General Newbie... contemplating Doblo Family Multijet

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General Newbie... contemplating Doblo Family Multijet

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Apr 3, 2010
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Hi all,

We currently have a Renault Scenic, 6yrs old this month, 32K and served us well.

It is my wifes car and she is hankering after a replacement. Something that will have loads of room for the kids, carrying stuff to her allotment, the skip and holidays. Basically, quite robust and no fancy interior to get dirty.

We test drove a 3yr old 1.3 multijet and she loved it.

A few questions..

Relaibility?
1.3 multijet economy (6K a year and mainly town use)?
Problems/issues to look out for?
Upgrades.... roof rails, stereo, boot liners, body work etc/ABS etc?

Finally, how safe are they? It only gets a 3star rating, did FIAT sell models with air bag upgrades?

Sorry for the questions, hope you can help:eek:
 
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Doblo sounds perfect for what you need.

The only problem you will have is possible a clogged DPF, a filter in the exhaust which is quite expensive to fix. Not really a problem with the car as you are likely to get this problem with all modern diesels doing small local mileages.
 
Not as refined as the renault but more fun to drive and way way way cheaper to run. The 1.3 isn't that far behind the 1.9 if your not doing long distance runs and carry alot of gear.

1.3 engine is used in GP,b 500 and by Ford/vauxhall so its tried and tested.

I have always said the doblo is under rated (a good thing as it keeps prices down;)) and I went out in ours today to take dog to beach and by the time i got to the roundabout (2 streets away) I saw 3 other doblos(y)
 
In my opinion, avoid any car with a dpf if you do lots of town driving. I had one with a dpf and it was a pain as I too only did mainly town driving.

I have a 105 non dpf. It has more poke, and on my recent real mpg test (brim, use rebrim) did 45mpg over 445 miles. When it does go on a long run, we see 55mpg+.
 
Would agree with previous posts really, multijet is not suitable for short journeys and towns.
I use our 1.3 multijet for mainly short journeys and have just had to have the oil changed only 3000 miles after the first year service.
Other than that it is a great little car!
We are about to trade our 08 multijet in for a new petrol Doblo before we get any expensive repairs because of the DPF.
 
Stop/start driving is no good for any vehicle, no matter what fuel.
All town driving isn't that good either - but only in terms of fuel economy - unless you adapt your style of driving.
I have read many posts where advice is given to take the motor for a burn on the motorway (or similar) - but surely the wind chill at that speed will lower the temp of the DPF and so not cause regeneration?
If you really must take it on the motorway to regen the DPF, try the M25 between Watford and Heathrow - you'll be sat there long enough for the whole thing to get nice and toasty.

johnabobs, what makes you think that a petrol version won't need an oil change after 3k of town driving?
Most modern cars' computers & sensors are set up in favour of the stealers so of course they will say it needs an oil change - who are we to say otherwise?

When I'm driving my bus, I often have as many as 10 stops within a 3 mile journey, other drivers will switch off the engine - then wonder why the battery doesn't last too long or it shows as wantinga regular service - they are serviced every 6 weeks wether they want it or not, I leave my engine running, overall it seems to use less fuel, doesn't go through as many batteries and it keeps my passengers warm/cool.
 
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Cheers.

So, only concern raised so far is the DPF... is that the main issue with the vehicle? The Renault (1.5dci) has not suffered from DPF problems and the DPF doesnt concern me.

Any other common faults?
Anything to look out for when buying used?
We are looking at a used car, something with the recent face lift.
 
You will always get a few issues but in 7 years I have only changed one DPF (had fault since new so suspect faulty when made) otherwise the worse you will get is a forced regen (£40-60) aslong as you oil change when required and you remind dealer to reset oil degredation counter!

Anyway not wanting to turn this into a DPF thread (plenty of those) other small issues can be sliding door contact switches, boost sensor....i'm struggling to think of anything!
 
We have a 2005 family 1.3 multijet, co2 is 152g so it must not have a dpf.

As to the car, the engine is proven, the parts are relatively cheap, it's an easy economical drive and huge inside.

Like most seven seaters you can't carry people and luggage at the same time, and the third row of seats is a nice work-out when lifting in and out....try it one handed :D

We bought ours for similar reasons to you, 3 kids, a dog, mountain biking and surfing as a hobby, holidays in france via the ferry....it ticks all the logical boxes. In a sane world more people would drive one. And if I am honest brand snobbery almost made me spend more on something else, I am so glad I didn't.
 
We bought ours for similar reasons to you, 3 kids, a dog, mountain biking and surfing as a hobby, holidays in france via the ferry....it ticks all the logical boxes. In a sane world more people would drive one. And if I am honest brand snobbery almost made me spend more on something else, I am so glad I didn't.

Duplo...a very honest a good post and think of all the money you saved and are saving on running costs(y)
 
Cheers all.

We are definetly set on a Doblo now, nothing else is "ticking boxes"!(y)

Finding a 1.3 Multijet with AC, in budget (06) onwards is proving difficult. Apart from road tax, what's the economy difference between a 1.3Mj and 1.9JTD?
 
my 1.9 JTD (must be turbo, forget the 1.9D non-turbo) retuens around 50 thats wife and me driving town and bypass but with some care 53-55 is easily possible. Bored one night I went out and drove 20 miles and got back home with 61.9 on display but this fell to its normally 50mpg next day when wife went shopping in the town etc

Air-con, wish I had it, was hot other day and you can really feel heat through all that glass. Tint or blinds are a must.
 
parkers list it as 48mpg but as said we always get higher than this but I dont live in a city.

just checked trip and its reading 53.8, put £20 in last wednesday (reset display) and car been used on 2 trips on bypass and around town. I assume the trip display is 5% roughly on the high side.
 
50mpg seems high for this type of vehicle...is the computer optimistic?
My wifes 1.5dci Sceninc does 50-60mpg, im supprised the 1.9JTD could achieve near that:confused:.

My Dobbie returns 50mpg,unless i have my size 11 steel toe boots on (y)
i couldnt have a smaller engined one after driving this!
it goes very well for a van,and the air con is good too.

Regards

Richie
 
I've just come back off hols, car full of gear, two adults, one nearly adult, big dog & large bike on a rack, boot fully loaded, spent the whole time with the aircon on, got stuck in a bit of slow moving on the M6 north & still managed a respectable 43mpg (most of the motorway was a constant 70mph and off motorway was country roads in Lake district (Kirkstone pass anybody?) which covered 180 miles)
That figure is taken from brim to brim not computer.
 
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