PSLewis was right, diesel is the future!
17 March 2011, 01:32 PM
#31
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I can get it up to about 18mpg on a run, but on normal town driving I'm lucky to get 10mpg.
17 March 2011, 01:36 PM
#32
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'92 W124 E230 auto. Lovely barge of a motor and on the motorway gave around 30+ at a steady 70ish. Needs a 5th gear though for crusing as I have the 4 speed auto box. 
I actually bought it after considering what you have written about reliable old Mercs on here... the W124 caught my attention from memory.
I actually bought it after considering what you have written about reliable old Mercs on here... the W124 caught my attention from memory.
17 March 2011, 02:01 PM
#33
Carw00ds? Had to resort to using them a few times, their recon parts are ok, but I don't trust their diagnosis skills as a garage. They seem intent on swapping parts in assumption that it will fix whatever problem there is at the cost to the bill payer, then to add insult not properly testing the vehicle afterwards to ensure its actually been fixed.
Last time they diagnosed a faulty injector pump. They replaced it (not cheap), and let us have the vehicle back saying it was all fixed and ok. I took it round the block and found it to be no better than before. The fault turned out to be a wiring loom problem (which was found by us, not them, after much time spent going through VW TDS reports on erWin). They stonewalled us with regards to the wasted costs incurred by their incorrect diagonisis and unnecessary replacement of the pump.
Last time they diagnosed a faulty injector pump. They replaced it (not cheap), and let us have the vehicle back saying it was all fixed and ok. I took it round the block and found it to be no better than before. The fault turned out to be a wiring loom problem (which was found by us, not them, after much time spent going through VW TDS reports on erWin). They stonewalled us with regards to the wasted costs incurred by their incorrect diagonisis and unnecessary replacement of the pump.
We always fit genuine parts anyway,but didnt have a choice in this case;
17 March 2011, 02:29 PM
#35
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I have a late 09 mundaeo for daily driving: I get a proper 36 mpg out of that around town- considering I live in yorkshire where everything is up a hill,its not bad.
it will nudge 56/58 mpg on a run though. its a bloody big motor size/weight wise too.
mind you with fuel prices, I can see motorbikes, scooters or hybrids being a choice for some now.
I've seen diesel at 1.42 in the odd station now.
it will nudge 56/58 mpg on a run though. its a bloody big motor size/weight wise too.
mind you with fuel prices, I can see motorbikes, scooters or hybrids being a choice for some now.
I've seen diesel at 1.42 in the odd station now.
17 March 2011, 10:21 PM
#40
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Totally Les, I miss my Alfa like mad and its only been 4days but I don't miss filling it up constantly and the lack of real power. My Alfa is made for backroad hooliganism, in all other respects it fails miserablely.
17 March 2011, 10:33 PM
#41
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The proof is in the pudding, my car is bloody quick. FWD limits performance off the line as wheelspin is a major downfall, but once moving it goes like stink. If I had AWD I bet 0-60 would be easily in the mid 6's, but 30-70 would suffer due to weight and drivetrain losses. Personally, I'd rather have the mid-range poke as in real world driving it's more useful than off-the-line showboating. Throw in the massive economy of these cars and I simply wouldn't entertain a petrol car right now. If I had £16-20k to spend a Scoob would be great, but a BMW 335D map'd to 350/500 would be the wiser choice.
17 March 2011, 10:37 PM
#42
I'm delighted with my wrxd now
Coming up 22k miles and am averaging 500 per tank 45.8 mixed driving
Longer journeys give me 48-52 mpg
Compared to my green wagon classic 2000 turbo which gives me 250 to the tank 23-26mpg mixed that's why it only comes out once a week but the smiles are still there with it
Coming up 22k miles and am averaging 500 per tank 45.8 mixed driving
Longer journeys give me 48-52 mpg
Compared to my green wagon classic 2000 turbo which gives me 250 to the tank 23-26mpg mixed that's why it only comes out once a week but the smiles are still there with it
17 March 2011, 11:36 PM
#43
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BHP is simply a mathematical multiplication of engine revs times torque. If you haven't much torque, you need lots of revs to get half decent power, hence Honda V-Tec engines get reasonable power by revving to 9k, but have woeful torque levels. Diesel engines are limited in how fast they can burn the fuel, so revs stay low, but the higher expansion of the denser fuel means a much stronger bang, hence more torque but at lower revs. If my 312 lb/ft does nothing for acceleration, then how come my car has been measured at 0-60 in 7.1s, and 30-70 in 6s ? Where is this acceleration coming from if it isn't my prodigious torque ? Scoobs often have 220-280bhp, but torque is often pegged at about 250 lb/ft, so how come my 180bhp manages to nearly match an STi PPP in mid-range acceleration ?
The proof is in the pudding, my car is bloody quick. FWD limits performance off the line as wheelspin is a major downfall, but once moving it goes like stink. If I had AWD I bet 0-60 would be easily in the mid 6's, but 30-70 would suffer due to weight and drivetrain losses. Personally, I'd rather have the mid-range poke as in real world driving it's more useful than off-the-line showboating. Throw in the massive economy of these cars and I simply wouldn't entertain a petrol car right now. If I had £16-20k to spend a Scoob would be great, but a BMW 335D map'd to 350/500 would be the wiser choice.
