My new car

Americans get the free 3 yr / 36k mile maintenance, but we do not. 10k miles between oil changes is the same interval as my old TDI. I've gotten used to it now and kind of like not having to change it so frequently. Some of the TDIs in Europe do 20-30k mile oil change intervals when using the long life oil in the right conditions.

The SportWagen is quite a nice car, but it's hard to argue with an extra $3k in the bank. If they could lower the price a little, it would maybe help the sales. One thing which is nice to see is that over 80% of SportWagens sold are being fitted with the TDI. It's the only engine to get if getting a SportWagen, IMO.

Jay, I did find tdiclub. Same username for me over there

 

Hi hill, I can't view that image for some reason? usbseawolf2000 made a comparison somewhere on PC that shows the emissions from a "clean" diesel. You may want to do a quick search for that to see how it stacks up against other engines.

Particulate emissions aren't particularly difficult to handle. Manufacturers use a diesel particulate filter which traps the particulates. After a while (usually 300-500 miles in the 2.0 TDI), the ECU will determine that the filter needs to be cleaned. This is done by sending raw diesel fuel down the exhaust stream into the particulate filter, where it combusts and burns the particulates away. In the 2.0 TDI's case, this fuel gets into the exhaust stream by firing the fuel injectors after combustion in the engine has taken place, and the fuel is then pushed out during the exhaust stroke.

NOx is a tougher animal to handle IMO. There's two strategies to handle it, one focuses more on reduction during combustion and the other is more focused on treating it after it's been generated. The 2.0 TDI takes the first approach, which uses lots of EGR whenever possible. Unfortunately, this lowers efficiency a little and leads to more particulates being generated and therefore more fuel consuming particulate filter regenerations. Aftertreatment, which all the other light duty diesel sold here do, relies on a urea solution to eliminate NOx. It gives better fuel economy but there's the expense of urea to add on. Personally, I like the urea approach.

Here's a quick image showing the 2.0 TDI's exhaust system and regeneration frequency for the various emission system components:



I traded in my 2001 TDI with about 105k miles on it when I got this car. No significant issues with it, but I know experiences with that generation of VW can vary widely. Electrical can be a problem and the old Jatco automatics they used to use were pretty bad. I wouldn't have had any concerns about keeping that car for a few more years based on how things were going with it so far.

 

Nice car, CheesyRider!

Urea is not especially expensive. EGR systems will require EGR coolers, larger engines, and more advanced turbochargers compared to urea injected engines. So I don't think the cost difference will be that big. The E350 Bluetec with urea is only a ~$1500 upgrade over the gasoline E350, which is pretty much the same price difference between a VW 2.5 gas and the 2.0 TDI.

 

Hi Hal, I measure in US gallons. My mind can work with L/100km or US MPG, but imperial MPG is something that I never quite got used to for some reason.

10k mile service coming up in a month or so. Will see how that goes. Doesn't look like anything major but I'm hoping I don't end up paying Audi / Porsche prices to get my VW serviced. Both of the VW dealers here also handle more expensive brands with VW being their entry level product.

 

Auto Haus. Still debating where I should take it for service, but Auto Haus is closer so will probably end up going there unless I hear St James is consistently better.