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What Would It Take for YOU to buy a diesel car?
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Alaska took away all my camping desires. Tenting at 40 below while moose hunting near the Copper River in November, to 40 MPH wind and rain on the Homer Spit, pretty much dampened my spirit of camping adventure. I will say it seems that it is getting harder and harder to get decent deals on rooms crossing the country. Maybe I will look into the new MB Sprinter RV when they start using the same engine as the GLK250 Bluetec.
The 2014 Mercedes-Benz/Freightliner Sprinter, which goes on sale this fall, undergoes a major facelift with a bigger, bolder front end integrating better into the tall box behind it. The new base engine, a 2.1-liter turbo-diesel four-cylinder, is mated to Mercedes' 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic and is expected to boost fuel efficiency by 18 percent over the 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V-6. Highway mileage should make the upper 20s,
But I say that as a guy working for a company that makes tents, so I think I'm biased.
25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0 / 03 Montero Ltd
I think we about bankrupted Sierra Designs with their lifetime guarantee on a 2 person AirFlex that my wife brought to our relationship in '80. Hard to beat an easy to pitch free standing tent with an integral fly. We returned it at least a half dozen times to get rebuilt. Using a Mountain Hardware one now, but we keep blowing out the zipper sliders.
We'd be happy to demo some for you LOL (actually I can already get pro deals from a side job I keep turning down - humping gear for dudes is hard work. That friend pretty much sticks to Eurekas).
http://www.leisurevans.com/freespiritss/index.html
Just think how cheap your Costco runs would be if you had gotten a diesel Sprinter back in the day and kept it. You would have saved on fuel costs, plus it would have held a three year supply of TP, laundry detergent and pickles so you wouldn't have to shop very often.
And you'd still have room left over for a jug or two of AdBlue.
Dunno, our current tent was a floor demo from our '99/'00 trip and cost around $250, so skipping a few nights in a motel pretty much paid for it. Would take a while to payback a $120k Sprinter. But RVs are great - they leave more room in the woods for real campers. :shades:
Have to say the slideout in a "minivan" is pretty cool.
the springs are surely ruined by now too because of years of absent damping.
Mine was a 2006 MB Cruiser with a 5 cylinder diesel engine. I think it was the last year they allowed that engine under EPA emissions. No gassers were offered until 2008 IMS. I don't think they added the V6 diesel until about 2009 as an option. The 2014 will be the first since 2006 to be offered with a diesel as the base engine. Not sure why it is not rated at 369 ft lbs of torque like the GLK250 Bluetec.
Joining the 3.0-liter/188-hp/325-lb-ft V-6 turbodiesel and five-speed automatic that has been propelling all recent Sprinters, is a new 2.1-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel, featuring two-stage turbocharging, state-of-the-art direct fuel injection at 26,000 psi courtesy of piezo injectors, and a dual-mass flywheel and balancing shafts that reportedly allow it to idle quite smoothly. Meeting the toughest U.S. and European emissions regulations requires an AdBlue selective-catalytic reduction agent that's replenished via a filler under the hood. With output rated at 161 hp and 265 lb-ft (the latter from 1400-2400 rpm) and the added leverage of a (world van exclusive) seven-speed automatic transmission and new 3.69:1 axle ratio, this BlueTEC four-cylinder is the standard engine in all Sprinters
Sprinter GVW ratings exempt it from EPA fuel economy testing, but Mercedes claims the V-6 delivers nearly 25 mpg on the highway (30 percent better than similar gasoline powertrains), and the I-4 is said to be 18 percent more efficient than the V-6 turbodiesel.
That would be right at 30 MPG on the highway. Can't be as under powered as my folks Toyota Hilux cab over camper was. 0-60 MPH was only if you were going down hill. Or a 40 hp VW mini bus.
2013 Volkswagen Passat TDI
Just rolled past 10,000 km on my GLK250. This week I drove from Toronto to Halifax with a fully loaded vehicle. My highway mileage was 6.4/100km while averaging about 115 km per hour. For US readers that is 37 US miles per gallon at 71 miles per hour. In Imperial gallons that is 44 mpg.
While talking to the Mercedes service manager about the GLK250 Bluetec, He mentioned driving one up North for a conference. He said it was great out on the highway.
