We are Chronic Car Buyers. When are we NOT in the market? Ha! After looking at those E250 Blue Tecs, I did a search on MBUSA's website for E350 Gassers. Very similar asking prices, The biggest difference? I think there are less than 20 BlueTecs CPO available in a 200 Mile Radius and over 300 E350 Gassers.
True, but I'm trying to enjoy the Volvo (about 2 1/2 years left on the lease) and then make my next big purchase, but we'll see.
If prices are comparable I'd take the BlueTec everyday and twice on Sunday.
The biggest difference? I think there are less than 20 BlueTecs CPO available in a 200 Mile Radius and over 300 E350 Gassers.
Inventory at the VW dealer here, from a very limited exposure to the lot, seems to be heavily weighed more toward the diesel flavor. Would have to check the web inventory to see the real ratio I guess, but TDIs do seem readily available.
Just heard this on the CNBC News network. Pundits have Goldman Sachs predicting crude oil could test $ 20 per barrel! Could that mean a sub $ 1.12 per gal RUG /PUG/ULSD ???
If so, it sure beats the earlier Obama goal & utter inevitability of $ 10. per gal, to match or exceed European prices!? The myth of "NON" renewable resource vs "manufactureable widgets " has been shattered/exposed for all to see.
I know you just got the Volvo. I'm 8 months away from paying off the Pilot, then plan to pay a little extra towards the Legacy. I'm going to lay low for a few years and maybe pick up something nice then. Always looking.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
It's always a good day/month with NO $$ car payments!
Amen to that! If I could have resisted temptation in March of 2012 (and not leased a leftover 2011 BMW 328xi), the 2010 Acura TSX I traded in for it would have been paid off last August. But I'll take 2 of 3 cars paid off by next May.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
Since I've had more than one car that have or have had over 180,000 miles, that " milestone" has long since lost its' mystery & or anxiety. So, DIESEL mpgs of 50/40/37/33 versus gasser 27/26/21/19 mpgs, for 180,000 miles & beyond are very compelling. ( like model)
I know you just got the Volvo. I'm 8 months away from paying off the Pilot, then plan to pay a little extra towards the Legacy. I'm going to lay low for a few years and maybe pick up something nice then. Always looking.
Always, and if I got rid of the Volvo it wouldn't be my first (or fifth) early exit from a lease. But I do enjoy the Volvo, great drive, runs on regular and gets great MPG. (28 avg over the last 6,000 miles). If they brought their diesel over I'd definitely get one.
Enjoy the Volvo. You got a nice deal on it. You are happy with it. It is definitely a nice ride. There's ALWAYS going to be something out there that is faster, quicker, gets better MPG, rides smoother, corners sharper, with more features...
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
It's a little odd but back in 1980 when I bought a '79 240D, I really bought it because of the build quality and the way it drove and not specifically because it was diesel. Back in those days Mercedes was one of the few cars that didn't turn into a rattletrap after a couple of thousand miles.
It's a little odd but back in 1980 when I bought a '79 240D, I really bought it because of the build quality and the way it drove and not specifically because it was diesel.
IIRC, at that time, most MB's that were on the market were diesel.
True. There was a gasser, 230 I believe, a model I really liked, but they were very rare. I kept my eyes open for one but that deal never happened. A friend of mine had one, pale yellow, that was gorgeous.
Some things tell me that the current generation Porsche Cayenne/VW Tourareg TDI 's will stay in the diesel/s sweet spot for @ least the next 10 years. After that (24 to 27 years old), I think it has a 50-50 chance of becoming iconic diesels.
king, no worry! I'm not trying to obfuscate anything nor am I trying to be rigorous about measuring my new non-diesel/way-more-fun-than-any-diesel car's mpg. with new Holdens and other GMs in USA , the car *emails* me its overall mpg every month, until the onstar subscription lapses in 2 months.
In the diesel department, I'm still shopping for a DPF-less 2007-or-older Benz anything-CDI. Always on the lookout for one of those. E class is the most likely to find, but I'd even take an R class CDI if I found a nice one of those locally.
there's no need to verify 2015 SS ECO mpg since it's not a diesel and has nothing to do with diesels. but if you are interested, i could start a "fuelly" account for it, and use multiple/rigorous measurements to measure the mpg.
in the meantime, fwiw: a whopping 22.9 mpg on the return trip from DC->Boston. the dashboard computer on both of my Holdens in USA is very accurate with the mpg. my experience indicates that accurate dashboard mpg seems way-more-accurate for low-mpg cars than for high-mpg cars .
no, king, we are not afraid of the truth. Maybe some day i will want to drive a mostly-depreciated VW TDI, but not any time soon. My experience/knowledge especially via my five VW (4 TDIs) is that importnat/expensive parts/systems tend to fail. Stuff like oil-pump chain-drive systems. Or camshafts. Or entire fuel systems get cratered by disintegrating TDI fuel pumps. Or the floors rust out and the battery under the back seat falls/drags onto the road while driving (1965 VW beetle.)
