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High mileage diesels? Is it a problem with modern engines


scotslad
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Alright folks

 

U seen from a recent thread i started looking for a wee van (kangoo, berlingo type sized van) to use to try and save a bit of deisel to run alongside my pick up.

 

I had a look round some of the garges this afternoon. There was all sorts but loads of 1 owner (generally a big nationwide company) FSH but say 100'000 miles on clock.

 

With modern engines and motorway driving is doing 100k the problem it used to be? I will be prob doing 20K myself but i'm meaning to run van into the ground so not worried about resale value.

 

There was 1 quite tidy cheap van with no vat, but 177K but had a new recon engine 40K ago, otherwise a tidy van, will not have carried any heavy tools, (it was a VW caddy if that makes a difference) Put a recon engine in a sportrac once never run right so a bit wary off recon engines but possibly a fualt with that type of engine? (I bought that motor off my dad who had it from new so been well looked after)

 

Cheers in advance, really can't make up my mind if i shopuld spend a bit more or not.

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I think it all depends on how it got that many miles on the clock if it was all stop and go short trips it will be worn out but if it was mostly long runs it should be good I had a friend who had a taxi/car hire business and most of his driving was taking people from Bath to Heathrow airport up and down the M4 most days he had a pug diesel with over 225.000 miles on it and no problems with it at all.

Edited by four-wheel-drive
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The mileage is not the problem as such but how that mileage was accrued and the maintenance carried out.

100 k carrying flowers within the national speed limit and having all maintenance carried out on time and parts replace on a more preventative basis,this is probably a good high miler

A fully laden van given to a driver on a bonus scheme or mechanically unsympathetic individual with ad hoc servicing will be a money pit.

Its a risk and I prefer a private sale to see the owner and driver to guage them.All my vans are high milers when I sell but while I would and did jump in it last weekend to goto Aberdeen via wales I wouldn't buy it at 100k+.

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I would not say that mileage is an actual problem for a Diesel engine I once drove a Volvo truck with 900,000 km on the clock the engines themselves if serviced will run forever it is more everything that is attached to the engine for example power steering pump, alternator, water pump, clutch, gearbox, turbo that will probably fail however most of these parts are replaceable and can go wrong on any vehicle. If the vehicle has a high mileage expect to pay a lot less than a low mileage one then at least you got some spare money if anything goes wrong. If you are handy with the tools high mileage vehicles may be an ok buy but if not probably stay clear.

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I got a 6 month old mondeo 06 at the time run it as a taxi and put 210k in 24 months on it, never had a injector or clutch, drove it steady when setting off , service every month , mixed premium fuel with standard, it had 2 timing chain tensioners that's all, my friend had a similar car had 2 clutches in it due to the way he drove you can't say whether it's a good one or bad one it depends if it's had a considerate owner, ( as I was as it was my own vehicle and I used it for my crust ) or a balloon pilot boy racer as he was hiring it and wasn't bothered.

Unless you no it's history a car with 150k on could be better than a car with 65k u pay yer money u take. Your chance,,, unless your buying a vat dodger 6 months old for 1/3 of the price like the mondeo was....

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I would not say that mileage is an actual problem for a Diesel engine I once drove a Volvo truck with 900,000 km on the clock the engines themselves if serviced will run forever it is more everything that is attached to the engine for example power steering pump, alternator, water pump, clutch, gearbox, turbo that will probably fail however most of these parts are replaceable and can go wrong on any vehicle. If the vehicle has a high mileage expect to pay a lot less than a low mileage one then at least you got some spare money if anything goes wrong. If you are handy with the tools high mileage vehicles may be an ok buy but if not probably stay clear.

This.

 

Buy private 1 owner and check the owner out.

 

If you buy 1 owner from new from someone on his own self employed you know that van in the first year of its life would have been loved. People look after what they own.

 

I've got a lease car. It goes back next April for something faster still and yes I drive it like its stolen and without a care in the world.

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i drive an old peogeot estate with 178,000 on the clock , ive towed , cars , boats , caravans , trailers , all around the country with it and spent plenty of time up and down farm tracks , ive knocked the engine mountings out of it once and had to have a new set of tyres , but , the engine still runs like a swiss watch , its the best £350.00 i ever spent lol.

