Ford Custom Tourneo – any thoughts

You've missed the most important detail which is that it MUST have a tailgate. Doors are for rough-arsed builder types. Tailgates are perfect for sitting on your back step posing for Instagram photos with your hashtag traildog.

And on the day when the rain is coming down in perfectly vertical lines, how smug will you be?

I think all the Tourneo's i've seen have tail gates rather than doors...

Does it have the wet belt engine? Worth reading up on them. I'm seeing a lot of new-ish Transits cheap at the moment because the belt has gone and killed the engine.

Looking at something similar in 12 months, but the Pug Traveller Allure Spec, or VIP Spec (for less seats). £25k up. Same reasons, second car (no local driving) to transport camping gear/tent/bikes/SUP and days out. Possibly a Pug Rifter long on the shortlist.

I've an older 8 seater tourneo custom SWB - the 2.2 engine but...
With only the middle seats in - you can just get 2 large 29ers in the boot without taking the wheels off.
The rear seats which i take in and out as needed weigh a ton and are awkward to pickup - why they never added nice grab handles to them.
I wish i'd gone the LWB ( wife said not to that!) but i can easily get 4 bikes in with wheels off and kit for a days riding.
Don't be tempted by massive alloys - they looks nice but i found the ride was terrible for the kids in the back

Its my main car - although i don't drive much during the week as my commute is down the stairs.

I've never seen a tourneo with anything but a tailgate, only customs come with barn doors (annoyingly in my book). Post 2015 2.0lt models have a wet belt that has 'issues'*, FB groups suggest if you keep them serviced and use the correct oil, you'll not experience issues. The belt can be inspected with a borescope to confirm it's condition, but the age of van your talking about, this shouldn't be an issue. I'd look for a eight seater, as you can access the rear from between the front seats.

I've love one as a day/mtb van and for holidays with our two dogs and associated paraphilia. Friend has a LWB custom and loves it, great seating position, heated seats/screen and fits 3 MTB (wheels on) in the back, without issue.

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*Belt disintegrates and can snap, but also the debris as they fall apart, can block the oil pickup, a updated replacement is now available & may already be fitted

Thanks for the headsup on the wet belt issue. The ones i'm looking at are mainly 20k miles or less, so hopefully not an issue. Some of them are still in warranty. I kinda ruled out the LWB as i thought that might be excessive / a pain to park.

Do they still use a wet belt? That's unbelievable.

I bought an old Transit Connect a few years ago and the belt snapped after 3 hours. The seller vaporised like a ghost and I was on the hook for a £1500 engine swap.

Won't ever have another one.

V Class, or Vito Tourer is the other obvious option. V Class in particular has far nicer interior - important if its going to be your 'car' too.

Peugeot Traveller, Citroen Space Tourer, or Toyota Space Pro-ace verso are all the same, buy the variant with the spec you want. very spec dependent, cheap ones feel cheap, the fancy ones feel quite nice inside. They are a curious/unusual size feeling a little smaller than a Custom/Vito etc, but bigger than the 'small' vans, Berlingos etc.

Usual Stellantis Ad-blue issues to watch out for though.

I believr there is also a VW equivalent, not sure, must not be very popular....!?!

Do a google for Dan Trents Long term  test reports - automotive journalist but also keen MTBer (Orange!) and I am positive he will be a member on here too. Its all on Autotrader - bought a Custom (DCIV, but same van really) to replace the family car.

In fact - here you go - masses to read through, all very useful. Personally for a 'car' I'd go Tourneo too rather than DCIV, even if you dont want/need the back seats.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/content/longterm-reviews/living-with-a-ford-transit-custom-trail

It is going to be my 'car' - the vito seems much more expensive. Am slightly reconsidering after seeing the wet belt horror stories on the forums - tho with all these things, the people on the forums are the people who have the problems not the people who don't.

Changing the wet belt is about a £1k job so not much more expensive than having a normal cambelt done so if it worries you too much then get it done ahead of the service schedule or knock that off the price you pay.

Are there any sites I should be looking at other than autotrader?

I've got a 67 plate long wheel base auto. It's now done 85k miles with no problems.

There was an issue with injectors on some camper conversions and the earlier wet cam belts but they were inspected or replaced from what the ford tech said when mine was in for the recall inspection. It still looks fine now but I'll replace at 100k regardless.

