2004 Ford Mondeo Ghia 2.0 TDCi (130)

Summary:

A miserable ownership experience

Faults:

Fuel Injectors failed 1 month after purchase

Under bonnet fuel leak after injector change

Clutch replaced to cure poor gear change

Constant problems with alignment causing premature tyre ware

Grinding brakes

Fuel pump failed after 1 year/48000 miles.

General Comments:

My Mondeo Estate looked good, was comfortable and drove nicely with a traditional Turbo Diesel punch.

However the car suffered from woeful reliability, not helped by a dealer who at best was disinrerested and at worst downright incompetent.

Ford seem to have serious issues with their TDCi engine. I am aware of several other people who have suffered premature failure of major components associated with the fuel injection system.

In the end I lost all confidence with the car, Ford and its dealers and sold the damn thing. Being a Mondeo of course, it was virtually worthless as a trade-in. Thank God I bought it as a nearly new Ford Direct car in the first place!

Over the years I have owned many Fords, but my experience with this car has shattered my faith in the company. It will most certainly be my last!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 7th May, 2006

14th Dec 2007, 06:43

Your experiences mirror mine almost to the letter.

Great car, utterly appalling engine!

9th Feb 2009, 06:51

I was contemplating replacing my 125,000 mile petrol Nissan Primera (I've had the car nearly 9 years and it's been reliable) with a Mondeo TDCI.

My best mate bought this model of Mondeo this summer. He picked up a clean, genuine 40,000 mile car, a late 04 plater.

The Garret turbo failed 5 months or so later. (Actually, what failed was not the turbo - all the meccano bits of that are still functional. What failed, seemingly is an electronic component within it which is normally separate and therefore easily individually and quite cheaply replaceable in comparable makes.) So he's £1200 down now having had to replace the entire unit. I'd be interested to know if others have experienced similar difficulties.

9th Jun 2010, 16:39

I had the very same problem with my turbo, and have met others with the very same problem. I have a 04 130 TDCi with the electronic actuator turbo, and it's given me all the common DIESEL Mondeo problems, and not one of them are a cheap fix. I found the dealers weren't much help, and don't seem to want anything to do with the Mondeos. However they only seem to start giving trouble after 90,000 miles or so, they are fairly reliable with low mileage. My advice to anyone considering buying a second hand Mondeo, buy a petrol. Not as quick or powerful as the diesel, but very reliable.

2004 Ford Mondeo st220 3.0 petrol

Summary:

Totality great car

Faults:

New rear seat base fitted due to leather stretching.

General Comments:

I had a peugeot 307 before the st the build quality of the ford is 10 times better than the pug. i have owned several fords and this is by far the best one yet. nothing bad to say about it at all.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd April, 2006

2004 Ford Mondeo Ghia 130 TDCi

Summary:

A superb all-round car, only let down by warp factor depreciation

Faults:

Major water leak from new. Windscreen replaced.

Water leak from rear O/S door. Drain holes found filled with rust proofer.

Tracking slightly out from factory. First front pair of P6000's lasted 19,000 miles. After laser tracking, the second set lasted 26,000.

Slight uneven tyre wear: inside edge of N/S front and outside edge of rear O/S even after tracking.

General Comments:

I have covered 55,000 autoroute and motorway miles since new two years ago. The car has just been serviced and still has its original front disc pads, which must be good for another 12,500 miles!

Nothing mechanical has gone wrong with the car and it still drives and smells like new.

This is a much better car than you could ever imagine, only let down by relatively expensive servicing and shoddy workmanship at the UK dealers I have dealt with.

I have my car serviced in Northern France now, the last major (3 year) service with 100% synthetic oil and a new diesel filter (which was Euros 42 alone), cost Euros 202.00 including tax. A 12,500 mile service at my Ford dealer in Hesdin, France was only Euros 123.00. So why is servicing such a rip off in the UK?

My Mondeo is a superb and relaxing inter-Continental cruiser. I have surprised many a BMW driver with its acceleration and handling. Although the top speed is supposed to be 128 mph, I have on a few occasions exceeded and sustained 145 mph in autobahn conditions!!!

Fuel economy is amazing for such a large and fast car: 48 to 51 mpg if driven sensibly, but never less than 42 to 44 mpg.

The replacement model looks fantastic, so will hold onto my current Mondy until the new one is available in late 2007.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th March, 2006