Lately I drive fewer miles per year and have fewer drivers in the house, and I have 2 vehicles... and a 25k or 30k miles per year total. A few years ago I was driving 60k miles per year.
Due to the recent low miles per year, I'm thinking of selling one of the cars (the 34 mpg cruze, not the 21 mpg GTO!). Extra gas cost would be ~$200 per month to do that but it's a short-term move and I'd aspire again for a 2nd car soon enough - a diesel golf or pickup within a year or two - after winning the lottery :}
also surely one reason the car sits low is springs are shot.
i can see the spousal approval factor is strong with this one.
also, pretty sure that your Lexus is in strong demand in the hood, you can sell it for good $ to a playa and ask him to send you a photo after he slams/tints/paints/22-inch-dub-spinners it.
I would sell it in a NY second if I could get away with it. I see them with higher mileage on the Trader from $3k to $7k. We had a ball joint replaced in 2004, he did not say anything about the shocks needing replacement. It was making a clunking noise when you hit a bump. We had him do a complete brake job in 2006, still no mention of shocks. He did the timing belt at 88K miles and did not say it had any problems. It just feels like you are driving a new Buick. When My wife read it was one of the top 5 cars ever built she decided she wanted to keep it forever.
Wish I had a bigger garage.
GLK250 Bluetec Mileage
We went 7 years in the 90s with one car, and 3 years with one in the early 2000s. Managed fine, since I worked at home all those years. Wanted to dump the Outback last year, but after getting 240 inches of snow in 3 months, it was nice having it. But we don't need two cars.
Let's see, I went to the gas station 21 times in 2012 just for the 5100 miles I put on the Outback. If I'd had a TDI that got a 750 mile range, I would have gone to the gas station ~7 times.
I already worry a bit about my gas getting stale since my cars sit so much, so going diesel would alleviate that concern since the scuttlebutt says you can just about burn raw crude in a diesel.
Maybe Gary can use that gas sludge and varnish excuse, along with the shot springs, to convince his missus to dump the Lexus.
I don't think Premium gas has the sludge factor of RUG with ethanol. The Lexus has sat for months and run fine. Sat from last October to March and only took 12 gallons to fill. Got the average 17.27 MPG. I don't know about ULSD. I do know the high sulfur diesel would get old and stale. I don't think I would run it in a modern diesel engine. Maybe my Kubota tractor.
So I don't think that is an option to get rid of the LS400. When I mentioned the timing belt she said make an appointment and we will take it in. I don't think the cost to maintain it is a factor in the equation. She wants it in the garage to drive to Albertson's or the Viejas outlet center that are less than 5 miles from home. No freeways involved so not much worry with her driving it. Sad part is my Nissan Frontier is the newest of our fleet and it sits outside. It also gets the most miles, about 6000 per year.
Apologies in advance if the post is NOT apropos.
The bottom line for the springs and shock/struts/combination is that both should be fine (SAFE) even after the 100k plus miles and time factors (on Gagrices Lexus example). They will have to sell for other reasons.
The reason for the TMI are two fold. First off the Lexus sprrings, shocks struts are of VERY high quality and shocks and struts are made by Tokico. So unless the shocks, struts have sprung leaks, they should be just fine. Do the springs settle? ABSOLUTELY !Do the shocks and struts lose function? Yes they do degrade. The ride was DESIGNED to be compliant.
Since the subject of shocks, struts, and springs probably more arcane, there is probably just as much folks lore and old husbands/wives tales as current science and technology. Years ago a couple of "hard core VW TDI's got going on suspension systems for the TDI's. Longer story short was that VW shocks with 95k miles was shown to have degraded app 10% off "brand new". To add to the mix is there are no "standards". One obvious standard is a shock or strut leak (run to do an R/R in that case). Another is a broken spring. (again run to do an R/R in that case). One that falls under "folk lore or do not bother me with the facts is "the stiffer is better" mantra. Another is the normally "designed in" "compliant ride" is bad mantra. However if one wants a stiffer ride or HATES compliant rides that is a whole different set of parameters and issues.
Lastly not even hard core car mags etc. run shock strut dynos. Needless to say there is little in the way of "data".
