Does this driving merit a diesel & could give DPF issues (Mazda 6)?

dinneenp

Hi,
I've been looking at a 2010 Mazda 6 2.2 diesel link or a 2009 Saab 93 diseel.

A few people have mentioned the DPF issue with Mazda 6 and that you need to be doing 'good milage'.

for me the usage would be-
Mon- Fri: 18km drive into Galway City (morning traffic) and back.
weekends: short trips & into Galway City maybe.
Once a month- 200km to Cork and back.

The dealer selling the Mazda 6 said this would be perfect for the car but I'm not so sure. Any advice please?

Cheers,
Pa.

MuppetCheck

Had a 2011 one until recently with no DPF issues. Very small portion of town driving, the rest were 100 limit N roads and maybe one hour long each way motorway journey once a week. Only real thing to look for is the oil level rising on the dipstick. I noticed a slight increase after 2 weeks of heavy town use and that was the only time. Serviced it every 15k km. I wouldn't fancy that spec personally, a Sport or a Sport SE if one can be found would be my preference.

The problem with buying one used is a lot depends on the previous owners servicing. Who is to tell that the mileage wasn't done around town where there is an increased risk of oil being diluted by diesel potentially causing engine damage? You need to bring the key to a dealer to be read - there is no service book with them so I wouldn't pay a penny unless you've done that.

In general the 2.2d's are very relaible, but the pervious servicing and usage are the key. There are plenty of very high mileage 2.2d's on UK forums (150k miles plus) but they have been looked after from new.

keithclancy

dinneenp wrote: »

Hi,
I've been looking at a 2010 Mazda 6 2.2 diesel link or a 2009 Saab 93 diseel.

A few people have mentioned the DPF issue with Mazda 6 and that you need to be doing 'good milage'.

for me the usage would be-
Mon- Fri: 18km drive into Galway City (morning traffic) and back.
weekends: short trips & into Galway City maybe.
Once a month- 200km to Cork and back.

The dealer selling the Mazda 6 said this would be perfect for the car but I'm not so sure. Any advice please?

Cheers,
Pa.

Circa 15000km/year would be better off with a Petrol.

Matt Simis

keithclancy wrote: »

Circa 15000km/year would be better off with a Petrol.

He is borderline annually IMO, but his short frequent daily mileage doesnt lend itself well to diesel engines, so I agree.

166man

A nice low pressure Turbo Petrol Passat or something would be ideal. I'd avoid the diesels tbh. As Matt said, borderline diesel mileage, I'd go petrol.

dinneenp

Call me stupid....but why isn't a diesel suited to trips like I mentioned?
Is it that diesel engines take a time/bit of driving at 30+ mph to get heated up & after that is when they get efficient?

Are 2008+ low pressure Turbo Petrol Passat high tax (€700 or thereabouts)?

MuppetCheck

They are heavy on diesel around town, even when heated up. They aren't the worst I've driven for heating up mind but it will still take a lot longer than any petrol would.

The reason a diesel isn't suited to low miles is the DPF requires a high exhaust temperature to burn off (regenerate) the soot build ups. The manual states revs need to be in excess of 2k rpm. If it doesn't meet these requirements the regen will be cancelled causing oil dilution and clogging of the DPF. The old 2 litres were well renowned for this issue (and others) and there is still scope for this with the 2.2 although nowhere near as bad as some say. When this happens you will need to change the oil (additional marker on dip stick for this). The regen process on the 2.2's is very quick but ideally I would be looking at something like this with some bargaining on the price:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mazda/Mazda6/GH-1.8-S/30613492588947110/advert?channel=CARS