VW Group - Attn 659FBE

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Sun 7 Dec 2014 12:08
VW Group - Attn 659FBE - RT

Everyone seems to have great respect for your critique of VW Group diesels in the 2010 thread www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=87645 any chance of an update on current VW Group diesels.

My son has a Vectra-C Estate 150CDTi which seems to be getting every single problem that the Fiat diesel ever suffered - I'm thinking of helping him get a new Superb Estate as he needs a big car but I know that the BR doesn't rate VW Group nearly as high as it's popular reputation.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Edited by RT on 07/12/2014 at 12:10

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Sun 7 Dec 2014 12:55
VW Group - Attn 659FBE - craig-pd130

I can't answer for 659 but I think the need to comply with latest emissions demands has meant that there isn't a truly reliable diesel anymore. With increasingly complex injection systems, DPFs and so on, what you gain on the swings you'll lose on the roundabouts. So a car with well-designed & engineered internals (oil pump / cam drive etc) can be let down by expensive ancilliaries.

I'd be tempted to choose the car that suits your son's needs, and then haggle hard to get an aftermarket warranty that also covers the DPF and its sensors (apparently such warranties do exist).

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Sun 7 Dec 2014 13:20
VW Group - Attn 659FBE - skidpan

Not a truly reliable diesel any more. We have approx 100 company vehicles all of which are diesels. They do approx 150,000 miles in the 4 yeasr they are kept. All are serviced according to the manufacturers schedules and in 10 or more years can only remember 1 blown turbo.

Warranty on a DPF, I don't think so. Kia's DPF is actually covered under the warranty providing any problem is due to a manufacturing defect. SInce most DPF issues are down to inapropriate use and since a DPF contains no moving or wearing parts very few would actually be covered in the real world.

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Sun 7 Dec 2014 16:07
VW Group - Attn 659FBE - bazza

Not a truly reliable diesel any more. We have approx 100 company vehicles all of which are diesels. They do approx 150,000 miles in the 4 yeasr they are kept. All are serviced according to the manufacturers schedules and in 10 or more years can only remember 1 blown turbo.

I think you've hit the nail there SkidP, the modern diesel with all its exhaust after-treatment needs to work hard and be serviced on the button to last. But so many people are still under the illusion that a diesel saves them money. I have several neighbours in the street who won't consider anything else, they don't know anything about piexo injectors, DPFs, Euro V and impending Euro 6 which adds even more complication and cost--so much that many commentators believe diesel will be gone in the small car within 5 to 10 years.

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Sun 7 Dec 2014 20:23
VW Group - Attn 659FBE - daveyK_UK

Another issue is manufacturers only offering diesel engines on some models

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Sun 7 Dec 2014 21:43
VW Group - Attn 659FBE - Avant

659 FBE hasn't posted since October, so i hope he sees this and comes back: his input and expertise have been hugely valuable over the years.

RT - what mileage does your son do each year? I agree that it's increasingly difficult to find a reliable modern diesel: fortunately more and more efficient, torquey petrol engines are coming on to the market, not least VAG's own 1.4 TSI and 2.0 TSI (the latter in my Octavia vRS gives 40 mpg on a long run).

At the moment diesel is stil favoured by fleets (this presumably being the reason for the new VW Passat being available only as a diesel) , but I wonder how long that will last. I suspect that the lower depreciation of diesels compared with petrol power may not be long for this world either.

Skidpan, do you have a feel for which of the diesels in your company's fleet are more / less reliable? Is there a pattern of one make being better than another?

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Sun 7 Dec 2014 22:00
VW Group - Attn 659FBE - RT

He's "only" doing about 12,000 miles/year - we thought he'd do about 15,000 when he bought the car - so he might be below the break-even point for diesel anyway - how reliable is the 1.8 TSi as there's no 2.0 TSi on the Superb ?

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