diesel cars - some questions

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Sat 3 Jul 2010 15:12
diesel cars - some questions - mccririck

Looking for a diesel Focus for under £2000, there's two different engines, the TDdi and the TDCi, I know the TDCi is newer and more powerful but is it reliable? I've heard of people complaining about clutch and flywheel failures.

Also looking at the Primera 2.2 diesel, seems to have a timing chain rather than a belt.

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Sun 4 Jul 2010 10:18
diesel cars - some questions - craig-pd130

The TDCi is more powerful, smoother, and more economical than the older TDdi.

There are tens of thousands of TDCi Fords out there, there are some stories of DMF failures and injection problems, but this must be a tiny % compared with the numbers of cars in use.

The Primera uses a PSA / Citroen-designed diesel, although I don't know how much of the installation is adapted / changed for Nissan.

At that sort of money, I'd just look for the car that has the most complete, regular and believable service record rather than a specific make or model ... at that sort of age and mileage the reliability of the car will depend more on previous owners' care, than on any inherent weaknesses.

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Sun 4 Jul 2010 10:18
diesel cars - some questions - craig-pd130

The TDCi is more powerful, smoother, and more economical than the older TDdi.

There are tens of thousands of TDCi Fords out there, there are some stories of DMF failures and injection problems, but this must be a tiny % compared with the numbers of cars in use.

The Primera uses a PSA / Citroen-designed diesel, although I don't know how much of the installation is adapted / changed for Nissan.

At that sort of money, I'd just look for the car that has the most complete, regular and believable service record rather than a specific make or model ... at that sort of age and mileage the reliability of the car will depend more on previous owners' care, than on any inherent weaknesses.

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Sun 4 Jul 2010 14:57
diesel cars - some questions - b308

Wasn't the TDDi just a direct injection version of the old 1.8 IDI or am I confusing it with something else?

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Sun 4 Jul 2010 22:05
diesel cars - some questions - daveyK_UK

go for the primera, more reliable and a bit more space, the main downside is the rear visability.

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Mon 5 Jul 2010 02:10
diesel cars - some questions - primeradriver
The Primera uses a RENAULT-derived diesel, not PSA. This engine in early 2000s guise was one of the most unreliable units on the market, almost on a par with the Mazda one. The Renault original wasn't much better, frankly.

I'm an (older) Nissan fan, and to be honest I wouldn't touch one with a bargepole.

The Ford DMF problems mostly affected the Mondeo. I'm not sure I'd have a TDCi Mondeo from work colleagues' experiences, but the Focus seems to be a different story.

All that said, unless you're doing 20,000 miles a year I'd say that a CR diesel isn't worth the hassle. Get a petrol instead.

If you're talking older cars though -- the old agricultural Nissan 2.2Di was a ridiculously reliable engine. 300K without pausing for breath.

Edited by primeradriver on 05/07/2010 at 02:14

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