Don't forget they are the most common van sold so there are more reports of issues simply because there are millions of transits on theroads.

They are comfy and relatively economical for a van. I wouldn't go back to a car now by choice.

EDIT: 30k!!! I paid £26k new

I've got a 66 plate LWB manual (1.5 diesel engine), had it for 3 and a bit years, it's just ticked over 90k miles with no issues.

It's getting the timing belt changed in a couple of weeks - I think it's a regular cam belt, not a wet belt. The 1.0 EcoBoost (petrol) version (2016 onwards) is the only Tourneo with the wet belt AFAIK. Transit Custom's different I think.

It's ULEZ compliant, VED is only £30, don't think it's overly thirsty. Mine's very much a weekend-only, I don't really drive anywhere during the week. Once I knew I wanted one (S/H) it was a bit of a wait as they don't seem to come up that often unless they're wheelchair conversions. I paid less than 10k for it with something like 35k miles on the clock.

Rear two seats came out immediately, the middle row of three folds almost flat to the floor. Easy to get 3 29ers in, wheels on, droppers up, plus riders, plus kit. I was away racing at the weekend and slept in it, do that quite a lot. I've got a good setup with IKEA telescopic bed rails, slats and a self-inflating mattress. Plenty of room to have bike and kit in the back with me if it's just me. You get 2m clear length between the back of the front seats and the closed tailgate.

Only thing I don't like is the panoramic glass roof, I mean who actually wants that if it doesn't open?? Air conditioning can be a bit underwhelming when it's really hot outside but maybe I'm expecting too much.

Done 3 Alps trips with it, 4 people, 7 or 8 bikes plus a whole load of kit each time, everyone's comfortable.

"EDIT: 30k!!! I paid £26k new"

Was that for a Tourneo? They're 50k new now!

"I paid less than 10k for it with something like 35k miles on the clock."

10K jesus christ.

Was that for a Tourneo?

Yep, Tourneo Custom H1L2 titanium spec automatic

It was pre'registered and I played 2 dealers off against eachother but even still £30k second hand or £50k new is mental.

I think 2tyred must have a Tourneo Connect as all the Customs were either 2.2 or 2.0 diesels.

"It was pre’registered and I played 2 dealers off against eachother but even still £30k second hand or £50k new is mental."

I know. This is the pandemic i guess. I was waiting for ages for prices to return to 'normal' but they just haven't - my current mondeo is fully shagged. All used prices seem crazy still on autotrader, unless i'm looking in the wrong places. £30k for a 2 year second hand one with non intergalatic miles would seem pretty cheap.

Pretty certain the 2.0 diesel is a wetbelt on the tourneo. 2.2s stopped being made in 2018, so it's the only engine option.

This is the cheapest 2016 one like yours on autotrader: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404238962543?sort=price-asc&advertising-location=at_cars&body-type=MPV&body-type=Minibus&make=Ford&maximum-mileage=60000&model=Tourneo%20Custom&postcode=rg75ry&year-from=2016&year-to=2016&fromsra 18k

We have one. LWB auto bought in 2018 in the Black Friday sales. Third row double seat taken out and stored straight away. Can get 4 bikes in the back with wheels on and 4 adults along with a load of gear.

Daughter takes out all the rear seats and throws in a double mattress and bikes behind front seats along with a Decathlon air awning for Alps holidays

I need a lwb.

Am I right in thinking bikes will go in lengthways (behind the seats) in a SWB with the front wheel off? Or is that getting a struggle with modern bikes?

When our caravelle (the VW equivalent) broke down in Spain, VW assist hired us a Tourneo Custom for the 7 weeks it was away.  What an absolute pile of junk that was.  It might ride and handle fine with a pallet of bricks in the back, but as a family transport proposition it was hopeless: crashing over speed bumps and almost tramp steering down country lanes. It was noisy, harsh and unlovable, making me appreciate the VW’s chassis all the more, despite it seemingly having been made by disgruntled Leyland workers

Strange as I think the lwb Transit at work is comfy and refined for a van. How much is a 2 year old Caravelle btw?

I want a Torneo, it'll be perfect for what I intend to use it for. That's they key really as you could get a crew cab Transit for less and a normal Transit converted to suit cheaper too. Don't be put off by lwb without trying one, they're not really much harder to manoeuvre imo.

