To my loyal and trusted friends on this forum - advice please
 

My daughter is selling us her PICASSO MPV Y Reg. We know that when you pull away, there is black smoke that comes from the exhaust - its a Diesel vehicle.

This has been happening for the past six or seven months. Any ideas what this can be and if there are any other faults to look out for.

I have a Vauxhall Corsa, for general run a round and my wife has a Toyota.

We buy the PICASSO, my wife gives me her TOYOTA, and l sell my CORSA.

Any advice -:)

Re: To my loyal and trusted friends on this forum - advice please
 

When was it last serviced? Does the black smoke last for long? I've seen recommendations that you shouldn't use a diesel unless you do a lot of miles and certainly not for trundling round town.

Black smoke is generally from unburnt fuel which usually happens when regular servicing is ignored.
Older diesels need oil and all filters replacing every 6 months/6,000 miles.
Get that done, change the glow plugs as well and jobs a goodun.

Re: To my loyal and trusted friends on this forum - advice please
 

I would add that in my diesel car the black smoke was greatly reduced by cleaning out the egr valve as this recirculates exhaust gases and burns off the unburned fuel .

@ Arthur are you sure you want to take on a diesel ,fuel is more expensive and MPV's can be expensive for insurance

Re: To my loyal and trusted friends on this forum - advice please
 

Many thanks guys for all your help with this.

Re: To my loyal and trusted friends on this forum - advice please
 

Do you do any kind of decent mileage to warrant the higher costs of diesels, servicing/fuel costs are higher than petrol, plus if you just trundle round town, they never warm up and that cause untold misery down the line.

Picasso xsaria's are as cheap as chips as they devalue faster than a piano dropped from height. So if you're dead set on having one, you'll find a petrol one for a good price.

I have a petrol one, and had no issues thus far (same reg as yours)

you'll find it 'interesting' to park compared to a corsa for sure, but unless you have a large family and/or move a lot of big stuff around a lot, it's a bit pointless. (Obviously I have no idea what size your family is, or your usage )

Re: To my loyal and trusted friends on this forum - advice please
 

Black smoke is normal for a diesel unless it's massive plumes of it. It should not do it when not accelerating except for when the engine is cold. If it's any other colour you could have engine issues. Blue is burning oil (but is OK for the first 30 seconds after starting), white is improperly burnt fuel or condensation (condensation is OK).