Are diesel vehicle's really more expensive to service ?.

[galaxy xr8]

I keep hearing how people claim that new diesel vehicles are more expensive to service then their counterpart's (petrol) version's.

A work colleague was telling me just the other day the reason why he bought a petrol version of the Holden Captiva over the diesel after I questioned why he didn't get the diesel, his reply was that he had a family member that bought a diesel version and the service was very expensive, something like $600 odd, now I seriously doub't it was this price but I have heard people mention that diesel's are more expensive when it comes to servicing.

So all those that have diesel's do you find it more or the same to service them compared to petrol's ?.

I honestly can not fathom why diesel's would be more expensive apart from the fact that alot of the older diesel's needed oil/filter changes more often then a petrol but these day's diesel's can go out to the same service interval's ?.

[Franco Cozzo]

No, I've done three minor services that I provided the oil and filters for and they weren't really expensive, just that it takes close to 6L of oil for a small 2L engine.

Most group IV full synthetic oils will also work with modern diesel engines, the part that matters is that if its low ash for diesel particulate filters which a lot are these days anyways.

Genuine oil filter is like $25 from Ford for my TDCI Focus.

Fuel filter will probably be more expensive, and the fuel lines need to be bled of air when it gets replaced, so more labour costs there.

Service intervals are 15,000km but I do it every 10,000km.

If something important goes bad, then yes it starts to get VERY expensive with common rail diesel engines, but no issues so far on my car.

Then again when something serious goes wrong with petrol engines its damn expensive too.

[buggerlugs]

No, No,No................had diesel cars and work trucks for years. Serviced them all myself. Never had a problem. Always use a quality oil that is matched to the motor and stay with that oil thru the time that you own the vehicle. I use Fuchs oil...........

[burnz]

same price for oil, same for filter.
no spark plugs, coils..
no special service needed.. not differant to petrol as a whole.
just dealers may try and take advantage by saying "because" its diesel.

[Rodge]

Most modern diesel's are fitted with diesel particulate filters (DPF) that require a special low ash diesel oil which can be very expensive (circa $30 a litre isn't unusual) from Euro service agents. My diesel takes 8 litres of the stuff, so straight off the bat you're up for $240 bucks just for the oil. Oil filter is usually more expensive too and fuel filter replacement can be a more frequent requirement.

If anything goes wrong with your DPF you're in for a world of hurt, trust me I know. Regular burn-off is a must do, 30 minutes hot motorway running 80 k.p.h. or more is a must at least once a week. If you're not doing this or arn't willing to change your motoring habits to do this don't buy a diesel vehicle equipped with a DPF, (fortunatly Terry diesel's don't have one).

Having said all that some new petrol engines require lots of special high priced oil too, thankfully not that dear.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Rodge

Most modern diesel's are fitted with diesel particulate filters (DPF) that require a special low ash diesel oil which can be very expensive (circa $30 a litre isn't unusual) from Euro service agents. My diesel takes 8 litres of the stuff, so straight off the bat you're up for $240 bucks just for the oil. Oil filter is usually more expensive too and fuel filter replacement can be a more frequent requirement.

If anything goes wrong with your DPF you're in for a world of hurt, trust me I know. Regular burn-off is a must do, 30 minutes hot motorway running 80 k.p.h. or more is a must at least once a week. If you're not doing this or arn't willing to change your motoring habits to do this don't buy a diesel vehicle equipped with as DPF, (fortunatly Terry diesel's don't have one).

Diesel car might not be the best idea for a short trip run around type car, I do about 100km highway work a day just to and from work, no DPF issues.

But just because it hasn't played up, doesn't mean it isn't the first on the list to mystically dissapear when my new exhaust happens.

[Rodge]

Yeah I hate the things mate, but your usage is ideal and you shouldn't have any problems. Constant around town running, short trips, etc is a recipe for certain disaster with DPF's as I found out.