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Modern diesels haven't got the same life expectancy of the older diesels basically,I've had diesels for years,the old ford Orion diesel was my first one in1994 which I bought with 200k on the clock,then the first BMW diesel and a whole string of them over the years.

The changes which have been made over the years to the Diesel engine have taken away what made it last,the older diesels were slow and low revving so there was less strain on it,now they rev like a petrol because the market demanded it, that coupled with Dpf filters and egr valves to cut emissions I am beginning to think a petrol car might be my next car.

I have a forester boxer diesel and have been told short journeys will destroy the engine because it won't get hot enough to regen the dpf

My missus only does short journeys,I can't believe you can buy a 15k car that shouldn't be driven for less than twenty minutes every time she turns the key,I'm also told it should be driven hard,putting the engine under load regularly.

So I am getting to your question,if it has been driven in accordance with the above they will last a hell of a long time.Subarus like mine in Australia where they do mega miles are regularly going past 400k MILES!

Engine designers design engines primarily with meeting emission targets rather than reliability

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I would agree the pre euro4/5 engines will last longer but hi pressure turbos and dmf will go wrong....... an older simpler engine well look after may be better, 100k isnt high mileage wise but if abused it could be an issue. I ran an astra 2.0Di to over 220k i don't think many cdti will go that long....

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I would agree the pre euro4/5 engines will last longer but hi pressure turbos and dmf will go wrong....... an older simpler engine well look after may be better, 100k isnt high mileage wise but if abused it could be an issue. I ran an astra 2.0Di to over 220k i don't think many cdti will go that long....

Lol we have a 1.3 cdti that comes back on 176k we put a clutch in it the other day. Astra estate by the way. They will do it.

 

The astra 1.7cdti ecoflex or the z17dtj engines seem to be suffering problems with the flow control valve on the pump.

 

All motors have there problems. The engines will essentially do the mileage it's the rest if **** that bolted to em lol.

 

Karpman

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Some of the mileages on here make me think my X reg Pug 206 2.0HDi is still a spritely youngster with 'only' 144,000 miles on it. I bought it with 110,000 on the clock 2 and a half years ago but it'd been owned by a mate for the previous 5 years and only had one owner before that so I knew it'd been looked after and most of the miles were done by running up and down the M6 so easy on the engine. The only things I've needed to do to the engine are replace the auxiliary belt tensioner and change the MAF sensor where the wire had started to corrode as the air box had some water sucked up into it while driving flooded roads.

 

I average 58 mpg day to day and around 62 mpg on a long motorway run cruising at 70mph.

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The mechanical components on a high mileage engine have never worried me. Most engines and gearboxes seem capable of doing big mileage , it's the poxy electrics that bother me, there are far too many sensors on modern vehicles that seem to be built and designed by a two year old!

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The mechanical components on a high mileage engine have never worried me. Most engines and gearboxes seem capable of doing big mileage , it's the poxy electrics that bother me, there are far too many sensors on modern vehicles that seem to be built and designed by a two year old!

 

Indeed

 

"If it has full service history and regular oil changes shouldn't be a problem..at 100 k it would just about be run in.

Renault and Peugeot diesels particularly are very strong."

 

That's what I was told by Renault chief design engineer ( my uncle) 20 years ago

 

Shame the electrics are knackered by the time its run in...............

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Cheers for the replies folk's. Think i'm going to bide my time and see if i can pick up a private sale one and see wot happens.

 

I'm never too worried about milages but my dad is old school and ets really hung up on them, if i bought a pig with high mileage he would never let me haer the end off it :whistling:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Gentlemen

 

 

 

PLEASE DO NOT USE CHEAP SUPERMARKET DIESEL FUEL IN YOUR ENGINES!

 

 

I have been using mainly Tesco Diesel for a long time and am now paying the price.

 

The Deisel particulate Filter on my Ciroen C5 HDI is clogged with all the unburned carbon from the mainly BioFuel mix from Tesco.

 

Yesterday the car went in to "Recovery" mode with limited power. The RAC came and did all they could to fix the problem.

 

The car is now in the workshop having the exhaust system split down and cleaned, I am waiting for an update later today.

 

The money I have saved by buying cheap diesel will all go now on sorting out the clever parts of the car!

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