[Carl@Cwc]

looking to aquire a 2nd hand one of these.
i would like a comment from spruce if u see it pls.

are the 1.6 any good for a carefull driver?
im no boy racer and they are way cheaper than the 2.0 hdi models.

can this comfortably carry 650ltrs ? the payload is enough ,just after some real user reviews really?

[Spruce]

Hi Carl

My preference was for the 2.0 litre engine TBH as it had the torque which is what the diesel engine is about. But as everyone these days talks about HP, PSA where able to achieve a 110 hp engine with reasonable torque by using turbo boost on the 1.6.

I don't have any experience with the 1.6 Hdi in the latest PSA offering (Expert/Dispatch).

There have been a couple of posts where users of this van with this engine are quite happy with the performance, where other's weren't. The 1.6 replaced the 2.0 in the C5 and the Peugeot 407 without issue. The difference is that these 1.6 engines aren't good caravan towers as they lack torque, but cars on their own where fine.

PSA are a very conservative company so you won't find sports vans with high powered turbo engines in their lineup, but they won't produce a van that's engine is too small to cope with the payload of the van. Perhaps the example that comes to mind is that of the 2.0hdi Partner/Berlingo vans. It was decided many years ago that these vehicles needed a smaller, lighter engine, especially with the enforced legislative facelift in 2003 which made the vans heavier. To fit into taxing weights they had to reduce payloads.

So they planned to replace the 2.0hdi and 1.9 non turbo diesel with the lighter 1.4 hdi 70 and 90hp used in a variety of cars.
Mechanic's training on the 1.4 Hdi Berlingo was rolled out through the country, but the engine was never fitted to the van. It was two years later when they chose to replace those engines with the 1.6 Hdi.

The 1.6 is a very 'sensitive' engine and needs to be cared for. Oil changes need to be done regularily and the oil draining procedure suggested by PSA must be followed and the oil must be the correct grade recommended by PSA.
Turbo failures seem to be more prevelant in 1.6's but these are usually the result of poor maintenance.

If I was buying second hand I would definitely choose one that had a full dealer service history done to recommended mileages. I would stay clear of part service history and be wary of owner serviced vans.

[Carl@Cwc]

Hi Carl

My preference was for the 2.0 litre engine TBH as it had the torque which is what the diesel engine is about. But as everyone these days talks about HP, PSA where able to achieve a 110 hp engine with reasonable torque by using turbo boost on the 1.6.

I don't have any experience with the 1.6 Hdi in the latest PSA offering (Expert/Dispatch).

There have been a couple of posts where users of this van with this engine are quite happy with the performance, where other's weren't. The 1.6 replaced the 2.0 in the C5 and the Peugeot 407 without issue. The difference is that these 1.6 engines aren't good caravan towers as they lack torque, but cars on their own where fine.

PSA are a very conservative company so you won't find sports vans with high powered turbo engines in their lineup, but they won't produce a van that's engine is too small to cope with the payload of the van. Perhaps the example that comes to mind is that of the 2.0hdi Partner/Berlingo vans. It was decided many years ago that these vehicles needed a smaller, lighter engine, especially with the enforced legislative facelift in 2003 which made the vans heavier. To fit into taxing weights they had to reduce payloads.

So they planned to replace the 2.0hdi and 1.9 non turbo diesel with the lighter 1.4 hdi 70 and 90hp used in a variety of cars.
Mechanic's training on the 1.4 Hdi Berlingo was rolled out through the country, but the engine was never fitted to the van. It was two years later when they chose to replace those engines with the 1.6 Hdi.

The 1.6 is a very 'sensitive' engine and needs to be cared for. Oil changes need to be done regularily and the oil draining procedure suggested by PSA must be followed and the oil must be the correct grade recommended by PSA.
Turbo failures seem to be more prevelant in 1.6's but these are usually the result of poor maintenance.

If I was buying second hand I would definitely choose one that had a full dealer service history done to recommended mileages. I would stay clear of part service history and be wary of owner serviced vans.

thanks spruce
i value your always detailed posts on vans and was swayed to the 2.0hdi  with full service history.
what are your thoughts on a 650ltr tank in these?

[home6442]

I have had a 1.6 Dispatch[same van as pug] for about 4 years now and I cant say a bad word
about it.
I carry a 650 litre tank with no problems.
The only thing is I like to service my own vehicles and they are a nightmare to work
at. Changing filters and so on.
Might be expensive  to get serviced.

[Ben wood]

I have the fiat scudo 2.0 turbo. I carry 500 litre flat tank. I would say it will carry a 650 tank and be within the payload, but when i have mine full the brakes. Why not have a look at a citreon relay its a bit bigger and you can carry 1145 kg on some models i think.
I thought you were getting a vw sportliner and a ford transit custom mate ?

[Spruce]

Following on from John's point, the first issue that garages come across is the need to drop the lower engine cover before they can get a sump spanner on the change the oil. This is time consuming. So the practice of sucking the old oil out through the dipstick is getting more and more common. Unfortunately this doesn't guarantee that all the old oil and the sludge deposits are removed.

This isn't good practice for the 1.6 (or any other engine for that matter), but the 1.6 seems particularily sensitive to this type of procedure. PSA have instructed all their dealerships on the correct servicing procedures for Citroen and Peugeot vehicles which I presume will also be best practise with Fiat dealerships. This is that the oil must be drained when up to operating temperature through the sump plug, the vehicle must be level, and a minimum dripping time (20 minutes I think). Oil filters must always be changed and servicing must be done annually if mileage is low.

Diesel fuel filters should also be changed every year depending on mileage, but in practice this can be every 2 years if you are doing low mileage.

The old shape Expert/Dispatch/Scudo that ceased production around 2006 only had the 2.0 hdi engine and a payload of 900kgs. Putting a 650 litre tank in this van is tight as overloading is a inevitable, especially with a passenger.

With the launch of the new shape came the 1.6 Hdi offering and the higher payloads, so again choosing the correct payload is important. The 1.6 has a payload of 988kgs. You could get away with this van using a 650 litre tank as a sole cleaner, but would need to be careful with twin operators and addition equipment. The higher payload of 1188kgs has the 2.0hdi engine rather than the smaller 1.6.