406 venture

[Scho]

Hi all, in the near future I am going to be looking at replacing my current car (Landrover Discovery). I was inclined towards a mk 3 mondeo tdci but have heard nothing but bad things about injector and dmf failure. Been looking through the autotrader and like the look of the 406 estate 2.0 hdi. Do these cars have any/many known weaknesses and is there any particular one to avoid? I have been told that the 110 has dmf but the 90 does not.

[FarmerPug]

The things to look out for on the late hdis is the com2000 indicator stalk it can go floppy and replacement is about £100, the dmf is present on the 110
Other than that all 406s have an appetite for front droplinks but a pair can be picked up for less than £20 for a pair.
The 2.0 engine is an unstressed lump so shouldnt give much trouble, crankshaft pulleys get a bit noisey, and the hdi wont run as well on biodiesel as the 1.9 Td

Bailes might add to this as he owns a mk3 mondeo, i dont think he has had either injector or dmf failure

[mjb]

I have been told that the 110 has dmf but the 90 does not.

Correct. Typically the only negative aspect is that it should be changed along with the clutch, which can add to the expense. If it's not been changed, then failure is a possibility and will cost as much to repair as a new clutch.

Pretty solid units otherwise

[Captain Jack]

While DMFs can fail, it's not common for them to do so, destroying the gearbox etc. Though, like others said, definitely replace it with the clutch when the time comes... and it does add to the cost.

I've not heard of Mondigo DMFs failing either. My friend's MK3 is on its original clutch/DMF at 160k (04 plate). Injectors - yes. Another friend had written his MK3 off because it stood on the driveway for long periods of time and somehow the injector failed. It was seized solid and was told he'd have to get a new head... he scrapped it (perhaps unwisely).