I collect my new car (first ever diesel) next Wednesday. Oooh! I'm tingly all over and covered with goosebumps in anticipation.
Yes, yes it's the one I can afford because I've worked hard, paid off my mortgage, nearly finished paying for the school fees and so on.
Now then - how do I run in a diesel? What revs? For how long? etc. etc.
It comes full of fuel (unknown brand - probably Tesco as it's nearest to the dealer), but after that I intend to use BP premier cru because you all tell me to.
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*cough*
www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/index.htm
(number 15)
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Many thanks. No.15 duly read, printed and will sit on front passenger seat from Sept 1.
Call me a softy, I'd prefer to be more gentle. BUT HJ rules and I will obey.
BTW - Here's a new scam: dealer says for £395 I can sell you "gap insurance for 3 years" "What's than then" I ask. Well, if the car is written off at any time in the next 3 years the insurance will plug the financial gap between my regular insurer's payout and the cost of a new car.
I may have money to spend (and even waste it some do say) - but I'm not that daft.
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"It comes full of fuel (unknown brand - probably Tesco as it's nearest to the dealer), but after that I intend to use BP premier cru because you all tell me to."
No we didnt! Ok BP premier cru is a fine vintage that provides a smoother engine and improved response, however the engine devours this nectar at the same rate as vin du table and the cru is very expensive.
Hence Laguna (being french) gets the vin ordinaire most meal times, with an aperatife (scuse spellin) of Millars Diesel stuff every 6k miles.
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Mind tellin us what you are havin?
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A diesel engine has a much narrower torque band that a petrol equivalent - the secret is to accelerate briskly until the revs start to fall off and then change up. Repeat..:-)
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the secret is to accelerate briskly until the revs start to fall off
I use to think that when I jabbd my stilletto onto the gas pedal, and the car zoomed off, that the engine revs increased until I changd gear. Evidently, I have a lot to learn about driving :)
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That's the difference between petrol and diesel engines - the former's revs rise until you ease off the throttle or the rev counter cuts in, the diesel engine's revs start to drop off (it's a very narrow band which is available, which can be seen by looking at the rev counter if one is fitted).
You could keep your foot on the diesel engine's throttle but acceleration would begin to fall off quite sharply; that's why you judge just the moment to change up a gear to make the most of the torque.
One you have got a diesel car up to the speed required, the much higher torque available than a petrol engine of equivalent capacity means you normally don't need to change gears as often.
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That's the difference between petrol and diesel engines
[snip]
Stuart, re-read the first two paragraphs of what you wrote :)
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Today's deliberate mistake - i.e. rev counter for limiter...:-)
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Today's deliberate mistake - i.e. rev counter for limiter...:-)
actually, the one I meant was your confusion of revs for power.
Floor the pedal on a petrol, and the revs don't drop off: they increase.
Floor the pedal on a diesel, and the revs don't drop off: they increase.
If the revs dropped off, the car would slow down. It's just that on a diesel, that plateau is reached earlier than on a petrol.
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On a pug 1.9 non turbo diesel the power drops off so sudenly over the band its like hitting a brick wall, no chance of hitting any rev limiter on the move. On the renault 1.9dci it does still pull (albeit with less vigour) until you hit the (electronic) rev limiter, even then does not feel like hitting a brick wall.
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Yes, but in this case it's about the maximum torque available and the revs point at which it is reached.
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Mind tellin us what you are havin?
With pleasure: Audi A4 Avant Tdi 130 multitronic in a nice shade of metallic blue. The model, engine and I suspect gearbox may soon be reviewed / updated but I'm happy with the trade-in for my A4 Avant 2.0 petrol multitronic in silver.
You can't call me boring - it's a diesel and it's a different colour. Electric back windows too this time.
And, to irritate Mapmaker, I'll only keep it for around 3 years, so if it really becomes a bore it won't be long before I can start all over again with something different.
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And two pleasant surprises:
a)road tax is less.
b)£22.05 refund from Direct Line Insurance.
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>And, to irritate Mapmaker
Lord no! To PLEASE Mapmaker. Keep those cheap cars coming my way, please DE!
If I may just remind you of ND's succinct summary at the point when you first suggested buying your car:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=23...1 Except I'd hope it's more like 5% or less...
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And, to irritate Mapmaker, I'll only keep it for around 3 years, so if it really becomes a bore it won't be long before I can start all over again with something different.
I doubt that mapmaker be irritated to know that you will be paying so much for the privelige of running in his new car.
He'll probably let another owner play with it for another three years after you've run it in for him, and then he can get a new toy without denting his dinner budgets too much :)
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>>I collect my new car (first ever diesel) next Wednesday. Oooh! I'm tingly all over and covered with goosebumps in anticipation.
