I want a diesel

[Baron von BeeGee]

Passenger car, that is. They have a lot of public opinion to get around in the US, but I hope now that we're getting the low sulphur fuel we'll start to see some more selection. With BMW bringing the 1-series gasoline sedans next year I'm hoping they'll eventually bring the diesel versions. 55-60mpg! I don't care if diesel fuel costs marginally more than gasoline or if the car itself costs more. Seems like a better solution to me than hybrids.

http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/index/0,,1156___bs-MQ==@bb-S08=@sit-bmwuk,00.html
(hope that link works)

Kind of weird looking, but would be incredibly practical for my commute & weekend trips, not to mention be a nice upgrade from the interior of my Subaru. And I'll always have the F-100 when I just need to carbonize some dinosaurs.

 

[McKBrew]

I want a diesel truck. (I know, not nearly as efficient as a diesel car, but still better mileage than a gas powered one). Plus the sound of a diesel idling gets me as excited as a bubbling airlock.

If anybody wants to loan me $40,000 to make my dreams of manliness a reality, PM me.

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

If anybody wants to loan me $40,000 to make my dreams of manliness a reality, PM me.

A buddy of mine was researching buying a truck and a 5th wheel the other day and I was shocked at how expensive those trucks are. I think he's just leaning towards a full on RV now (with a diesel pusher, of course)!

 

[sause]

The '08 VW Jetta TDI is going to be coming out soon. If I was to buy a new car it would be a diesel. And being the do-it-yoursels type of people we are you could look into Bio-Diesel which is the cleanest thing you could run a car on right now. And it would cost you about 75 cents a gallon.

 

[Flyin' Lion]

I've looked into getting an older Jetta or Mercedes diesel. The ultimate in fuel efficiency would be to convert to bio-diesel. How cool would it be to drive around to the smell of french fries?

 

[EdWort]

I have a friend with a Ford Excursion with the Powerstroke Diesel in it. He reprogrammed the computer on board and now get 32 MPG in that behemoth when he does 55 miles per hour on the highway.

 

[EdWort]

How cool would it be to drive around to the smell of french fries?

I'd prefer Walleye, catfish or hushpuppies.

 

[McKBrew]

As far as bio-diesel being an environmentally friendly fuel, there are some recent contradictions.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article2507851.ece

 

[Lil' Sparky]

I've got an '05 VW Passat TDI. Love it!!! It's got the power of a V6 and gets 30 in town and 40 on the hwy. I'm really surprised more manufacturers don't bring their diesels over here.

 

[Flyin' Lion]

Who cares about enviro-friendly? I like the idea 'cause it's cheap.

As far as bio-diesel being an environmentally friendly fuel, there are some recent contradictions.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article2507851.ece

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

I'd like to get into distilling...ummmm...ethanol.

 

[mrk305]

Checking into distilling is how I got into this hobby!

 

[fretman124]

Actually....distilling is how I got into this hobby.

Distilling is harder, and it takes much longer to get to drink your product.

 

[DeathBrewer]

it's not that hard if you have the right equipment. a friend of mine distills all the time

does take a while, but it's like beer...you just gotta keep doing it and stock up!

speaking of friends, another friend of mine just bought a diesel landcruiser. i think the goal is to eventually convert to bio-diesel. that's a crazy machine, can't wait to join him for a cruise through the desert

 

[Orfy]

I have a diesel and it runs on 100% veg oil when it's warm enough.

 

[z987k]

As far as bio-diesel being an environmentally friendly fuel, there are some recent contradictions.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article2507851.ece

What they fail to mention in that article is all of the bio-Diesel's carbon burned is that it's a net 0. The corn/other organic(biosphere) absorbs carbon, you burn that carbon, the cycle goes round, no new carbon is introduced into the atmosphere.

Bio-fuels are extremely environmentally friendly.

 

[Orfy]

But it makes the price of beer go up as well.!!!!!!!

