Diesel Vs Petrol Cars

[NRX]

First of all let me introduce myself to the AL forum, I'm a new member here and have been following the forum for few months.

I'm looking for my first car and the first question came to my mind was what would be the fuel, Petrol or diesel.

as I heard from people Diesel engines are harder to maintain, rough rides etc etc,

feel free to comment

[Sumiya]

Hi NRX

Comfortable is depending on your car choice, whether it is petrol or diesel,but Petrol cars are smoother than diesel(ex:- less Jerking while engine is running and less noise etc etc).even thought diesel cost is lesser than petrol ,diesel cars have more maintenance expenses than petrol and still compared to petrol ,diesel one have less routing repairs etc.and also there is common understanding that diesel engines are longer durable than petrol.

Usually petrol is more quicker than diesel on most occasions.

that is my opinion different people have different opinions that you may share with us.

thanks

Regards

sumith

[3000cc]

Previously I had a petrol Civic.Nw i'm having a diesel vehicle........................the best thing is when you pump fuel............if it's diesel it's make your life easy/............

[Ripper]

to add to what's been said...

it also depends on the the type of vehicle, age of it etc..

newer diesels are much closer to petrols like it was never before in terms of performance.

older diesels however have the stereotypical "diesel" issues...like poor acceleration etc etc

routine service cost of diesels are higher, initial purchase cost is higher and also if mechanical problems do pop up...those too are far more expensive when compared to a petrol.

like 3000cc said...pumping juice to a diesel however is a very pleasurable experience

also low end torque of these motors too are superb

[Sylvi]

Members,

In my motoring life I have used one Diesel Mazda it was totally uncomfortable after that I have used more than 8 vehicles Petrol it is expensive on fuel cost but trouble free and less cost for spares.

Wjesinghe.

[heavyD]

routine service cost of diesels are higher, initial purchase cost is higher and also if mechanical problems do pop up...those too are far more expensive when compared to a petrol.

like 3000cc said...pumping juice to a diesel however is a very pleasurable experience

So, if a diesel vehicle is more expensive in terms of maintenance than a petrol vehicle, but diesel itself is cheaper, wouldn't that pretty much even things out?

[isurujosh]

if you are thinking about buying quite a new car with modern technology then most of these rants about discomfort and hassle of maintenance do not apply. i think with the revised tax structure and current fuel prices i cannot believe why i did not think about diesel cars before ordering a petrol car for our family

[Sylvi]

So, if a diesel vehicle is more expensive in terms of maintenance than a petrol vehicle, but diesel itself is cheaper, wouldn't that pretty much even things out?

Diesel Vehicles are epencive as told in this thread and maintance cost is also same as said by others I too prefer Petrol Vehicle to disel with all morden tecnology installed.

This above what I WRITE is my opinion

Wijesinghe

[seeker]

Members,

In my motoring life I have used one Diesel Mazda it was totally uncomfortable after that I have used more than 8 vehicles Petrol it is expensive on fuel cost but trouble free and less cost for spares.

Wjesinghe.

Well in my motoring life I've used both as well... but haven't seen much of a difference between the two types in terms of troubles..... and one of the diesel cars has done around 180k now...

the requirement I think is regular maintanance...

without which, any car would breakdown...

[Janith Seneviratne]

as for my personal experience i hv a mitsubishi jeep, from the tym i used it i neva had any problems other than minor injector tuning once in a while by adding shrims, an replacing front bearings of the front differential other than dt nothing for the past 5 yrs from the engine wrks like charm

as for the modern common rail diesel engines

u cn go head to head with petrol engines

as an example check audi q7 with the v12 diesel

500bhp, torque 1000+ nm,

with the mileage figures its better,

as for my opinion diesels are more reliable than petrol engines

but theres always a minor lag in acceleration

[Sylvi]

as for my personal experience i hv a mitsubishi jeep, from the tym i used it i neva had any problems other than minor injector tuning once in a while by adding shrims, an replacing front bearings of the front differential other than dt nothing for the past 5 yrs from the engine wrks like charm

as for the modern common rail diesel engines

u cn go head to head with petrol engines

as an example check audi q7 with the v12 diesel

500bhp, torque 1000+ nm,

with the mileage figures its better,

as for my opinion diesels are more reliable than petrol engines

but theres always a minor lag in acceleration

Sir,

Your comments on high end Diesel vehicles with technical details I agree.

