Mondeo MK3 Diesels - are they any good?

[theorganist]

I am looking for a cheap "modernish" car and have seen a few of these for sale and wondered what peoples feelings are about them?

 

I keep ignoring them as I didn't really want something that big this time around and I don't fancy a diesel. However as I am getting to the point when I need a car and should stop being fussy I wonder if I should bite the bullet.

 

As the most modern car I have owned was a 2001 Peugeot 206 and I honestly don't know much about cars released after about 1995! I like the look of the mark 3 Mondeo and it would certainly fit my mothers wheelchair in and I suspect they are comfortable and great on the motorway. Are the diesels troublesome as a friend of mine had a 04 plate Focus diesel and I recall him having a expensive bill involving a turbo? I take it over 100,000 miles are not a problem in these? 

 

Thanks.

[Jim Bell]

They are indeed good. Though other opinions may also be available. Get one with the Injectors, DMF/CLUTCH done at least once or just pay buttons and roll the dice.

[omegod]

At least when they go wrong they break pretty well to recoup your money 

[theorganist]

Thanks for the advice, I shall indeed ask the question about the clutch/DMF.

[junkyarddog]

Was never a fan of the MK3,if you can stretch the budget to a MK4,do it.

 

Just make sure it's the 2.0 tdci.

[Mrcento]

I had a Mk3 TDDI, They are much rougher than the TDCI but suffer almost none of the injector issues.

 

If found mine comfortable, refined at speed, a good cruiser.

 

It did detonate like a clown car, though. In the space of a week i lost a clutch slave cylinder, the alternator and the turbo.

 

(Edit- a few weeks before that i had a driveshaft explode as well, yes, actually explode, no warning, no previous knocking or vibrations, just one sudden bang followed by bits of driveshaft spinning at high speed smacking off car and road).

 

And i hate, hate, hate fords insistence of the bonnet release via the key under the badge, it means if you're driving and need under the bonnet you need to switch off, unlock bonnet, go back and restart the car every bloody time. Absolutely stupid design.

 

That said, i actually missed mine when it went, would have another.

[wuvvum]

I've had three - they're a nice drive and go well in 130bhp form, but two of them had noisy DMFs and one shat its injectors.

 

They can actually go on for quite a while with a noisy flywheel, but obvs if you buy one which is already noisy you won't know how long it's been doing it.

 

Later Mk3s were available with a 2.2 TDCi engine - don't know much about those other than that they GLF.

[sierraman]

I’ve had one. It was a decent car, all the usual Mk3 Mondeo foibles like rear calipers and the subframe bushes plus the added agg of a common rail diesel. That said I wouldn’t bother looking for a TDDI now, any left are old worn out sheds and anyway they are prone to the pump shitting itself anyway.

 

Biggest worry I’d say is the dreaded glow plug light flashing, ignore anything with this problem. It encompasses a multitude of potential problems, could be the EGR/intercooler but could also be injector or turbo failure. Best test with this is to boot it really hard in a low gear so it goes into the temp overboost, if the light comes on could be the turbo actuator seizing. You can’t replace it on it’s own as it calibrated to the turbo, given it’s proximity to the turbo it effectively bakes itself. Test if the actuator arm goes up and down fully, sometimes they are disconnected to hide the fault. Another frequent fault is the turbo VNT carbing up, then sticking causing the above fault. Can be cleaned it situ if you are happy to drill into the housing and fit a bolt to spray Mr Muscle into but I’d wonder where all the swarf was going.

 

Again injectors and pump can cause problems, reckon on their replacement at anything between 70-120k. Arguably one at 150k could be a better buy. Beware of any that have recently had the injectors recalibrated, the injectors have a set ‘fire’ life on them, basically after so many ‘injections’ the ECU considers them worn so triggers the glow plug light. Recalibration will cure this albeit temporarily as you are just resetting the ECU to work to the parameters of a worn injector. You can fit used ones though and reconfigure them with Forscan.

 

If the pump goes forget it.

 

I’d say pay no more than £700 and hope for a few years out of it, as said they break well so you should get most of your money back if it goes tits up, the cat on them is worth a bit as well. Everyone says they are really unreliable but the amount of 15 year old ones knocking about suggests otherwise. HTH

[theorganist]

Many thanks for all the replies, sounds like quite a minefield and certainly not a car to purchase blind on ebay. .

