TDI good for short trips

[jerryofva]

My office just moved much closer to my home. I am only about four miles from work with an occasional short trip on the side. I don't think you are doing any harm to a TDI by driving it short distance when the temperature is above freezing. However, when its really cold out I take my gasser for the short distance. The typical TDI owner claims that you should be a gasser if you don't drive 15-20K a year despite the fact that the typical European diesel owner drive a third to half that distance and is quite happy with his choice.Saying all that if I were 1.5 miles from work I would walk even in the winter. I have lots of extreme weather gear in my closet. If I had a shower at my new office I would even walk the 4 miles in good weather.

 

[Steve-o]

Unless you are handicaped, you should be walking to work. Jeez! 30 min., and think of the healt benefits.

30 minutes of walking (or biking, FTM) on the shoulder of a busy road (if you read the OP, he said there were no sidewalks). And that's if the weather is decent (last I heard, it does rain and snow in Indiana).

I can understand not wanting to move the car -- I don't drive my TDI enough. But not wanting to walk in this case is not some lazy-American trope. Given how carefully most people drive (especially when they don't expect to see a pedestrian), not walking could be a health benefit.

 

[Drnknmnky13]

It's a car. A tool. Drive it for 2 minutes a day if you need to. It's not like it's going to die in 6 months from it. I'll all for trying to make the car last as long as possible... but I'm not going to go into hardship or be uncomfortable for too long to save my car. I mean I'm not advocating beating on your car... but if you need to drive 2 miles to work then you need to drive 2 miles to work. Change the oil often. Do regular maintenance.

Just my 2 cents

 

[TornadoRed]

A car, TDI or otherwise, for cold or wet weather and for out-of-town trips.

A scooter or small motorbike for the dry days between April and October.

 

[Bob_Fout]

A car, TDI or otherwise, for cold or wet weather and for out-of-town trips.

A scooter or small motorbike for the dry days between April and October.

No such thing in the mid-west. In 15 minutes it can go from sunshine to rain, lightning, 40 MPH winds and hail.... and then back to sunshine again.

 

[TornadoRed]

No such thing in the mid-west. In 15 minutes it can go from sunshine to rain, lightning, 40 MPH winds and hail.... and then back to sunshine again.

The OP only needs to travel 2.5 miles to work. A scooter should be perfect for that distance.

 

[Seth700s]

I used to work only 2 miles away from home, and drove the tacoma I still own. I filled up 1-2 times a month put on 8-10000 miles a year. I did not even think about mpg's at all. For the last 4+ years I have to drive 90 miles a day, I need to think about mpg's.

So why even think about a diesel car? You will not have any heat ever in winter. I takes me 6 miles going 50mph before its blowing warm air.

 

[X CELL TDI]

I used to work only 2 miles away from home, and drove the tacoma I still own. I filled up 1-2 times a month put on 8-10000 miles a year. I did not even think about mpg's at all. For the last 4+ years I have to drive 90 miles a day, I need to think about mpg's.

So why even think about a diesel car? You will not have any heat ever in winter. I takes me 6 miles going 50mph before its blowing warm air.

That long? you need to leave it plugged then you talking about at least 12 mins of driving unless your driveway is right off an highway ramp

 

[DanEboy]

I drove to work 3.5 miles one way with my 2002 Jetta auto and got 30mpg.
It gets 44 on the highway speeding with the AC on.
I did notice a little smoke when I first got on the highway (once a week) but it cleans up fast especially if you let it rev up when getting up to cruising speed!
And yeah, the heat only started to come up when I pulled into the lot at work!

 

[Seth700s]

That long? you need to leave it plugged then you talking about at least 12 mins of driving unless your driveway is right off an highway ramp

I live in wisconsin its winter up here. I do have a coolant heater, I do have the radiator blocked off, and I should have said temp gauge gets to 190 and it's almost blasting hot air. It does blow luke warm air 2-3 minutes after start up.

Unless you grew up around diesel cars/trucks, or drive a long distance, I don't see the point of driving one. My dad always has a diesel of some sort. I had a 6.2 diesel chevy truck in high school. At the time I was the only one who drove a diesel to school. I love pumping 50 yards away from everyone else. I don't mind having to wear a glove when I pump. I love the smell of diesel in my car when the wind blows it in when my door is open, but not if I'm hungover. I love the rattle of a diesel. If I were to drive only in the city I would get about 38mpg. I drove a saturn before the jetta, and got 30mpg in the city. But there is a price defference between the cars. So the fuel saved doesn't make up for the money spent on the car and the 20 to 30 cents per-gallon more for fuel. The payback is far away.

My point is this person doesn't NEED a diesel car. If this person doesn't mind the smell, the slow warm up, the dirty pump handle, and paying extra for a diesel car, then by all means get one.

I once had a truck that got 6mpg. I didn't care I only drove 2 miles to work. I now drive a jetta that gets avg. 46mgs, and I drive 45 miles to work. If you do the math I'm using more fuel now. I all about cost justification.

 

[X CELL TDI]

yep seth you're right but thats why we get tdis right? because we love them, maybe we love being different, there's people out there that think there only diesel trucks not cars and plus we get economy and longevity thats why me and you and maybe everybody here got one I own a 07 escallade and i can relate to that 6 mpg but think about this, if you still had that truck you will be broke right now don't blame you're using more fuel on your jetta blame on your job. my point is love your tdi it will love you back$$$$$$$ and seth you're being loved by yours with those 46 mpg$$$$$$

 

[Seth700s]

if you still had that truck you will be broke right now don't blame you're using more fuel on your jetta blame on your job.

I wasn't saying that I use more fuel with my jetta then with the old 383ci chevy. I was making a point about cost justification.

 

[X CELL TDI]

I got your point but i still see that your jetta is helping you to adapt to your job change and correct me if im wrong it is helping you better than any other vehicle out there beside a prius or some hybrid and yes the only reason i think pinke-71 should buy a tdi is because he want one. he wants to seee the light! hehe he knows or he heard about how wonderful our cars are and he want to taste the cake, smell the fumes, see the smoke, hear the rattle, get some ulsd on his clothes, measure some additives and change his tb every 100k or else! thats life yall thats life

 

[Seth700s]

I got your point but i still see that your jetta is helping you to adapt to your job change and correct me if im wrong it is helping you better than any other vehicle out there beside a prius or some hybrid

a tdi will get better mpg's then any prius on the highway. I've owned the car less then 3 months, had the job for over 4 years, the saturn avg. 34mpg's helped me adapt, but I love my jetta

 

[X CELL TDI]

yeah hybrids are over rated! vw beats saturn any day yeah

 

[Steve Di.]

The owner's manual for my 2010 Jetta recommends avoiding short trips because of the particulate filter. VW says 10-12 minutes at approximately 2500 r.p.m.s and 45 m.p.h. helps to clear out the filter. I was told the filter is covered under the warranty.

 

[passat130]

Why wouldn't you have a diesel?

If you buying second hand they cost no more than a petrol

(example in UK 1.9 130 TDI Passat 100k miles - £4000 VS 1.6 Petrol Passat 80k miles £4000)

Diesel on hands at the pump ***! put a disposable glove on!

Diesel cars sound better, give better mpg, go more miles before they eventually break, built better, give you that lovely torque, always keep you in the rev band, climb hills like a nuclear powered steam train, don't cost a lot to service (my local mechanic charges £120 for a full service once a year!) in UK at least diesel is only 2p more per litre but a diesel tank will return 600 miles VS a petrol tank 320 miles. Its a NO BRAINER

Get a diesel with heated leather seats, short journeys = hot ass in 1 minute!!!