Never owned a diesel before 

Any tips -have read I should wait 20 seconds to a couple of minutes before switching off engine after a journey -True?

 

keep revs between 1800-3500 rpm??

am I obsessing too much

is the benchmark of a 45 minute journey to be taken after ten short ones a good idea? To preserve dog regeneration 

Hi steve

welcome to the forum , on your first point if I've been going at speed for a while think motorway then puling into services then yes its worth waiting a while before switching engine off, it gives the turbo chance to slow down it could/will be spinning at high speed  & switching engine off cuts the oil flow to it.

 revs > suck it & see ,find out what suits you best but yes more than 3500 rpm  doesn't serve any purpose .

as for dog regeneration that depends poodle ? Labrador ? jack Russel ? 😉 I'm guessing you mean DPF . there's no benchmark as  such other than lots of short journeys are not good .

only tonight I had DPF warning lamp come on , I have recently done nothing but shortish journeys & noticed it trying to do a regen more than once so having got a DPF warning up I did a detour and gave it a blast on motorway, hopefully its done the trick.

Thank you D B Good clear answer Looking forward to my diesel

Yes dpf is the correct term Doh!

I'm sure you will enjoy it they do drive differently to a petrol from what I remember ,I've  had diesels for many years now and still love them , what sort are you having ? .

Octavia estate 2.0 t d I se l

2016

5 minutes ago, Stevetewkesbury said:

Octavia estate 2.0 t d I se l

2016

 I have same engine but in a business 

2015

https://haynes.com/en-gb/tips-tutorials/petrol-vs-diesel-what-real-difference

 

"The driving experience is very different too. Diesels deliver lots of mid-range torque for effortless pulling power and if you then step into a regular petrol car you’re going to find it pretty gutless until you adapt your driving technique. But petrol cars respond well to revs, whereas diesels just run out of puff."

 

5 hours ago, Stevetewkesbury said:

keep revs between 1800-3500 rpm??

Best keep revs low. That is where most power is delivered. You will find that diesel engine doesn't rev as readily as petrol engine anyway. With diesel engine you will not need to change down to lower gear so much when going uphill. When accelerating with diesel car it will run out of puff if revs get too high, and you will need to change to a higher gear to maintain progress. Make sure you have got the hang of this before attempting tricky overtaking manoeuvres!

I have been driving diesels since 2002. First a Mondeo with 130 bhp, then MK2 Octavia TDI 140 from 2007, both manual, and both slightly less power than the TDI 150 in the MK3 SE which you are getting. The TDI 150 is not a sports car but has plenty of power for normal everyday driving. I am sure you will enjoy it.

Since late 2015 I have been driving Octavia Scout with DPF. Never waited before switching off engine on any of these cars. Never done any special journeys to regenerate DPF. Mainly shortish local journeys. A longer drive into the country at weekends mostly 30-50 mph. A 500+ mile trip up to Scotland once a year. Occasional 10-15 min run at speed on dual carriageway. No DPF issues and no engine problems.

 

I have same diesel power unit as you. My present car is a FL SE-L 18plate and I love the moderate power of the 150ps. I've had VAG diesels for years and not one has let me down, just change the oil regular. I drive Briskly and find the car pulls really well, always looked at the VRS but fear the ride would be a bit harsh living in rural Herefordshire but that extra grunt would be fun. I give the car an occasional blast as I fear driving it at 1200 and 1500 rpm as it's quite comfortable dodling along our B roads would cause DPF problems. Enjoy your oil burner and be aware of the 1.4 tsi petrol guys trying to convert you.... Haha. 

Diesels are different creatures, Just putting a few miles on her will be a good start, you will start to 'feel' where the engine is happiest, typically between the rev ranges you have stated although probably not as high as 3500?. Don't bother trying to chase it to the red line, you will achieve little.

 

There is a line of thought that says never turn an 'oiler' off immediately after a fast run just as daftbugga says, its something I happen to do regardless of the type of run, whether a true benefit or not I don't know but I feel more comfortable doing it.

 

As for the DPF, i wouldn't worry too much, it's not about how many miles you do, it's about how you do those miles, as long as she regularly gets a decent run so she gets properly hot, things should be fine, have a quick look in the owners manual, I think it's explained whats needed should the DPF light come on.

 

Welcome. 😁

Edited 4 September, 20196 yr by Mence

Thank you D B Good clear answer Looking forward to my diesel

Yes dpf is the correct term Doh!

Thanks Mence Ben terrier and old boy scout- reassuring advice ,helpful information 

This is a great forum!!

3 hours ago, OldBoyScout said:

 With diesel engine you will not need to change down to lower gear so much when going uphill. 

 

 

This is true to some extent but don't use it as a rule.  The higher torque of a diesel will put more strain on the clutch.  Forcing your way up a hill at 1500rpm in 5th will do it no good.

In a similar fashion, don't be tempted by the big torque when over taking.  Pulling from 40/50mph in 5th/6th (or even 70 on the motorway) will not do the clutch any good.  It's better to drop a gear regardless of the engine type its just that the useable power in a diesel is lower down.  I find cruising around 1500 nice an economic and the main power delivery is 2000-3500.

 

Enjoy some nice economic motoring though and you may be surprised at how useable the power is.

I don't believe in "no turn off immediately" saying. If you've done a long motorway, you'll spend another 30s at very least not on the accelerator to pull to somewhere safely. That should be enough time for oil to circulate around turbo.

 

For the old dog   (DPF), you'll need to let the engine get up to temperature and do at least 20min of driving at optimum engine temperature once few weeks. But if you have to do that, it means you only do short journeys, you've bought the wrong engine.

