Hi
due to financial reasons i've downgraded from a 170bhp 2.5 v6 vectra to a 90bhp focus tdi estate!
Although publish 'combined' economy stated at 58mpg, I'm finding - based on 4 days motoring so far - that i'm probably only getting about 38mpg!
I do about 90 - 130 miles per day round trip which consists of about 10 - 15 miles of a roads and the rest is motorway at about 85mph.
Does 38mpg sound reasonable to any other focus diesel owners out there?
FYI jan 2000 V reg focus ghia tdi estate, 107,000 miles - full lease company service and parts history.
also i've heard about a few devices to improve economy and or power / performance.
first is ProZone FuelSaver in-line fuel magnetiser/catalyst/fuel swirl device: www.fuelsaver.co.uk/faqs.htm
other is a much cheaper alternative homemade version which is simply a screwdriver magnetiser clipped around your fuel line near fuel pump to magnetise the fuel.
the performance boost ideas came from www.superchip.co.uk and similar companies. These either plug in-line to adjust the engine management (fuel quantity etc) to smooth power and add 30bhp, or plug into the incar diagnostics port and reprogram the ems. Later device can also revert the engine EMS to original settings and back again as often as required.
Any comments / experience?
with my limited knowledge of diesel mechanics i wonder if i might have an air leak which is causing extra fuel to be added to compensate, or a faulty sensor somewhere?
or is it just a (too) heavy right foot???
many thanks
Glen
p.s. don't know how often i can get on so email if you like:
countdown.it@bigfoot.com
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Glen
With regard to the economy, I had a Focus TDDI Estate for 3 years and got 52mpg average over 85,000 mostly motorway miles - mostly at 75-80. On early or late non-stop dashes to Scotland at higher speeds, I used to get about 40mpg so your 38 is probably not far adrift.
Colin
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thanks for the info Colin.
was your better economy a result of slower driving generally, or did that consist of mostly around town?
Just wondering if i have to drive a lot slower, or if there IS something not right with the car. Ive just had a look at the official Vehicle Certification Association website and the extra urban figure is 60mpg! urbban is 38mpg.
still, if you've had the same car (model and engine) then i guess your figures are the best / most accurate!
thanks
Glen
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I found that moving from petrol (high revving 16v Honda) to a VW TDI meant learning to drive differently. Changing gear a lot earlier, using the peak power which is usually at around 1800 rpm instead of 4 to 5000. Getting into 3rd and 4th a lot sooner does have an impact on fuel consumption. I must add that the general consensus among diesel fans is that the Ford TDDI engine, a relic from the eighties if truth be known, is poor. Compare sales of Focus TDDI with TDCI for confirmation.
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Part two!
Devices which claim to improve mpg, such as those you mention, have been tested by diesel car magazine in the past and the conclusion was: save your money.
Re air leaks, unlikely. If air was getting in it would cause bigger problems than low mpg. 38 mpg at 85mph seems reasonable. 50 at 70mph should be achievable.
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38mpg at 85 mph doesn't seem that reasonable to me. It's less than what I get out of my 14 year old 1.7 petrol car; I got 66 mpg out of a rented Golf TDi on a similar run, cruising at 80-85 with about 50 miles of A-roads thrown in.
To a certain extent, everything depends on driving style. Diesels don't thank you for driving everywhere in second, either. My uncle has a Focus with the same engine (51 plate, hatch, import, owned from new and now on about 18k). I believe he gets 50+ mpg from it as he was puzzled when my parents went for a petrol over a diesel as they do even more miles than he does.
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Agree with DavidHM that you should perhaps be getting more than 38mpg. This is about what I get in my 6cyl 3litre diesel 1750kg estate
You may get a little better economy when the car gets a bit older (presuming that the car is new) but it wont make 10mpg\'s worth of difference.
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Just read the original post properly and see that there are over 100k on the clock.
Do diesels get less efficient the older they get. I have never taken one past 88k miles and did not notice any deteriation in economy.
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Has the car been recently serviced? Has the fuel filter been changed? Binding brakes? Carbonised oil in turbo? Has the car got the correct grade of Oil?
I don't think diesels get less efficient as they get older, there are many 200 or 300,000 mile BX, 405 and Xantia out there.
Ben
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hi all
thanks for the replies.
To the very best of my knowledge the car has been correctly serviced at correct intervals. I've got a comprehensive service history and also a printout detailing all the parts / work carried out on the vehicle that the leasing company provided.
It's got 107000 on the clock at the moment (plus 500 miles per week!) so it's due another service in about 3000 / 6wks.
I got 30mpg at 90mph from my vectra, so i was a little disappointed but a suppose 26% improvement in economy at that speed has got to help! Also my insurance has gone down from 900 to 360 pa - another help.
I'll have to look at this diesel car magazine - do they have a web site?
I'll try REALLY hard to keep between 70 and 80 to see how it goes.
Anyone got opinions about:
slik50 engine protector for my engine?
diesel injetor cleaner additives?
superchip reprogramming to give extra 30bhp and more torque?
i guess this should start a new post really?
thanks
Glen
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If it uses a timing belt, has this been replaced recently. Maybe timing if off abit which can result in poor economy but good performance.
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re diesel car magazine, no website but i can forward a copy if you have difficulty finding a copy. They have a good back issue index in each magazine which would help in more technical diesel queries. I have used fuel additives in the past when diesel fuel had different characteristics, I am not aware of any advice against its use. The starting point for diesel engine efficiency is oil change on the dot, the higher the quality the better.
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Have you tried a quality fuel ie Shell,BP etc not that supermarket stuff?
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I'm not being funny FBM, but do you really think that refineries have two storage areas? One for cheap supermarket fuel and the other for 'high-class' petrol stations? I have no knowledge of the system at all, but my guess is that what I get out of the nozzle at Tesco is exactly the same (but four pence a litre cheaper) than at Shell half a mile down the road.
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