I recently read on a car forum that people with diesel cars have noticed a slight drop in fuel economy of late: So had I, and asking MarkyB (who drives quite a few miles a year), we both reckon we’ve noticed a drop very recently too. Added to this, the Fabia seems a little smokier (booting it away the other day produced a little visible smoke behind), and I’m wondering if this is due to the small percentage of biodiesel that’s allowed now? Normally the warmer weather and fuel without anti-waxing additive would give slightly lower consumption. Also, following a recent Focus TDCI tonight, it seemed a bit smoky, and the Ford TDCI is actually a worthwhile engine, unlike it’s older efforts.
14 thoughts on “Starting Smoking”
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I bet the price hasn’t dropped though! I noticed diesel at a garage in Wolves was 13p a litre more expensive than UL! How? Haven’t you started to filter your own cooking oil yet?
No, the price is as high as ever. 120-125p per litre on average.
Dude, since our talk I have put two full tanks full of juice thru the Mazola…sorry Mazda.
One was the normal 48ish MPG, the other was down to 43ish. One was Sainburys the other was Tesco. Same sort of terrain though. A small sample at the moment but I will post again
My trip back from Derbyshire showed 50.1 mpg on the passably accurate fuel computer: but I’ve had expected nearer 55, being as I kept to the 50mph limit on the A6, kept at 75-80 on the A38, and there was very little traffic. In similar circumstances I’ve seen nearly 60 mpg. Can’t remember what brand of fuel: probably whatever is cheapest nearby. Recent commutes have shown from 40mpg in traffic or thrashed, to 49 (light traffic, keeping the speed down a bit).
@bumpkin:
Apparently recycled chip oil is a big no-no in a VAG PD engine. You need an old, low-tech diesel. Old Shitroens (or Rovers with the XUD engine)with a Bosch injection pump are favourite. They’re cheap, plentiful, and the engine is OK for how old it is. The problem is the PD or CR injectors can get damaged, and the cost would buy a lot of diesel.
Just a thought as our local farmers are growing “Rape” at a rate of knots and its bad for my hay fever!
A Range Rover came past me on my bike the other day and it smelt like a parrafin heater 🙂
Diesel is still the best option though right? We’re going for a diesel this time round and like the last car, it has to last us a dozen years or so.
@ hoipoloi
It depends on your mileage to be honest.
You will pay more for a diesel car, and for the fuel, but it will probably do much better MPG. For example, our 1.4 litre Lupo manages about 35mpg average last time I checked. The bigger, heavier, faster Fabia will typically manage 45-47 on a similar journey, and has the potential for very good MPG if you take care- I have seen 60 mpg while cruising very gently at 55 mph. When I had a 2 litre petrol automatic BMW for a while the fuel bills were painful, but I do at least 260 miles a week.
I genuinely prefer the low-down torque of a turbodiesel, over a modern petrol engine, given that I can’t afford or afford to fuel an RS4.
The Bumpkin has just bought a 1.8T Petrol Octavia, and that might be a different matter- very wide torque spread, fast if you boot it, OK-ish on fuel if you don’t.
What’s going to replace the Rover then?
The initial higher cost of a diesel is expected by us, and as the next engine will hopefully do us for 120,000 plus miles it is the only way to go (mind you, the Rover (1.4i 16v) has been relatively trouble free for 135,000 so far).
The next car seems expensive at nearly £30,000 but we’ve had ages to save, and spread over the next dozen years is probably less outlay than most other new car buyers. The car is a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso VTR Plus with 138bhp 2.0 turbo diesel and 6 speed electronic gearbox (it’s full of gadgets and I like gadgets). They reckon on 55mpg at best and 35mpg in town (the Rover was about 33 on a run and 25 local). SWMBO drives the car locally for 49 weeks of the year and I drive it around 3,000 miles around Europe for the other 3 weeks. Another reason for change is that European breakdown cover gets expensive when the car is older than ten years. If you’re wondering why we need such a big car it’s because we still have two teenagers at home and various grandchildren that get taken places.
Sorry, that’s an Exclusive, not a VTR Plus.
Would you believe I had to do a spreadsheet to compare all the possible choices? 🙂
Yes, I would believe the spreadsheet. An ex colleague had C5 and liked it enough to get another.
Depreciation is the only big issue with Citroen, and if you’re keeping it for that period it’s not an issue: by 12 years old almost any car’s value is measured in hundreds anyway, and you can usually get a good deal new because the dealers know the value drops quickly in the first few years: it makes them a bad buy to keep short term but a very good one long-term.
Electronic gearbox? Electronically controlled slushbox or automated manual?
[*googles*]
Looks like automated manual/semiauto then, rather than a slushbox, and it sounds like a good thing. Alfa tried it, and buggered it up like only the Italians can, but Citroen have had some success. My next car will probably be DSG– similar concept, but a different take on it (and more complicated 🙁 ), as I’m sick of the aches and pains from heavy traffic with a manual.
The 6 speed has a lever similar to traditional auto boxes (Reverse Neutral Auto Manual). In the manual mode (actually semi-automatic but not pre-selected) gear changing is accomplished by use of the steering wheel paddles. On the test drive I naturally tried a standing quarter 🙂 using the paddles but the lag between each gear was deplorable. However, kickdown was immediate in fully automatic so dropping a gear or two for overtaking should be acceptable.
Like you I’ve had enough mileage in traffic to warrant retiring the left leg.
It’s got loads of other goodies to go wrong as well like turning headlights (wasn’t that a Citroen thing years back?), lane departure warning device (vibrates the seat on the side of the lane that you are wandering from). You can also cruise past parked cars and it will tell you if any of the empty spaces are big enough for your car. Plus loads of other things that will make SWMBO’s driving experience more pleasurable/nightmarish.
Yes, the turning headlights was the DS, a car very much ahead of it’s time. In fact, it also had an automated manual transmission (well, a semi-auto preselector) with no clutch pedal.
++++++STOP PRESS++++++++
Latest figures 48mpg on a mix of rural (A roads) and urban (Chester Road) to work.
Just for the record, average mileage is 450-500 per week unless I am working awat when that could double……Tesco again 🙂