I’d like to see where all our other choices are with this.
Chrysler offers diesels on their Euro versions of US cars… and Volvo and Ford…

Saturn can’t bring over a diesel Astra? How much does it cost to make it comply to US emissions?

I want a coal fired car.

Diesel sounds good to me. Even with the higher price at the pump, the cost of operation is generally lower. I would love to see a good diesel in the US Smart, among other things. A diesel Hummer would be wonderful, too.

None of this surprises me as customers who know VW, also know that VW knows diesels so this is a shoe in for VW sales.

“VW’s diesels also have a strong reputation for reliability, with diesel VWs routinely clocking 200,000 to 300,000 miles.”
That’s a crap urban legend fueled by european manufacturers! Modern diesels have one small problem: the turbine! That’s not covered by warranty by VW for example as it is considered “consumable”. Expect the sucker to die out at around 100,000 with costs of replacement somewhere in the 2-3000 range! Don’t forget the fact that regular service intervals are shorter and cost more than the gas versions (in Europe at least)…
Considering prices in Europe, you will have to be doing more than 20.000 miles a year for 3 years to compensate for the higher costs in maintenance for most diesels. Of course, the exact figures might be different in the States!

Am I missing something here? Are VW diesels not already available in the US? They’re hugely popular in Canada and have been for years.

The last TDI from VW ended its run around 2006 in the USA.

uhh they are already available… my local dealer has 2 of the 2009s

Stinky007, I don’t live in Europe, but go there often. All cabs for the past 20 years have been diesel powered. Tradesmen like cabbies will not invest in tool that fails. I recall seeing Skoda cabs in Spain with over 400,000 km on odometer, that is 250,000 hard driven miles. In conversations, none of cabbies complained about engine (WV in this case). Maintenance of diesel can be more frequent then gasoline engine, but not more expensive or complex: how complex oil change can be?
Most cars manufacturers recommend oil change at 7,500-10,000 miles, except under “harsh driving conditions” – city traffic, then it is 3750-5000 mi, just like diesel.

So what is real world mileage like? I know VW was disapointed with the EPA’s mileage estimate with ppl claiming significantly higher mileage.

Hurry up and bring over the Polo diesel.

The current high diesel prices relative to gasoline is a temporary situation, and the premium for diesel fuel has already started to come down. Within a few years, I wouldn’t be surprised to see diesel fuel cheaper than regular gas, like it is supposed to be, and like it was for decades.

“That’s a crap urban legend fueled by european manufacturers! Modern diesels have one small problem: the turbine! That’s not covered by warranty by VW for example as it is considered “consumable”. Expect the sucker to die out at around 100,000 with costs of replacement somewhere in the 2-3000 range!”

stinky007 – Do you mean the turbo? I have heard the old VW TDI’s had problems with the durability of the turbocharger, but it still shouldn’t cost 2k-3k for a new one. Besides, most diesels do not have turbo problems. If well maintained, turbos can last the life of the engine. I have a diesel Suburban with 175k, and the turbo is original and in perfect condition. If the turbo does go on my truck, it’s $700 for a new one, not $3k.

Wow! That’s shocking the VW Diesel-o-philies have created a demand for a car they want. This story would matter if you are talking about people who don’t worship at the temple of Diesel. For now some might think diesel is great but haven’t really looked at the price of the fuel over the long run. Also with Hybrid moving more into the main stream and their cost coming down, diesel would not be a great choice. I think even Domestic Manufactures would have better offering using run/stop technology and mild hybrids.

Or, get this, diesel hybrids!

cookie4me, there is no exact numbers on diesel mileage: it is generally 25-40% more frugal then gasoline.
I don’t know how soon cost of diesel fuel will come down to “normal” prices. There is larger demand for diesel in the 3rd world then was anticipated, especially China. China manufactures it’s own diesel engines and most of commercial fleet is diesel driven. Also, diesel fuel in Europe of a higher quality then our domestic, therefore we can’t piggyback on European refineries. Historically East Coast have used unleaded from Europe.
IN general even WV diesels have been much more robust then gasoline engines. It can be attributed to 2 factors of diesel engine: greater precision (quality) and need for higher thermal durability (longevity). Those are also reasons for higher initial cost, but higher residual return as well.

I want the subaru boxer diesel on all its cars.

Ok Audi. Get it the **** together and offer a diesel.