So for now I'll stick with mostly-depreciated Holden gassers rather than a mostly-depreciated VW TDI. All the while, I'll be on the lookout for an used Benz non-DPF CDI so I can rejoin the diesel club .
Btw, ru-king-man, are you obfuscating via that "17 cents per mile" number by failing to include all the other costs of vehicle ownership.? Do you mean to indicate Total Cost of Ownership or do you omit, tires, insurance, insanely expensive random VW parts/failures, and thousands to replace the inevitable failures in the mandatory rube goldberg mpg-sapping DPF/regen systems on 2009 & later Vee-Dubs.
hm, looks like I ran out of gas doing my spreadsheet on the last van. At 175k my gas was running .22 a mile, and I didn't update the last 25,000 miles. Give or take - I tracked gallons and miles, but not cost per gallon on each tank. Everything together was more like .41 a mile.
My cost to date on the 2013 Touareg TDI is $1.07 per mile. That includes the payment of $921 per month. Got to love that no interest $0 down payment. Two years down, three to go. Then my cost per mile should be in the under 20 cent per mile range. Unless diesel goes way back up. Or I get antsy for a new diesel SUV.
good luck getting the cost per mile to 20 cents with a 2-reg TDI. that number seems wildly and bizarrely optimistic. maybe you can do it unless the vehicle requires mega-dough to repair due via a VW part and/or design issue that may manifest around 100k. based on my experience with 4 VW TDIs over about 400k miles, and a decade on tdi-club, that's a huge worry for a VW, especially a TDI.
Good one, King #1 of Ru. i haven't tried many of the electronic gadgets in my car and would have preferred to omit them to save $ on purchase price. Some day I'll try the automatic parking - the car can parallel park itself as well as perpendicular-park itself (backing-in, i think.)
Yes, I think for those that are addicted to the zero to 60 metric & mantra, sub to 4 sec times in EV's like Tesla is a way to go (without the H/S & gun smoke) . Around here, I get passed routinely by Tesla's " getting on it". Be that as it may, it's remains meaningless to me, albeit, it is entertaining to watch.
I have yet to see a Tesla on the way UP to Tahoe, CA, let alone passing me, at altitude. I guess they have to charge up for a day or so in Vacaville, CA , before they try it. It reminds me of that Gilligans Island TV show. It's supposed to be a three hour tour.
Teslas are probably great commute-cars if your commute is <100 miles and do not use the car for random long drives. For those of us who like to drive wherever we want, 500 or 1000 miles per day, we will stick with internal-combustion, thank you.
Please never mention/compare-with Teslas on this forum again! Please compare with Priuses or Volts yes, but never compare against Teslas due to their awful versatility flaw.
Enjoy the Volvo. You got a nice deal on it. You are happy with it. It is definitely a nice ride. There's ALWAYS going to be something out there that is faster, quicker, gets better MPG, rides smoother, corners sharper, with more features...
Thanks and you're right, and I do enjoy driving it. There will always be TDI Touaregs for sale, and hopefully one day a Tesla 3.
Yes, I don't see any real reason why that Volvo can't go 180,000 miles + or 12 years.+
Well I don't have that much faith in it, maybe 120,000 but I never keep cars that long. The engine seems solid although this is the first year of the new engine so time will tell how reliable it is. I'm more concerned about electrical gremlins than the engine.
Yes, I don't see any real reason why that Volvo can't go 180,000 miles + or 12 years.+
Well I don't have that much faith in it, maybe 120,000 but I never keep cars that long. The engine seems solid although this is the first year of the new engine so time will tell how reliable it is. I'm more concerned about electrical gremlins than the engine.
I am sure that fear & other has/have some to many basis/ es in your anecdotal experience/s.
That is why in my anecdotal experiences, ( more miles & years in gassers) I can hardly fathom why I would want to switch back to gasser automobiles, UNLESS they offered the MANY advantages of TDI's. This is hardly a testimony claiming absolutely NO warts on diesels!