At last you mention about the minor lag in acceleration How can person overcome this lag.

Do you have any suggestions with your Diesel engine Vehicles experience to lead the acceleration lag

AS I lite to experiment if you have any improvements to be done to a Diesel Engine of a Vehicle.

Wijesinghe.

[Janith Seneviratne]

Sir,

Your comments on high end Diesel vehicles with technical details I agree.

At last you mention about the minor lag in acceleration How can person overcome this lag.

Do you have any suggestions with your Diesel engine Vehicles experience to lead the acceleration lag

AS I lite to experiment if you have any improvements to be done to a Diesel Engine of a Vehicle.

Wijesinghe.

we'll not really but i think its sumthing to do with the fuel cz of compression ignition, unlike petrol diesels has a higher compression ratio so to reach that level it takes more time and not to mention the power required for that, and you cant force diesel to ignite like petrol, it will only ignite when its specifics are met so that might be the reason, an the low maximum rpm of the engine

and for the tread starter for diesel vs petrol comfortability aspect, i think your right in older vehicle's

try comparing sumthing a hilux (nt the vigo/ smart cab) petrol and a diesel or a disco 3 you wont feel a difference at all,

in older vehicle's if you can find a way to reduce the vibrations from the engine you wont feel much,

[hakjay]

Members,

In my motoring life I have used one Diesel Mazda it was totally uncomfortable after that I have used more than 8 vehicles Petrol it is expensive on fuel cost but trouble free and less cost for spares.

Wjesinghe.

My first car was a diesel Isuzu Gemini JT600. It was a nightmare. I use to spend tons of money on it . Ever since that experience my cars have always been petrol driven. But I must say that the JT600 does very well on fuel and moves great.

[JAFF]

but i would prefer a diesel car for a daily run, cuz its very reliable and does good on fuel, i dont think it gives much trouble if u maintain it properly

[3000cc]

True mate....One of my friend uses a 504 ................ he goes all over the world with that & spent very little money for Juice........

[Sylvi]

My first car was a diesel Isuzu Gemini JT600. It was a nightmare. I use to spend tons of money on it . Ever since that experience my cars have always been petrol driven. But I must say that the JT600 does very well on fuel and moves great.

Sir,

ISUZU GEMiNi first car introduced in 1970s by Japanese then this first two cars came to Srilanka by 1980 that car was very fuel efficient used to get more than 40 miles for a Gallon of diesel a friend of mine bought one of the first cars which he did more than 200000 KMs without much problems. Rear seat was not that comfortable At that time my friend paid R 200000.00.

Wijesinghe.

[Watchman]

My first car was a diesel Isuzu Gemini JT600. It was a nightmare. I use to spend tons of money on it . Ever since that experience my cars have always been petrol driven. But I must say that the JT600 does very well on fuel and moves great.

really?

What kinda of repairs did u need to do? we had one till about a month ago, and till then the only major repair was an oberhaulse when the car had done about 200,000 km (or something around that number)....

and yep, ours did 11-13 km/liter in the city-traffic.. and this also included some occasional heavy footed driving.. hehehe!

But in geneal our household has had only diesels an except for the gemini overhaul we have never had a 'diesel' specific repair...

[Sylvi]

we'll not really but i think its sumthing to do with the fuel cz of compression ignition, unlike petrol diesels has a higher compression ratio so to reach that level it takes more time and not to mention the power required for that, and you cant force diesel to ignite like petrol, it will only ignite when its specifics are met so that might be the reason, an the low maximum rpm of the engine

and for the tread starter for diesel vs petrol comfortability aspect, i think your right in older vehicle's

try comparing sumthing a hilux (nt the vigo/ smart cab) petrol and a diesel or a disco 3 you wont feel a difference at all,

in older vehicle's if you can find a way to reduce the vibrations from the engine you wont feel much,

Mr. J Senviratne,

You are all correct by all means research and development in the advanced country's had done all comfort to the motorist in new Vehicles what you had mentioned.

I appreciate your reply educating members of the forum.

Thanking you.

Wijesinghe.