Well, on VW dealership said 80 dollar oil change every 10,000 miles. That is the dealership getting “rich”(lots of people take cars in these days, even for oil changes.. you work 40-50 hours a week, drive 10-15, etc….they don’t wanna mess with it), I think.
The guy also said something (not sure if it was every 10K or 20K miles)…. about 150-180 dollars for a “check up/tire rotation” with every(other?) oil change?
So, every 10K, you could spend 230-250 dollars(well, now they have 3/36K free-everything.. oil changes, etc…but when you drive 35,000 miles a year, and have a 5 year loan…it’s not an impressive deal…sort of like Chrysler’s $2.99 a gallon, per year, for gas, up to 12,000 miles, per year.. for us…it would not be a big benefit).

Someone told me(had the old TDI, 1.9 L?) that it cost him something like 30-40 dollars for filter/oil(special oil?) for his diesel VW Jetta…to do the oil change himself?
Anyone???

That’s kind of pricey, too.

Just depends if you want to spend 2 times more for oil/filters…tune ups, etc, too, than most other cars?

LJ, I never saw “diesel” oil in any store (department or automotive). And I doubt that VW manufacturers its own oil to pour into their cars. Same true for all manufacturers: you ask GM service manager what brand oil they use – GM. I saw Honda, Volvo labeled quarts of oil, and I am sure they cost more then Castrol in Walmart, but why would anyone purchase it?

I don’t think $80 every 10,000 miles is expensive compared to $30 every 3,000 miles. That’s $90 for 9,000 miles, so the $80 is a better deal.

As far as tire rotation, a diesel engine shouldn’t affect your tires, so I don’t see how that would be any different than a car with a sparking engine. Coolant may be a bit different, but I doubt it would get up too high. But at least with a diesel, you don’t have to replace spark plugs or any ignition systems.

I’ll park the R10’s little brother in my garage anyday.

don’t think $80 every 10,000 miles is expensive compared to $30 every 3,000 miles. That’s $90 for 9,000 miles, so the $80 is a better deal.

As far as tire rotation, a diesel engine shouldn’t affect your tires, so I don’t see how that would be any different than a car with a sparking engine. Coolant may be a bit different, but I doubt it would get up too high. But at least with a diesel, you don’t have to replace spark plugs or any ignition systems.

Comment by beatusmongous, posted on July14 at 5:16 pm

Dunno if I can mention the dealership that gave me this information…it’s near Dayton Ohio..and there’s 2 dealerships..one off of I-75 and one off 741(think that’s the road).
As for changing oil every 3,000 miles? Why? Unless it’s all city driving, or bad conditions.
My 08 Focus says 7,500 miles… in the conditions in Ohio( and we drive 65% hwy/rest is city).our o5 tC is the same; 7,500 miles.
Oil change at Ford is now 23 dollars, plus tax.
Toyota, for the tC? 26-29 dollars, depending on which dealership you go to.
Thanks for the telling me Diesel’s tires won’t be affected… I thought it was FWD cars- FWD tire wear(what the dealership told me…maybe the tires last forever?).
I dunno.
I never owned a diesel before, but I would , to some degree, trust a local mechanic, and the VW dealership(both said something similar)..and these guys, at the TDI Club…
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=200706
This guy gives his TDI tune ups, and mentions (near) 10K tire rotation, etc…

Maybe he doesn’t know what he was doing, you know, rotating the tires every 10K?
maybe he didn’t have to?

As for oil… one guy on These Foums(wish I had it, the link, but did not know I would have to “prove” something, 4 months later, on a forum, with another owner’s own words about their TDI ownership….but the owner said they got the oil,,maybe at the dealership, and did their own oil changes, for 30-40 dollars… so, maybe tdi forums is filled with liars, or people who aren’t informed/don’t know what they’re talking about?).

I’ll wait for the 40-45 MPG GM or Ford, next year-2010, go as engine car… or see what Toyota/Honda has by then.

I’ll wait for the 40-45 MPG GM or Ford, next year-2010, go as engine car… or see what Toyota/Honda has by then.

Comment by LJ, posted on July14 at 11:55 pm ….
Sorry…

Should have said “Gas Engined Cars”, not “go as engine car”… Uggh…

If you guys want to take an hour, or so, and look around
at
http://forums.tdiclub.com
and you might find where they talk about doing the oil chanegs themselves, for less money than the dealership(probably buy the parts/oil there, and save money on labor?)…I read it there before..wish I had Favorited the link..but, like I said, I did not know , that 4-5 months later,
I would have to “defend” myself, with a tdi-owners comments, I read, months ago, on the forums…
If that were the case, I would have to save 10,000 links to fourms/news/etc… for every forum I visit, to defend myself when I say something(I saw/read).