While I would like more OEMs to bring more TDI models, the ever increasing model choices would not necessarily be reason enough to switch either models/brands. So for example, while Lexus has a well earned reputation for reliability and durability, it remains to be seen how well Lexus TDI's models/brand will fare.
Slow news diesel day! A family member is reporting $2.04 RUG, MG $2.27,PUG $2.44
ULSD $2.24, GA.
Closer to home, halfway to SOS/DD, $2.44 for ULSD, $2.59 RUG.
For me to ever give Toyota another go it would have to offer a diesel. Only likely one would be the small Hi-lux PU with diesel. I think diesel is about all they offer in the rest of the World. A missionary friend had them in Sierra Leone and Nicaragua. Said they would take a beating and get great mileage.
Yes, the current German CUV's can easily handle whatever little off roading that I do. All in all, they are designed mostly for higher speed cruising on good normal to mountain roads to interstate highways & winter duties.
Please never mention/compare-with Teslas on this forum again! Please compare with Priuses or Volts yes, but never compare against Teslas due to their awful versatility flaw.
Mentioning, not comparing: To Tesla's credit, they really are doing a great job of developing a recharge infrastructure that reduces (or at least minimizes the impact of) this versatility flaw. Keep in mind that without the massive infrastructure in place for ICEs, these cars would have the same limitations of all-electric vehicles in the modern world. And, real or not (mostly not), people retain this exact same perception of diesels - they won't be able to find a place to refuel. /sigh
Side note: I saw my first real-life Tesla S last week (and at a very benign place). They are absolutely stunning cars in terms of beauty... rolling sculptures.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
If my understanding is correct the charging stations Tesla is putting in will only recharge the Tesla S. And he is getting a big tax credit for putting them in. Tesla is a HUGE corporate welfare scam, on several levels. How else can you sell every car at a $4000 loss and not go broke or dip into your own money?
Kind of like Chilcoot Charlie's where they cheat the other guy (Mr. & Mrs. Taxpayer?) and pass the savings on to you.
With all the oil and gas subsidies out there, I can't begrudge 'em. The drillers are like the gold diggers - let 'em claim and extract the resource for piddling, if any, royalties, and then let the taxpayer pick up the tab when something spills.
Kind of like Chilcoot Charlie's where they cheat the other guy (Mr. & Mrs. Taxpayer?) and pass the savings on to you.
With all the oil and gas subsidies out there, I can't begrudge 'em. The drillers are like the gold diggers - let 'em claim and extract the resource for piddling, if any, royalties, and then let the taxpayer pick up the tab when something spills.
I think you know the subsidies given to Tesla go far beyond what the oil companies get. I know for me when I was a resident of Alaska, I got a lot from the oil revenues. No income tax or sales tax and a nice check every year. Any tax benefits the oil companies get benefit everyone in the country, not just the 1%ers. I am appreciating my $2.50 diesel.
Tesla is ONLY corporate and personal welfare for the RICH. Only the 1% can afford a Tesla. Latest projection is 2020 for the Tesla for the masses. And then only if the battery factory we are building is up and running. Lots of IFs with Elon Musk.
Based on optimistic estimates (Edmunds.com) the Tesla's cpmd:fuel with FULL subsidies ( CA carries a .37 cent plus+ per KWH " subsidy " price tag in the areas with the most Tesla's ) .145 cents. Against my 33 mpg VW TDI @ 2.44 per gal =.074 cents.
I am not all together sure of the utility of sub 3.5 sec, zero to 60 mph times for the Tesla in the Palo Alto , CA area commute traffic ? ? ( purely from a traffic perspective Palo Alto can be horrendous) In comparison, the diesel is SLOW! (6.9 sec)
I do have to admit, shooting up and down Sand Hill Road, stop light to stop light is the figurative "gas"! Got to watch for CHP 's on the Highwat 280 Sand Hill on ramps ! Got to love those Brembo's!
While the S would be a hoot, I'm sure, on many a road, I would definitely not mind trying my hand at a Tesla X.
And... then I look at the price tag. LOL
From a practicality perspective, though, I'm not sure how realistic it is to seriously consider a new diesel here, either. The problem being with the urea injection, what sort of issues are going to arise if someone in my scenario (extreme climate, no garage) were to attempt long-term ownership?
For sure, the urea will spend most of its time, for half of the year at least, in a state of frozen uselessness.....
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Speaking of how well diesels tend to hold value, if anyone fits this request, please respond.
