Last night I was talking to a friend, who's a mechanic in Croydon over the phone. We started talking about old Nissan diesel engines (around 98/99) and he said to me to avoid one because they don't last as long as say VWs.
I used to think that almost all the diesel engines could easily achieve 200+k miles obviously if looked after well. What I'm keen to know is what one could do to increase the life span of a diesel engine and ensure as much trouble free motoring as possible?
Also are all diesel engines bound to easily achieve 200+k miles? I'm in particular interested in Japanese/Mazda diesels (323/626 cars), I'll might go to see a Mazda car on the weekend which has got just over 100k on the clock with full service history!
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Good for moral, I run a 1999 Nissan Primera 2.0TD. Up till now it does 45mpg, starts first time, cruises rather well and does not burn any oil. It has a belt driven cam so I've got that to look forward to. So far it has 112K on the clock. Fingers x'd for the next 90K.
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petrol engines will get over 200k quite easily.
The key thing is, regardless of petrol/diesel or make is to have regular servicing. I've had many petrol cars go well over 100k, the reason for getting rid of them has been due to bodywork issues rather than the engine being worn.
You may have read my recent thread about my dad pug 405 diesel calling it a day - that died with around 140k on the clock IIRC. It was probably the tubo that went and probably due to lack of oil changes in the past, although as the car has since vanished we can't be sure.
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The reason I've started this thread is because I want to buy a car which I would keep for quite sometime so I'm looking for newish possible within my budget even though its slightly high mileage!
I basically want a car which has got good reliability record and is economical to run that's why I'm keen on Mazda diesel. In my budget I'll be lucky to find a newish model with less than 100k miles on it.
But I guess if the seller has got full dealer service history that suggests car has been looked after well?
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I reckon any modern engine, if serviced correctly, and not subjected to a life of short journeys is good for 200,000 miles and probably more.
High mileage on a young car suggests long journeys and few cold starts. My old company Focus would do about 800 miles in a typical working week, but in that 800 miles would be started from cold just five times (once each morning). This is typical fleet car usage, and represents near ideal operating conditions for the engine. When you consider it had three oil changes a year, and the oil got hot enough every day for the water and other cack to boil off, it's no surprise it was still near perfect mechanically when it went back to the lease company.
A well serviced 3 yr old car with 100k from almost any manufacturer on sale today should give you many years of reliable motoring, if occasionally the odd bill to replace worn components such as the clutch and some of the engine ancillaries. The basic mechanicals will be just fine though.
Cheers
DP
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04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
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I would much sooner have a high mileage new car than a older low mileage car, my comp car has done 55k miles in 18 months, serviced on the button and also spends most of the day cruisng at normal temp at 2.5k revs, perfect!
Saying that i've got a s reg petrol proton coupe, the 1.8 mitsi engine which has got 135k on the clock, the oil prob not been changed for years and the belts look v tired, it starts first turn of the key and runs with NO smoke or burning oil at all!
Jon
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Taxi drivers around here allways used to drive Nissans
Now they dirve Skodas!
Tells you something!
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Now they drive Skodas! Tells you something!
Yes; that Skoda does an unbeatable lease deal for taxi firms. It's a good way to offload their cars and get some exposure at the same time.
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True enough, but it also suggests that VAG make the best diesels at the price for long term use.
The PD fuel system is almost bullet proof unlike that of some other American owned offerings. The "only" weaknesses are the requirement for special oil (high chance of a mis-fill) and the need for frequent cambelt changes due to the insane stresses caused by the unit injectors.
659.
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You'd think that snapped belts on PDs would be common place given the confusing info on the subject, but I cant remember seeing a post in recent times here or anywhere else for that matter.
I recently changed the belt on a 98 1.6 Octavia, 91K miles and still on the original water pump and belt. The belt was stretched, but tensioner and pump were like new, no play what so ever.
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That was a petrol engine though. The stresses on the PD diesel set up are nearly an order of magnitude greater.
659.
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But it has a plastic impeller that notorious for failing as is the tensioner. Can you direct me to a thread of a PD belt breakage? Anywhere?
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Best thing to do is to pop down to a Mazda dealer for a test drive in the diesel you are interested in. The Mazda 6 2.0 MZR-CD engine comes in 2 hi-tech variants, both are more than capable and should be in line with Mazda standards for reliability, and of course it will be backed up by their warantee. There is no point worrying about issues concerning others manufacturers pros/cons.
The general key to longevity and reliability is to drive your car with mechanical sympathy and keep your car fully serviced and change oil+filter inbetween service intervals if you do more than say 12k per year.
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Couldn't agree any more regarding longevity for both petrol and diesel cars being down to regular oil and filter changes, coupled with frequent long runs. Engine and mechanics wise- a 3 year old car with 100k mainly motorway miles on the clock is likely to be in far better shape than a 7 year old car with 20k of stop/start town driving on the clock.
Diesel engines have always had a reputation for lasting longer than petrol engines, especially the pre common rail diesels. Which is another reason why they tend to be favoured by higher mileage drivers.
Martin
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In truth the basic engine components of virtually ANY modern car will last a very long time (200k+ miles) if given fresh oil now and again. It tends to be problems with ancilliary components that sees off the motor, because repair costs become too great. E.g. a turbo blow-up, rad or water pump fail [overheat and head goes], some major electronic management failure etc etc. Even then, its not so much the cost of the part but the labour that makes repair uneconomical.
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Just out of idle curiosity, I asked how much a fuel pump assembly would cost on a Nissan Primera diesel, a quick calculation worked out at £1.2K by a local independent repair specialist. As I paid that for the car, you can see why cars end in scrap yards earlier than they should.
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I've clocked up a completely trouble-free 70k in a Mazda 323 turbo diesel that I bought new in 2002. Servicing is frequent at 9k miles but since it went out of warranty I use a local fast fit to change oil and filters and so far (touch wood) it's been fine. I can't comment on the performance and reliablility of the common rail versions though.
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Galad good to know you're enjoying your Mazda 323. I'm looking for a used 323 Diesel, I'm taking my time with finding the best possible one within my price range. The problem is there aren't many diesels around on sale for this particular model! What sorts of MPG do you get out of it when driving mainly on motorway?
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What sorts of MPG do you get out of it when driving mainly on motorway?
Haven't measured it precisely but a full tank of 51 litres will stretch to 55 miles/gallon mixed driving. I've changed jobs and my daily commute will be moslty motorway from today so I'll monitor consumption and see how it does over the next week.
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Thanks Galad, I'll wait for your next reply.
Also how comfy is the car on the motorway and how good or bad is the wind/road noise inside the cabin? I think that's the biggest criticism Mazdas receive.
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Also how comfy is the car on the motorway and how good or bad is the wind/road noise inside the cabin?
Seats and ride are both harsh and the back sufferd a bit on a long journey. the car has sports suspension, apparently, and sits low in the road so you feel the bumps. I've got noisy tyres fitted so this blocks out any wind noise but it's a diesel so it goes with the territory so to speak.
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Galad thanks for all your replies so far. I agree about the stiff suspensions and hard back seat support in Mazda 323. But I used to like the stiff suspensions because there's hardly any body roll while cornering even at speeds.
I'll wait for your MPG reply while you'll be driving mainly on the motorway!
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MazMan, if you're still tuning in I've just filled the tank in my Mazda 323TD and I've clocked up 585 miles being a mix of motorway and urban driving (60/40). I calculate just under 49mpg.
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