Who’s going to Tesla after their current TDI?

ZippyNH

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Southern NH
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2015 JETTA TDI SE
100%, but the epa is doing their best to phase out all wood stoves/ furnaces. Insurance companies arnt helping either. I've fought with more then one about my house being heated with wood. Insurance company I'm with now, is local ish and didn't have an issue with the furnace in the house, since it still has its UL listed and epa plate on it.
Don't mention you toss a few lumps of coal in when it gets super cold so you don't have to get up in the middle of the night to reload it!!
 

dieseldonato

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Don't mention you toss a few lumps of coal in when it gets super cold so you don't have to get up in the middle of the night to reload it!!
Nope, even though my furnace is a duel fuel model, I have to make quite a long trip to get nut or stove coal to burn in it. Fire box is big enough to hold fire in these temps for 10 odd hours with some decent wood anyway. The wood is "free" too. I'm cheap.
 

ZippyNH

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Southern NH
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2015 JETTA TDI SE
Nope, even though my furnace is a duel fuel model, I have to make quite a long trip to get nut or stove coal to burn in it. Fire box is big enough to hold fire in these temps for 10 odd hours with some decent wood anyway. The wood is "free" too. I'm cheap.
Guess depends on the area... tractor supply company (TSC) usually has a couple pallets of bags...but the $$ per ton is around $500-600 so a bit pricey compared to wood unless it suddenly spiked.
Figured many people with dual fuel stoves would toss a few scoops in on the colder days... would be hard to justify it at the $$
 

kjclow

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2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
Or be like my fil, burn corncobs during the day and wood at night. His old franklin stove would run most of the night on a few pieces of wood. I know he wasn't adding anything at night since I usually slept on the couch in that room until we got married.
 

CantWrite

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2005 Passat Wagon (BHW/5-spd conv, 03T). I keep in touch with the (2) ALH's I sold.
So much info to digest. I think it comes down to our modern culture created here in the US. People, generally speaking, are up in arms to be inconvenienced or uncomfortable. Patience is all but dead.

imagine a much more convenient and comfortable mass transit system. When I lived in Seattle (Pioneer Square) the bus system was free for a 37 block area, it was awesome. I could jump just about any bus and get to where I was going within the 37 blocks. My wagon would stay parked for weeks at a time until I went out recreating. We are so addicted to cars in both the rural and city environments, again generally speaking.

I’m all for ICE and EV living in harmony. My wife drives a F150 40k per year at an avg of 19.5 mpg in our commuting environment. I wish she would get an EV. The other thing, many of the vehicles here are 3/4 or 1 tons and taking physics into account, lots of people blow off efficiency for safety. A Tacoma vs a F350 head on is almost a death sentence. We have had 2 deaths already from this type of scenario.

I burn wood (Aspen), with todays modern houses (mine - 1994) and insulation, you hardly get a delta of 10 to 20 degrees F letting my stove burn out overnight and easily enough coals to start a fire in the morning. Put on some clothes, who needs 70F inside when it’s (15F) outside. Although I have witness the inversions that happen and the smoke pollution that accompanies.

OH made a post a few pages back about a TH-350, made me laugh. I literally dropped of a ‘79c10, had them do a mild performance rebuild on the trans which included a TH-400 TC. They also replaced the pitman arm. $700 total bill, trans shifts with authority, and I love having an old pickup that just keeps ticking.

I would drive an EV in a heartbeat, but not for across country trips. And my rusty wallet would never let me spend that kind of money. So I stick with old junk.

my mom bought one of the first gen hybrid Camry’s, problem free for 120k and averaged 35mpg over the life of the vehicle. Besides the smaller trunk space, they loved the car. 2-lane passing was unimpressive.

there’s so many factors and differing views at play the water muddies rather quickly.

the point of this post, nothing besides the “want it now mentality”. I am enjoying the reading here and wanted to drop a few thoughts/experiences.
 

turbobrick240

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Nov 18, 2014
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maine
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2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
I burn wood (Aspen), with todays modern houses (mine - 1994) and insulation, you hardly get a delta of 10 to 20 degrees F letting my stove burn out overnight and easily enough coals to start a fire in the morning. Put on some clothes, who needs 70F inside when it’s (15F) outside. Although I have witness the inversions that happen and the smoke pollution that accompanies.
Slightly off topic, but I burn and sell firewood from my property. I'm surprised you can keep decent coals from Aspen overnight. I burn a lot of the less "desirable" species in my own stove- poplar, fir, pine, hemlock, larch(Tamarack really)etc. and my biggest complaint with them is they don't coal up well. The larch burns super hot but doesn't make good coals. Something satisfying about burning up the junk woods when it's subzero outside.
 
