2005 Ford Mondeo Zetec 2.0 TDCi from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Awful diesel, get a petrol Mondeo!

Faults:

Turbo and injectors caused the biggest headache and were very expensive to fix.

The rest was just wear and tear as with any car; I serviced the car on time and drove carefully, and normally did longer drives not short journeys.

General Comments:

When it was working correctly the car performed great and did a solid 45 - 50 mpg.

Good looking car fun to drive. So good in-fact it is hard to believe it would be nearly twenty years old now, and could give modern cars a run for their money in the handling department. Stunning in dark blue with alloy wheels. Seats were very comfortable.

Would never get diesel again though - my friend had a 2003 1.8 petrol LX model that went for over 100,000 with no major issues, whereas my car was barely six years old when I got rid of it with low mileage!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 14th February, 2023

2005 Ford Mondeo Zetec 2.0 TDCI from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A total waste of money

Faults:

A week after owning this car, it started driving very sluggish and had quite a loss of power.

Had a look under the hood and it turned out to be the top turbo hose that was split (yet another common fault on these)! £150.00 later it was fixed and driving like a dream.

A month later it started getting very sluggish again, and assumed it was another turbo hose. It then started going into limp mode, and then cutting out completely; not fun in the outside lane of a motorway.

Had a look under the car and the exhaust pipe from the cat had sheared off at the flexi. £100.00 later and this was fixed.

A couple of weeks later, back to sluggish again and cutting out again. Took it to a mechanic friend (note I said mechanic, not a modern mechanic who just follows what the electronic diagnosis machine reads)! Left it with him for a few days, stripped and cleaned the turbo vanes, checked the fuel pump, fuel filter... all OK. Played around with the injectors and this was found to be the fault. Injectors needed replacing. £800 for all 4 + fitting and then having to be programmed to the car.

It was at this point I've decided to cut my losses and am now selling the car.

Such a shame, as when it's driving as it should, it's beautiful to drive and so responsive. I was averaging 525 miles to a tank, which is pretty impressive.

My biggest regret, having read the reviews before buying, was that I wish I'd listened to them!!!

I'm going to be roughly £1,500 out of pocket, but I'm not plowing a thousand pounds into a car, which in all honesty, still might not solve it!!!

My advice to anyone wishing to buy one of these... Don't waste your hard earned money, read all the reviews and believe them!!!

General Comments:

A lovely car to drive, when it's not breaking down!!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 8th March, 2015

9th May 2015, 15:02

Sorry to hear of your problems. I had 3 Mondeos back in the day (all 90s models), both petrol and diesel, never once had problems. The more modern cars (2001 onwards) especially the diesels seem to have lots of problems. No just the Mondeo, but Mazda 6 and other various diesels, even "high end" cars like BMWs and Mercedes I've heard nothing but trouble and costly diesel repairs about these cars. In short, I think the last 10 years or so of cars in the UK, there has been a real "diesels are better" attitude, but it just doesn't make any sense anymore. The cost to repair them far outweighs any savings made by diesel fuel economy.

I know it sounds illogical, but it may be true - get an older petrol car. It will be cheaper in the long run once you factor in the initial purchase price, lower repair costs (no DMF clutches/fancy injector problems etc) and overall outlay. Do your homework - I've ran older petrol cars for a while now and they have proven much more cost effective than a modern diesel. Example - average miles 2007 Mazda 6 diesel - £3000. Petrol equivalent - £2000. Used prices right at the time of writing. I know what I'd have, and I know the petrol would be cheaper in the long run.