 

The one I have most recently seen has around 136,000 miles and is quite a lot cheaper at £400. I did assume a 136,000 diesel was a safe bet.

 

I shall bear this thread in mind if I go and view it.

[twosmoke300]

Buy at throwaway money only , dont spend a single non essential penny on the junk.

 

Timing chains

Injectors

Egr 

Turbo electronic actuators

Springs ( fronts an arse to change)

Rear calipers a service item

Rust

DMF and concentric slave etc ( subframe out to change so £££ at a garage)

 the later 2.2 ones love to fuck injectors and if you drive them on they crack pistons

 

That horrible transit engine is a massive leaky twat of a thing and even changing an aux belt is a prick cos they put the tensioner the wrong way round.

 

They are a nice drive ( apart from the transit soundtrack) but Id only buy one at just above scrap money and bridge the fuckler as soon as it let me down.

[twosmoke300]

Was never a fan of the MK3,if you can stretch the budget to a MK4,do it.

 

Just make sure it's the 2.0 tdci.

 

 

I agree but im starting to see some really sheddy 07 ones of those now, seriously rusty on the back end too. Rear trailing arm bushes fail and need a special tool ( i have one) calipers etc . Parts seem quite dear for them too.

 

One of these was on my list before I bought the C5 and I do like the mk4 esp the engine but I wouldnt buy one blind thats for sure.

[theorganist]

Might stick to petrol ones to be honest, I like the look of these Mondeo's, I find them strangely handsome and I am certain great on the motorway but the diesel sounds like a hassle and I don't need a diesel, as long as what I get is more economical than my old 190.

 

As an aside are the Peugeot/Citroen HDI's a similar pain as I have seen many of those for sale and I know the old Peugeot diesels were sought after?

 

It is certainly an interesting discussion.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

If you can find an earlier TDDI they are far more reliable than the TDCI

 

If its TDCI a later one that's had money spent on it would be the one to have.

 

Hate myself for saying this as I do love a big ford BUT the pisshat diesels in 1.9tdi of the same era are probably a better bet

 

Sent from my F3211 using Tapatalk

[SiC]

If you can fit the chair in the Saloon boot, I'd rather have the diesel Bora that is for sale on here than a MK3 Mondeo.

 

http://autoshite.com/topic/33162-for-sale-vw-boring-tdi-pd130-auto

[sierraman]

A nice late petrol is a good choice. But watch for recent mot emissions fails and smoke on them as the rings go on the 1.8. I was offered a 2.0 Ghia a few weeks ago. 06 I think it was it was only £600.

 

Failing that the Mk4 is a lot more reliable, starting to appear sub £1500. I’d be batting for one of those instead to be fair either that or a Mk2 Focus 1.8TD if it’s got to be a diesel and sub grand. Like he said buy it then run it till it drops, forget all this bollocks about ‘keeping on top of things’ with an old common rail diesel. First sign of shit get the fucker broken up.

[Bren]

I liked my tddi - it was rough as guts but went well. At this age many things can condemn a car to a slow boat to china.

[sierraman]

True. It isn’t any advice I wouldn’t give to someone choosing any potentially 12-15 year old diesel.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Mark 3 Mondeos are £400 tops. You will be the last owner of a TDCi before J.Brown (Metals) and as stated, the Mark 4 is a far better idea.

[Captain Furious]

Make sure your breakdown cover is up to date.  It has pretty much all been stated above but injectors, DMF's, Turbo's and fuel pumps are all game over failures, rear callipers fail for fun (watch out if you get an estate, they're different handed to the saloon\hatch) once the flywheel starts failing it will likely take the starter motor with it so view any recent starter motor failure\replacement with an eye of suspicion.  They're a nice enough drive but once you have a go in a Mk4 you will see it really is a massive step up from the Mk3.  All that said there are plenty for with 170-200k and still going so they can't all be grenading. 

 

I'm a massive Ford licker but I wouldn't, i'd up my budget to a Mk4 and let that ruin me instead, when they're working they really are a lovely drive.