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CantWrite

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Jun 8, 2021
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Placerville CO
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2005 Passat Wagon (BHW/5-spd conv, 03T). I keep in touch with the (2) ALH's I sold.
Slightly off topic, but I burn and sell firewood from my property. I'm surprised you can keep decent coals from Aspen overnight. I burn a lot of the less "desirable" species in my own stove- poplar, fir, pine, hemlock, larch(Tamarack really)etc. and my biggest complaint with them is they don't coal up well. The larch burns super hot but doesn't make good coals. Something satisfying about burning up the junk woods when it's subzero outside.
Maybe it’s my environment (SW CO) and my catalytic stove (Blazeking Boxer 24 https://www.blazeking.com/products/boxer-24/) Aspen burns hot and clean with very little ash. It starts stupid simple (1/2 paper bag and large chunks will fire off) once a coal base is established, 2 chunks will burn 2-3 hrs and keep my house (1800 sq ft) at 76F. Wife loves it, and our cool tile floor keeps me happy. I went 3 years without cleaning chimney, had it professionally cleaned so I could ask questions. Barely any build up and only at roofline (I have a 24’ of straight stack chimney pipe). He looked at me and said keep doing what you’re doing, it’s working.

I burn our pine outside for bonfires. And currently burning cottonwood in my stove as I cut 12 down, I don’t like it, but my dad loved it when he burned.

back to the coals, I load it as full as I can, close it up and go to bed without turning down the damper. Add smaller Aspen (kindling sticks) in the morning and go make coffee while it fires off. If I am in a hurry for work and wanna please the wife, I add another 1/2 bag and light it.

I have found brown paper grocery bags work the best and don’t have retardants like some newspaper. But that source is drying up since they charge 10 cents per bag now. So I usually just cut my kindling even smaller and do the teepee style.
 

turbobrick240

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maine
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2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
Poplar/cottonwood that has been thoroughly dried is nature's chimney sweep. I burn a nice hot fire a couple times a day and have never had a creosote problem. I'll tap the stovepipe with a stick of wood occasionally and very thin dry flakes shower down into the firebox. I didn't get around to splitting the birch I cut last winter until midsummer, at which point the bark came off in giant sheets. That's my preferred firestarter, but plenty of paper bags go into my stove as well.
 

kjclow

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Charlotte, NC
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2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
Poplar/cottonwood that has been thoroughly dried is nature's chimney sweep. I burn a nice hot fire a couple times a day and have never had a creosote problem. I'll tap the stovepipe with a stick of wood occasionally and very thin dry flakes shower down into the firebox.
My neighbor had the same thought. He burns fires non-stop from about September through April. He last cleaned the chimney about five years ago and then all the creosote caught and blew flames out of the top of the chimney. Sounded like a jet engine in his family room before the fire dept arrived. Required a complete flew rebuild and a new insert. He's now gone to having the chimney done twice a year.
 

Mozambiquer

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My neighbor had the same thought. He burns fires non-stop from about September through April. He last cleaned the chimney about five years ago and then all the creosote caught and blew flames out of the top of the chimney. Sounded like a jet engine in his family room before the fire dept arrived. Required a complete flew rebuild and a new insert. He's now gone to having the chimney done twice a year.
My last house I only heated with wood and had chimney fires 4times... The reason was that it was a small house and the stove was too big, so it got run too low too often. Thankfully I had a triple wall stainless steel chimney so it didn't need replaced, but it was still not fun... I had to clean the chimney every month... Now my new house is all electric heat and it works, but I have no backup for if the power goes out and electricity bills in the winter time are $400-600 more than at the old house. 😞
 

turbobrick240

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maine
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Why is this? The heat at which it burns? Thanks!
Yeah it's a combination of the heat and the fact that poplar wood has extremely little resin. Makes great trim boards for the same reason. I still run a brush down my chimney a couple times per season, but there's never any gross gooey creosote. Just a minimal amount of dry flakes. The catalytic stoves typically do a good job of burning most of the smoke before it can condense in the chimney.
 

