When did Volvos partnership with Ford end?

[Sotosound]

Originally Posted by Auto Addict

To me that's the top pick from the MK IV Mondeo lineup, if you can afford the fuel bills Sadly there aren't many of these left on out roads here in the UK anymore.

I doubt that it was ever a big seller.

[Sotosound]

I had a 2005 54-reg Mark 3 Mondeo TDCi 155 that ran to 160k miles with no real mechanical issues. (I did 140k of those miles.)

When I traded it in for a Mark 4 it was still on its first clutch but there were a couple of odd noises creeping in and the clip holding the driver’s sun visor in place had developed a habit of coming unscrewed.

Having said that, the engine concerned - a development of Ford’s old Puma diesel - had a high instance of failing injectors. The injectors themselves were ok, but the diesel pump would fail at a relatively low mileage and pollute the diesel supply with small metal fragments which, in turn, b*ggered up the injectors. This is where things would get really expensive and it led to loads of Transit vans being scrapped prematurely. I was luckier than most in this respect.

My first Mark 4 Mondeo (in 2011) was a 2.2 litre TDCi with 172 bhp, and the twin turbo engine was wonderful. Sadly, it got written off after a month when an R-Class got driven into the back of it at high speed after I’d pulled over for a moment on a very wide and clear rural A-road. This showed me just how well the Mark 4 protected its occupants. (Volvo influence?) It got smashed and everything got bent out of shape but my wife and I got out by ourselves and suffered relatively light injuries, none of them permanent.

This unexpected occurrence plus a change of job that brought my work to within just a few miles of home led to me purchasing my first Volvo - a 1998 V70 2.5 10V auto - as a cheap interim car.

This had its own age-related issues such as window switches, fuel cap switches, and door switches that caused the alarm to go off in the middle of the night. I ran that V70 for two years but it’s still running now and passed its MOT in December 2019.

In 2016 I purchased my second Mark 4 Mondeo - a 2.0 TDCi with 140 bhp and around 105k on the clock. The clutch went a few weeks later and the aircon condenser not long after. I then ran it for two years before trading it in and it proved to be a really well-built and comfortable car with superb ride and handling.

When I bought my current 2014 V70 D4 SE Lux Geartronic I swapped increased comfort, increased performance, automatic transmission and increased perceived build quality for a potentially poorer combination of ride and handling and poorer fuel economy.

Around my local town there are a number of well-preserved examples of the Mark 4 Mondeos, some dating back to 2007 and 2008, and their owners seem to look after them in the same way that some Volvo owners look after their cars, i.e. no expense spared.

For both brands that’s the real key to longevity. Look after the car and it will look after you. And this isn’t cheap for either brand!

[Auto Addict]

Originally Posted by Sotosound

I doubt that it was ever a big seller.

Not in the UK that's for sure... mainly due to the fact that most potential buyers couldn't stomach the high initial purchase price or the high fuel costs potential of the 2.5 litre petrol... especially when presented with the Dieseasals MK IV Mondoe alternative along with the "Pro Diesel Government" (at that time) encouragement & incentives to buy Diesel cars ... funny how that all ended up.

[Bendolfc]

Originally Posted by Auto Addict

Quite an extensive list there and as I suspected a lot of it related to that terrible 2.0 PSA HDi "Dieseasal" = (deliberate misspelling) engine so not really surprising .

Terrible engine indeed. Mines on 215K and all that's gone wrong with it is the alternator. Still on its original clutch.

Almost replaced with an XC60 last year but the VEA is a ticking time bomb in non SPA/CMA cars and the dated 6 speed auto that comes with the old 5 cylinder didn't appeal so its won a reprieve. Now with covid and uncertain times I'll probably look to keep hold of it for another couple of years.