[Rave]

I have a Mk3 3.0 V6 estate and it really is a splendid drive. I've been tooling around in a B5.5 Diesel Passat estate recently, which is a very nice car in its own right and does more or less twice the MPG of the Mondy, but I did a run back from the airport in the Mondeo the other day (it's the only car my mum is insured to drive, and she was picking us up) and the difference in the handling is night and day. I decided for no particularly good reason to rinse someone off from the traffic lights at the M25/A20 junction roundabout which resulted in me hitting the corner into the sliproad at about 40mph. I was expecting squealing tyres and squealing passengers, but it just shot round the corner with no drama whatsoever, and felt like I could have gone another 10mph quicker.

 

I'd certainly buy a 2.0 petrol for 4-500 quid if I needed another big hatch or estate, which obviously I don't. I've never driven a Mk4 so can't weigh into the debate on what they're like, but I reckon if they really are markedly superior to the Mk3 then they must be pretty astonishing!

[junkyarddog]

I agree but im starting to see some really sheddy 07 ones of those now, seriously rusty on the back end too. Rear trailing arm bushes fail and need a special tool ( i have one) calipers etc . Parts seem quite dear for them too.

 

One of these was on my list before I bought the C5 and I do like the mk4 esp the engine but I wouldnt buy one blind thats for sure.

https://www.powerflex.co.uk/road-series/product-details/Rear+Trailing+Arm+Bush+/12423.html

 

No special tool needed to fit these ones.

 

I have had the pleasure* of replacing mine,got a loan of the tool from a mates garage,and used another mates 4 poster to fit them.

The new bushes weren't that expensive,just a bit awkward to fit.

 

As for parts prices,they are coming into banger territory now,lots being broken for parts.

[Liggle]

I had a 2.0 Petrol over the diesel, reasonable economy for a 2.0 petrol (36-37 MPG I averaged) and less of a liability, parts dead cheap and easy to work on. 

[Talbot]

I bought an '04 plate one (is that MK4?) 2.0 TDCi 90. It was clean and tidy, drove well enough, but was about to implode. The DMF was noisy (I knew about that when I bought it) and the fuel pump was just about to shit its pants, as at full power it would manage about 3-4 seconds before the engine basically stopped.

 

So I took it back to the dealer and got my money back. Went out and bought my current Merc S210 turbodiesel for the same money. 8 years older and a massively better car. Now done over 40k trouble-free* miles in it. I doubt the Mondeo would have lasted 400 miles.

 

 

* any and all issues I've had with it have been entirely my own fault and of my own doing!

[sierraman]

It depends what your expectations are, if it’s for a disposable banger to run into the ground it could be ok. Run it till it stops, only way to go with any diesel at this age, they’re certainly no better or worse than a Vectra 1.9 at any rate.

[oldcars]

I was looking at a Mk3 2.2 last week for 2.5k and thought it looked good for the money. I must be out of touch.

[Talbot]

a Mk3 2.2 last week for 2.5k

Tea/monitor interface there. £2.5k? Was it gold-plated? Possibly even solid gold?

 

My one was £600, and having bought it I realised it was at least £200 overpriced.

[oldcars]

Tea/monitor interface there. £2.5k? Was it gold-plated? Possibly even solid gold?

 

My one was £600, and having bought it I realised it was at least £200 overpriced.

Titanium X, 74k miles on it. I was looking at something to replace the 75 but its staying, i'm going to sort it out.

[sierraman]

I don’t know, a tidy late one would see up to £8-900. It’s all well and good saying they’re worth no more than £400 but the market suggests otherwise because that seems to be the going rate. Any car is a risk at that money, a £500 won’t last you a lifetime. It’s a disposable car, not every one will be a heap of shit, some will be fucked others could do you a good turn. Like I often say you buy with your eyes, anything could be good/knackered when we’re talking sub £1000

[Lankytim]

I was told the Mk4 was even worse than the Mk3 mechanically speaking. 

[twosmoke300]

Not at all . Its a 2.0 Hdi engine which are a cracker . Still a common rail diesel with dpf/dmf etc but generally very tough and much more refined that the bloody rattly transit thing.