I've got a Transit Custom Dual cab going if you don't need a full tourneo.. 16k miles, FSH 69 plate. I have mounts to put 4 bikes in the back, pm me if interested...

In my swb I can get 2 large 29ers in on an angle with the middle seats upright.

If I fold the seats up, then I can get the bikes straight in with only a slight wheel turn.

sharkattackFull Member
Do they still use a wet belt? That’s unbelievable.

Yup. And it gets better: The new Transit Custom (just starting to appear out and about now) is twinned with the VW Transporter T7 due to be revealed later this year. Same van, different front end styling, same engines. Both have the Ford diesel engine with the wet belt…

Just paid £850 to have the wet belt changed in our 67-plate, 30k mile 2.0 Transit Custom. Ford have reduced the service interval to 100k OR 6 years, and at almost 7 years old I wasn’t risking it. Planning to keep it at least another 6 years so piece of mind.

IIRC the issue with wet belts isn’t the belt failing, but the debris that comes off them over time, which slowly clogs the oil pickup in the sump, which in turn kills the engine through oil starvation and clogging of the minor galleries. Changing the belt more frequently won’t prevent that.

2 year old velle would be £50k. But i’d look at anything other than the Tourneo as an alternative: Peugeot traveller / Citroen space tourer is a far better place to be, especially in the back, both are loaded with kit and both are significantly cheaper for example.

The wet belt kit is about £350 so relatively comparable to most other cars/vans on a 100k miles service life.

I'll be changing mine this summer.

"2 year old velle would be £50k. But i’d look at anything other than the Tourneo as an alternative: Peugeot traveller / Citroen space tourer is a far better place to be, especially in the back, both are loaded with kit and both are significantly cheaper for example."

I'd briefly considered the peugeot but then dismissed it due to probable electrical gremlins...

IIRC the issue with wet belts isn’t the belt failing, but the debris that comes off them over time, which slowly clogs the oil pickup in the sump, which in turn kills the engine through oil starvation and clogging of the minor galleries. Changing the belt more frequently won’t prevent that.

Yep - belt can degrade at very low miles or can be perfect at very high miles. Total lottery it seems and the problem is there's no easy way to properly inspect the belt to check it's condition. Yes, its possible to see the belt via borescope as @z1ppy says earlier, but that only allows a view of the top (smooth) surface of the belt and not the teeth, so it's of limited use. The wet belt issue is a shame as otherwise they're good vans and there's plenty around whose wetbelts haven't exploded. Pretty much all vans have their particular issues too, so you could be ****ed whichever brand you choose!

There *appears* to be correlation between how the van's looked after and belt condition. Frequent short journeys that result in failed DPF regens mean fuel is dumped into the oil, diluting it and buggering the wet belt. There was a recall for software regarding the oil dilution issue. Frequent oil changes - more frequently than the recommendations - helps too. I use every one of the 130bhp on mine and I think letting it rev high at times can't be a bad thing for the turbo either, rather than pootling around all the time.

@Ewan, what about a DCIV - dual cab in van - instead of a Tourneo? Keeps the luggage completely separate from the passenger cabin. Tailgate and single passenger seat on the DCIV we have, although I'm aware that's not common.

Yup. And it gets better: The new Transit Custom (just starting to appear out and about now) is twinned with the VW Transporter T7 due to be revealed later this year. Same van, different front end styling, same engines. Both have the Ford diesel engine with the wet belt…

I bet the VW Fascists, sorry, Fanboys are absolutely loving this.

How will they display their superiority now?

"@Ewan, what about a DCIV – dual cab in van – instead of a Tourneo? Keeps the luggage completely separate from the passenger cabin. Tailgate and single passenger seat on the DCIV we have, although I’m aware that’s not common."

Nah, that would not pass the wife filter! One of the attractions of the tourneo is that you can configure the seats so they face each other, allowing better child management.

Work colleague has the older non-Kamikaze wetbelt version, however he had the same issue I had with my full size Transhit of the control arm retaining nut spinning loose and requiring boring down through layers of the cab floor steelwork to access it.

I bet the VW Fascists, sorry, Fanboys are absolutely loving this.

Weird comment

Weird comment

Not that weird if you've spent any time in VW circles and heard them pouring mockery and derision on all other lesser vehicles. Now they have to decide if they want to drive around in a rebadged Tranny after years of slagging them off.