I have to agree. The way I see it if the Lexus specialist did not see any problem with the Shocks or any other suspension parts why change for the sake of change. I am sure if he felt they were needed during the 4 times he has worked on the vehicle, he would have let us know. Also looking at the price of components in the suspension, shocks would cost way more than the car is currently worth. Each front hydraulic shock (part #7) $1539. I will put up with the Buick like ride when forced to drive the car. I think with dual shocks it was designed to take a lot of use.
http://www.mylparts.com/parts/1990/LEXUS/LS400/?siteid=214992&vehicleid=1187456&- diagram=8900150
Our initial impressions of the 2014 Grand Cherokee's fuel economy claims were mixed. The first tank of diesel got us from downtown Austin to a fuel station some 421.7 miles away in Pecos, Texas. We killed the first hour or so sitting in stop-and-go traffic. Once on the open road, we encountered probably the worst headwind I have experienced. This, coupled with an 80-mph speed limit, wasn't a good combination for efficiency. The Jeep drank 21.4 gallons, which calculates to 19.8 mpg -- a little over 1 mpg shy of the EPA city rating. The following tank brought us to Benson, Arizona, 440.3 miles closer to home. The wind had subsided a bit, but was still present. This time, the Jeep took 18.8 gallons, returning 23.4 mpg -- better, but still nowhere near EPA numbers. The final leg racked up another 544.1 miles with roughly the last 110 dealing with San Diego and Orange County traffic. Our last fill-up required 21.1 gallons to fill the tank, giving us 25.8 mpg for that leg, and an average of 22.9 mpg for the entire trip. Fuel economy kept improving over the following week, jumping to 26.4 mpg in combined driving during evaluation loops.
As with the VW Touareg TDI, the JGC diesel seems to be optimized for 80 to 81 mph. They didn't mention rpm, so in a sense it conceals more than it reveals.
As a point of comparison, the 13 VW T TDI is 20/29 EPA.
Overland, Summit
Max Highway Driving Range:
738 miles
21 city / 30 hwy – 4x2
Max Highway Driving Range:
689 miles
20 city / 28 hwy – 4x4
Fuel Tank Capacity (gal)
24.6
The EPA does not have a listing for the GLK250 Bluetec either.
http://www.jeep.com/en/jeep_capabilities/fuel/#GrandCherokee2Tab,
Some people get EPA mpg out of the gate, but it took a lot of miles for my van to hit its stride.
to make the discussion relevant to diesels i will point out that the heavier front end of the diesel vehicle exacerbates the 100% suspension degradation which is inevitable even with the highest quality suspensions, including those with 2 shocks per wheel.
shocks damping ability becomes effectively *zero* after one decade, never mind two decades... this is independent of whether there is a visible leak.
spring constant of springs degrades, inevitably, and especially after shock performance has degraded. put a new buick on the bumpy wet skidpad and then the 20 year old lexus and see which one can brake/turn/perform, and which one spins out and augers a few orange cones.
on a dry 20 mph drive to the market once per week, i suppose there's not so much worry, eh?
also to make it relevant to diesels we could post the suspension parts diagrams for the chevette diesel . i found a link showing window sticker of a 1984 chevette diesel. $7000. it doesn't include properly here for now however...
Gotta keep momma happy. I bought my wife her first Lexus LX in 2003. She decided she would never drive anything else. Next one in 2007, and then a 2013 this last Feb. She drives about 5,000 miles per year so gas cost is not too bad.
I wish she would have been satisfied to stick with the first one !!!
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
This really depends on the quality of the original components. I have seen struts kaput at 60000 mi but I have also seen them just fine and more than just capable of handling suspension duties during an emergency maneuver on a bumpy corner with an old 88 4x4 Camry I used to have. I bought it used, but it had the original struts, and that car was still very well composed at 174000 miles. And those miles during its life were not Florida smooth freeways with no frost damage conditions. The roads here are the opposite of that. One thing of note though, it rarely went anywhere with 4 passengers so that is going to help a little I guess.
My friend's 86 Jetta TD struts were complete toast at only 112000 miles.
Some mfgrs recognize that extra weight of a diesel and are using aluminum blocks. MB for one. Still, the components in a diesel will still weigh more than a gasser...especially the crank and rods.
The GLK250 is EPA rated for 24 MPG in the city and 33 MPG on the highway, impressive for an SUV of the GLK's size and seemingly un-aerodynamic shape. But the EPA tests are unfair to diesel vehicles, which often exceed their EPA figures by a sizable margin. During a half-day of mixed low- and high-speed driving around Los Angeles, my GLK averaged an even 30 MPG. Now that's impressive!