A reporter is looking to talk with a family in either the San Francisco or Los Angeles areas that is currently looking to sell one or more of their cars for maximum value. If you fit the description, please send a message to PR@edmunds.com by no later than Friday, September 18, 2015.
Outside of normal (battery trickle charger, oil pan, coolant heaters) electrical winterization for gassers, would be adding a stick on urea tank heater ( they ALREADYhave an internal tank heater) , for the ultimate in belt & suspenders operation.
Outside of normal (battery trickle charger, oil pan, coolant heaters) electrical winterization for gassers, would be adding a stick on urea tank heater ( they ALREADYhave an internal tank heater) , for the ultimate in belt & suspenders operation.
That was my understanding as well (will not prevent starting/operation), but I'm wondering about the long term effects on the car's systems if the urea injection is not happening over long periods of time (e.g., months). Eleven degrees means, yeah, I could pretty much guarantee that a solid four months would not see temps reasonably above that level.
And, yes, you can heat the tank, but where do the lines run, and how does one defrost those? If they are on the interior of the car (perhaps between interior finish and the insulation) and engine bay only, then there's a good chance that the fluid will start to flow with a long enough drive. But, if the lines run similar to the fuel lines, the tank can be as warm as summer and the fluid is still not going to get to the tank.
If the only impact is emissions, then I'm good with that. If it shortens the life of other systems, though, that's not so good.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
I can probably address the issue in 9 to 11 years, when my 12/14 TDI's are each 12 years old and have clocked 180,000 miles plus+ . However, at about 55,000 & 17,000 miles, there are literally no issues.
"The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has closed an investigation into 241,279 Volkswagen and Audi TDI clean diesel vehicles after looking into consumer complaints of high-pressure fuel pump failure.
"Volkswagen believes that misfueling with gasoline is the primary cause of HPFP drivetrain failures in the field," NHTSA said in its summary of the probe."
Not everyone agrees that it's putting gas in the tank that's the issue.
Well in truth, that has never been the central issue of the app 800 cases. Mis-fueling may have started up being one of VW's SUSPECTED boo boos. But it's remained an even smaller number of unstated cases, volume & percentage wise.
I am surprised that the article did not include the actual number of documented HPFP cases. As I remember, the # being approximately 800/ 241,279 cases, or = .00332 %
Again anecdotally, that was not true in my HPFP case. They did not even draw fuel samples, as part of in/out of warranty fulfillment.
Why was this important or an issue ? If there was mis-fueling, either by the customer or the choice of fueling station, obviously VW would be then NOT be liable for the damages due to mis-fueling. Aka, self inflicted GSW, case closed.
TMI
Further, Robert Bosch (HPFP vendor) has had failures in other OEM's gasser/ diesel fuel pumps. Again non correlated mis-fueling issues.
Unofficially, the suspected culprit has always been the differences and standards between European/American ULSD, aka, with the relative lack of Am lubricity. However, up to very high levels of lubricity in biodiesel, for example has NO correlation in preventing HPFP failure. Further VW (& other diesel car OEM's) do not recommend beyond 5% biodiesel. So either they do not know, or they are not telling us.
Last night we filled the MB GLK 250 BT posting 36.2 commute mpg. That posting is even more surprising having to hit SFO Intl airport several times @ both airport "rush" hours, & normal rush hours. Dial in a few Palo Alto,CA runs (Tesla land), & it's almost confusing.
TMI: I am tempted to stop one day @ the corner store Palo Alto, McLaren dealership
I don't know why we bother sometimes, refueling much under 15 gallons (565 miles). (15.6 gal tank) I guess it was that pesky car wash and filling the tires after the low psi warning light went off. Almost any of my diesel car tires sets seems to lose about a # a month around here, (not including temperature variations) so I can only ignored them for 3 to 6 months at a time.
With the mid sized CUV VW Touareg TDI getting between 32 and 35 miles mpg (924 miles range) and having way much more room for suitcases, etc., getting into/out of airports than the compact CUV, I just have to say the midsize VW Touareg TDI is probably the better over all vehicle.
Comments
If prices are comparable I'd take the BlueTec everyday and twice on Sunday.
If so, it sure beats the earlier Obama goal & utter inevitability of $ 10. per gal, to match or exceed European prices!?