I'm not in the market for a van of any type, but I find these threads fascinating.  Vans are obviously very trendy at present, but people seem willing to spend a small fortune on them and put up with terrible reliability.  Every van discussed appears to have reliability problems (especially VW?) which cost an arm and a leg to put right.  Am I missing something?

Probably not. I just have a family and associated crap to transport over long distances and want to do it in comfort without sticking a bunch of bikes and roof boxes on the roof. Large MPV is the obvious solution - a toureno / travellor / carvelle is a large MPV.

@RustyNissanPrairie

These can be removed with out cutting anything, you can squeeze a shallow socket on to nut, have done plenty with the nut spinning and/or bolt seized in bush.

people seem willing to spend a small fortune on them and put up with terrible reliability

That's not always the case though. My van was cheaper than the VW Passat I also looked at buying at the time. It has been no more unreliable than any other vehicle I have owned, that is to say for a new vehicle it has had no failures other than a broken front spring at 75k miles.

The best thing about the new transporter is that it won’t be built by the ham-fisted halfwits in Hannover , but instead at the TOFAS plant in Turkey. There’s a chance it might actually be assembled properly.

The long Wheel Base normal Transit has beautiful handling, the normal custom back end is dreadful.

Watch out for the 2.0 wet belt engine too, they can be really bad, saying that mine's done 185k in 6 years and head gasket has just gone on it.

I had a chat with my local garage about them as he runs one. I needed to decide whether to spend money on my T4's bodywork or go newer.

He says that he would charge about a grand for the belt swap but a lot of that cost comes because the cover is hard/impossible to remove without ruining it. He plans and doing his every 60,000 miles and says not everyone uses the right oil. Unless I misunderstood (more than possible, the sump is removed to drop the oil as opposed to just a plug, although this cover can be prised off without wrecking it.

I've kept thec T4

Everyone I know who has bought their own Transit from new ( and there's been a few over the years, myself included) have never had any issues with them. **
Persons who are given the van to use for work have had lots of problems, as well as smashed lights / mirrors etc.
As they yanks say, you do the math.

Tourneos are bought by families or taxi / airport run companies. Stick with the former and you should be ok.

** probably be someone along in a minute to say otherwise 😉

He says that he would charge about a grand for the belt swap but a lot of that cost comes because the cover is hard/impossible to remove without ruining it. He plans and doing his every 60,000 miles and says not everyone uses the right oil. Unless I misunderstood (more than possible, the sump is removed to drop the oil as opposed to just a plug, although this cover can be prised off without wrecking it.

That's about right. Ford main dealer quotes appear to be £1500-1900 for the job. I used a specialist who does several wetbelt replacements most weekends, and during the week contracts with Ford as a tech (19yrs doing that). £850 done on my driveway. Front timing cover is impossible to reseal afterwards, hence replacement, and I think it's similar with the sump (cheap part anyway). Job as follows:

Timing belt and tensioner

Front timing cover

Oil pump drive belt

Oil Pick-up cleaned out

Sump replaced

X2 aux belts

Oil and filter change.

IIRC the issue with wet belts isn’t the belt failing, but the debris that comes off them over time, which slowly clogs the oil pickup in the sump, which in turn kills the engine through oil starvation and clogging of the minor galleries. Changing the belt more frequently won’t prevent that.

No but avoiding short journeys and changing the oil frequently will.

Partially burnt Bioethanol in today's fuel (which gets by the Piston rings in short journeys due to over fuel on cold start)mixed with the oil makes the belt swell and the edges of the belt when then wear on the side oft he block and pulleys causing the fibres that block the oil galleys.

Removed my wet belt at 7 years old on a puretech and it looks brand new.

The transit engine cover is a disaster though their are much better and less destructive ways of achieving the same thing. Mine has covered windows using keyed rubber gaskets that are easy to fit and remove

Test drove one last night. Super easy to drive but very much a 'van' with a lot of scratchy plastics. Not sure how I feel about scratchy plastics - on one hand they're robust and I have children, on the other hand it's 30 grand. Probably going to take it for a longer test drive at the weekend with kids and the wife. Sort of feels to big, but then I recall feeling that about the mondeo estate the first time i drove it, and really the custom is pretty much the same foot print (4972 x 1986 for the custom and 4804 x 1958 for the mondeo - might be slightly different widths as one probably includes the wing mirrors).

