Customs - Would you recommend

[FrankCarl]

Hi guys,

My works 2006 Trafic has just had an engine runaway and I might well be in the market for a 2015-ish Transit Custom. The thing is a friend who is ex-Jaguar / LR mechanic has this to say,

"Personally I would never touch a transit. We used that engine in the Land Rover defenders. Every thing went wrong with those engines. Turbos. Injectors. Oil pumps. Engine ecu randomly give up and I hear the same stories from the transit owners. Once they hit 90k miles they always spring an oil leak. And the latest 2.2 has a common problem which is related to the egr water cooled side. It fails then it sucks all the coolant from the engine - and burns it straight out the engine cylinders until it is bone dry and boils the sh*t out of the engine if not before it’s so hot the oil is like water and it siezes.
Absolute pile of **** - ford engines. And avoid Citroen/ Peugeot too as they use this ford engine in their vans."

How do you guys find vans of the age I'm looking at? What engine's to avoid? What would you recommend? Things to be aware of when choosing a vehicle.

Hope you are able to help, so thanks in advance.

[seanl82]

They aren't that bad, provided they're serviced more regularly than the manufacturer recommended. My Tourneo Custom is currently on 202k and I've seen a few on here well North of 300k. I've not heard of water in the cylinders, but the egr issue dumps fuel into the oil which dilutes it and in turn causes premature engine wear. Change oil & filter annually/every 10k and it'll go on for a long time. They are known for having weak injectors, but that won't cause lasting damage to the engine (because it'll go into limp mode and you won't be able to drive it long enough to actually cause damage). I'd avoid the euro 6 2.0 litre though as they use a wet timing belt, which have been reported to delaminate with less than 30k. There is a Ford recall on this, but it's too late in a lot of instances.

[jinx]

I have a 2020 70 reg 2.0 euro 6 and there is no recall on mine or was the issue before this regarding the timing belt

[FrankCarl]

They aren't that bad, provided they're serviced more regularly than the manufacturer recommended. My Tourneo Custom is currently on 202k and I've seen a few on here well North of 300k. I've not heard of water in the cylinders, but the egr issue dumps fuel into the oil which dilutes it and in turn causes premature engine wear. Change oil & filter annually/every 10k and it'll go on for a long time. They are known for having weak injectors, but that won't cause lasting damage to the engine (because it'll go into limp mode and you won't be able to drive it long enough to actually cause damage). I'd avoid the euro 6 2.0 litre though as they use a wet timing belt, which have been reported to delaminate with less than 30k. There is a Ford recall on this, but it's too late in a lot of instances.

Thanks

[wobblynobbly]

What make with numbers on the road does not have issues? As you probably guess, for everyone that has an issue there are hundreds or even thousands running around without, and lets face it, these are not brought to the attention of `social media' or for that matter mechanics.
I grew up in an era where diesel engines were simple long lasting and virtually indestructible lumps. Today's diesels with all the emission control requirements are fragile in comparison, and with more things that can go wrong. Some of the design decisions do make you wonder though ( Wet belt/dumping diesel into the sump ) But you can mitigate by practicing good maintenance as has been said and do annual oil/filter changes and ensure any highlighted issues are inspected regularly.
Buying second hand is always risky, but having a good service history is essential with modern vans. I certainly enjoy the comfort and driving experience of my custom, and if your going to spend a fair amount of time driving it, it is probably just as important as reliability, but its often over looked.