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
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2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
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Here's an interesting article.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/porsche-cayenne-history.htm
In the diesel department, I'm still shopping for a DPF-less 2007-or-older Benz anything-CDI. Always on the lookout for one of those. E class is the most likely to find, but I'd even take an R class CDI if I found a nice one of those locally.
there's no need to verify 2015 SS ECO mpg since it's not a diesel and has nothing to do with diesels. but if you are interested, i could start a "fuelly" account for it, and use multiple/rigorous measurements to measure the mpg.
in the meantime, fwiw: a whopping 22.9 mpg on the return trip from DC->Boston. the dashboard computer on both of my Holdens in USA is very accurate with the mpg. my experience indicates that accurate dashboard mpg seems way-more-accurate for low-mpg cars than for high-mpg cars .
no, king, we are not afraid of the truth. Maybe some day i will want to drive a mostly-depreciated VW TDI, but not any time soon. My experience/knowledge especially via my five VW (4 TDIs) is that importnat/expensive parts/systems tend to fail. Stuff like oil-pump chain-drive systems. Or camshafts. Or entire fuel systems get cratered by disintegrating TDI fuel pumps. Or the floors rust out and the battery under the back seat falls/drags onto the road while driving (1965 VW beetle.)
So for now I'll stick with mostly-depreciated Holden gassers rather than a mostly-depreciated VW TDI. All the while, I'll be on the lookout for an used Benz non-DPF CDI so I can rejoin the diesel club
Btw, ru-king-man, are you obfuscating via that "17 cents per mile" number by failing to include all the other costs of vehicle ownership.? Do you mean to indicate Total Cost of Ownership or do you omit, tires, insurance, insanely expensive random VW parts/failures, and thousands to replace the inevitable failures in the mandatory rube goldberg mpg-sapping DPF/regen systems on 2009 & later Vee-Dubs.
maybe you can do it unless the vehicle requires mega-dough to repair due via a VW part and/or design issue that may manifest around 100k. based on my experience with 4 VW TDIs over about 400k miles, and a decade on tdi-club, that's a huge worry for a VW, especially a TDI.
Some day I'll try the automatic parking - the car can parallel park itself as well as perpendicular-park itself (backing-in, i think.)
Please never mention/compare-with Teslas on this forum again!
Please compare with Priuses or Volts yes, but never compare against Teslas due to their awful versatility flaw.
That is why in my anecdotal experiences, ( more miles & years in gassers) I can hardly fathom why I would want to switch back to gasser automobiles, UNLESS they offered the MANY advantages of TDI's. This is hardly a testimony claiming absolutely NO warts on diesels!
While I would like more OEMs to bring more TDI models, the ever increasing model choices would not necessarily be reason enough to switch either models/brands. So for example, while Lexus has a well earned reputation for reliability and durability, it remains to be seen how well Lexus TDI's models/brand will fare.
Slow news diesel day! A family member is reporting $2.04 RUG, MG $2.27,PUG $2.44
ULSD $2.24, GA.
Closer to home, halfway to SOS/DD, $2.44 for ULSD, $2.59 RUG.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/06/20150619-toyotagd.html
Be that as it may, a significant minority does lease .
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/buying-selling/how-to-lease-a-car1.htm
Side note: I saw my first real-life Tesla S last week (and at a very benign place). They are absolutely stunning cars in terms of beauty... rolling sculptures.
http://www.businessinsider.com/zip-codes-where-tesla-is-most-popular-car-2013-10
Kind of like Chilcoot Charlie's where they cheat the other guy (Mr. & Mrs. Taxpayer?) and pass the savings on to you.
With all the oil and gas subsidies out there, I can't begrudge 'em. The drillers are like the gold diggers - let 'em claim and extract the resource for piddling, if any, royalties, and then let the taxpayer pick up the tab when something spills.
I think you know the subsidies given to Tesla go far beyond what the oil companies get. I know for me when I was a resident of Alaska, I got a lot from the oil revenues. No income tax or sales tax and a nice check every year. Any tax benefits the oil companies get benefit everyone in the country, not just the 1%ers. I am appreciating my $2.50 diesel.
Tesla is ONLY corporate and personal welfare for the RICH. Only the 1% can afford a Tesla. Latest projection is 2020 for the Tesla for the masses. And then only if the battery factory we are building is up and running. Lots of IFs with Elon Musk.
Wiki throws out Dirkson numbers.
I am not all together sure of the utility of sub 3.5 sec, zero to 60 mph times for the Tesla in the Palo Alto , CA area commute traffic ? ? ( purely from a traffic perspective Palo Alto can be horrendous) In comparison, the diesel is SLOW! (6.9 sec)
I do have to admit, shooting up and down Sand Hill Road, stop light to stop light is the figurative "gas"! Got to watch for CHP 's on the Highwat 280 Sand Hill on ramps ! Got to love those Brembo's!
