When did diesel cars get complicated?
- Thread starter Dave D
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Tee-hee. Not mentioning those "reliable" cv joints today, then ?
Firstly it was singular - as in nearside only. Secondly, it wasn't actually the joint, only the rubber boot covering it. Thirdly, the cv joints and their boots are not part of the engine, so not what I was discussing. Being connected to the diff, not directly to the engine, they are actually considered to be part of the transmission. Fourth, the actual CV joints are still the original 20 year old units and still work perfectly. Sixth the problem was more likely down to badly made pattern rubber boots, made of a harder material with insufficient flex/stretch. Seventh, one or two of the boots may not have been fitted correctly - including the one I fitted. Eighth, the genuine Fiat boot now correctly fitted has been trouble free for over 6 months now - so problem cured.
Hope that helps clear up your confusion.
On the whole though, if a rubber boot and a 30 quid speed sensor (note - also located in the diff, so again not part of engine) are the only two things I can really remember trying my patience on a van I've owned for 17 years - I'd say it was a bloody good engine/vehicle overall. Wouldn't you?
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DPFs came in with "Euro 5" emissions - round about 2009, but could be a year either way, depending on whether the manufacturer decided to get ahead of the legislation or went right up to the wire.
AdBlue (which does a different job entirely), came in gradually. The Euro 6 emissions requirements were originally introduced in 2015, but some cars produced low enough NOx emissions to get through the tests without needing Selective Catalytic Reduction (AdBlue). Unfortunately it was not long after that, that VW got caught cheating, and the EU Commission was forced to introduce a whole load of new requirements in rapid succession, so you got lots of different levels of Euro 6:
Euro 6b,
6c
6d Temp,
6d Temp ISC,
6d
6d FCM
6e
By Euro 6d Temp, (2019) pretty much all diesels needed to use AdBlue. There was just no other way of getting the NOx emissions low enough.
AdBlue (which does a different job entirely), came in gradually. The Euro 6 emissions requirements were originally introduced in 2015, but some cars produced low enough NOx emissions to get through the tests without needing Selective Catalytic Reduction (AdBlue). Unfortunately it was not long after that, that VW got caught cheating, and the EU Commission was forced to introduce a whole load of new requirements in rapid succession, so you got lots of different levels of Euro 6:
Euro 6b,
6c
6d Temp,
6d Temp ISC,
6d
6d FCM
6e
By Euro 6d Temp, (2019) pretty much all diesels needed to use AdBlue. There was just no other way of getting the NOx emissions low enough.
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It's a very general rules, based on if you do less miles, it's not worth the extra cost of diesel ownership, and diesels are not best suited with short runs. Diesels are very fuel efficient, and take a lot of miles, to get up to working temperature, and regular cold running is something to avoid.
My diesel, for instance, does limited miles per year, but is only taken out when I have a decent amount of miles to do, so it gets up to temperature every trip. That is fine.
I used to have a company provided diesel, It was on the go, most of the day, but it was cold/no fun at all, for it's first 10 miles in winter. My car, has a diesel burning boiler built in, to help combat this - I can turn it on in the garage, and drive it out already up to temperature.
I have a 2008 1.9 TDi 170PS, Seat Leon. Never done massive miles in it and since covid I've been WFH and my annual mileage is teeny, lots of short trips and 4+ years of doing so hasn't created any issues so far. Having said that a couple of times a week it gets a slightly longer run including a few dual carriageway miles which most likely helps alleviate this.
The DPF light has only come on once in all the years I've owned it, earlier this year. Stayed on for a few secs at most.
I don't think it's coincidence that some on here tell me to keep my ancient Ideal Mexico boiler as they're straightforward and reliable (if serviced) compared to some (most?) modern boilers. I liken this to cars as well. Modern ones ever more full of electronic guff, just more to go wrong in my opinion. They're becoming ever more like disposable gadgets as opposed to cars.
The DPF light has only come on once in all the years I've owned it, earlier this year. Stayed on for a few secs at most.
I don't think it's coincidence that some on here tell me to keep my ancient Ideal Mexico boiler as they're straightforward and reliable (if serviced) compared to some (most?) modern boilers. I liken this to cars as well. Modern ones ever more full of electronic guff, just more to go wrong in my opinion. They're becoming ever more like disposable gadgets as opposed to cars.
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Great floor standing boiler. Very inefficient compared to the fragile modern stuff, but uncomplicated and will keep on going. Extra money you spend on gas is still less than the money you would have spent on installing rubbish new boilers every ten or so years. Just occasional service and it will keep going. Still using my 20 year old Vaillant Turbomax. Older boilers were bomb proof, and built to last. Unlike the modern junk that is full of cheap plastic components.
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In my humble opinion, modern diesels aren't 'bad'. However it is true to say diesel engines have become increasingly complex over time and as others have pointed out, this has generally been driven by directives to decrease pollution.
I run a 2004 bmw diesel having eu4 emissions standards. The EGR pipes cannot be blanked without modifying the engine management software, but the catalytic converter can be removed (increases pollution). The same engine at eu3 standards can have the EGR pipes removed without issue. While an eu3 diesel engine is simpler to maintain and has 'less to go wrong', the car will be in excess of 20 years old and by modern standards a big polluter, hence higher road tax for older engined cars).
Catalytic converter... EGR systems... DPF... Adblue systems.. - all ancillaries introduced to reduce emissions, which is of great environmental benefit.
Unfortunately all of those ancillaries can become expensive points of failure!
I very much agree. Our old cast iron Glow worm, was so very easy to fix. Just a pilot light, thermocouple, piezo spark and a gas valve. It went through a couple of thermocouples, over it's 20 years, and a gas valve solenoid coil. The only reason I changed it, was I didn't like the idea of that pilot light running constantly, burning gas.
I swapped that for an Ideal condensing, but none modulating, which gave endless problems. Swapping that for the Vaillant, which I now have, which has been problem free so far.
And won't be "allowed" to enter LEZs.
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as an obsessive cyclist I'm all for the anti pollution - I'm becoming quite the expert on what Euro level the vehicle has just past me is. Euro 4 (like my van) jeez they stink
Judging by the crap coming out of the exhaust pipe, I expected two of the vans I went by yesterday to be piloted by men in stovepipe hats.
I'm guessing if you changed the GW to save on using gas that the pilot was using, in the long run you didn't save anything. Plus the aggro factor.
Bet the GW would still be giving good service.
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