 

[Brew Runner]

Can you even get a diesel passenger car new in CA these days? I'm pretty sure no. I thought the tree huggers buried that one in last year or two. Trucks are a different vehicle class and haven't been affected as much so far.

Another bonus is that diesels don't have to get smog checks here.....yet.

 

[ScubaSteve]

I almost bought a diesel rabbit back in the day......man, that little car would shake like a space shuttle when it started!

 

[EdWort]

I had a diesel VW Golf back in Germany. Man, it would get like 50 miles to the gallon, but it was a little car.

Now, and Audi A4 Wagon TDI 6 speed manual rocks! Drove one one time in Germany on the Autobahn. Sucker would cruise at 130 MPH like it was nothing.....

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

Yeah, the modern diesel engines for passenger cars are a big step over the old VW's & Merc's from decades ago. They're pretty smooth and peppy. And I think (but don't quote me, too lazy to google right now) that with the low sulphur fuel that diesels will be able to get CARB'ed.

 

[david_42]

I have a 2004 Sprinter van (the one where the UAW knocks off the MB logo and put Dodge on it). Absolutely fantastic! 28 mpg and I can walk around in it, with a hat on.

That year didn't pass CARB, but the 2008 does. The hold up was the sulfur killing the NO2 catalytic converters and getting long-lived particulate burners. There's about 90 diesel cars that have been waiting for ULSD (ultra low sulfur diesel < 15 ppm) before they could be imported, so we should see a big change next year.

I'm waiting for the first diesel-electric hybrids. There was a EV1 conversion that added a 1L turbo-diesel generator: 120 mpg (that about 2L/100km)

Then, there's this monster: http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/03/audi_diesel_win.html 650hp/V12

 

[Alamo_Beer]

Now, and Audi A4 Wagon TDI 6 speed manual rocks! Drove one one time in Germany on the Autobahn. Sucker would cruise at 130 MPH like it was nothing.....

My host father took me on the nurburgring in his A4 when I went to Germany...man that was sweet.

 

[Lil' Sparky]

That A4 TDI is the same car as my VW Passat TDI. It really is a great car. I really hope they start importing more diesels over the next year. Now if we can only get the price of diesel down.

 

[SoCalBrewing]

I wish I would have seen this thread earlier. I have 2003 Jetta TDI. It is by far the best car I have ever owned. I live in California, and no you cannot buy it new here. I bought it used last year. Carfax says it came from Texas. Supposedly the 08 will be available for sale here, but I wont hold my breath.

So lets get a few things straight. Bio-Diesel requires zero conversion to run in a diesel powerplant. Whoever said you need a conversion kit has no clue what they are talking about. Bio-Diesel=Diesel plain and simple. The reason it is called Bio diesel is because of the type of oil used to produce the diesel itself. Thats why sometimes you will here the term Dino-Diesel. Thats the stuff you buy at the pump. If you own a diesel vehicle you can run Bio. End of story.

Conversion kits are used to run SVO and WVO. Straight Vegetable Oil, and Waste Vegetable Oil. Notice the term diesel is not used here. Thats because your going to be burning oil that has not been turned into diesel fuel. It still works just fine, but you have to have a kit to start your vehicle on Diesel to get the engine warmed up, and you have to preheat the oil. Its pretty expensive for a conversion kit, and since I dont really care that much about the enviornment Im not going to deal with this headache. Im not really for the idea of having 55 gallon drums of used cooking oil sitting in my backyard.

So what do I like about my car? Lots and lots. I get 55 Miles to the gallon. The person with the passat that gets 30, either there is something very wrong with your car, or its brand new and the motor needs some breaking in. My car is very fast. It was designed to be driven on the autobhan. In fact they use these cars (with the 3 liter engines) to patrol the autobhan. The engine should easily see its 300,000 mile. Its essentially maintenance free. I change the oil every 10,000, and the timing belt every 100,000. By my math I will do a total of 29 oil changes, and 2 timing belt changes to hit 300,000. Its a very nice looking car. I get compliments on it all the time. The inside cabin is very nice. I actually think it is identical to a 3 series BMW. Airbags galore. The anti theft system is top of the line. With the lowjack I added, I would congratulate the person who stole it.