Oh, I just did a quick search, and on this link, one guy talks about his 05 tdi wagon..he did his own oil changes every 5K miles..
I also see that, on another search, that the oil was VW 505.01 oil?
Sounds like some did oil changes..but that was the old tdi…

Have a good week, everyone.

Oh, I just did a quick search, and on this link, one guy talks about his 05 tdi wagon..he did his own oil changes every 5K miles..
I also see that, on another search, that the oil was VW 505.01 oil?
Sounds like some did oil changes..but that was the old tdi…

Have a good week, everyone.

Comment by LJ, posted on July15 at 12

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ef2cfb8/437

here’s the tdi/vw link…

http://dallas.craigslist.org/car/741168770.html
He mentions the tire rotations here..wow…
that’s a few links I posted, with a few owners talking about doing their own oil changes and tire rotations…
Have a good week.

http://www.dieselgiant.com/vw_diesel_maintenance_tip.htm

Dang, LJ, that was a lot of posting. Actually, what I meant by the tire rotation thing is that your tires should be rotated the same for just about any car you drive. Unless you’re doing burnouts or hard cornering, the tire wear should be pretty standard on any type of car, regardless of engine type. I rotate my tires about every 10K miles, or actually about every third oil change. My driving habits are quite a bit different than yours, as I do 80% city driving. Also, the weather in Las Vegas is so hot, I find it best to do oil changes at least every 3K miles, and I have a fluid check and electrical check every time. Batteries last only 2.5 years here, so it’s best to stay on top of them.

However, in the past books that I have had, oil changes should be every 4,500 for highway drivers. I will say that I’m positive you’ve had different cars than I have had. So maybe it was just the car. I’ve owned neither a tC nor a Focus. I did own a ‘92 Escort, but I changed the oil every 3K miles on that one, too. City driving. Also, in my town, oil changes range from $31 to $45, depending on engine size. My mom used to pay $75 per oil change in her TransAm, but she’d also pay $275 per tire, too. I do oil changes myself, though, because then they cost me $10.

The biggest difference between diesel and conventional is the lack of spark. There is no ignition in diesel. The fuel mixture must combust itself from the compression. Because of this, there is no need for ignition timing, spark plugs, and any other parts that go with conventional ignition systems. Other than that, there really shouldn’t be much of a difference in service, as the principle of the engine is the same and the fluids are essentially the same, with the obvious exception being fuel.

What is probably happening is that there is a “shortage” of diesel car mechanics in your area, most likely due to a lower demand of diesel car mechanics caused by a lack of diesel cars. Because of the lower demand, these people have to try to make up the difference. They probably don’t have as many clients paying their bills as a conventional engine mechanic would, and since there are less of them, there is less competition to fight with. They don’t need to keep their prices low to keep business coming, because no one else is there to compete with. They can charge what they want, essentially. Most likely, though, what will happen is that as people in your area buy more diesel cars, the demand will go up, more diesel mechanics will start popping up, and prices will go down. Early adopters are the ones that will eat the cost in the beginning, just like any early adopters.

That is all speculation, though. I cannot truthfully speak for your market, as I don’t live there. But these are my guesses as to why the oil change would be more expensive, because it really shouldn’t be. I have some friends who have diesel Jettas, and I’ll ask them if there is that much of a difference.

“Also, diesel fuel in Europe of a higher quality then our domestic, therefore we can’t piggyback on European refineries. ”

That is no longer the case. Since the introduction of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) in the U.S. in October 2006, our diesel fuel is the same quality and standard as in Europe. One of the problems creating the high diesel prices in the U.S. is we have been shipping some of our refined ULSD to Europe where they have been experiencing huge demand, yet we’re not producing any more of the stuff, so it has constrained supply and drove prices up. More globally, China has been using diesel at an alarming rate.

There is no difference in the expense of oil changes for a diesel versus a gas engine, other than diesels tend to hold a bit more oil than a gas engine due to their larger block size. My diesel Suburban takes 8 quarts for its 6.5L V-8, but the 15W-40 diesel oil is not any more expensive than gasoline engine oil, and the filter is the same.

Maintenance intervals and maintenance expense really isn’t any more for a diesel than a gas engine. One benefit is there are no tune ups, and no ignition system.