That's why people have a new car every year. But then I got that tingle of anticipation with a £200 Polo. Some of my colleagues drive brand new open-top MGs, but the £200 Polo did it for me.
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VAG TDI engines can use quite a lot of oil to begin with, I would keep a close eye. You will need the specified oil for this engine as well. I have had three, the first two used two or three litres over the first few thousand miles and then never needed a top up over 100K+. To confuse me, the third used none at all! Enjoy your car.
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Got my Audi 2 months ago. Mutltitronic and diesel. Easy drive an fuel economy is over 50mpg. Smart choice! New model may be out soon but this one works well.
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I took our GAP cover on my Xsara - I paid £4000 for it and I have "return to invoice price" cover, meaning that should I destroy it, I don't get the paltry 1500 that I might get for it second hand, but the full £4000 back. Made sense to me, and only £200 extra.
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Jesse perhaps you should do some calculations because £200 to cover a possible £2500 payout is a very good risk for the insurance company. They only need 11 customers to make a profit (acounting for interest they earn) and write off rates are no where near that.
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Talking about diesels, I sold my Volvo S80 2.9 today and hired a Megane Scenic for a week whilst the new car arrives.
I wanted a focus diesel, but when I got to the depot (in the pouring rain so no chance I was walking away) all they had was a Scenie petrol, 1.4 I think.
Ughh. No torque!! I have only drive manual cars four times in the last four years and that was on holiday. All were diesels and even the Doblo, once it had had its throat cleared - Ehem - were dead easy to drive in traffic jams or on the open road. I've stalled this Renault twice, its not as economical as I would expect - cetainly compared to my Volvo - and I hate this key card thing; whats the point? You take it out and the car still runs!!!!
People who buy new manual petrol cars now must be mad. The quality of driving experience of diesel over petrol is so high that it cannot be worth saving the £1,000. You'll get the extra money back later anyway in terms of trade-in value and savings in fuel and insurance.
--
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Not sure about saving on insurance, made no diference on my last two cars.
As regards future prices of diesels these will be falling towards prices of petrol versions of the same car over the next two years or so. Simple reason, about 60% of new company car registrations are now diesel, oversupply will damage residuals badly.
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Its not just the company car registrations that are going diesel, our Audi dealership sells maybe 2 Diesel Audis for each petrol one, the only petrol ones really being bought now are the big beefy S4 and its elk and TTs because there isn't a diesel. That's not to say we don't sell 2.0 and similar A4s, just that the diesels are much more common.
Dulwich Est, if you are liable to clock up 40k+ in your Multitronic make sure the dealer changes the gearbox oil at the 40k (2nd Variable) service - Audi have had problems with *some* multitronics at higher mileages and may not honour the warranty if the oil hasn't been changed at or around 40k. Other than that its a nice transmission and I find that 2000rpm is plenty to keep pace with everyone else, while the mileage indicator reads out 600+ miles to go on a full tank. There's not much point taking that engine beyond 4000rpm, but really its PDQ even at a constant 2000-2500. As you know the multitronic allows it to hold that power level constantly as speed increases. When you have tried 4000rpm held by the transmission in sport mode, foot flat, then you know what real acceleration is ;-)
Chris
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our Audi dealership sells maybe 2 Diesel Audis for each petrol one, the only petrol ones really being bought now are the big beefy S4 and its elk
Now there's posh for you. When I bought my Alfa I was only offered a mildly annoyed stoat or a slightly used badger if I was prepared to run it over myself.
I went for the stoat. It was weasily the best deal.
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Now there's posh for you. When I bought my Alfa I was only offered a mildly annoyed stoat or a slightly used badger if I was prepared to run it over myself. I went for the stoat. It was weasily the best deal.
My computer is now covered in apple juice (appropriate for a Mac)!!!! Just for the record Audi's elks come with a 3yr/60,000 mile warranty <== dubious motoring connection.
Crhis
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big beefy S4 and its elk
I went for the stoat. It was weasily the best deal.
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vorsprinkbok deer technitpick.
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sorry for the typo -
vorspringbok dear, technicpit
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Best of luck, Dulwich Estate - hope you enjoy it.
Don't be disappointed if you think your new car lacks oomph: I've found that diesels - VW/Audi ones at any rate - take a long time to free up and deliver full performance. Mine is a 2.5 TDI and it's still improving at 8500 miles. The Golf 1.9 TDI which I had before was the same.
Not having seen HJ's advice about running-in until now, I was gentler with mine than he recommends, as I've always believed that not exceeding 3,000 rpm for the first 1,000 miles (also not letting the engine labour at very low revs) leads to nil oil consumption later on.
I had seven very reliable Renaults that never used any oil, even at over 100,000 miles. But these were petrol-powered so I defer to HJ's expertise!
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