New used commuter car - scared of EGR issues! - Page 1 - Car Buying

Possum19

Original Poster

52 posts

28 months

[report]

[news]

Friday 6th September

Hi!

I commute 3 times a week 100m round trip with a total annual mileage of 20k miles or so.

Diesel still makes the most sense I think BUT I had a Mazda 6 that coaked up needed a new turbo, engine clean etc and never quite got fixed. Traded in for a BMW 320d F31 which blew its timing chain with 2 months and now has an EGR related light on…I’m feeling a little cursed!

So is there a diesel that is actually reliable? Or should I pack it in for petrol (the lower mpg would still be cheaper than garage costs!)

I considered a golf GTE but came to the conclusion the electricity would run out leaving me an overweight petrol car!

Details:
2 kids so need some space. 3 series estate is perfect size
A decent bit of power, but doesn’t need to be crazy.
I’m not too into tech, nice to have but not essential
I enjoy driving and love the beemer when it’s working
20k miles per year, motorway and country roads
Prefer an estate to saloons, hatch could work
Less than 40k on the clock, as I’ll pile on the miles
Upto £16k
Really need this one to be reliable as the car is essential for work and kids!

Any ideas very welcome

Cheers

_Hoppers

1,380 posts

72 months

[report]

[news]

Friday 6th September

Possum19 said:

Hi!

I commute 3 times a week 100m round trip with a total annual mileage of 20k miles or so.

Diesel still makes the most sense I think BUT I had a Mazda 6 that coaked up needed a new turbo, engine clean etc and never quite got fixed. Traded in for a BMW 320d F31 which blew its timing chain with 2 months and now has an EGR related light on…I’m feeling a little cursed!

So is there a diesel that is actually reliable? Or should I pack it in for petrol (the lower mpg would still be cheaper than garage costs!)

I considered a golf GTE but came to the conclusion the electricity would run out leaving me an overweight petrol car!

Details:
2 kids so need some space. 3 series estate is perfect size
A decent bit of power, but doesn’t need to be crazy.
I’m not too into tech, nice to have but not essential
I enjoy driving and love the beemer when it’s working
20k miles per year, motorway and country roads
Prefer an estate to saloons, hatch could work
Less than 40k on the clock, as I’ll pile on the miles
Upto £16k
Really need this one to be reliable as the car is essential for work and kids!

Any ideas very welcome

Cheers

It would cost in the region of +-£500 in electricity (assuming charging is done on an overnight rate) to do 20k a year. With this in mind could you increase your budget for a decent EV?

Drive Blind

5,252 posts

184 months

[report]

[news]

Friday 6th September

Leon or Octavia estate with the 150bhp 1.5, the one that shuts down 2 cylinders under light load ?
These will do over 50mpg if driven with economy in mind.

click me

Possum19

Original Poster

52 posts

28 months

[report]

[news]

Friday 6th September

_Hoppers said:

It would cost in the region of +-£500 in electricity (assuming charging is done on an overnight rate) to do 20k a year. With this in mind could you increase your budget for a decent EV?

That’s a tempting figure, but I also do some quite long journeys for work and personal life and I just can’t get my head around the long stops, planning the route perfectly etc

Nothing against electric in principle I just like the convenience of ICE cars for now. Without that ability to go wherever and whenever exactly as you wish, it’s basically fancy public transport.

OutInTheShed

9,364 posts

33 months

[report]

[news]

Friday 6th September

I would hope that 150 x 100 mile trips, 15k miles out of 20k, would be enough to keep a diesel running happily?

Or are the other 5k miles the kind of 'going to the shop at the end of the road' nonsense which kills diesels?

Possum19

Original Poster

52 posts

28 months

[report]

[news]

Friday 6th September

Drive Blind said:

Leon or Octavia estate with the 150bhp 1.5, the one that shuts down 2 cylinders under light load ?
These will do over 50mpg if driven with economy in mind.

click me

Octavia is definately on the list and I didn't actually know there was an estate Leon. I assume they all use VAG engines, maintenance should (in theory) be reasonable.

Possum19

Original Poster

52 posts

28 months

[report]

[news]

Friday 6th September

OutInTheShed said:

I would hope that 150 x 100 mile trips, 15k miles out of 20k, would be enough to keep a diesel running happily?

Or are the other 5k miles the kind of 'going to the shop at the end of the road' nonsense which kills diesels?

