should my next car be a diesel?
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I now have 101k miles on my '09 TDI.
10 oil changes, 4 fuel filters, 3 air filters, one trans fluid replacement (less than two quarts), one headlight, one brake bulb, one set of wipers and halfway or so through the second set of tires.
That's it!
45.6mpg average so far.
I am very happy with this car, and I still love driving it.
Tim
10 oil changes, 4 fuel filters, 3 air filters, one trans fluid replacement (less than two quarts), one headlight, one brake bulb, one set of wipers and halfway or so through the second set of tires.
That's it!
45.6mpg average so far.
I am very happy with this car, and I still love driving it.
Tim
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The biggest advantage of diesel is in heavy hauling/towing situations-but the DPF is taking some of that MPG advantage away burning fuel to consume soot/drop emissions. You'll have to drive BIG miles to save money in a diesel car over a gasser-the older mechanically injected diesels were a different story.
Give you an example-my son's old '82 300D is capable of 28 MPG highway if driven judiciously-no way a gas '82 300E could make it over 15-16 with that carbureted fuel system-but FI technology has narrowed the gap A LOT!
EFI has come a long ways, definately.
I like the low speed operation of my TDi. Don't have to flog it around town (I prefer that for the highway); and it returns good mpg's even at speed.
But the emissions equipment on the new ones scare me. Not that the expensive cats on the gassers don't either; but I think I'll wait for the current technology to become a bit more proven.
The oil change is sweet on the TDi--not sure if I could ever go back to crawling under the car for that again!
I like the low speed operation of my TDi. Don't have to flog it around town (I prefer that for the highway); and it returns good mpg's even at speed.
But the emissions equipment on the new ones scare me. Not that the expensive cats on the gassers don't either; but I think I'll wait for the current technology to become a bit more proven.
The oil change is sweet on the TDi--not sure if I could ever go back to crawling under the car for that again!
NO!
I purchased a new 2006 Jetta TDI with DSG automatic. The number of problems were stunning. But the clincher was the explosion of the dual mass flywheel (yes, it's 2 steel plates held together with viscous rubber for vibration absorption). It lost an EGR cooler, wideband O2 sensor (very expensive), DSG transmission, intake anti shutter valve (like a throttle) and in tank fuel pump twice. Plus a bunch of other things I don't remember. Thank God it's gone! 60,000 miles with that thing was enough.
What many people don't realize is the lengths manufacturers go to make the small diesels smooth. Those are the things that fail! From liquid filled engine mounts, to rubbery flywheels. Not to mention expensive emission equipment.
No thanks! I'd rather drive a Prius.
I purchased a new 2006 Jetta TDI with DSG automatic. The number of problems were stunning. But the clincher was the explosion of the dual mass flywheel (yes, it's 2 steel plates held together with viscous rubber for vibration absorption). It lost an EGR cooler, wideband O2 sensor (very expensive), DSG transmission, intake anti shutter valve (like a throttle) and in tank fuel pump twice. Plus a bunch of other things I don't remember. Thank God it's gone! 60,000 miles with that thing was enough.
What many people don't realize is the lengths manufacturers go to make the small diesels smooth. Those are the things that fail! From liquid filled engine mounts, to rubbery flywheels. Not to mention expensive emission equipment.
No thanks! I'd rather drive a Prius.
Re: DSG. Couldn't pay me to have one. $400 fluid changes every 40kmiles? No thanks.
I too had issues with the EGR cooler. Mine is blocked off, and I think one of the pipes is leaking. Surprisingly my DMF is still good, although I do have some flakiness at times that makes me wonder...
I think the pre-04 TDi's are pretty good; long lived machines with their trouble spots well known. But they aren't new. And the new ones are just too dang pricey. And with VW's legendary dealership...
I too had issues with the EGR cooler. Mine is blocked off, and I think one of the pipes is leaking. Surprisingly my DMF is still good, although I do have some flakiness at times that makes me wonder...
I think the pre-04 TDi's are pretty good; long lived machines with their trouble spots well known. But they aren't new. And the new ones are just too dang pricey. And with VW's legendary dealership...
I was thinking hard about it, then saw that the manual-transmission Cruze Eco was offering almost identical fuel mileage in an almost identically sized and trimmed car for thousands less initially, and running fuel that's 20-30 cents/gallon less than the premium it gets fed. Feed it regular that the manual recommends, and it's 40-50 cents a gallon less for very similar EPA fuel mileage. Diesel is running about $4.20-4.30 a gallon at retail gas stations around me, compared to $3.75-3.85 for RUG and $4/gallon for premium unleaded. Compared to a 2012 VW TDI, I'm laughing all the way to the bank on initial purchase cost and fuel costs. Add in the comparatively simple emissions on the gasser MT Cruze that won't cost anywhere near as much to repair, and long-term maintenance made my choice a no-brainer in favor of the Cruze. It has the high fuel economy and great highway acceleration of a turbodiesel, with the lower purchase and fuel costs of a gas car. It even does a German-car driving impression quite well. I thought I was going diesel until this car came along to keep me planted in the gasser camp.
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