You'll may need to reprogramme your car's ECU if your removing your DPF, which could be another drama, again, from experience.
With your usage i'd be content to leave it as is if I were you.

A typical service on my Merc diesel is about $600 -$700 which I don't think is too outrageous considering the five star service they provide.

[302 XC]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

No, I've done three minor services that I provided the oil and filters for and they weren't really expensive, just that it takes close to 6L of oil for a small 2L engine.


Fuel filter will probably be more expensive, and the fuel lines need to be bled of air when it gets replaced, so more labour costs there.

Service intervals are 15,000km but I do it every 10,000km.

If something important goes bad, then yes it starts to get VERY expensive with common rail diesel engines, but no issues so far on my car.

Then again when something serious goes wrong with petrol engines its damn expensive too.

Seems alot of oil for a small engine, the AU 4L took less than 6L
My petrol patrol takes just over 10L and its a 4.2
The older diesel engines can have 1 oil and 2 fuel filters and oil changes are regular at 5,000Ks ,which a petrol of the same car (say patrol diesel and petrol) will go 10,000Ks for the petrol
Dont let the common rail costings be scary youll pay around 1500 for an older diesel injection pump rebuild
That said, the economy that the later model cars get in petrol ,seems hardly worth while goin diesel in a medium sized passenger car

[burnz]

Originally Posted by Rodge

Most modern diesel's are fitted with diesel particulate filters (DPF) that require a special low ash diesel oil which can be very expensive (circa $30 a litre isn't unusual) from Euro service agents. My diesel takes 8 litres of the stuff, so straight off the bat you're up for $240 bucks just for the oil. Oil filter is usually more expensive too and fuel filter replacement can be a more frequent requirement.

If anything goes wrong with your DPF you're in for a world of hurt, trust me I know. Regular burn-off is a must do, 30 minutes hot motorway running 80 k.p.h. or more is a must at least once a week. If you're not doing this or arn't willing to change your motoring habits to do this don't buy a diesel vehicle equipped with a DPF, (fortunatly Terry diesel's don't have one).

Having said all that some new petrol engines require lots of special high priced oil too, thankfully not that dear.

nothing special about low ash diesel oil rodge.
theve been around 70's style.
shell rimula X, mobil delvac, are far cheaper than castrol, royal purple, amisol ect ect....

the dearest ones are the boutique oils.
but mobil, shell, valvoline.. mostly cheaper for the same grade spec petrol types.

[buggerlugs]

$30 a litre for Low ash oil ??? Try $96.00 for a 20 litre drum of Fuchs. Fuel Filters if filled with fuel before fitment require about 2 priming pumps. How hard is that !!!

[Rodge]

Big issue with diesel vehicles and how quickly they used to contaminate the oil was sulphur level's. Back about 15 years ago 3,000 parts per million, (ppm) was the allowable limit for sulphur in diesel fuel and as the sulphur was partially burned it contaminated the oil and it went black really really quickly. This lead to the previous requirement for more frequent servicing, now in my opinion no longer required. Over the years we have seen sulphur level's come down progressivbly, first to 500 ppm about 7-8 years ago from memory and then no more than 50 ppm a few years back. Now we have ultra low sulphur diesel approx 10-15 ppm the oil doesn't go black nearly as quickly and allowable service times can be extended beyound what earlier diesel engine manufacturers said were the scheduled interval.

No drama's going at least 10,000 km's usually more and some manufacturers are on condition out to as much as 30,000 km's between diesel oil servicing intervals now. Better filtration, better oil and most importantly much cleaner fuel.

$30 a litre - I know that's what many of the Euro service agents are charging here. Nothing wrong with Shell Rimula X as an oil, but it's not Mercedes-benz 229.51 approved and if I don't use a 229.51 approved oil in my Merc they won't honour the warranty.

