Fiesta TDCi. Knowledge Me Up

[RoadworkUK]

Right. The Family Roadwork have decided that their KA, which they've had for fifteen years and has finally turned into compost, is to be replaced.

 

They tend to buy cars which are new-ish and then keep them for ever and ever. FATHA has decided that he wants to jump on the diesel bandwagon because OMG EKONOMY, he does about 20k a year commuting and the occasional ridiculous solo foray to the Lake District. His other car is an E39 540i which lives in the garage under a doeskin blanket and has done no miles.

 

He's been giving buying signals about post 09-plate Fiestas with TDCi stoves under the bonnet. Now, I know that these aren't really our shit, and that he should really buy a Lancia Y10, but any experiences with these contraptions would be appreciated.

 

Do they dissolve? Do they smell funny and carry diseases? Please pour information from your data spouts below.

 

Thank you.

[320touring]

I know that TDCi stands for top deck c*nt installed;)

 

believe they are re badged hdi lumps.

 

Friend who has one as a daily says it goes well and has only needed basic consumables so far-e.g. pads/disc and servicing.

 

He does approx 30k a year in his

[RoadworkUK]

Never knew they were HDI's. Cor! New knowledge! Ta.

 

More Input.

[kinkersaab]

They are very expensive for what they are in diesel form, and i cant believe they are lilely to save money over a petrol one, with,as usual more to go wrong. I quite like and sell a few 09 new mdl fiestas, but would personally buy something else to keep a loooong time. Not corsa though. 3 dr fiestas are a pain in the arse to reverse park, as are most modern shaped things. 5 doors are better, but still crap compared to older squarer things. For me, i rekon a late old shape petrol clio, or a late grand punto petrol is a safe bet, old enough technology that its pretty tried amd tested, new enough to be able to keep for a good few years, amd a few grand less than a car that is desirable cos its a cool shape. I sell and have sold used cars for 20 years now, i tend to base my opinions on what comes back with issues, and how well they feel whn they get traded in after a hard life, over the two i have recomended, the clio would win, but i like the punto better. Needless to add, corsa is shit, as is polo and 207. Jazz amd yaris are too dear and very very dull.

[RoadworkUK]

They are very expensive for what they are in diesel form, and i cant believe they are lilely to save money over a petrol one, with,as usual more to go wrong.

 

Yeah, that's my thought. I'm a bit uneasy about modern diesels as long-term propositions, especially with DPFs and the like. That said, I've been extremely impressed with the reliability of Merc A-Class diesels; even those driven by Experienced Drivers who only do three miles a year.

[dollywobbler]

I seriously wouldn't touch a modern diesel. If it's Hdi in reality, then it means it'll quite likely shit its turbo and suffer electrical gremlins.

[dollywobbler]

Oh and if it's the pre-current shape, they're utterly horrid. The current ones are much nicer, crap suspension aside.

[skattrd]

Get one of those 3-pot turbo petrol ecoboost things instead.

They're great fun, and I'd like someone to do a long term test on one please so we can see how they hold up after a few miles as I've no idea.

[kinkersaab]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201407085644580/sort/atcustom/model/clio/postcode/ab345bd/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/page/1/make/renault/radius/1501/usedcars/fuel-type/petrol/maximum-age/up_to_3_years_old/maximum-mileage/up_to_30000_miles?logcode=p

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201410248475816/sort/atcustom/radius/1500/maximum-mileage/up_to_30000_miles/postcode/ab345bd/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/make/fiat/fuel-type/petrol/page/1/usedcars/maximum-age/up_to_3_years_old/model/punto_evo/price-to/4500?logcode=p

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201410148210762/sort/atcustom/make/ford/model/fiesta/fuel-type/diesel/price-to/6500/postcode/ab345bd/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/usedcars/maximum-age/up_to_3_years_old/page/1/maximum-mileage/up_to_30000_miles/radius/1500?logcode=p

[Talbotman]

1.4 tdci, or in psa speak hdi is quite a tardy unit if correctly serviced and is much stronger than the larger 1.6 to 2.0 litre engines. Only things to watch on them as the miles pile on are the injector seals which go hard and leak and is detected by a faint ticking noise on idle.