 

I also don't agree with economical motoring. This 2.0 TDI is anything but economical. £500 timing belt every 5 years. £190 automatic DSG oil change every 40k miles, Only ~55mpg. Meaning per mile costs are 10p for fuel + 1p for timing belt + 0.5p for DSG oil. Dry clutch 1.6 TDI is slightly more economical. Even more economical is my EV costs less than 3p per mile.

Best bit of advice I ever had for diesels it not to baby them. They like to work hard. Warm it up first. 

Modern CR engines are refined and very efficient. 

That thing about idling before turning off is applicable to any turbo engine, the idea is to make sure the hot turbo bearing is cooled by oil flow so that it doesn't burn whats in contact with it after stopping. But with a modern engine and as long as you don't often race to an immediate stop it shouldn't be a problem. 

Thanks WYx 87 and g 82👍

And Tdium

My last diesel was a Superb V6TDI and I rarely went past 2000rpm.  You get used to the torque quite quickly and it soon becomes second nature.  Good advice about not using so much of the torque at the expense of your clutch.

 

Gaz

5 hours ago, benterrier said:

always looked at the VRS but fear the ride would be a bit harsh living in rural Herefordshire

Have a look at the 184 Scout. I love the extra grunt of mine.

 

2 hours ago, MarkyG82 said:

This is true to some extent but don't use it as a rule.  The higher torque of a diesel will put more strain on the clutch.  Forcing your way up a hill at 1500rpm in 5th will do it no good.

I wasn't suggesting it as a rule. I was describing the different driving experience. As a rule I would say avoid forcing anything.

 

2 hours ago, wyx087 said:

I don't believe in "no turn off immediately" saying. If you've done a long motorway, you'll spend another 30s at very least not on the accelerator to pull to somewhere safely.

I agree.

 

Welcome to diesel, all be it rather late (how much longer will diesel cars be around?)!! Diesels are really easy to drive, high torque so pull from very low down, areas petrol just cannot do.  So you will not need to change down as much as you will be used to, no need the torque does the job, but you will have to change up earlier as you run out of revs pretty quickly when accelerating hard.  

I like the way diesels drive as it tends to give a much more relaxing style relying on torque as apposed to power of petrol's. 

As with any turbo charged car (try and find one that isn't now!) its a good thing to drive them with lower revs for a few miles at the end of a journey just to let everything cool down, if you have been driving hard, and I do mean hard.  There is no requirement or benefit to sitting there on tick-over for a minute or two unless you have really ragged the car and parked up immediately.  

Is it DSG or manual?  I have the DSG now with your engine and I have had it with manual, I personally think it works well with both, but I did find I was reaching for 2nd and 3rd quickly if I accelerated hard, the rev limit comes in quicker than you think!! 

You should also like the fuel economy if you drive a reasonable distance (not just in city driving) but if you do thrash them, while they won't complain, mpg can take a big hit.  

You will know, as someone above has already said, when the engine is in its sweet spot, I rarely go above 2000 rpm if just driving around, there is no need, and there is little to be gained by going above 3000 rpm unless you are in a rush, low rpm is good!! That said you will strain the engine a little trying to pull hard from 1000-1200rpm but its designed to take that.  

DPF has not been an issue for me but I drive on dual and motorways due to where I live so it sorts itself out.  

Just enjoy the car, and have some fun in it, I have found it a really good engine!! 

Thank you v much matrix 2020

Re turning the engine off, I am thinking that an intention to leave it running for a short time after coming to a halt might be thwarted by the stop-start system. Would the stop-start system be smart enough to prevent potential damage that might occur when stopping the engine after a fast run, or is this simply not a real risk in a modern engine?

 

Good point Chief Scout

It won’t affect me because I’ll switch off stop start( unless I’m in a crawl 

others will no doubt know the technical answers to what you raise

22 hours ago, Stevetewkesbury said:

Never owned a diesel before 

Any tips -have read I should wait 20 seconds to a couple of minutes before switching off engine after a journey -True?

 

keep revs between 1800-3500 rpm??

am I obsessing too much

is the benchmark of a 45 minute journey to be taken after ten short ones a good idea? To preserve dog regeneration 

Hi Steve. I've got a 2015 1.6 TDI SE which has just clocked 140k miles. In all honesty I've just driven the car without worrying too much about anything so relax and enjoy it.

 

As for the DPF mines regenerates every 150 miles or so without a hitch.

 

Only outgoings have been new fuel cap release mechanism (£25), coolant temp sensor (£25), timing belt, water pump and alternator belt replacement (£370) and a service every 10k miles.

Thank you v much gm73 a clear succinct reassuring message

2 hours ago, Stevetewkesbury said:

Good point Chief Scout

It won’t affect me because I’ll switch off stop start( unless I’m in a crawl 

others will no doubt know the technical answers to what you raise

Routine for me is get in car start it up & switch off the stop start every single time it's  a feature I don't like , if it looks like I will be stopped for some time for example a level crossing then I will switch it on otherwise it remains  switched off.

9 minutes ago, daftbugga said:

Routine for me is get in car start it up & switch off the stop start every single time it's  a feature I don't like , if it looks like I will be stopped for some time for example a level crossing then I will switch it on otherwise it remains  switched off.

 

Can the stop start feature be switched off with VCDS? I find it annoying on the BMW too especially when the battery saving features start the car again a short while later when the AC is on so I have it disabled. 

On a Octavia there is a switch on centre console but you do need to press it every time you start engine.