Cost of Buying a Diesel

[CEPi]

Fabia Vrs has 180PS from 1.4 engine. Will it last 5 years? Probably.

[Aspman]

Don't buy a car because you think it will be worth more in the future - things can change.

Don't forget about politicians.

2012 diesel found to cause babies to eat their own toes - Tax on diesels doubled.

Greens get in office tax quadrupled for petrol engines over 50cc (unless they're made by Apple).

I'm being facetious but I bought the VRS just 2 months before petrol started going through the roof when the commodities market took off and the banks bombed.

Also 2 months before SWMBO took a new job quite a distance away and we had to buy another house.

If I had a crystal ball I'd have kept by old derv Renault and run it to the ground. But I don't and neither do you. So buy what you'll enjoy the most because life's too short to worry and guaranteed the Gov will screw you whatever you buy, and the price of fuel will go up, lots.

[Chinook]

As the author of this thread, I am delighted it has sparked such a lively debate!

I have read all the posts with interest. My initial post was purely on fuel costs alone and, in this case, I let my head rule my heart and bought a petrol engine. Many people buy 'with their heart', and like, for instance, the relaxed cruising of the diesel, its low rev grunt, and the extra economy.

Interesting points about DPF and DMF. These have become real penalties for owning a diesel. But, as one poster said, who knows what problems will befall the Tsi engines 50,000 miles downstream.

In the end, each to his own.

[martinch]

The point is diesels cost considerably more to service. Then there is the DPF,DMF,Adblue on the latest units too (New Sharan)

The 1.8T & 2.0T petrols also have DMF's...

[blueR36]

Come back in 4 years and then tell me the price at the main dealer just to change a cambelt.1.4 Tsi engine has a camchain. All the latest VAG diesels still have a cambelt and AFAIK VAG still insist on a 4 year change (even if they dont need it). The point is diesels cost considerably more to service. Then there is the DPF,DMF,Adblue on the latest units too (New Sharan)

Chain belts?? No such thing AFAIK

Get your facts right Honda and motorcycles had them for years and now skoda, from honest John ---- All engines apart from chain cam 1.6FSI and new chain cam 1.4TSI need new timing belts and tensioners every 4 years or 60,000 miles whichever comes first and I was bigging up petrol not diesel

Edited 14 October, 2010 by bluvrs2

[DbD]

Logically petrol/diesel prices are going to keep increasing.

It's a simple combination of most of the cheap oil fields being tapped out (there's still plenty of oil left but it'll cost more to extract) and the massive extra demand due to the Chinese/Indian/Brazilian economies expanding fast.

Hence in 5 years time it wouldn't surprise me if petrol was over £2 a litre.

[chr1staylor]

Hence in 5 years time it wouldn't surprise me if petrol was over £2 a litre.

I admire your optimism!

[Keith Lard]

I admire your optimism!

Agreed. The rate Asia and the far east are developing I'd be surprised if it takes 5 years to get that high! Unless OPEC reveal a few new oil fields the picture ain't getting any brighter anytime soon.

I wonder what price fuel would have to be before we are forced off the roads altogether? I reckon about £2.50/£3.00 per litre for me, It'd not be worth me going to work if travel costs tripled.

[xman]

Get your facts right Honda and motorcycles had them for years and now skoda, from honest John ---- All engines apart from chain cam 1.6FSI and new chain cam 1.4TSI need new timing belts and tensioners every 4 years or 60,000 miles whichever comes first and I was bigging up petrol not diesel

HJ is not an expert - he just quoted the initial Skoda press release which was a poor technical translation from the Czech original - the new style chains used in the 1.2 engines are "cog link chains" as opposed to traditional "roller chains". It is definitely a chain and not a belt.

I believe all the petrol Tsi engines and the 1.2 3 cylinder are cam chain. Camchain failures, although rare, do occur occasionally , particularly when oil levels are allowed to drop too low as the tensioners are hydraulically operated!

I agree all these engines petrol and diesel have new tech that has not stood the test of time. After all, the FSi engines when introduced were a disaster IIRC with many head failures. I'm still unsure if direct petrol injection is going to prove reliable - there a lot of posts on forums about the small Tsi engines being very fussy about petrol quality/octane.

Even the lowly simple 1.2 3 cylinder engine has been recently redesigned with slimmed down crank, pistons etc (for "friction optimization") also this new style chain. But will the new lighter components be more fragile?

Only time will tell

Edited 14 October, 2010 by xman

[xman]

Hence in 5 years time it wouldn't surprise me if petrol was over £2 a litre.

Dont forget the majority of the cost of fuel is tax (about 77p/litre) .