@jonm81 - any idea on the actual height? My work carpark has a barrier at 2m - i'm going to measure it tomorrow to see if it's 1.9 or 2.1 or whatever, but i note that whilst the brochure says it's just under 2m, it doesn't say whether that's including the sharksfin antenna (i'm assuming the front is the highest bit?) or not which looks like it's 5-7cm tall...

Got to decide tomorrow really, as the garage is holding the van for me until then. Aghhh.

Mine is 1.95m but has the antennas in the windows rather than a shark fin.  It'll fit in most carparks with a 2m barrier but beware of multi-stories where going up ramps can make it higher than that the 2 m as you enter the ramp.

https://www.sealey.co.uk/product/5637816636/petrol-engine-timing-belt-checking-gauge-for-psa-10-12---belt-drive

Is what I use the measure wet belt, along with 6 monthly oil/filter change and occasional long multihour drives.

FFS a modern engine shouldn’t need that kind of watchful preemptive checking.

@jonm81 yeah I will avoid most of the time it's just the work one I can't avoid. Wonder if there is a smart way to work out the height on the ramp up without doing a full survey!

FFS a modern engine shouldn’t need that kind of watchful preemptive checking

Why not. Takes minutes. Can prevent you from being sat at the side of the road a long way from home and let's you catch issues as they develop rather than once they are a serious issue.

Could always buy a biturbo VW transporter I hear those run for ever between services

I don't think either of them are well engineered. Ford have known about the issues with wet belts for years in both their diesel and petrol lumps. With VW the later 199/204 charge cooled biturbos are better than the 180, but they still seem to suffer from various low milage problems, possibly down to ring design, possibly down to being assembled by communists.

A timing belt is not an item any normal user would ever consider to be a thing you'd have to check. Sure change it when you hit a certain milage or age, but inspect it like your tyre pressure? That's bonkers.

I have 2021 Vauxhall Combo 1.5 diesel. This has reported issues with the camchain that links the camshafts - there is also a dry belt from the crankshaft. The smaller Fords use the same engine. Currently for the 1.5 engine there is change of oil spec from Jan this year that even the dealers don't know about and a revised set of camshafts, 8mm pitch chain and rocker cover (not cheap!) that seem to be impossible to get hold of. If the current chain goes pop the engine is lunched.

I expected emission control issues on a modern engine, but not basic engine architecture.

So my mate, who runs a classic car restoration business, helped build my Cinq into a proper track car, builds engines & gearboxes for fun, designs and builds train simulators for actual train companies; is more engineer than mechanic, just had his transit custom MS:RT serviced last night at a Ford main dealer. The ranting text messages went like this:

I booked my van into ford main dealers to have the wetbelt changed, I picked it up today and asked why there was no oil or filter on my itemised bill...... "we didn't change it sir, you didn't ask us to" ........"Don't you need to drain it out to change the belt?" ....... "Yes, you had not specified an oil change so we strained the oil and put it back in, it all looked ok" ..."WTF!!!!! I see you have charged me for a waterpump gasket, I cannot see a waterpump?" ..... "It looked good so we refitted it." ........ "There is no coolant ether, have you strained that?" ......... "yes, sir, it looked and tested fine so we refitted it...... we have your £995 bill to pay bit we saved you £180" ......... "You are a bunch of ^%#$s  and I will never bring my van here again!"

then tonight:

“For sale, transit custom, Serviced 24 hours ago with new wet belts, now seized solid on the M1 at junction 21! Ford £&@“€>|## €€>|%|> are a massive bunch of £&@#s!

arse.

And there is why I do my own work

Inc timing belts

Reading that again. He has a receipt id be having that dumped on their forecourt

They've obviously f****d something up for it to fail like that.

But for information, you don't need to take the sump off or drain the oil to do the main wet belt. It's all done via the front cover, so if there's no belt degradation, then there's no need to remove the sump.

The oil pump is also driven via a wet belt, but there is no official service interval for them, and I've never heard of one failing, and there have been other engines that have had a belt driven oil pump before the EcoBlue engine.

However, I'd guess they never even removed the water pump, as you wouldn't go to the hassle of removing it, just to refit it with a new gasket. You do however need to drain the coolant to get the front cover off.

Bad batch of tensioners floating about or something to do with a bolt that's re-used that seems to cause failure shortly after changing the wet belt, according to FB anyway.

Just buy a Berlingo!