Colin Barron
pfm Member
It was bad luck (assuming he maintained it) having problem with the PD100 or PD130 engines, the 1.9 for 2 years after that engine had an oil pump drive that snapped which resulted in engine failure.Compression test will tell you if it has a bent valve. Head jobs on diesels are horrible. I know a few who have tried, some very good mechanics, and the vast majority end in tears. Same goes for turbos on the things. Owners are persuaded to put £1000 into a new turbo "because the engine is probably all right, can't be sure but..." and 2 days later it's "yeah not great news here, turns out the engine went at the same time." 2 of my mates have been stung for that one. One went the whole hog, ended up spending more than the car was worth, the other cut his losses by selling the thing to the mechanic. The second one was a VW Golf 1.9, the ones that are supposed to be indestructible. Modern diesels are great, you can really see the development that has been put in over the last 20 years, but when they go wrong they are dreadful.
The worst problem i heard of was a Saab with a Fiat diesel. The original engine was running badly and after a few attempts to sort it the owner decided on a brand new engine which was fitted (£2800). Shortly afterwards masses of black smoke was coming out of the exhaust and the car was scrap. They think it was the engine control unit.