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• Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi ghia 55 (2005) - Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi ghia 55 (2005) 12 Aug 2011 (Forum)
  The car has a milage of approx 92k. The car is an ex fleet car Now I know of the problems with the DMF and injector failures and recodings. I have emailed the seller and asked if any of these problems have been looked at in the past services. They have not got back to me yet but i'm genuinely concerned they might not have been done in the past, and could end up going on me when I get the car.
• Peugeot 307 SW (2002 - 2008) - 03 2.0 Knocking noise from engine 22 Jun 2009 (Forum)
  If I continue to drive normally the knocking stops after 30 seconds or so and I can continue to drive without a any problems. The crank shaft pulley appears to be in good order. Has anyone had a DMF behave like this? Any opinion much appreciated.
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  Are modern diesel cars really so prone to faults? 3 Mar 2012 (Ask HJ)
  As a regular reader of your column in ‘Motoring’ in the Telegraph I am concerned about your comments, on a regular basis, about ownership of diesel-powered...
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  Will a worn clutch be covered by an approved used warranty? 18 Apr 2017 (Ask HJ)
  I bought an approved used MINI Cooper D 10 months ago with 53k miles on it. The dealer did not provide a service book at the time but promised to send...
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  Mazda 6 diesel - keep or sell? 26 Aug 2016 (Ask HJ)
  You have answered a couple of questions for me before, regarding the Mazda 6. I use one for business and cover 20,000 miles a year. I have heard of oil...
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  Clutch issue on used car - should the warranty cover it? 9 Aug 2016 (Ask HJ)
  We have a two year old Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost purchased 6 months ago from a Ford dealer which has a heavy clutch at 36,000 miles. Our local dealer accepts...
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  Kia Cee'd, 1.4 petrol, manual, 2012 - What's the target price? 7 Mar 2013 (Ask HJ)
  I currently have a 2006 Ford Focus LX 1.8 TDCi estate. It has done 90,000 miles and I think some hefty repair bills may be approaching. Due to DMFs, DPFs,...
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  2009 Mondeo clutch problem 21 Mar 2012 (Ask HJ)
  I've got a 2009/59 Mondeo diesel - 140hp 2-litre, manual, Titanium X. I bought it from TC Harrison in Peterborough at 10,000 miles; they had previously...
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  Buying a Mercedes-Benz - petrol or diesel? 20 Feb 2012 (Ask HJ)
  I am getting myself a little confused over the diesel/petrol debate. I realise that you need to do more mileage to benefit from diesel but did not realise...
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  Using a diesel for low mileages 16 Nov 2011 (Ask HJ)
  I bought a Mazda 2 in mid-2007 and have only done about 14,000 miles, including a lot of short runs from cold. I am aware of the risk of clogging...
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  I love my old Volkswagen Sharan - should I replace it with the new model or with a Ford Galaxy? 8 Nov 2010 (Ask HJ)
  I wrote to you about five years ago when I had just got my latest 2005 Volkswagen Sharan 1.9 SE diesel company car. This was my third. Like a lot of companies...
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  Is dual mass flywheel failure a common fault on Peugeot diesels like my 307 GLX? 13 Sep 2010 (Ask HJ)
  I've recently noticed a metallic rattle on starting up my 2003 Peugeot 307 GLX 110 HDO with 68,500 miles. This was diagnosed as spring rattle on the flywheel...
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  Pet project? 15 Jan 2010 (Ask HJ)
  I am tempted by the 20% “VAT” equivalent savings on offer by Skoda on petrol engined Skoda Octavias and I am considering changing my current car a 2006...
• Mazda 3 - Mazda3 2.2 Diesel 1st Gear pull away judder 27 Apr 2022 (Forum)
  I am experiencing a strange judder when pulling away in 1st gear; which seems to be less severe if I pick the revs up a little than I normally would. Initially it got me thinking DMF or clutch but I've spoken to several Mazda dealers who say it's extremely rare to see this in these cars, particularly at this mileage. On heavy load in gear it's as smooth as silk and changing gear is also fine.