Bit of everything really, plenty of short journeys as well as the long runs. Maybe I’ve been unlucky, the Mazda was a nightmare in the end, but I just feel like any diesel with EGR once over 80k-90k seems to be a time bomb

_Hoppers

1,380 posts

72 months

[report]

[news]

Friday 6th September

Possum19 said:

_Hoppers said:

It would cost in the region of +-£500 in electricity (assuming charging is done on an overnight rate) to do 20k a year. With this in mind could you increase your budget for a decent EV?

That’s a tempting figure, but I also do some quite long journeys for work and personal life and I just can’t get my head around the long stops, planning the route perfectly etc

Nothing against electric in principle I just like the convenience of ICE cars for now. Without that ability to go wherever and whenever exactly as you wish, it’s basically fancy public transport.

Tesla (as do other manufacturers) have a route calculator on the web. Pick a car model and a typical route you do. You might find that you only need a minimal (10-20mins) stop(s). The car will also calculate the route and charge stops.

EG In a model 3 long range, York to Plymouth only requires a 20min charge to do the trip!

rosejem

187 posts

120 months

[report]

[news]

Friday 6th September

As you enjoyed the BMW , what about a 420i Gran Coupe ( very practical )

I guess you are completely against an other Mazda - The 6 estate 2.0 petrol is reliable car .

Take a look at a Kia Ceed 1.5T sportswagon , a good reliable understated estate if big enough.

matt21

4,308 posts

211 months

[report]

[news]

Saturday 7th September

I have 3 cars that do 55mpg+ on a steady 70-75mph run. I have a 70 mile daily commute and I use all three.

2019 520d: massively comfy, been completely reliable, but a bit too big arguably and could throw a bill or two as it gets older.

2023 MINI Cooper S: fast, fun and frugal. Comfy for what it is but not a patch on the other two.

2020 Golf Mk7.5 Estate 1.5 GT: really frugal at 70ish, probably better than the 520d. Nearly as comfy as the BMW but far more nimble down the last few miles of back roads to the office. Not that fast but cruises nicely

In summary I use the BMW most for its comfort, but the Golf runs it close, is much cheaper to run and doesn’t have any of the diesel complications. For 20k per year it’s what I would go with if I had to pick one.

That said if/when I swap the 520d for a 530d that would likely be #1 choice!

ZX10R NIN

28,382 posts

132 months

[report]

[news]

Saturday 7th September

Possum19 said:

Hi!

I commute 3 times a week 100m round trip with a total annual mileage of 20k miles or so.

Diesel still makes the most sense I think BUT I had a Mazda 6 that coaked up needed a new turbo, engine clean etc and never quite got fixed. Traded in for a BMW 320d F31 which blew its timing chain with 2 months and now has an EGR related light on…I’m feeling a little cursed!

So is there a diesel that is actually reliable? Or should I pack it in for petrol (the lower mpg would still be cheaper than garage costs!)

I considered a golf GTE but came to the conclusion the electricity would run out leaving me an overweight petrol car!

Details:
2 kids so need some space. 3 series estate is perfect size
A decent bit of power, but doesn’t need to be crazy.
I’m not too into tech, nice to have but not essential
I enjoy driving and love the beemer when it’s working
20k miles per year, motorway and country roads
Prefer an estate to saloons, hatch could work
Less than 40k on the clock, as I’ll pile on the miles
Upto £16k
Really need this one to be reliable as the car is essential for work and kids!

Any ideas very welcome

Cheers

CorradoTDI

1,601 posts

178 months

[report]

[news]

Saturday 7th September

I'd say you've maybe got one of the best cars out there for what you describe - F31 320D

It just sounds like maintenance is the issue - how many miles had it done when you bought it? The chains on these need doing around every 80k (90k absolute max!) and you also need to service the gearbox is it's an auto every 60k.

Apart from the above and consumables like brakes / tyres / brake reaction arms these cars can do 200k+ easily if looked after with regular oil changes.

EGR issues - have you ensured there are no outstanding recalls and when was the last one done as it maybe under warranty still from BMW.

Edited by CorradoTDI on Saturday 7th September 22:59

Possum19

Original Poster

52 posts

28 months

[report]

[news]

Sunday 8th September

ZX10R NIN said:

Thanks so much for all the effort, the Lexus could be intresting and I’d expect reliable! Shame there’s no estate version, but these things are always a compromise!

