SsangYong Korando: 2.0 e-XDi injector and turbocharger wear — power loss past 100,000 km

The 2.0 e-XDi diesel loses power and starts drinking fuel somewhere past 100,000 to 120,000 km, and the two components behind it are the injectors and the turbocharger. Injector wear shows as hard starting, heavy smoke on a cold morning, a rough idle and power that comes and goes. Turbo wear shows as a flat spot under load. The diesel particulate filter suffers alongside them, particularly on cars that have done mostly short town trips, because the filter never gets hot enough to clear itself. These three faults arrive together and feed each other, which is why an owner usually describes it as "it just isn't as good as it was" rather than as a fault. On a car of this value the repair is significant, so it is worth provoking properly on the test drive rather than taking a gentle run around the block.

• Hard starting, or long cranking from cold
• Heavy smoke on a cold start, or under acceleration
• Rough idle, especially before it warms up
• Noticeable loss of power, or a flat spot when accelerating hard
• Fuel economy noticeably worse than it used to be

Be there for a cold start, because that is where the injectors show themselves. Watch and listen as it fires: it should catch within a second or two and settle evenly, not crank repeatedly or shake for the first half minute, and stand at the back to watch how much smoke comes out and what colour it is. With the bonnet up at idle, listen for one cylinder sounding harsher than the others and for a diesel smell around the top of the engine. Then load it on the drive — find a hill or an on-ramp and accelerate hard through it more than once, feeling whether it pulls cleanly all the way or goes flat partway, and listening for a whistle or unusual note from the turbo. Watch the dash throughout for a warning light. Ask what driving the car does, since short town trips are what block the particulate filter, and ask when the fuel filter was last changed. Ask whether the turbo or any injector has been replaced. If a workshop inspection is possible: an injector leak-off test and a boost pressure check separate the two, which matter differently to your offer.

Parts involved: Turbocharger, Fuel injector.

$900 to $4,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

• “Does it start first turn from cold, and does it smoke?”
• “What sort of driving does it do — short town trips or open road?”
• “Has the turbo or any injector ever been replaced?”

The failure described above is documented in published sources — owner forums, technical service bulletins, recall notices and workshop write-ups — held in our fault database. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them, and it is a starting point for an inspection rather than a manufacturer statement.