I've been a naughty boy & used the wrong diesel - what do I do now?

[Syncrotek]

Well, if asking the suppliers, what's a bet each would say their's is superior
in some way compared to the others, and say we are paying a fair price.

[Sunny43.5]

Well, if asking the suppliers, what's a bet each would say their's is superior
in some way compared to the others, and say we are paying a fair price.

Fair price for a product that is the first part of the crude oil to fuel process , I am not sure . I think as I said earlier the fuel companies have now recognized the increase in diesel cars on our roads and are going to make hay while the sun shines . Look back over the years and see that diesel was always cheaper by a country mile , now days its as dear a premium unleaded petrol almost . I will agree with Diesel Vert just fill up and drive deal with the issues if they occur , I may bitch and moan but life will go on .

[Skooter]

Fair price for a product that is the first part of the crude oil to fuel process , I am not sure . I think as I said earlier the fuel companies have now recognized the increase in diesel cars on our roads and are going to make hay while the sun shines . Look back over the years and see that diesel was always cheaper by a country mile , now days its as dear a premium unleaded petrol almost . I will agree with Diesel Vert just fill up and drive deal with the issues if they occur , I may bitch and moan but life will go on .

Unfortunately, it's a fact of life that a modern diesel doesn't like short trips from cold where the temp gauge never gets off the ground or constant short trips even when the engine is hot. I've convinced my partner that driving the Scout to drop daughter at the station or to the shops for bread and milk is a bad idea. I ride a bicycle for that, but that's just me. We have a 1980 Hi-Ace campervan that is better suited to such work.

She complains that there is no use having a car you can't 'use', but I maintain that we didn't buy a 4wd diesel Skoda for city commutes and shopping trips - a Ford Fiesta would be as economical and more practical (and cheaper to buy!).

The DPF light has only illuminated once in the 18 months+ we've had the car (done 25,000km in that time, had 47k when we bought it). It was Christmas shopping for a week, short trips in heavy traffic. We'd only had the car 2 months, so it was cause for real concern on my part ... 'is THIS what I can look forward to???!!!'. I did the regen thing and have not seen the light since. I give it a bootful every time I drive it once it's at op-temp. I try to give it a good run once a fortnight or so. I always feel better after we've had the thing way out on the open roads. I won't use 6th gear until it's running min 2,000rpm.

I'll probably go for an additive once I've ascertained the best and safest option - mainly to prevent fungus buildup.

[Ryeman]

The one thing diesels of old had going for them was the fact that every cold start was a top of piston lubricated one cos the fuel is a light oil and that's why they ran forever.
Now particulate and economy issues have made the ancillaries they weak link.
The old 'tractors' never wore out in one mans lifetime.

[Skooter]

Yeah, I wonder what sort of life we can expect from a 103TDI for ex. And I certainly don't want to drive my car to the point where it's tired and using oil, struggling, lost that fantastic whammo that I just love about it. But when is that? 200,000? 300,000? I guess by that time a new car is in order anyway (and governments will probably be legislating as such anyway).

I'll gladly live with the extra wear and enjoy the extra fun-factor!!

[Diesel_vert]

Both the engine and the DPF have a finite service life.

However, assuming the vehicle has been serviced as per the manufacturer's instructions, I can't really envisage engine wear as being the primary reason for selling or scrapping the vehicle.

[Transporter]

Yeah, I wonder what sort of life we can expect from a 103TDI for ex. And I certainly don't want to drive my car to the point where it's tired and using oil, struggling, lost that fantastic whammo that I just love about it. But when is that? 200,000? 300,000?

Some cars (if not all of them ) have built in obsolescence and many people these days are buying a new car every 4-5 years or even sooner, from the fear of the expensive repairs. You can expect 200,000km - 250,000km service life from your common rail injectors in your TDI and since they very expensive, you will not want to keep your car much longer than that.

I personally don't like to keep my car longer than 10 years or 160,000km.

[asa572]

I'm getting thoroughly confused as usual.

Was a time when I ran my 2007 Comfortline TDI auto pretty much exclusively on Shell. We shop at Coles, their pump is closest & when I travel down the Newell Highway, they seem to have the keenest prices & accessible low flow pumps. However, when I popped the sensor that looks after the particulate filter (I'm a user, not a mechanic these days - can't remember the name), the shop that replaced it & (naturally) did a regen then told me that Shell is too sulphury for the filter & I should use BP & Caltax. Since I've done that (& it hasn't hurt the wallet since the ACCC got into Coles & Woolworths), my around town economy seems to have got a tad excessive & it's maybe half a litre less sharp on the highway. That was 10-12000ks ago.

I followed a thread on tuning to a site sponsor, Greg Roles & he said back a few years now:

Big fan of Fuel Doctor because it's fluro green. Big fan of Moreys Diesel smoke killer, for it really does what it says as far as reducing soot. Unless the VW dealer has special equipment or actually removes the injectors and ultrasonics them, I suspect all they did was what you can do yourself with a can of LiquiMoly Diesel Purge from Supercheap for about $20. I hear of people charged $200 for the same thing.

Running BP or Caltex can largely alleviate the need for such drastic measures in the first place as well.

So, I seem to be using the right fuel now, but is Greg's advice to purge the injector system with LiquiMoly Diesel Purge still a good first IA to recover the economy I used to have? I have around 100000 on the clock.

Thanks, John

Did some 2007 Comfortlines (103's)come with DPF's fitted??

[Transporter]

Did some 2007 Comfortlines (103's)come with DPF's fitted??

Not that I know of.

[Kiels3927]

I'm getting mightily confused here. Is the issue of having or not having a DPF because mine was an October 2007 delivery & therefore a 2008 according to the spec sheet I downloaded from VW Australia after I ordered the car (issued 6/07)?

Also, there's this old thread here: 2007 multivan comfortline 2.5 diesel engine no power It seems to suggest that there was one lurking (or some real shyster dealers).

Jeez, First it turns out that the dope I got to use BP & Caltax because Shell clags the filter is no longer current (I think). Now you reckon I don't have a DPF, so the regen I was charged for when the sensor went was a phantom. It all gets back to that bugger, Heiko Ertel, who originally told me I had a thing that worked like a catalytic converter in petrol donks.