Diesel vs Petrol??

motorguy

forgotmyname wrote: »

Modern diesels can be a money pit. Everyone wanted the economy of a diesel but performance of a petrol.

So they and to add a ton of sensors and electric bits to get the most from the engine.

replace solid flywheel that rarely needed replacing. for one held together with springs and a bit of luck sometimes. Upto £1200 to replace one of those with a clutch.

Mechanical injectors for electrical ones controlled by an ECU and a ton of sensors. £2000 for a brand new set Recon for £600.

£600 for a pump, Fuel pressure sensor about £80.

Electronic turbo £600+

Modern petrol cars are simple in comparison.

Totally agree with this. Dont forget DPF failure - £800, EGR valves £250, Air flow Meters £150, Dual Mass Flywheels £600, Turbo wastegate actuator failure £400.

Any ONE of these failures in a year will more than offset the saving of a diesel car.

Couple with that that people are trying to save money by not servicing and not looking after their cars, and a modern diesel is basically just a time bomb.

moses06

We have a petrol Jag 2.5ltr and an Izusu Trooper Diesel 3.1ltr they cost a similar amount to run!! We chose an older diesel as our tow car (1996 reg) (needed something beefy for towing livestock on and off road) as we had heard of the many problems and expensive failures of modern diesels.
If I didn't need to tow I would get a petrol volvo or subaru for the low milage I do now. But I do love the Trooper for it's great torque,essential when lugging nearly 2 tonnes of horses and trailer out of muddy fields and for getting up and down the steep hills we have here!

Gloomendoom

Buellguy wrote: »

I think someone has done the maths and, unless your milage is circa 15,000 PA then it's not worth getting a diesel

That isn't always true. When I bought my car, the only petrol option was 6.2 litres. It has taken a lot less than 15000 miles for the diesel to make sense.

Gloomendoom

forgotmyname wrote: »

Modern petrol cars are simple in comparison.

Unfortunately, modern petrol cars are going the same way as diesels. The engines are getting smaller, turbos and direct injection are becoming the norm with the associated high pressure pumps etc. Dual mass flywheels are not the preserve of diesels either.

Guys_Dad

The argument re diesels needing 15000 miles per annum to make them pay only applies to new cars. 2nd hand prices tend to be much narrower.

Some diesel versions of larger cars do make economic sense - my Chrysler 300C was a prime example, as is my son's Volvo V70.

Smaller cars usually make less of a case, but buying 2nd hand is very much getting the best car you can for your price - and by best, I mean primarily condition, mileage, service history etc.

So, look for a good deal based on the above and keep the fuel type further down your list of priorities.

cardinalbiggles

oldhand wrote: »

and a diesel needs servicing more often.

That's not true.

1886

Aside from the MPG debate and which is cheaper to run, diesel or petrol cars. You should also think about road tax.

I have a 2001 1.4 TDI VW Polo and it costs £30 to tax for the year. Not only that, I get 65mpg+ and even though I bought the car three years ago I see alot for sale at only £1k less now

avantra

1886 wrote: »

Aside from the MPG debate and which is cheaper to run, diesel or petrol cars. You should also think about road tax.

I have a 2001 1.4 TDI VW Polo and it costs £30 to tax for the year. Not only that, I get 65mpg+ and even though I bought the car three years ago I see alot for sale at only £1k less now

The 2001 TDI is an old design so yes you will enjoy cheap motoring, the VED should be the last thing you really need to look at. Running a Ford Mondeo 2.0 petrol from 1998 to early 2012 and almost 190k miles nothing really gone wrong apart from consumables. So yes it was £160-200 a year for VED but oh boy it paid for itself in reliability (which is what you need to look for not the VED).

martin_54

so whats a electronic turbo then as in a early post.

Gloomendoom

martin_54 wrote: »

so whats a electronic turbo then as in a early post.

Probably referring to a variable geometry turbo activated by a servo that is controlled by the engine ECU.