• 2013 VW Tiguan Fourmotion - 20k miles - Loud knocking after gearbox re-fit 21 Jul 2016 (Forum)
  Had the gearbox taken out of our 4x4 Tiguan last week, dismantled, refurrbed, and put back together – under warranty – due to a hole in the casing, spewing oil all over the road and DMF! Last few days it’s driven perfectly again, until this morning. I can suddenly feel the engine running through the clutch pedal, the clutch has become quite spongy and stiff, gears a bit notchy, and worst of all there’s a horrendous ‘knock’ under the bonnet when the car goes over a bump at fairly slow speeds.
• Any - Tough used petrol Estate options? 30 Oct 2015 (Forum)
  A persistent transmission whine at 50mph is noticeable, quite a few rattles and squeaks, a bit of clutch judder when cold, plus reading of this BXE being a bit weak in the con rod/big end bearing department, turbos packing in, DMFs at a grand a go. All this is making me think whether to bale out into something else,  used at a few years old. Maybe I'm over worrying, not sure. I'm thinking petrol Avensis, Accord, might be a safer bet to run to high miles if i can find a good used one.
• Ford Mondeo, diesel 2ltr, 2011 - vibration / shuddering when applying the brakes 2 Jul 2013 (Forum)
  Hi, any advice appreciated, I bought the Mondeo in march this year with 40k on the clock, still has a year of manufacturers warranty left, in june the clutch went (10 days after the 60 day dealer warrant ran out)  only sign was the revs climbing at 2500rpm for a second then back to normal, this happened a coupe of times then the cluch went, took it to a ford garage and they said the clutch was burnt out and recommended that I change the slave and the DMF, £1400. ouch and not warrantable, now a couple of weeks later there is a strong shudder / vibration coming up through the steering wheel when the brakes are applied, the dealer I bought it from and the ford garage that fixed the clutch both say that is warped discs,(poss £450.00 to fix) Ford warranty say they are not warrantable parts, if anyone knows what the problem could be and where I stand on warranted parts, and what come back I may have against the dealer I bought it from (A Clark in Edinburgh), I feel anoyed that im spending alot of money on a car I have only had for 4 months, and when I get someone on the phone they are quick to pass me to someone else or fob me off.
• vw golf gt tdi mk5 - £4500 : '54 gt tdi mk5 good buy or goodbye ? 14 Nov 2012 (Forum)
  but at 50k miles , 1.8 petrol ..alot less to go wrong  maybe ?? ..my mechanic thinks im Mad to consider the Golf or any diesel in fact  ...with DMF , turbos etc ???? what do you reckon ?? max budget is £5500 including my trade in @£1500   thanks  
• alternative tech - KERS for the road 5 Sep 2012 (Forum)
  There is a definite trend for downsized petrol engines. But these seem to have a lot of the tech that gives diesels a bad name....turbos, dmfs, direct injection etc. Then there are petrol / electric hybrids which carry a large weight penalty and I think time we show them not to be all that green once raw material sourcing for the battery is taken into account Why doesn't anyone make a modestly petrol engined car, of (say) 80bhp with an in-parallel electric motor which provides transient (say) 50bhp power boost for just (say) 10-20 seconds at a time?
• Golf 1.6 TDI Match Mk6 - Failure of Golf MK6 Clutch & Flywheel 24 Apr 2012 (Forum)
  This problem was a shock given that we don't live in a hilly area, my wife has been driving for 27 years and not burnt through any clutches.Indeed her last car a BMW 3 series lasted until 120k miles before it needed any clutch maintanance In looking at the clutch it is a sealed unit, so they don't really look at what might have gone wrong inside it, yet they have taken the easy excuse of driver error without looking any further! There is some evdience of DMF failure causesing problems on VW vehicles so why they are so difficult remains a mystery. Indeed the dealer wanted to help - but has their hand tied by VW then moaned about this was how Toyota was beating them on customer service rankings.