Ford Transit Diesel Problems

All of today's diesel engines in light commercials are of the common-rail variety, which operate with very high pressures. That leads, in particular, to wear in the fuel injectors. They're all the same, most use the same pump and injectors and as a result they generally have similar wear patterns. I don't believe the Transit is any better, or any worse, than the others in this respect.

The engine would run on bio-diesel, but if you swap you should service it and replace filters etc. after running a tank of bio through it. The bio-diesel will remove all the varnish that's built up in the fuel system and that will accumulate in the filters. It should be fine after doing that service, but I wouldn't advise doing it unless you can get bio-diesel wherever you go. It's not a good idea to be switching back and forth. A "Power Chip" is claimed to improve the economy, but you need to drive accordingly to achieve the claimed improvement. Most people don't get the economy benefits because they make use of the increase in power it also delivers.  Fitting a second reserve tank would be a good move, that way you can take advantage of price swings and buy when the fuel is cheapest; you can also buy in the major centres where the rice is usually lower than in remote areas and the quality more reliable. Transits are prone to turbo failure, so I would have the dealer check that before you go bush.

I haven't heard of it before, but I reckon your mechanic is on the mark when he says it's the turbo. I would have the turbo checked for sure.