The proof is in the pudding, my car is bloody quick. FWD limits performance off the line as wheelspin is a major downfall, but once moving it goes like stink. If I had AWD I bet 0-60 would be easily in the mid 6's, but 30-70 would suffer due to weight and drivetrain losses. Personally, I'd rather have the mid-range poke as in real world driving it's more useful than off-the-line showboating. Throw in the massive economy of these cars and I simply wouldn't entertain a petrol car right now. If I had £16-20k to spend a Scoob would be great, but a BMW 335D map'd to 350/500 would be the wiser choice.
If you can rev a car (and get high hp) then you can stay in gear, and put down more wheel torque than that diesel which has run out of puff and has shifted to a taller gear.
Last edited by tony de wonderful; 17 March 2011 at 11:38 PM.
18 March 2011, 12:49 AM
#46
A whole heap of problems for people who do short journeys and/or ignore the warning lights on the dash.
Can cost over £1000 to replace on some cars if its beyond repair (which is caused by carrying on driving with the warning lights flashing on the dash).
Can cost over £1000 to replace on some cars if its beyond repair (which is caused by carrying on driving with the warning lights flashing on the dash).
Last edited by ALi-B; 18 March 2011 at 12:51 AM.
18 March 2011, 08:28 AM
#47
Some cars,mainly the models that have the 1.9 CDti engine will not even go into DPF regen when they should.
We can force regen many cars,but that doest drop the saturation levels of the DPF suffieciently..
ATM we have an 06 Vectra estate(51k) that will not naturally regen even though all the criteria has been met on numerous occasions.... The car has to complete 31 miles with car never dropping under 2100rpm.Also temperature and saturation of DPF have to be at certain levels too..
So,we have had many rides up the M1 without success..............As yet!!!!
We can force regen many cars,but that doest drop the saturation levels of the DPF suffieciently..
ATM we have an 06 Vectra estate(51k) that will not naturally regen even though all the criteria has been met on numerous occasions.... The car has to complete 31 miles with car never dropping under 2100rpm.Also temperature and saturation of DPF have to be at certain levels too..
So,we have had many rides up the M1 without success..............As yet!!!!
18 March 2011, 11:38 AM
#48
That in itself can cause problems; we recently had a 307HDi engine almost go pop during a forced regen -Was running fine, then suddenly started running on engine oil and wouldn't switch off, so had to be stalled by dropping the clutch in 5th gear to prevent it completely self destructing.
Car hasn't been maintained very well guessing by the state of the oil that came out of it, so I guess it caused a problem with the crankcase breathers.
18 March 2011, 02:32 PM
#51
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Can't you use a rolling rd or just DIY put it on axle stands?
18 March 2011, 04:48 PM
#52
Which is one of the (many many many............ 
) reasons myself and mrs blu-scoob ditched our diesels and now both drive Subarus.
Agreed 100%
Have to say, though, for someone doing LOTS of miles on the motorway they're perfect.
) reasons myself and mrs blu-scoob ditched our diesels and now both drive Subarus.Have to say, though, for someone doing LOTS of miles on the motorway they're perfect.
Last edited by BLU; 18 March 2011 at 04:49 PM.
18 March 2011, 09:41 PM
#53
20 March 2011, 08:30 PM
#54
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Rented a brand new Meriva petrol super economy thingy whilst in Germany a couple of weeks ago. Not my cup of tea but got a genuine 58 mpg out of it (calculated by how much fuel I had to put into it rather than from the trip computer). Only had 11 kilometers on the clock when I picked it up so naturally the first day or so was spent "running it in" 
. So, economy without DPF worries.
. So, economy without DPF worries.
20 March 2011, 09:53 PM
#55
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Some cars,mainly the models that have the 1.9 CDti engine will not even go into DPF regen when they should.
We can force regen many cars,but that doest drop the saturation levels of the DPF suffieciently..
ATM we have an 06 Vectra estate(51k) that will not naturally regen even though all the criteria has been met on numerous occasions.... The car has to complete 31 miles with car never dropping under 2100rpm.Also temperature and saturation of DPF have to be at certain levels too..
So,we have had many rides up the M1 without success..............As yet!!!!
We can force regen many cars,but that doest drop the saturation levels of the DPF suffieciently..
ATM we have an 06 Vectra estate(51k) that will not naturally regen even though all the criteria has been met on numerous occasions.... The car has to complete 31 miles with car never dropping under 2100rpm.Also temperature and saturation of DPF have to be at certain levels too..
So,we have had many rides up the M1 without success..............As yet!!!!
Do you have the 8v or 16v?
I have just bought a CDti 150, and was getting concerned over the DPF issue, however I understand it's just the estate versions that have them.
21 March 2011, 03:35 AM
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21 March 2011, 10:53 AM
#59
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Sure but the wheels don't see the torque at the crank, they see the torque at the crank multiplied by the gear ratio.
If you can rev a car (and get high hp) then you can stay in gear, and put down more wheel torque than that diesel which has run out of puff and has shifted to a taller gear.
If you can rev a car (and get high hp) then you can stay in gear, and put down more wheel torque than that diesel which has run out of puff and has shifted to a taller gear.
No point in hanging on to a lower gear in a diesel if the torque has fallen off but it will pull better in the next gear up because it is in the best rev range.
Whether it will perform better than the petrol engine for a given engine size depends on the relative state of tuning of course. Diesels usually produce greater torque at the lower end of the rev range as a rule.
Les
21 March 2011, 11:46 AM
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My oil burner easily gets 50+mpg, the wifes over 60. Mine has 180bhp, and a whopping 312 lb/ft (420Nm) meaning the essential overtaking dash of 30-70 is done in 6 seconds (tested). Even Prodrive only quote the STi PPP at 5.4s for that, and that's with a test driver ruining the car.
Chip