Is there added economy to Jetta TDI these days?

[ammolab]

In my town regular gas is $2.99 while Diesel is $3.99. Seems like the TDI gets about 33% better mileage on fuel that costs 33% more and you pay considerable bucks for the oil burner.....

Where is the savings?

 

[ChiTDI]

Europe.

 

[FutureDoc]

Originally Posted By: ammolab
In my town regular gas is $2.99 while Diesel is $3.99. Seems like the TDI gets about 33% better mileage on fuel that costs 33% more and you pay considerable bucks for the oil burner.....

Where is the savings?


I guess it varies on the area. I think there is only a 30-ish cent difference or about 10% around here. There is a slightly higher Fed tax on diesel as well and it might vary by state too. Plus there is funny pricing for diesel in the states as a general rule.

 

[JHZR2]

Yeah it varies. IMO the Pilot-Flying J merger has done funky things to diesel fuel prices. Every non-interstate station fluctuates between 3.59 and 3.69/gal for diesel, while the interstate truckstops are more like 3.85.

 

[Jeffs2006EvoIX]

Not in my area diesel is about the price of mid grade gas.

Considering that my friend averages almost 50mpgs in his jetta tdi on his 90 min commute as an example vs my other friend that car pools with him that has a prius it still makes sense. The tdi gets better mpgs on thehwy on their route that they take is why they drive the tdi. That and is more comfortable.

They average almost 800 miles on a tank. To me that's pretty impressive.

The gas price varies like anything else.

We are very lucky VW and others are bringing more diesels here. We are long overdue.

Jeff

 

[Brybo86]

and by "funny“ he means that it makes no logical sense

 

[dareo]

Not with the extra purchase price and small chance if HPFP failure. Only the older alh tdi is truely economical anymore.

 

[FutureDoc]

Originally Posted By: Brybo86
and by "funny“ he means that it makes no logical sense


that is correct, sir

it takes more than a PhD to figure out what exactly is going on... other than greed

 

[HTSS_TR]

USA gas station near my home sometimes had Diesel at less than 87 by few cents, sometimes it was few cents more than 87. Other stations such as Chevron few miles away has diesel at few cents more than 91.

 

[whip]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
IMO the Pilot-Flying J merger has done funky things to diesel fuel prices.

How so?

 

[BearZDefect]

I can't speak for diesel prices, but the Pilot-Flying J merger turned all the Flying J truck stops into dumps.

 

[Thermo1223]

Originally Posted By: dareo
Not with the extra purchase price and small chance if HPFP failure. Only the older alh tdi is truely economical anymore.


Proof a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

ALH/BEW are well worn now and less reliable than buying a new CR TDI.

The HPFP while an issue was overblown coupled with sketchy US fuel quality it is hard to pin in down as who has the most liability.

The only thing I worry about is the longevity of DPF's and that is for anything diesel not just VW.

Basically you are taking a chance no matter what.

 

[supton]

Always taking a chance.

I took a chance on the BEW motor and I think it was fine, but I'm thinking (still) of getting out while I can--I just took a quick look at injector prices, and ... breathtaking!

 

[dareo]

People have exceeded 700,000 miles on an original engine alh tdi, 300k 400k 500k 600k clubs on TDI club. Sure they are older now, but if you compare a 2003 ALH TDI to any other 2003 era car they are quite good still. There are simply not many components that can potentially fail, and they all have long life expectancy.

One can find a well maintained ALH tdi for cheap, replace anything worn, and drive it for hundreds of thousands of miles. Unless its rusted out, it can be fixed and driven almost forever if you really want to.

HPFP+DPF+other emissions stuff=scared me out of buying a new TDI.

 

[dareo]

BEW has expensive injectors, ALH has an injector pump that can go out. About 900 or so on a pump, and about $1500 for 4 BEW injectors. BEW integrates the function of the injector pump, that is why they cost a mint. They have very long average service lives. A DIY car guy can keep an ALH going forever at economical prices. That being said, it is nice to get a new car once in a while. So my wife has a 14 accord now, even though her TDI is just fine at 296k.

 

[supton]

I just looked at Kerma's site, and it was about $2k for BEW injectors, not sure where else to shop for 'em but by the time you factor in installation (I think you pull the cam to do that, and now you're at a TB job too) it cannot be a cheap endeavor. At least they are not the supposed $750/each when I first bought the car.

You can keep anything going, but sometimes you gotta wonder.

 

[dareo]

I guess the list price is in the 700s per injector, but i always go through Boraparts for my VW stuff. Owner is a friend, used to live here in Utah, so i could go buy parts in person for cheap. He finds ways to sell top quality parts for a good deal, in this case, $377 per. injector link: http://shopping.boraparts.com/product_info.php?products_id=621

But i think your point is, a car is not worth fixing at some point.

 

[sciphi]

Between the higher-priced fuel and higher-priced parts, diesel is not economical over a 40+ mpg gasser. Even factoring in sometimes needing to run premium for best MPG's, potential DI issues, or turbo issues with the gasser. Premium unleaded is still cheaper than diesel around me, and my gasser Cruze is still $5000-6000 cheaper to purchase than a Cruze Diesel.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: whip
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
IMO the Pilot-Flying J merger has done funky things to diesel fuel prices.

How so?


Around here the interstate diesel prices are WAY higher than the prices on the surface roads. This has only been the case since the merger. Now, there are no Petro stops, Pilot and Flying J have the same exact price and no incentive to reduce the price, and so it is really just a two-company setup around here (TA and PFJ).

Its amazing, the prices on the surface roads are all currently 3.599 for credit diesel, while the truckstops are asking 3.85 cash and slightly more for credit. And the buyers on the interstate buy more quantity, though the surface road stations I use do get a LOT of bus, dumptruck and other heavy vehicle business.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Between the higher-priced fuel and higher-priced parts, diesel is not economical over a 40+ mpg gasser. Even factoring in sometimes needing to run premium for best MPG's, potential DI issues, or turbo issues with the gasser. Premium unleaded is still cheaper than diesel around me, and my gasser Cruze is still $5000-6000 cheaper to purchase than a Cruze Diesel.


Yes but normalize the price to volume and MPGs for say a jetta wagon or a passat tdi to the crize or cruze diesel. IMO youre shopping different segments here and that isnt really a good comparison.

Yes, in an apples to apples comparison, the diesel car will cost more in terms of acquisition than the gasser. But again, one should then normalize to the level of content, the torque provided, etc. I have a hard time faulting the diesel for the stupid way that the manufacturers outfit cars in terms of options and packages.

And then one must consider resale and retained value at higher mileages, where the diesels shine.