How do I look after my Diesel?

[Polo GTEye N9]

Drive it normally, and try and get a feel for when it may be regenning the DPF, usually a raised idle is the only indication in the latest cars. At that time a 10km long drive is smart, but the idea of doing a random highway drive will do little, unless you only do short inner city trips.

Is there a way to detect DPF Regens other than guessing as you suggest? So VW do not include Regen Light on dash lol

[Transporter]

Is there a way to detect DPF Regens other than guessing as you suggest? So VW do not include Regen Light on dash lol

With the scanner only. Otherwise you're just guessing as Greg said. On average under normal driving conditions the ECU will run the regeneration every 900km if the conditions are right. Most owner's don't even know that they have the DPF or what is it. No need for a light to tell that the DPF is regenerating.

[Greg Roles]

Is there a way to detect DPF Regens other than guessing as you suggest? So VW do not include Regen Light on dash lol

I can't pick them in my MK6 engined Yeti, the only stock way is to watch the oil temps on the MFD, it jumps up 10 degrees during a regen. Not something you need to worry about, the DPF system on the MK7 is very advanced, massive, and should last a long, long time.

[Ryeman]

Does the 'range' remaining take a dive with a regen?

[Greg Roles]

Nope, not in my experience.

[Ryeman]

Nope, not in my experience.

Mines got a 'box' which makes the MDI hopelessly optimistic.

[twincab]

Don't baby it to much, that can sometimes be worse than thrashing it, just drive it.
Let it come up to running temperature before you give it the boot.

[blameturner]

Does the 'range' remaining take a dive with a regen?

haven't noticed it no.

[blameturner]

Don't baby it to much, that can sometimes be worse than thrashing it, just drive it.
Let it come up to running temperature before you give it the boot.

Just to confirm, should I let the temperature reach it's norm before I start driving or drive very conservatively until it hits the running temp

[Ryeman]

Just to confirm, should I let the temperature reach it's norm before I start driving or drive very conservatively until it hits the running temp

The quicker you get the oil temp up the quicker the 'anti-wear' properties of the oil kick in - drive it conservatively straight away.

[Idle]

Just to confirm, should I let the temperature reach it's norm before I start driving or drive very conservatively until it hits the running temp

Although diesels stand up to it better (you see trucks doing it all the time, and they still do heaps of K's between rebuilds), prolonged idling isn't good for any engine — just get in and drive it.

Probably you could avoid full-throttle operation for the first five minutes or so, and I wouldn't let it lug in too high a gear, but there's not really very much damage you can do from the driver's seat.

[wfdTamar]

One thing worth getting for a diesel is a mis-fueling device like this. Stops you putting petrol in because the petrol nozzle can't go in.

The Fuel Angel - The Misfuelling Prevention Device

[bluey]

Is there a know diesel fuel retailer that doesn't meet VW min specs?

I think it is the other way around. The fuel engineer from BP said CN and CI are near enough to the same:

>The reference to cetane number/index is normally used quite
>interchangeably - I believe that there are very few facilities that
>have the actual equipment available to test for cetane number and so
>cetane index is normally quoted.
>The current specification for BP Ultimate Diesel is for a minimum
>cetane of 46, though the typical value is usually around the 52
>mark.


Theoretically, no diesel in Australia meets the VW spec 51CN. Often the local diesel would be near that, but the specification in the diesel standard is lower at 46.

So I theorize than the under-spec diesel contributes to higher soot and DPF clogging.

A cetane improver makes sense. BP Ultimate pre-2010 had a nitro cetane improver and min cetane 50 typical 55, but not since 2010. The highest readily available higher cetane diesel is probably Caltex Vortex with biodiesel (last I looked only in NSW). I saw today Mobil is selling "Special Diesel" - sound similar to BP Ultimate additive package sound like antifoam and injector cleaner at least. European EN590 diesel standard permits a small amount of biodiesel to B7.

I use Morey's diesel smoke killer as suggested by Transporter. It has an algicide, too.

[Ryeman]

I filled up at a BP but it didn't have an 'Ultimate' sticker on the pump and the lady said she'd find out whether it met Ultimate specs.
is there a 'basic' BP diesel?

[bluey]

is there a 'basic' BP diesel?

Standard diesel is what everybody gets. Ultimate diesel is the same fuel with additives - the product specification mentions anti foam, injector cleaner, lubricity improver, corrosion inhibitor. (But that is a different list from what I remember from the BP engineer who talked about the BP Ultimate launch. I thought there were 4 and one was the cetane improver, now deleted due to potential risk of storage prior to adding to fuel.)