Like other diesels, the GLK has a selective catalyst reduction (SCR) emissions system, which means the GLK requires diesel exhaust fluid (DEF, sometimes known by the trade name AdBlue). Mercedes has equipped the GLK with a large (7.3 gallon) DEF tank, which should be enough for 20,000 to 30,000 miles or more, and they top off the tank at every 10,000 mile service. That's important, because EPA regulations mandate that the engine be disabled if the tank runs dry. (The driver gets repeated warnings on the dashboard long before that happens.) I've heard of dealers charging a couple hundred bucks to refill the tank, but you can save money by doing it yourself: DEF is widely available for around $20 per 2.5 gallon bottle
http://suvs.about.com/od/mercedesbenz/fr/13_M-BGLK250BlueTECAG.htm
I was in O'Reilly's Auto Parts this morning, recycling some used motor oil, and I picked up their latest sales flyer. They're showing 2.5 gallons of DEF for $12.99. I really think the DEF is becoming a non-issue.
http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx?R=NAFDEF003_0355360741
This is on a TMI note.
Anything that starts off "specialized" normally has a premium. In addition, containers also have a (another) premium. There are also inventory documentation TMI's.
Staying on the diesel topic, VW diesels have since (2004) been on the VW 507 specification. Off topic but integrated, the VW gasser specification is VW 504, (most recognized attribute is 5w30). So VW has shopped and combined both specifications for the (5w30) 504/507 specification. They used to come in 1 qt/1 L containers. Dealers even sold them and used them from those containers. (Edge being developed in the European markets, NON EDGE here, albeit EDGE being the latest iteration) . Of late, I could not help but notice 5w30 VW 504/507 Castrol EDGE dispensed at the (one) dealer from 42 gal barrel containers. So (hope folks eyes are not glazed over yet) this eliminates the need for (inventory of) 168 qt/liter containers and up/down stream consequences.
So the upshot: as more of the customer serviceable fleet becomes AD BLUE, look for AD BLUE to be dispensed from a bigger central sources/containers, (aka cheaper)
Off topic but on diesel topic, on the last SOS/ DD trip, I got bored on the down grade (followed a line of mountain driving amateurs with 4 miles to go for a passing area) and scrolled through the VW touch screen and found out (one topic) the mpg from the start (total miles) has been 32.5 mpg. I have of course been reporting both shorter term computer postings (legs) and tank fulls. (normally 20-24 gals of a 26.4 capacity tank) In 20/20 hind sight, I have started to see that any fill below 23 gals (low fuel lamp/buzzer) AND not filling on (cheapest) price is almost a waste of time. So in effect, the comfortable range on a tank is app 750 to 845 miles. :shades: :sick: Another is why even bother taking notes when the onboard computer has it? It is accessible with a couple of thumb strokes ! ?
So my 15,000 miles consumption of app 5 gals of AD BLUE would cost $14. that is .0009333 cents per mile driven.
DEF @ the pump
From reading comments at thetruckersreport.com, there's no love lost for the Georgia company suing Flying J now over the rebates. Whoa, and two employees have pled guilty to the rebate scam and other companies are suing using RICO. Sounds like a regular soap opera and a half. Crazy stuff.
Word has it Chrysler is keen to shove its new turbo diesel V6 into a range of models. Wards Auto reports Chrysler President and CEO Saad Chehab has made it clear the automaker is investigating the possibility of using the 3.0-liter oil-burner in the 300. While speaking at an Automotive Press Association luncheon, Chehab said, "It's a matter of how much the customer is willing to pay for that premium. That's the only issue with it."
The Chrysler 300 is sold as the Lancia Thema in Europe complete with a diesel of its very own, and since the Jeep Grand Cherokee is now available with the diesel V6 here in the States, it only makes sense that the engine could potentially show up on the 300 order sheet. Opting for the 3.0 V6 in the Jeep Grand Cherokee will set you back an additional $4,500, however.
Chehab also said the engine could make an appearance in the next-generation Chrysler 200, which is set to debut next year.
Given experiences in a 4974# CUV, there is no doubt in my mind the V6 3.0 L (or so) TDI will be a hit in the C 300 (4,365#'s).