Looking at a Mondeo this weekend - Advice on Warranty / any other things I should check?

DaveyD

DaveyD

DaveyD

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Hi guys,

I’m planning on looking at a Mondeo Mk4 Petrol Titanium X this weekend, and just want to make sure I’m doing it all correctly before I end up shooting myself in the foot somehow.

I’ll be doing an HPI check beforehand and then will look over the car inside and out as thoroughly as possible, check VIN, drive and listen for funny noises, look for mayo, check all the electronics work, look through the history paperwork and all that.

If I come to the point of buying the car, do you think I should be looking in to buying any sort of third party warranty? The garage apparently offer ‘warranty packages’, but would these normally be worth the paper they’re printed on? I think the main thing I’m worrying about is if I buy it and the engine seizes on the way home or something, would I have any sort of rights to legitimately return it, or would I be left with the bill?

Also, assuming the car is all OK, and considering it’s a 2.0 Petrol rather than a smelly diesel with a turbo, DPF, DMF, HP fuel pump and HP injectors, would I be better off in the long term trying to get a decent warranty cover? Or just keep a stack of cash just in case instead?

Thanks!

Dave
 
Even the 3rd party warranties from the likes of Warranty Direct are pretty pointless. I'd expect the majority of people on here will tell you just to keep a bit of cash back for rainy days, not that there's any major issues on these though I don't believe.

If you do decide to go with WD, don't accept their first price! They dropped it by over 30% when I said I wasn't prepared to pay £400 for a years cover for the ZR.
 
The 2.0 petrol in the Mk4 isn't a very good engine. Why Ford dropped the MK3 petrol engines I've no idea.

I owned a Mk4 2.0TDCi Titanium X Estate. It was a lovely car bar the centre console plastics were awfully cheap and creaky. It really let it down as it's part of the car you interact with on almost every journey.

When I researched them I couldn't find masses of problems with the diesels. Again the diesels are different engines to those in the Mk3 Mondeo which I'd never consider.

If economy isn't a concern (I was doing 50k miles PA at the time so petrol wasn't a consideration) then I'd go for a 2.5T model.

What's your budget?

The sport bumpers really improve the look imo. It's very confusing though, there is a Titanium X Sport which has the fancy bumpers and usually also has the radar cruise control. There is also a Titanium X with Sport Pack which doesn't have the bumpers but does have 18" wheels, spoiler and lowered slightly.

Post May-2008 build date Titanium X's have parking sensors as standard.

I paid £7300 for my '08 Titanium X Estate 2.0 TDCi. 1 owner from new. Mileage was high at 103k but it truly was like new inside and out. Cambelt is due at 125k on the 2.0 TDCi, no idea on the other engines.

I researched the car pretty comprehensively so fire away with any more questions.
 
In stark comparison, late last year I purchased a 57-plate 2.0 Petrol Titanium model :). Whilst the engine isn't particularly refined and nor is it especially fuel efficient, it has more than enough power for the size of the car.

The mileage it will cover is <5k miles a year, and for that the diesel just didn't suit me (especially as I disliked the power delivery).

[Edit] Finding a 2.0 Petrol was very difficult when I was looking, finding a 2.5T looked to be damned impossible!
 
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I wasn't suggesting to buy a diesel. Personally I'd of always preferred a petrol but my usage meant it was not an option. I'd always go for the 2.5T petrol though.

They seem to depreciate a lot so should be able to find one at a fair price!
 
Budget is around 7k, so pre-. I do around 18,000 miles per year, I'd prefer the petrol to the Diesel as although the fuel economy benefit is there, I'd rather have a less risky engine.

The 2.0 is pretty hard to come by in the spec that I want, and the 2.5T really isn't suitable for me, as they've got terrible fuel economy, if I was only doing 8-10k miles, I'd go for one!
 
The 2.0 is probably the least common example i'd imagine.

The 18" sport alloys look really nice but they do effect the ride quality. It's a tough call to go for them or not. Decent tyres are about £150 each in that size.
 
I'll see what the car's like to drive tomorrow.

What were the biggest non-engine related things that you found goes wrong on the Mk4? I know the steering rack / PAS system could be an expensive one if that ever comes up, but I don't think I've found any other major issues (as big/expensive as the steering anyway).
 
Tesla said:
The 2.0 is probably the least common example i'd imagine.

The 18" sport alloys look really nice but they do effect the ride quality. It's a tough call to go for them or not. Decent tyres are about £150 each in that size.
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Tyres are an odd one, my local indy fitted a pair of Dunlop Sports to mine on Monday for £112 / fitted each. A good mid-range tyre I think.

The 18" alloys are pretty crashy, however compared to my Integra it's like being on a cloud :D
 
Bit of an update, test drove a 2.0 petrol yesterday. I love the level of trim on the car, but I could tell it hadn't been well loved and wasn't worth the money by a long shot.

After driving the 2.0, I felt it really wasn't very suited to the car at all, it felt relatively gutless and economy wasn't brilliant (I know it was only a short drive, so not the best to go off, but did do some constant speed on reset trip computer).

I'm thinking with my mileage, I'd be better off finding a Titanium X Diesel, as there's a hell of a lot more out there. I also want one with the built in Sat Nav system, so I'm being uber picky :p
 
I once had a 2.0 Mk4 Mondeo as a hire car when they first came out. I drove it from St Albans down to Plymouth via the A303 and was shocked to average just 33mpg. This wasn't a million miles away from what my 530i would achieve on the same drive. The engine also sounded like a wasp trapped in a biscuit tin.

However, it is more reliable than a diesel and doesn't go dagdagdagdagdagdag at the traffic lights but the fact it's not exactly a great engine in every other way makes it hard to categorically advise ignoring the diesel.
 
Why not have a look at something from the VAG stable? A Skoda VRS with the 2.0T will be more powerful and more economical. Or something more grown up like a passat/A4 with that engine?
 
[TW]Fox;21511953 said:
I once had a 2.0 Mk4 Mondeo as a hire car when they first came out. I drove it from St Albans down to Plymouth via the A303 and was shocked to average just 33mpg. This wasn't a million miles away from what my 530i would achieve on the same drive. The engine also sounded like a wasp trapped in a biscuit tin.

However, it is more reliable than a diesel and doesn't go dagdagdagdagdagdag at the traffic lights but the fact it's not exactly a great engine in every other way makes it hard to categorically advise ignoring the diesel.
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Coming from a TDCi Mondeo, it's a horrid, horrid dagdagdag sound, especially when cold and in traffic. However my parents have a Mk4 2.0 TDCi and it sounds infinitely better, still a diesel, but the sound is something I can live with! I wish I did a few less miles, but can't really change that at the moment, as I'd go for the 2.5T.
 
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