The car is a pleasure to drive. Im planning on keeping it for my son when he turns 16.

Anyways, I should be pretty capable of answering any questions you guys have, so feel free to add to this thread, or PM me.

 

[EvilTOJ]

Yea that's nice and all but how many times have you had to change the spark plugs Mr. I-drive-a-really-nice-car?

I would absolutely love a diesel electric hybrid! Get really excellent mileage, and smell like Burgerville driving all over town.

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

Passenger car, that is. They have a lot of public opinion to get around in the US, but I hope now that we're getting the low sulphur fuel we'll start to see some more selection. With BMW bringing the 1-series gasoline sedans next year I'm hoping they'll eventually bring the diesel versions. 55-60mpg! I don't care if diesel fuel costs marginally more than gasoline or if the car itself costs more. Seems like a better solution to me than hybrids.

http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/index/0,,1156___bs-MQ==@bb-S08=@sit-bmwuk,00.html
(hope that link works)

Kind of weird looking, but would be incredibly practical for my commute & weekend trips, not to mention be a nice upgrade from the interior of my Subaru. And I'll always have the F-100 when I just need to carbonize some dinosaurs.

BMW has had diesel sedans in Europe for a long time, without any hint of bringing them over here. I always said that if they brought the 330D over I'd sell my 'rex in a heartbeat. (Though I will probably upgrade to a more exquisite German marque in the relatively near future, remember that thread? )

The problem with diesels is that the premium you pay for the engine takes forever to be recouped in fuel savings - during which time the vehicle will have fallen apart around the marvelous powerplant. Service of the engine itself is also much more expensive, though typically required less frequently than gasoline engines. Diesel is pretty much a wash these days.

PS It costs $350 to put a chip in a diesel 3/4 or 1 ton pickup, and you've got ~500+ HP LOTS of rigpigs do that up here. Ever seen a 1 ton dually do a 4wd smoke-show? You should.

PPS A standard 1 ton Dodge Cummins with a full payload will bounce off the governor @175kph hard enough to spill your coffee. Or so I hear...

 

[Lil' Sparky]

The problem with diesels is that the premium you pay for the engine takes forever to be recouped in fuel savings

That's not always true. I paid a whopping $200 more for my Passat TDI over the gas version.

during which time the vehicle will have fallen apart around the marvelous powerplant.

This part probably is true.

 

[Brew Runner]

The problem with diesels is that the premium you pay for the engine takes forever to be recouped in fuel savings - during which time the vehicle will have fallen apart around the marvelous powerplant. Service of the engine itself is also much more expensive, though typically required less frequently than gasoline engines. Diesel is pretty much a wash these days.

If the decision between gas and diesel is only being made on fuel savings, then you are quite right. Here in CA, diesel fuel is rarely priced lower than premium gas and like you said, the engine cost more. However, for applications like like heavy hauling and towing, they are certainly better in performance, economy, and durability. It's also nice that the stock longblocks can handle so much more power than stock(for those that like modifying them). Well, the 5.9 Cummins can, anyway. I'm not a big fan of the IH 6.0 and the Isuzu whatever V8s that Ford and GM use respectively.

 

[david_42]

"BMW has had diesel sedans in Europe for a long time, without any hint of bringing them over here."

There was a brief period after the second oil 'crisis' in '79, where MB and other companies sold diesels in the US. Then Cadillac came out with a 'diesel' V8 that was just a gasser with higher compression. It was such a POS that it killed diesel autos in the US for a long time. Plus, people just got use to the higher gas prices, same as today. I just got rid of my gas RV & probably won't ever buy a gasser again.