Have noticed Nulon have a full synthetic 5W-30 diesel oil that meets M Benz latest oil spec ($109 for 10 litres from Supercheap) ...might supply some with the car at the next service interval and see what happens, (suspect they'll simply find another way to stick it too me)

[Rodge]

Originally Posted by buggerlugs

$30 a litre for Low ash oil ??? Try $96.00 for a 20 litre drum of Fuchs. Fuel Filters if filled with fuel before fitment require about 2 priming pumps. How hard is that !!!

Sounds interesting, could I trouble you to be so kind as to provide a link to that oil type so I can see if it meets the required spec ?

[burnz]

merc should warrant mobil 1 delvac full synthetic 5w 30~40.
$60 for 5 litre's, very similar price as mobile 1 5w 50 synth for a petrol $65 for 5 litre's.

[buggerlugs]

Originally Posted by Rodge

Sounds interesting, could I trouble you to be so kind as to provide a link to that oil type so I can see if it meets the required spec ?

Just went out and checked the drum. Fuchs Titan Cargo 15W-40. Have used that in our 3.2lt DID Pajero and 4.9lt DID Canter and my old 4.0lt Canter.
http://www.fuchs.com.au/categories.asp?cID=10&c=221234
Hope the link is of some help.....

[pmacc]

The only time there is a noticable expence is when there are issues with Injectors

I lost one in my D4D Hilux, Toyota's price was $1100 + labour

[4VCLEVO]

Originally Posted by pmacc

The only time there is a noticable expence is when there are issues with Injectors

I lost one in my D4D Hilux, Toyota's price was $1100 + labour

Sounds about right, I know a bloke that had 3 go with a bad batch of desiel, cost was around $3500.

[Yellow_Festiva]

You can use the Ford site to see the capped price costs across models and engines. A minor service for my Focus is about $285 (but I get em cheaper). How's that compare to a petrol engine? Don't know as I'm on my phone.

$600 for a captiva, only a major service would cost that I would think.

Tell you 1 thing, after experiencing diesel I'm hooked...

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Tell you 1 thing, after experiencing diesel I'm hooked...

Me too, don't think I can go back to petrol engines, too much lazy torque here.

[buggerlugs]

They are certainly not the old clunkers they used to be eg. Gemini Diesel.......urgh !!

[vanman_75]

No difference really , not now days anyways .
Oh and a big plus 1 for the fuchs , run in all my patrols of the past , lot quieter , cleaner , better pressure , good price ...give it a go , good stuff .

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by buggerlugs

They are certainly not the old clunkers they used to be eg. Gemini Diesel.......urgh !!

my old 2.8d hi lux..

$15 oil & $5 filter every 5000ks..

and not a single speeding fine in eight years....

[mik]

small diesels seem to be more costly if something goes belly up, one of my work mates , his hilux diesel head carked it ,5k later for new head, 6 months later he`s still walking funny .

[Yellow_Festiva]

Territory SZ Diesel 15K $290, Petrol $270 45k Diesel $540, Petrol $360.

Focus LW Diesel 15K $350, Petrol $325 60k Diesel $925, Petrol $460.

Fiesta WT Diesel 15K $270, Petrol $265 60k Diesel $535, Petrol $345.

Ranger PX 4x4 2.2L Diesel 15K $365, 2.5L Petrol $265 60k Diesel $545, Petrol $625.

So, the general trend is that there is mostly a modest increase in cost for a minor service, but the difference is more dramatic when a major service is due. Not for Ranger however.

Also, I will need to look into the Focus 60k service. The LV cost is around the $850 mark. Having said that, I believe that is the 'maximum' that can charge, and includes a transmission fluid change should it be required for 'extreme conditions'. No transmission flush drops perhaps $3-400 off the price perhaps???

Note... if you were getting a car serviced out of warranty you could do MUCH better price wise if you shop around. Curious why the Focus minor service cocts jump $55 between LV and LW. Don't they share the same engine, just different level of tune??

Cheers,

Jason.