[kinkersaab]

^ they kinda show what i mean price wise, im guesing after a few years of 20k a year, they will all be old shit worth fuck all ,so paying a premium for something "cool " now. Is pointless

[skattrd]

Ecoboost, don't some have £0 road tax, got to be economical with a small engine (if you can keep off boost).

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201410188306709/

 

Although I do think the sensible alternative in reality is a Daihatsu Charade GTti

[saucedoctor]

I bought a TDCI Fiesta 2 door at the block for £cheap, Couple of track rod ends and a replacement for a split boost pipe (TADT,S) was all it needed. Oh yes, and an oil change.

 

It is indeed an HDi, a fact that I picked up straight away, as a week previously I sold a C3 VTR with a 1.6 litre version of the same donk. Otherwise I'd have been none the wiser.

The Fiesta had done 101k IIRC, was un-crusty and the interior had worn well. Once I'd fettled it, it went pretty well too.

 

[RoadworkUK]

It's the new shape he's looking at, but I think his price ceiling excludes him from Ecoboost (which I've experienced, and they are indeed lovely).

 

Hmmm, sounds like a mixed bag then. That's what I was expecting, really.

[trigger]

I test drove a 09 plate Fiesta 1.6 TDCi Titanium before I bought my Focus, it did drive well, comfortable and well equipped but the engine was noisy and gutless IMHO and as already mention rear visibility wasn't great, if I was to buy one now it would be a 1.0 Ecoboost 125.

 

I want to buy a Suzuki Swift Sport, have they thought about trying a new Swift? They are very good.

[twosmoke300]

Not sure if they modded the later ones but early hdi and tdci had problems with fuel pipes that ran across the head getting holes in and sucking in air . Non or poor starting was the end result.

Plastic thermostat housings leak and its not cheap. Loads of injector and leccy issues like any CR diseasel.

[r.welfare]

I had a 1.25 Zetec (so hi-po 82hp) 5dr as a hire car a few years back and put 500 miles on it in a day (Newbury->Manchester->Edinburgh) and I thought it was a fantastic little thing - comfort, handling, ride, steering, engine response, good equipment.  The only real negative is as Kinkersaab says, it's difficult to see out of the back.

 

It also returned close to 50mpg doing that trip as well, brim to brim.  So on the basis of that kind of economy, plus the extra cost to buy and fuel a diesel, plus the more questionable long term reliability, I'd recommend the petrol.  But a lot of miles in one day doesn't really give a long-term ownership view.

[HH-R]

I've only ever driven a 1.4 TDCi but it was GLACIAL.

 

Modern diseasels are more shite than you could ever imagine. My Dad's Fiat Multijet has just suffered HGF at 40 odd thousand miles!

[tooSavvy]

▲▲▲ I have a multijet doblo 1.3van. 29k

 

If it goes 'bang' I get another, FREE......

 

TS

[oman5]

Clio 1.5 dci. It's a decent engine, used also in the Nissan cashncarry, new merc A class etc. get as late an example as is affordable. Early ones had some issues, but after 10 years it's developed into a cracking little engine with very little trouble.

[Pillock]

Diesels have little point, 20k isn't a massive mileage and you'd have to be lucky for all the economy savings not to be swallowed in a single DMF, DPF or injector failure. A decent small capacity petrol gets good economy without all the peaky power delivery, and the fuel is cheaper too. Add on longer service intervals.... the running cost gap is closing.

[Dave_Q]

The 1.6 HDi/TDCi featured in Car Mechanics top 10 most common problems last month.

 

Avoid.

[Albert Ross]

Every single vehicle we sell with this heap of an engine fitted comes back. That means PSA, MINI, FORD Fiesta/Focus, VOLVO C30/S40/V50/V70, MAZDA 3. Etc. Most have shat their turbos, or head gaskets, or injector seals, some have sucked their own oil and spun to 11000rpm before shuddering to a halt. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING WITH THIS ENGINE FITTED AND EXPECT IT TO BE TROUBLE FREE. I bought a V50 2.0D. Faultless. Of the V50s we have sold subsequently, 9 have had the 1.6 in. All have been back. One was rejected eventually as unfit for purpose.

[Asimo]

Mitsubishi Colt

 

I like the 3 door / 3 cylinder but 4 cyls or 5 doors are available. 3 door is realy easy to get in/ out of with long stiff legs etc. Happy little cars.

[Hendry]

FUCK!

 

1.6 TDCi Fiesta or Focus Titanium or 1.6 CR TDi Leon/Ibiza were strong contenders for my new car in 6 or 7 months time, guess that just went out the window, I can't reeally see past a diesel tbh, £20/30 road tax a year compared with £130 for a 1.2 Clio I pay at the moment, and 55mpg as opposed to 35mpg, I bought into all this buy a low capacity petrol car to save money and got stung, gutless lack of power means you need to rag it to keep up with traffic which is frustrating driving like a dick and thrashing about, hard work, and vastly reducee your mpg, rubbish on motorway, my 1.8 petrol Astra, tax costs aside was better, same mpg as the 1.2 but more power/grunt, nicer to drive, more refined and relaxed, if you want that plus cheap running costs its got to be a diesel, to get a 140bhp petrol as opposed to a 140bhp diesel the tax is astronomical, it does about 20-odd mpg less, and is so difficult to find as hardly anyone buys big petrol engines, so small capacity petrol vs diesel surely diesel wins. I don't buy into this 1.0 ecoboost being economical and with plenty power, surely as a 3 cyl it sounds terrible, lacks torque, is highly stressed compared to a 1.6 n/a engine putting out the same power thus being unreliable, and although has 125bhp, surely being only 3cyl petrol 1.0 its like driving a v-tec Honds

[trigger]

All I will say is that my 2008 2.0 TDCi Focus has been nothing but a pain in the arse from the moment I bought it. Saying that a mate of mine has just handed back to his company his 2010 1.6 TDCi Focus which 109000 miles and never had a problem with it.

[RoadworkUK]

Oh deary me.

 

Usual new car story, then. Lucky Dip. Might truck on for ever but could well implode next Tuesday.

 

Hmmph. I completely agree with the general pointlessness of him going for a diesel, but it's difficult to re-rail his train of thought.

[twosmoke300]

You only need to go back to basic engine principles to see why diesels are a dangerous used buy.

 

A petrol engine is a high revving , high output and high heat engine .

A diesel is low revving , low power but high torque and cool running .

 

Modern diesels are pushed so hard to match or beat petrol units in output that they are on a knife edge of reliability . They run hotter , rev higher and have increasing levels of boost thrown into them .

The state of tune they are in is quite evident when you see how narrow the band of useable power is . Reminds me of the air cooled , pre power valve two stroke days.

 

The pressures in the common rail systems are mental and tolerances so fine that any tiny problem with fuel or maintenance quickly leads to (expensive ) failures.

 

Sadly it seems that petrol engines are starting to go the same way now with the Renault tce and Ford ecoboost engines . I suspect that this is emissions driven and may spell the send of IC engines for joe public in the future. I imagine that is what Europe wants .

[garbaldy]

Every time I hear somone complain about small usable power bands and having to keep changing gear in diesels has me wondering what the hell they are driving.

My car starts to boost at 15hunna and holds that boost right to the red line which is 5k, I know this red line is not a dizzying 7k like a petrol but in the 3.5k engine revolution boost range the speed is rising at about 30mph per gear,

In usable terms and thrashing it can see the speedo hit 140 quite quickly, driving at a more sedate pace (60) in sixth you can simply sink your foot and it will sail past cars quite quickly without having to stir the gearstick like some petrols.

I still say petrol for play diesel all day.

[nacho man]

Last year my missus wanted a new car and she gets a good chunk of pay for using her own car for work so we had a look at most stuff. But she ended up with a 1.3 yaris 5 door they knocked a good wedge of the list price put 750 into the finance deal and it was 0%. It's avg 46mpg over 10k she has done in it since May. Got three services chucked in too. It ain't exciting in any way but she loves it which is the main thing. It's 6 speed and is quiet at 80mph and it's only doing 3k or something. Can't fault it. It's just a tad boring but then she don't wanna be wheel spinning round everywhere. I just specified no dizzlers as I know they would give me grief when it's out of warranty and I have to look after it. Comes with a 5 yr warranty, has a chain so no belt to worry about, has enough toys to make it nice. Can't fault them.