New 2.0L HDI engine question

[surfer]

I have read on another forum that in order to replace the glow plugs /injectors on this engine is a very complex procedure costing you hundreds of pounds. To quote a mechanic;

The next step is to remove the cylinder head from the engine and attempt to remove the injectors from the other side.
To remove the cylinder head the cam shaft carrier has to be removed to get access to the cylinder head bolts.
The problem is that the fuel injectors mount through the cam shaft carrier. In order to remove the cylinder head, the combined aluminium inlet manifold and camshaft carrier has to be destroyed to get access to the cylinder head bolts.
Once we have got to this stage if the injectors still wont come out of the cylinder head it is necessary to replace the cylinder head.

I assume that this would also apply to the 1.6 HDI engine which is fitted into the 3008 a vehicle we are/were interested in buying. Can any one verify that there are issues with these engines. I have no intention of buying a car only to find out that due to a design flaw it is going to cost me hundreds of pounds in a few years time to rectify what should be a simple fault.
I am no mechanic but like to keep my money, what little I have, in my pocket and not the pocket of some dealer.

[Piston Broke]

They can be done in situ, but it's a pain. Thankfully, it's still a pain on the 3008, but it's far from impossible and within the realms of skilled DIYdom. The 3008 has a little more clearance at the rear of the engine than the very tight 308 installation - it's about the same as the same motor in a Focus, so not bags of room but about par with everyone else.

In any case, you get a warranty to take care of that. Additionally, the 2 litre (in slightly modified form) and the 1.6 are used by Ford, Volvo, Mazda etc, so you'd have to got a long way to avoid one of these units. Properly cared for they're both as durable as any direct competitor powerplant.

The engines are both quite low compression for a diesel and the glow plugs do little work during start up and should last yonks, so the likelyhood of needing attention is minimal.

However, and it's a big 'however', the glow plugs have a secondary function in helping to heat the combustion chamber to run a 'regen' and clean the FAP, and if you're a low mileage driver the FAP won't clear as it should and the regen will run more frequently, shortening the life of the glow plugs as the car cycles through a regen more frequently.

That's not an issue unique to PSA - no one sells in the UK a diesel car over 90BHP without some kind of FAP. With this in mind, don't buy a modern diseasel unless you do the mileage to make it work properly, as the increased maintenance of the FAP will throw any fuel saving down the drain, and then some.

TBH, if you believed every horror story you read you'd never buy a car from anyone again, such is the way folk use the interweb as a medium to moan. My 3008 developed so quite nasty faults but has been put right very efficiently and is now settling down to be the best family car I've ever owned.