[2011G6E]

Not really a "car", but the 4.2TD six in the Landcruiser we had before the G6E was quickly sending us broke doing factory services through Toyota. Every 10,000km it had to be serviced. One service would be a "minor service" and cost around $400+, and every other service (each 20,000km) would be a major...and cost $1000. I did oil changes myself, but the 12 liters of engine oil was also a kick in the teeth.

Paying $250-odd for the Ford capped price servicing is a rather refreshing change...

[SXR6]

hmm so the savings in your back pocket from using a diesel instead of petrol vehicle gets chewed up in the service lol.
Have a turbo diesel rover, XR8 runs 98, and R33 skyline runs E85. I service all the cars myself and never noticed and real difference in prices to be honest. Well diesel vs petrol anyway. Parts for a diesel are definately more expensive if something goes wrong though, injector pump for example but ebay is your friend for that kind of stuff.

[RASER]

Originally Posted by buggerlugs

I use Fuchs oil...........

"Fuchs as in chooks, not ducks" lol

Yeap, its one of the better oils

FIAT diesel powered Commericals have its first service at 30,000km in Europe, not sure if that is the same here, its a very very long period but factory approved and no issues

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by RASER

"Fuchs as in chooks, not ducks" lol

Yeap, its one of the better oils

FIAT diesel powered Commericals have its first service at 30,000km in Europe, not sure if that is the same here, its a very very long period but factory approved and no issues

30k servicing! Wonder how engine design has assisted? Extra filters?

The father in laws Diesel BMW has a system that reads the load on the car and notifys the driver when a service is due.... sorta makes sense as 15k of city driving is much harder on an engine than 15k on the freeway yet the freeway oil would get changed more frequently. I wonder how costly the electronics is behind the system?

Wonder how much notice they give as well... hate to get the 'time to service' light half way through a 2 week road trip where you are in another state to where you get your car serviced!

My oil is black leaving the dealership after a service... would love to know the tech behind the Fiat motor

(Bit of a Fiat fan... been to Turin a few times and have one sitting in the garage ;)

[302 XC]

Originally Posted by buggerlugs

They are certainly not the old clunkers they used to be eg. Gemini Diesel.......urgh !!

The new diesels should i hope be an advancement on the old
But i could still get 10L/100Ks in my ol MQ patrol 3.3L 4 speed wagon
Not bad considering it had done half a million Ks and never been apart, ever
That car is still in active daily use , and still returns those fuel figures and still never been apart
We used to pull fairly large loads up hills, wouldnt get up with any speed but car and trailer was many times over 5 tonne
Youll find many still prefer the ever reliable old skool diesels
The neighbour has 2 toyota diesels, his ol trusty 2.8 diesel done over 700,000Ks and never been apart,other than regular services engine hasnt been touched
But his newish D4D that he paid well over 40 grand for, has been his biggest disapointment,its again in the shop with injector issues

[PepeLePew]

I've found the most expensive thing about servicing my diesel is letting the dealer do it.......

[Rodge]

Originally Posted by buggerlugs

Just went out and checked the drum. Fuchs Titan Cargo 15W-40. Have used that in our 3.2lt DID Pajero and 4.9lt DID Canter and my old 4.0lt Canter.
http://www.fuchs.com.au/categories.asp?cID=10&c=221234
Hope the link is of some help.....

Thanks mate and yeah that looks like a good oil...which unfortunatly I can't use as its not 229.51 M Benz approved. Mine takes a 5W-30 oil.
Fortunatly there's the new Nulon full synthetic diesel oil 5W-30 @ $109 for 10 litres which meets their current approval which i'm going to supply with the vehicle at the next service time, I know they'll still "serve me" with almost surgical german precision on something else... but I like backing my bro's across the ditch, so am inclined to try this Aussie made oil.

Crickey those injector replacement prices are scary, you wouldn't want one of them stuffing up too often would you !