.

The 130 is also a bit rattley on tickover, normally slightly noisier than the 115, don't know why, though a some noises at tickover are actually from the multi belt and its tensioner.

Don't forget that it has a camchain aswell, making the need for a well looked after one that bit more important.

I expect to get at least another 100k out of mine.