[NRX]

Thank you all for the replies guys, unfortunately my budget is very restricted so the chances are If I go with a diesel that would be an old-school dodgy diesel vehicle

Edited July 12, 2010 by NRX

[jdnet]

I think you guys are completely leaving out the fact that diesel engines are far more efficient than thier petrol counterparts, thus making them more fuel efficient. If you have driven a later model diesel car, you will find that the difference in noise and vibrations between the petrol and diesel are minute. Later model clean-diesels are also comparable to thier petrol counterparts in terms of emissions. All this and they still produce more miles to the kilometer than petrols. That's not even mentioning the fact that diesel in Sri Lanka costs significanty less than petrol. The fact that diesel engines costs more to maintain is a myth and the reason we see such broken down, smoke blowing diesels in the country is due to poor maintanence. Somehow people seem to be ignorant to the fact that all cars require basic maintanence. Between all the cars i've driven, i think my diesel cr41 has cost the least to maintain.

BTW. A big reason for increased sound in older diesels is the lack of decent sound deadning material bieng put in before the car leaves the assembly line. Take a door panel off an old car and a new one and you will see a significant difference in the materials. Also if you are looking for an old diesel, try to find and importer for some decent sound deadning material and get it installed by a garage or install it yourself. It shouldn't take more than a weekend if you know how to use a screw driver and a ratchet.

Edited July 12, 2010 by jdnet

[JAFF]

Thank you all for the replies guys, unfortunately my budget is very restricted so the chances are If I go with a diesel that would be an old-school dodgy diesel vehicle

whats your budget machn??

[hakjay]

really?

What kinda of repairs did u need to do? we had one till about a month ago, and till then the only major repair was an oberhaulse when the car had done about 200,000 km (or something around that number)....

and yep, ours did 11-13 km/liter in the city-traffic.. and this also included some occasional heavy footed driving.. hehehe!

But in geneal our household has had only diesels an except for the gemini overhaul we have never had a 'diesel' specific repair...

Engine overhaul is very common. Like every 25000K or less. Also, the dash board lights start to flicker!!. Alternator problems will in turn cause the beaks (power) not to work!!. Imagine driving from Kandy to Colombo this shit happens.

[Janith Seneviratne]

I think you guys are completely leaving out the fact that diesel engines are far more efficient than thier petrol counterparts, thus making them more fuel efficient. If you have driven a later model diesel car, you will find that the difference in noise and vibrations between the petrol and diesel are minute. Later model clean-diesels are also comparable to thier petrol counterparts in terms of emissions. All this and they still produce more miles to the kilometer than petrols. That's not even mentioning the fact that diesel in Sri Lanka costs significanty less than petrol. The fact that diesel engines costs more to maintain is a myth and the reason we see such broken down, smoke blowing diesels in the country is due to poor maintanence. Somehow people seem to be ignorant to the fact that all cars require basic maintanence. Between all the cars i've driven, i think my diesel cr41 has cost the least to maintain.

BTW. A big reason for increased sound in older diesels is the lack of decent sound deadning material bieng put in before the car leaves the assembly line. Take a door panel off an old car and a new one and you will see a significant difference in the materials. Also if you are looking for an old diesel, try to find and importer for some decent sound deadning material and get it installed by a garage or install it yourself. It shouldn't take more than a weekend if you know how to use a screw driver and a ratchet.

yea sound is a another problem in Older diesels, im planing to put sum glass wool and rock wool in my jeep to reduce sound and bit of the heat coming inside, that is y they invented common rail diesel engine, sounds like an petrol n no smoke either thanks to sum exhaust filter

[scds]

My last car was a diesel Nissan Bluebird SU13. Lotsa people advised me against buying a diesel but it never gave me trouble, except blow up a gasket once. I must say that was THE best car I ever used. Sure it rattled and smoked a bit, but it was so comfortable, roomy, luxurious and bloody economical. Never broke down in road once and I used it like a lorry. And I wasn't very punctual with the services either. Best damn car I ever had. Seeyen seeyai no doubts what-so-ever

But this is strictly my personal experiences. I've heard enough of horror stories with less luckier Diesel owners. So whether its diesel or petrol, I guess luck plays a big role. Sometimes you end up with real leda waattu. I felt so sad when I sold my hunky Gal

Economy-wise, Diesels don't make much of a difference if you are town running. So don't expect much of a saving. But if you are in to heavy outstation runs, then diesel has a definite advantage.

Edited July 12, 2010 by scds

[Sylvi]

Members,

What about a petrol car with(LPG) gas conversion. Italian Unit. I used upper cylinder oil for engine head lubrication.

I used gas converted Nissan for 4 years 60000 Kilo meters saved on fuel about R 100000.00 and sold with a profit more than what it cost me never gave me any engine problem.

Wjesinghe.