Possum19

Original Poster

52 posts

28 months

[report]

[news]

Sunday 8th September

CorradoTDI said:

I'd say you've maybe got one of the best cars out there for what you describe - F31 320D

It just sounds like maintenance is the issue - how many miles had it done when you bought it? The chains on these need doing around every 80k (90k absolute max!) and you also need to service the gearbox is it's an auto every 60k.

Apart from the above and consumables like brakes / tyres / brake reaction arms these cars can do 200k+ easily if looked after with regular oil changes.

EGR issues - have you ensured there are no outstanding recalls and when was the last one done as it maybe under warranty still from BMW.

Edited by CorradoTDI on Saturday 7th September 22:59

I do love the way it drives and I enjoy driving so it is important to me.

I couldn’t see any outstanding recalls using the BMW vin checker, I think EGRs and the surrounding systems will always clog up to some extent…I could get the EGR changed, but the Mazda taught me that with carbon build up you fix one bit and then the next one breaks, then the next….

Timing chain gave up after a month of ownership at 73k and has been replaced.

ZX10R NIN

28,382 posts

132 months

[report]

[news]

Sunday 8th September

Possum19 said:

Thanks so much for all the effort, the Lexus could be intresting and I’d expect reliable! Shame there’s no estate version, but these things are always a compromise!

The only downside to the GS is that it doesn't have the biggest amount of boot space.

All the above have drivetrains that are seeing over 150k with ease.

I feel the 508/Insignia's are the picks but they won't steer as well as your current car.

Possum19

Original Poster

52 posts

28 months

[report]

[news]

Monday 9th September

ZX10R NIN said:

The only downside to the GS is that it doesn't have the biggest amount of boot space.

All the above have drivetrains that are seeing over 150k with ease.

I feel the 508/Insignia's are the picks but they won't steer as well as your current car.

I do quite like modern Peugeots, but as I'm quite tall I find I can't set the chair and the silly little steering wheel in a way where I can be comfortable and see the dials! Although this was in a 208 and 308 so may be better in the larger 508

halo34

2,890 posts

206 months

[report]

[news]

Monday 9th September

Possum19 said:

I do love the way it drives and I enjoy driving so it is important to me.

I couldn’t see any outstanding recalls using the BMW vin checker, I think EGRs and the surrounding systems will always clog up to some extent…I could get the EGR changed, but the Mazda taught me that with carbon build up you fix one bit and then the next one breaks, then the next….

Timing chain gave up after a month of ownership at 73k and has been replaced.

The Mazda issues are not generally shared in other marques. They had long standing issues with their whole implementation of the DPF/Oil levels and oil pick issues which then caused chains to stretch.

I have run BMW/VW diesels for many years and just get the oil changed ever 10k. Never had a DPF or EGR issue in all that time, one clutch/DMF but that was a high miler.

Generally I do drive them fairly hard on a regular basis and long runs (50+ miles).

The only car thats ever given me DPF issues was a....Mazda....it borked itself shortly after purchase and was fully refunded.

66HFM

496 posts

32 months

[report]

[news]

Monday 9th September

Honda Civic Tourer with one of the petrol engines or as mentioned earlier the Seat Leon ST (estate), which personally I think is a good looking car imho...

Possum19

Original Poster

52 posts

28 months

[report]

[news]

Monday 9th September

halo34 said:

The Mazda issues are not generally shared in other marques. They had long standing issues with their whole implementation of the DPF/Oil levels and oil pick issues which then caused chains to stretch.

I have run BMW/VW diesels for many years and just get the oil changed ever 10k. Never had a DPF or EGR issue in all that time, one clutch/DMF but that was a high miler.

Generally I do drive them fairly hard on a regular basis and long runs (50+ miles).

The only car thats ever given me DPF issues was a....Mazda....it borked itself shortly after purchase and was fully refunded.

Yep the Mazda was a nightmare! Sadly I didn’t pick up on the potential issues before purchase…live and learn!

halo34

2,890 posts

206 months

[report]

[news]

Monday 9th September

Possum19 said:

Yep the Mazda was a nightmare! Sadly I didn’t pick up on the potential issues before purchase…live and learn!

Neither did I to be fair despite being a "car person"

Auctions

Buy

Selling

News

Regulars

Forums

My account

New used commuter car - scared of EGR issues!

About

Buy

Sell

News

Forums

Services

About