BBC - Autos - Why do Americans not drive diesels?

Sixto
MB-less

My Opinion; not spell checked.
Peopele grow up knowing more about gassers.

Gassers are cheaper to buy.

I think it takes more special knowlege to run a Diesel. If proceedure is not followed changing a Fuel Filter can leave you with a Dead Battery.

There is less Shops that you can take a Diesel and get reliable work.

Diesl problems can be more costly to fix.
Last Year My Volvo Diesel Fuel Injection Pump deveoped a leak on the Driveshaft end of it. If someone had to take that to a Mechanic that would have been a IP removal, a Rebuilt Fuel Injection Pump installation and timing all at a substatial cost. Just to cure a leakey Seal.

The newer computerized diesel have simlar problems to the computerizeg Gassers as far as sensors and so on go and it takes a well trained Person with equipment to even find the issue.
Diesel Parts tend to cost more and the Labor tends to be more expensive.

Look at the Cost of the Fuel Injectors on the newest Models.

Gassers are more disposable than Diesels are when it comes to some problem too costly to fix.

A lot of People don't like the smell of Diesel Fuel or handling the Diesel Fuel Nozzle at a Station.
Some People have Spouses that are eventually going to Pump Gas into the Diesel Car.

Issues caused by poor Diesl Fuel quality or contamination can stop a Car and create a large expense just to get the Car running especially if the Driver has no mechanical skills.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Some additional thoughts:

A lot of the car-buying public (myself included) grew up in a time when diesels were pretty much universally awful.

Our gas prices are still very low compared to much of the rest of the world, lessening demand for more fuel-efficient options.

In recent decades, the EPA, as well as state and local governments, have concentrated heavily on defeating smog, rather than climate change and our reliance upon fossil fuels. This does not privilege diesel engines.

American society has enough disposable income and access to credit that the longevity advantages of diesel engines are largely moot.

Diesel engines are an "unknown quantity" to most of the car-buying public, and the few peculiarities about operating a diesel turn off a lot of buyers. Both when I worked for a VW dealership, as well as an independent that sold primarily TDis, a significant number of potential customers walked merely at the idea of having to wait for the glow plugs, in spite of the fact that TDis light their glow plugs in about half a second. That alone was too different for many car buyers.

Right now, hybrids have the eco-cache among those who can afford new cars. This has not been helped by the fact that for more than a decade, the only affordable diesel was VW, which have historically not been particularly reliable.

I think is mostly the traditional overall cost of fuel in the US. The only real advantage to a diesel car is fuel mileage. When fuel costs in Europe are high, looking for ways to lower cost per mile become paramount. Living with the smoke, fumes, noise and vibration are an acceptable trade off. What bears this high cost per mile out is the large number of 1 to 1.6 liter gasoline cars and propane conversions of all sizes in Europe .

In the US cars are disposable, especially in the 50's where cars changed every year. And, GM's Durant generated new products every year to entice consumers to buy a new one frequently. Few are going to buy an expensive diesel only to toss it later.

In the 40's, diesel farm tractors / construction equipment were rare, in the 50's the invention of a low cost single plunger distributor injection pump ( Stanadyne ) made diesels affordable and common.

It is my understanding that diesel fuel is taxed at a lower rate in Europe than Gasoline. In the US diesel fuel is taxed at a higher rate than Gasoline. Drivers in both areas may just be responding to the effect of tax policy on price of the fuels.

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'97 E 300 D

That very well may be the case.

BTW even though fuel in Europe is much more expensive, we drive much more here in the States. The distances between places to go are much greater, european cities and states are more compact.

Now what may encourage people to buy diesels is resale value. which is usually quite higher for the same model with a diesel engine than with a gas engine with the same milage.

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General George - 1967 Land Rover 2a SWB 1983 OM617 Turbo

This is something that I find quite strange.

In a way what you say seems to make sense, however, the average number of miles driven in the US and Australia and Canada and in most parts of Europe is pretty similar - most people in most first world countries drive their personal vehicles an average of about 10,000 to 14,000 miles per year.

(company cars are different - they go further but I bet their total usages are also quite similar across the first world - if the distances get too great => "we" fly)

"Little" Holland is a bit of an exception - here it is about 13000 km per year => 8000 miles. I think this is due to really good cycle lanes and a persistent effort of the authorities to make car driving as miserable and as impossible and as expensive as possible.

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Fuel in the U.S. is really cheap compared to most of the rest of the world. That and the US
EPA has an apparent grudge against diesel engines that requires more emission control stuff than other markets which makes the initial cost of the diesel option even higher. On top of that, petrol engined cars have gotten vastly more efficient than they used to be. Diesels just don't make economic sense for a lot of people here.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 401,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 26,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.
99 Mazda Miata 183,xxx miles.

UH.... lets not forget that the particulate emissions from diesels... soot ... is seriously more carcinogenic than gas cars....
So to call it a ' grudge '... is not reasonable.

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1980 240d ,

chain elongation, cam marks reference:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?threadid=10414

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/305365-9-degrees-chain-stretch.html

evap fin cleaning:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=156207&highlight=evaporator

A/C thread

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/297462-c-recommendations-mb-vehicles.html

Blowback from the disasterous GM diesels of the eighties.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I think that tradition / culture has quite a bit to do with it. You can find Diesel cars in Europe pretty early and always common.

Then think about when the first Diesel car appeared from a US manufacturer and then never common.

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2012 B Class

1981 300D - Now with greazzer

It's really quite simple

Stupid Americans

Dkr.

Well gee, that was useful. Care to elaborate?

Given that I drive a Diesel daily I don't understand the reluctance. Often when people ride in my old Dodge (it's a 2002, old tech) they're amazed at the smoothness, power, quiet interior (pretty loud outside!), and lack of odor. This speaks to what they ARE expecting. And I always explain that the new ones are even better. Many seem to come away at least with a more open mind.

I'm guessing that the biggest impediment is the lack of exposure to new-tech Diesels. That's partly because they might have been around a newer Diesel but they're so smooth, quiet, and odor-free that folks might not even know that they were around a Diesel.

Dan

Problem in the states is all of the emissions crap strangles a lot of the efficiency out of smaller diesels. Jettas and passages get great highway mpg but nowhere near where they should be IMHO. Our 2000 Jetta gets over 50mpg highway but the newer ones can't touch that.


Sent from an abacus

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth