[JustJem]

Hi everyone,
I’ve been on the search for a reliable diesel and settled on the I30.
I’m going to view a 2012 estate, (55K) this week. I need a reliable car not only for work, I do a 320 round trip every fortnight taking shopping to my parents who are still shielding, so I can’t afford to be carless. There is nothing wrong with my present car, except it’s petrol so it’s costing a fortune in gogo juice

Is there anything in particular I should check?

Thank you
Jem

[Dazzler]

Welcome Jem,

Great choice, sorry nobody else has replied yet. It's after 10pm here and I'm weary. I'll try and find the time and energy to make a basic list of things to be aware of tomorrow. 

[JustJem]

Thank you

[BrendanP]

I have a 2015 1.6 CRDi blue drive and I'm very pleased with it. However, don't base your choice on the claimed fuel economy. My car has averaged about 53 mpg over the last 66,000 miles, which is a lot less than the official 78.4 combined mpg.

I've never had a breakdown in my car. My old car which I passed on to my partner is a 2011 with 205,000 miles and that has never had a breakdown either, other than one occasion when the battery packed up.

I think Which? conducted reliability surveys and found that the 2012-17 i30 was best in class.

[Dazzler]

Hi everyone,
I’ve been on the search for a reliable diesel and settled on the I30.
I’m going to view a 2012 estate, (55K) this week. I need a reliable car not only for work, I do a 320 round trip every fortnight taking shopping to my parents who are still shielding, so I can’t afford to be carless. There is nothing wrong with my present car, except it’s petrol so it’s costing a fortune in gogo juice

Is there anything in particular I should check?

Thank you
Jem

Good morning Jem,.

As promised last night, a few thoughts.

Firstly, 2012 was a transition year. That is, series one (the FD body style) was discontinued and the new series 2 (GD) was introduced.

I'm guessing you are looking at a series I (FD) wagon (badged as a CW in Australia and built in Korea) The vast majority of i30s in Australia were/are sourced from Korea. Yours are built in Czechoslovakia.

I hope it is because the Wagon body style with diesel in the series one was the pick of that series. We had a Diesel hatch and a petrol wagon in that series and both were great, but I would have loved to combine both into one.

The GD was arguably prettier but not as practical as a wagon. But the same great motor and both should still be great cars if they have been serviced correctly. Ask to see the service books.

Being you are in the UK and I'm on the other side of the world it's probably best to let some more UK members comment on things to check as your weather and priorities are quite different to ours.

Good luck with it.

[JustJem]

Thank you Brendan and Dazzler

I researched a lot before deciding on the i30.

I used to have a 1.9 TDI Passat estate, but a change in jobs meant a 9 mile round trip instead of a 75 mile round trip so I switched to petrol... a couple of months later I was made redundant <sob, can I have my car back>.  I would have loved another but the i30 appears to be just as reliable, and a lot cheaper. Better fuel consumption than 40mpg will be appreciated, but it’s also the reliability I’m looking for, and the oomph. My parents live two miles down a single track road which at one point has a 33% incline, not a lot of fun on a nice summers day in a 1.4 petrol with a full load, I don’t even want to attempt getting back up when the weather turns. (Step dad has a 4x4, if it’s icy I won’t go anywhere near that hill)

With the Passat I know to check for things like the timing belt etc, but clueless with the i30. I think it’s the newer shape, I’ve attached a photo of it, I think.

[The Gonz]

FD, GD, PD.
We call that one a GD.

[JustJem]

Thanks Gonz, Dazzler said the GD isn’t as good as a wagon as the FD, can I ask in what way?

I drive the car on my own for work, but weekends I can have my youngest lad (6 foot tall) and his girlfriend plus my dog and sometimes hers too. A hatchback would have been okay but I opted for an estate so Maggie Mayhem can be secure in the boot instead of moulting all over the back seat like she currently does.
My current car (Corolla) has a decent sized boot but with my son, the dog, overnight bags (COVID rules not being broken, we have a caravan in one of the fields) and shopping for my parents, it can get a bit squished.

[Dazzler]

Thank you Brendan and Dazzler

I researched a lot before deciding on the i30.

I used to have a 1.9 TDI Passat estate, but a change in jobs meant a 9 mile round trip instead of a 75 mile round trip so I switched to petrol... a couple of months later I was made redundant <sob, can I have my car back>.  I would have loved another but the i30 appears to be just as reliable, and a lot cheaper. Better fuel consumption than 40mpg will be appreciated, but it’s also the reliability I’m looking for, and the oomph. My parents live two miles down a single track road which at one point has a 33% incline, not a lot of fun on a nice summers day in a 1.4 petrol with a full load, I don’t even want to attempt getting back up when the weather turns. (Step dad has a 4x4, if it’s icy I won’t go anywhere near that hill)

With the Passat I know to check for things like the timing belt etc, but clueless with the i30. I think it’s the newer shape, I’ve attached a photo of it, I think.

No worries.

Yep that's the newer shape  - series 2 (GD)

Ironically we (my wife)  had a 2014 almost identical car, same colour except ours was only the 1.6 petrol. Couldn't justify the extra money for the diesel engine when our second car only does 7 or 8 thousand kilometres a year.

See my contributions in the galleries for pictures.

[BrendanP]

I think all of the GD engines are chain cam, the diesel certainly is, so no cambelt to worry about. The boot space on the GD hatch isn't as good as the earlier FD as the boot floor is higher. Under the carpet are plastic trays which are a waste of space unless you use them for storing stuff. It's where I keep spare bulbs, fuses, torque wrench, warning triangle. If you're concerned about icy roads I'd suggest fitting all-season tyres. I have Michelin CrossClimates fitted for the last 2 years but haven't yet had any ice or snow to try them out.

[JustJem]

Thanks Brendan, I’m in Cheshire and my parents live on the North York’s coast so good tyres are a must especially travelling over the M62 every fortnight.

[Mark65]

Hi,
If it helps mines a 2012-2016 on a 17 plate 1.6 CRDI SE NAV
Fuel Economy, i get 46 around town, up to 65 on long A roads or duel carriage ways and about 68-72 on the motorway, 66 with roofbox on.
Plenty of toys and plenty room, I really wanted the estate or an I40 but prices were  higher.
Misting or condensation in the cold  on the windscreen are my biggest pain with this car, I'm trying different ways to reduce it, also the 2k vibration, mine has reduced a huge amount to the point it doesn't really bother me.
It is a nice car to drive, and my diesel doesnt burn any oil not in just over 4k compared to my friends Audi  ., give it a full day test drive.
Oh and if you have a steep driveway try the car on it, I cant use mine as the front valance gets caught on it, so Im stuck on street.

Mark