AGAIN, ADVANTAGE diesel!
And... then I look at the price tag. LOL
From a practicality perspective, though, I'm not sure how realistic it is to seriously consider a new diesel here, either. The problem being with the urea injection, what sort of issues are going to arise if someone in my scenario (extreme climate, no garage) were to attempt long-term ownership?
For sure, the urea will spend most of its time, for half of the year at least, in a state of frozen uselessness.....
A reporter is looking to talk with a family in either the San Francisco or Los Angeles areas that is currently looking to sell one or more of their cars for maximum value. If you fit the description, please send a message to PR@edmunds.com by no later than Friday, September 18, 2015.
http://www.wccressey.com/Cummins Filtration DEF FAQ.pdfhttp://www.wccressey.com/Cummins Filtration DEF FAQ.pdf
Outside of normal (battery trickle charger, oil pan, coolant heaters) electrical winterization for gassers, would be adding a stick on urea tank heater ( they ALREADYhave an internal tank heater) , for the ultimate in belt & suspenders operation.
http://jalopnik.com/the-volkswagen-golf-isn-t-selling-as-well-as-volkswagen-1730781540
Albeit, admittedly the Golf Sport Wagon or Golfs' for that matter is/are not everybody's cup of tea.
TMI: GSW's are on track to have roughly an 85% TDI take rate!
And, yes, you can heat the tank, but where do the lines run, and how does one defrost those? If they are on the interior of the car (perhaps between interior finish and the insulation) and engine bay only, then there's a good chance that the fluid will start to flow with a long enough drive. But, if the lines run similar to the fuel lines, the tank can be as warm as summer and the fluid is still not going to get to the tank.
If the only impact is emissions, then I'm good with that. If it shortens the life of other systems, though, that's not so good.
Higher fuel prices?
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-americans-pay-more-gasoline-204212686.html
"Volkswagen believes that misfueling with gasoline is the primary cause of HPFP drivetrain failures in the field," NHTSA said in its summary of the probe."
Not everyone agrees that it's putting gas in the tank that's the issue.
Feds Close Probe Into VW, Audi TDI Vehicles for High-Pressure Fuel Pump Failure
I am surprised that the article did not include the actual number of documented HPFP cases. As I remember, the # being approximately 800/ 241,279 cases, or = .00332 %
Again anecdotally, that was not true in my HPFP case. They did not even draw fuel samples, as part of in/out of warranty fulfillment.
Why was this important or an issue ? If there was mis-fueling, either by the customer or the choice of fueling station, obviously VW would be then NOT be liable for the damages due to mis-fueling. Aka, self inflicted GSW, case closed.
TMI
Further, Robert Bosch (HPFP vendor) has had failures in other OEM's gasser/ diesel fuel pumps. Again non correlated mis-fueling issues.
Unofficially, the suspected culprit has always been the differences and standards between European/American ULSD, aka, with the relative lack of Am lubricity. However, up to very high levels of lubricity in biodiesel, for example has NO correlation in preventing HPFP failure. Further VW (& other diesel car OEM's) do not recommend beyond 5% biodiesel. So either they do not know, or they are not telling us.
This is so two hours ago!
ULSD $2.44, RUG $2.51, MGG $ 2.61, PUG $2.71.
Last night we filled the MB GLK 250 BT posting 36.2 commute mpg. That posting is even more surprising having to hit SFO Intl airport several times @ both airport "rush" hours, & normal rush hours. Dial in a few Palo Alto,CA runs (Tesla land), & it's almost confusing.
TMI: I am tempted to stop one day @ the corner store Palo Alto, McLaren dealership
I don't know why we bother sometimes, refueling much under 15 gallons (565 miles). (15.6 gal tank) I guess it was that pesky car wash and filling the tires after the low psi warning light went off. Almost any of my diesel car tires sets seems to lose about a # a month around here, (not including temperature variations) so I can only ignored them for 3 to 6 months at a time.
With the mid sized CUV VW Touareg TDI getting between 32 and 35 miles mpg (924 miles range) and having way much more room for suitcases, etc., getting into/out of airports than the compact CUV, I just have to say the midsize VW Touareg TDI is probably the better over all vehicle.
Teaser or coming to AM markets?
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-shows/frankfurt-auto-show/news/a26723/new-jeep-wrangler-sunriser-concept-is-diesel-powered-and-very-orange/