With a child on the way the little Matiz just cannot cope any longer and we have short listed a CMAX to take its place. We ideally want a nearly new TDI and a 1.6 because of the good fuel economy - but they are not cheap.
We have found a good deal on a 12 month old car, but its done 27k miles. I would welcome peoples views on whether I should worry about the high mileage and what things to look out for - any common faults?
Thanks in advance
CC
Edited by Webmaster on 21/07/2008 at 18:22
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I have an 04 registered 1.6 TDCI CMax which now has 63,000 miles on the clock. Its main use has been for my 140 mile round trip (more or less all motorway miles) to work, along with general motoring. On the whole, I've been really pleased with it, and it has proved to be exceptionally reliable, with absolutely no breakdowns over the last four years of ownership. I would guess that the high mileage shouldn't be too much to worry about, as if these have been accumulated in 12 months, they will most likely have been done on the motorway on long trips, although you might want to look at who owned the vehicle previously. Mine was a demonstrator before I had it, and I got mine with 7k on the clock.
As mine has got older and looser, the fuel economy has improved. My view is that it is great on fuel on the motorway (52 - 55 mpg on 75 - 80mph cruise) and even better on long country runs. It is not so great on fuel around town, and lots of town work can see a return of little more than 30 - 32 mpg.
In terms of faults, I have just had niggles. I have had 3 boot switches, all wrecked through water ingress, although this has now been fixed on the fourth time of asking. The air conditioning has never been brilliant, either - it does work, but it is not as cold as in some other cars I have owned or been in. I also have a problem with the air bag light coming on intermittently. A replacement 'clock spring' in the steering wheel resolved this for a long time, but the problem has recently returned and is presently under investigation at my dealer. Other than that, I've had no real problems.
One thing that would put me off a newer 1.6 TDCI is that I think that they all have the new DPF system built into the exhaust. As far as I understand it, these systems tend to cause probelsm and be expensive to repair and/or maintain as the car gets older, so that could be something to consider.
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Thanks for the very rapid reply. Previously it was registered to Ford - but having seen the service book, stamped "Hertz Maintenance", I suspect its been a lease back hire jobby.
It is a DPF so thanks for the advice - I guess theres little I can do about this?
CC
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I don't think that there is anything that you can do about the DPF on the 1.6 - when I looked at ordering a new one to replace mine earlier this year, the DPF was standard. One possible option is to look at a 2 litre TDCI, as DPFs are an option, rather than standard on these cars. In my case, the 2 litre TDCI was much dearer on the insurance (almost double) despite the fact that I have a full no claims bonus.
It may be that your usage will not cause significant DPF woes - I suspect that I would be OK with the DPF given my motorway miles, but if the plan is to use it mainly for short runs in town, you may wish to think about whether the 1.6 TDCI is the best option for you. If your main use is going to be for short runs around town, and the occasional long run, it might be cheaper and easier to have a petrol version of the car. That said, a colleague of mine has a 1.8 petrol, and has suggested to me that it is rather thirsty.
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I've never seen anything over 35 mpg out of my '04 1.8 petrol. Not a big problem as it doesn't do a high mileage. I chose petrol over diesel as they are cheaper to purchase and the diesels had more than their fair share of problems with EGR valves - possibly now sorted by Ford's less than competant dealers.
Edited by Chris M on 22/07/2008 at 13:53
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I have a Focus 2005 1.6 TDCi with a DPF, no problems with the DPF so don't worry about it. The DPF does a good job at reducing exhaust particulates and soot by around 90% when compared with a non-DPF engine.
All new diesels will soon have to have a DPF fitted as standard to ensure they comply with the newer and more stringent anti-pollution regulations.
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Thanks everyone for the advice very helpful.
Should I worry this has done 27k miles and was serviced by Hertz?
Thanks
CC
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Do you want a second hand C-Max or a new Ford diesel?
Do you need an MPV? I am assuming this is your first baby.
Unless there are other compelling reasons why you need an MPV consider a Focus.
From my experience of having an A3 before my daughter came along and coping well with one when she eventually did (2 years 3 months ago) a Focus would be more than adequate and there are always deals on a new/nearly new Focus.
A neighbour dropped lucky and has just picked up a brand new Focus III 2.0 TDCi Titanium with a few extras for less than £13,000, IIRC list for this is over £18k.
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Take it for a good long test drive to satisfy yourself it's working well throughout, and check every switch works including the radio on AM. Check tyres for wear, they may need replacing with 27k o the clock. Ensure the warrantee is rock solid for the next 2 years and check if it's been in any accidents. Also ask for it's service report history, they will show all the details of all work that has been done to the car.
If everything is in order and the price is right then there's no reason not to buy, otherwise if anything is not in order then be prepared to walk away.
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Sound advice. I own an 05 1.6 TDCi with DPF. The DPF allegedly needs to be replaced at 75k miles (see handbook). Mine is fast approaching that figure so I've spoken to a few Ford dealers.
Turns out they can top-up the dpf fluid at 60k miles at around £110 + VAT and at 120k miles it needs to be replaced at £894 + VAT (both ford prices). That's a bit better on the wallet, especially as I'll take it to a good independent to further reduce the price.
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Thank goodness for petrol engines!
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Crikey. Seems expensive. One of the consoling factors about the 307 I got rid of
was its lack of a DPF. Now I'm worried.
We've an '06 C-Max TDCi, 90bhp model. Is there a way to tell whether or not
it has the DPF?
tt
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