A popular used car personality has taken to YouTube to warn buyers not to be tempted by cheap deals on certain models, stating that they can often cost thousands to fix.
Grant runs the YouTube channel Scottish Car Clan and regularly posts videos giving advice to motorists planning on buying a second-hand vehicle, recommending particular models and sharing common scams that could see drivers having to shell out more money than they had expected.
In a recent video, Grant gives viewers a list of cars to avoid buying used, including any Ford with the old 1.0 Ecoboost engine due to reliability concerns.
He claimed: “Now, you’re going to find these engines in the Fiesta, Focus, C-Max as well as a few other cars in the range, and they’re truly terrible. The problem was that these engines used a wet timing belt, which, without getting too technical, meant that the belt is fed through the engine oil and, like a soggy old tea bag, it starts to break apart, get caught in some of the oil pickups, starves the engine of oil and kills the engine.
“In around 2018 or 2019, Ford realised the error of their ways and they switched to a completely different design of engine, still called the 1.0-litre Ecoboost but it has proven to be a good bit better than the older engines.”
Produced from 2012 to 2019, the original version of the 1.0 Ecoboost engine was used in a number of Ford’s most popular models due to its good mix of power and fuel economy.
Upon launch, motoring experts praised how it made cars like the Fiesta feel, but its wet timing belt is difficult to replace and, if it breaks, could cause a shortage of oil reaching the engine, leading to components seizing.
The used car expert suggested that buyers who are unsure what engine is in a model they are interested in buying should look for where the turbocharger is fitted, with older and more problematic engines featuring it towards the front of the engine bay.
Another popular used car that Grant advised motorists against getting behind the wheel of is the Audi A3 if it features a specific type of gearbox.
He claimed: “I want to be very clear, it is only very specific versions of the A3 that tend to give problems, namely those with DSG (Direct-Shift Gearbox) gearboxes and dry clutch packs fitted. Now, these dry clutch packs were notorious for giving loads of problems and costing an absolute fortune to fix.
“The problem you, as a prospective buyer, have is it’s hard to know if it has a dry clutch pack fitted. You’ve got to search the year and the engine size of the car you’re looking to buy. Generally speaking, if it is a seven-speed, if it’s a DSG, and if it’s not an S or RS performance model, it has probably got one of those dry clutch gearboxes fitted.”
Finally, the YouTuber warned motorists in the market for a used premium car to think twice before buying a second-generation Range Rover Evoque, claiming some have a dangerous issue.
He advised: “Now, these have still got a downright dangerous problem where, if you come to a stop, sometimes they will unselect the gear they were in and refuse to select another gear until the car is completely turned off and back on again.
“We actually had one owner reach out to us and say they had a truck approaching from the rear [when this happened]. The truck was expecting them to set off from a set of traffic lights, but obviously they couldn’t and the truck almost hit them. It’s just unacceptable. Land Rover do seem to be issuing updates to try and rectify this but, so far, it seems like there are still problematic cars out there.”
