Very good tow cars. You can get quite a lot for your money, I picked up a six month old Tdci zetec 130 for less than 10k from a car supermarket. Generally seem to get about mid thirties mpg towing.
Only possible downside is the clutch (see the other current thread). I don't know if Mondeos are any worse than Passats or Vectra, C5s etc, but I had heard of quite a few problems. Not cheap to fix either.
If you can find a Zetec-S , (hen's teeth) up to 2005 , then you will get the sports suspension pack, which is even better for towing.
I agree with the others make sure its TDCI 130bhp, then you can chip it up to about 170 BHP. Post chipping = far better mpg, 62 in fact at high speed on the Autobahn. unbelieveable. And the power difference is Ooooooooh so nice!!!!
Don't touch the 115bhp, it's a horrible rough noisey sluggish engine. Old tec. and the motor trade don't like them as PX. Bad for resale.
The car was brilliant before the mods, (diy) but now it's unbelieveable !
Or buy an ST 2.2litre TDCI , sports suspension also and 155bhp as standard , chipped =195 bhp.
Forgot to mention , get K&N Induction Kit = let's the car breathe as much air as it wants.
Want to know any more give me a shout.
And before anyone even suggests it , I don't work for FORD, K&N nor the folk who supply the tuning box (Chip). This chip is adjustable for economy, power with economy, and outright power. Mine was on the outright power setting when I got 62mpg aroung 90mph steady.
I'll stick with the Mondeo Zetec-s untill somebody builds a better car.
Well we love our 2001 mondeo 1.8 Verona and have had many a great outing in it with the van, never had any probs with it and will be sad to part with it in August, only reason we will be selling it is we are moving abroad.
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Before you criticise a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way when you do criticise him you'll be a mile away and have his shoes
Hi , personally , I haven't bothered to tell them. You can notify them , but it's a great money spinner for them. Even if you fit a spoiler to the boot lid they charge extra. I know a guy was quoted £200 just for changing the factory fit alloy wheels .
The unit is so easy and quick to remove, and it's only in the event of an accident fatality ( fingers crossed it will never happen) that the car is examined. Unless they are in the know, they won't even know it's there.
You unplug the sensor on the left side of the top of the engine , it's the common rail , looks a bit like a black metal shaft / pipe, with a male and a female connection on the drivers side, looking head on with the bonnet up.. The wiring harness comes with it, one side goes to the male and the other to the female. The box of tricks is about 2.5"x1.5" connects to the harness, and sends it's signals to the processor, instead of the ford std. eprom.
It has a combination of 27 settings , which means you can fine tune to suit your particular style, solo or towing. These settings are all set by 3 jumpers in a combination of 2 banks of pins. Same as the pin jumpers on a PC Motherboard.
It's not all about power, the engine runs a lot sweeter , the torque increase, was important to me as I've just puchased a new Compass Omega Caravan, (delivered next week) which is heavier than the last one,and the extra torque will be nice for hills etc.
Keep in touch I'll let you know when I tow it home.
I towed a large Hobby Caravan before and it was effortless to the car with no chip fitted.Also the mpg increase I quoted is genuine. I tested it over 5500miles mainly in Germany. On the Autobahn's the chip came into it's own.
Any more info required, just shout.
And by the way I'm in no way affiliated to the guys that supply them in the UK.
The unit itself is German made, and the programs are German produced after a serious amount of road testing.
Don't touch the 115bhp, it's a horrible rough noisey sluggish engine. Old tec. and the motor trade don't like them as PX. Bad for resale.
Post last edited on 17/05/2007 11:34:29
I could not agree less, the 115 tdci on the Mk3's is almost indistinguishable from the 130's and because it is a TDCi it is exactly the same technology as the 130. Putting a tuning box on may or may not be a good thing but it is certaily not necessary in it's standard form the 115 tows a 1450 kg caravan superbly well at legal speeds in 5th ( highest ) gear returning between 35 and 38 mpg. The only reason to put a tuning box on is to become a boy racer, the car without the box does everything that an ordinary person could want.
Hi , personally , I haven't bothered to tell them. You can notify them , but it's a great money spinner for them. Even if you fit a spoiler to the boot lid they charge extra. I know a guy was quoted £200 just for changing the factory fit alloy wheels .
The unit is so easy and quick to remove, and it's only in the event of an accident fatality ( fingers crossed it will never happen) that the car is examined. Unless they are in the know, they won't even know it's there.
Hi,
I believe this modification will invalidate your insurance, (please tell me I am wrong).
Also, if the mod was so good, why don't Ford equip their vehicles with it as standard?
Don't touch the 115bhp, it's a horrible rough noisey sluggish engine. Old tec. and the motor trade don't like them as PX. Bad for resale.
mmm, it also doesnt eat fuel injectors / pumps or go into limp home mode,cut out in the 3rd lane of the motorway for no apparent reason or need hooking up to Fords diagnostic jobby 4 times a year at a cost of £80 a time when it keeps cutting out.also adding a tuning box might give you more power when towing your `large Hobby` but wont add to the kerbweight which means you are surely running at or near 100%??
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Topic: Are Mondeos good to tow with?