jmodge

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Greenville, MI the winter water wonderland
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More than I need, less than I want
Ash is my preferred wood for cleaning the flue, burns hot and leaves coals. I have access to a lot of standing dead ash, at least while it lasts. I’ll clear trails prior to bow hunting and bring home a couple cords. I split it small to maintain a small hot bed of coals. I never let it go more than two days before cranking it up to burn the flue clean. I can get away without sweeping it until the weather’s mild enough to let it go out.
 

dieseldonato

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Us
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2001 jetta
I'm not a wood snob, ill burn anything. I prefer a good hardwood, but soft wood and light hard woods do just fine when we're in shoulder season and just need a short hot fire to put some heat in the house over night.
Can't say I've ever had a creosote build up issue. I sweep the chimney once or twice a year, and try to get a professional sweep out every other year. I just don't (usually) burn low smoldering fires and I have well seasoned wood. Do my best to keep a year or two ahead, although this cold snap we had last week just about doubled our wood consumption. I may be tapping into next year's pile early.
 

P2B

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We go through a lot of wood, about 4 cords already this winter. I used to burn oak and ash only, but it's getting hard to find dead hardwood within hauling distance by boat, ATV, or snowmobile. The beaver used to take down a lot of oak and leave the trunks for me, but they seem to be less active recently. Pine is plentiful so I've resorted to burning it during the day and saving the oak for overnight.

I can't say I've noticed any significant change in creosote buildup from the softwood. I run this up the chimney from inside the stove in the spring. That keeps it nice and clean, no need to call in professionals.
 

turbobrick240

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maine
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2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
I love to burn ash too. The first couple winters I burned wood I didn't put up enough early in the summer. I could cut an ash tree in January and be heating with it that night. It comes off the stump pretty dry, especially in the middle of winter. Locust and oak are also favorites, but I burn everything but pressure treated and boxelder, lol. Going to be bummed if the ash borer wipes out the ash here like it is in other areas.
 

jmodge

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Greenville, MI the winter water wonderland
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More than I need, less than I want
I burn at least two cords of green wood through out the coolest months. When I heated exclusively with wood I went through about 7-8 cords. Not counting the two years we lived in the block cottage before I built the house. 12 and 14 cords split by hand. One was a 4’ Walnut the county cut down. I was lucky n my late 30’s and enjoyed it, but splitting that walnut convinced me to spend the thousand dollars for a good splitter. Still in use after 25 years.
If anyone gets the chance to bring home some Mulberry, it throws out some BTU’s
 

wonneber

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Monroe, NY, USA
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2014 Jetta Sportwagon,2003 Jetta 261K Sold but not forgotten
Has anyone looked into how long the electric battery will drive in the winter with heater(s) going to heat the car and defrost the windshield and rear defroster?
As I am getting older I find I don't tolerate the cold as much as I use to. :unsure:
 

dieseldonato

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We go through a lot of wood, about 4 cords already this winter. I used to burn oak and ash only, but it's getting hard to find dead hardwood within hauling distance by boat, ATV, or snowmobile. The beaver used to take down a lot of oak and leave the trunks for me, but they seem to be less active recently. Pine is plentiful so I've resorted to burning it during the day and saving the oak for overnight.

I can't say I've noticed any significant change in creosote buildup from the softwood. I run this up the chimney from inside the stove in the spring. That keeps it nice and clean, no need to call in professionals.
Back in the farm, we had a chimney fire. I can't say I ever recall my pop cleaning out the chimney very often. Since the fire, he had someone come out and clean it every few years. It's just force of habbit having it done at my place, and saved me some bs with the insurance company having the records of cleaning/ inspections done.

I love to burn ash too. The first couple winters I burned wood I didn't put up enough early in the summer. I could cut an ash tree in January and be heating with it that night. It comes off the stump pretty dry, especially in the middle of winter. Locust and oak are also favorites, but I burn everything but pressure treated and boxelder, lol. Going to be bummed if the ash borer wipes out the ash here like it is in other areas.
Beetles basically killed them all off around here. I won't even take them down anymore. Had a few close calls with standing dead ash. Limbs breaking off while cutting, worst one was the trunk snapping off just below the main canopy just after it started going over. Mother nature can take care of them at this point.
I burn at least two cords of green wood through out the coolest months. When I heated exclusively with wood I went through about 7-8 cords. Not counting the two years we lived in the block cottage before I built the house. 12 and 14 cords split by hand. One was a 4’ Walnut the county cut down. I was lucky n my late 30’s and enjoyed it, but splitting that walnut convinced me to spend the thousand dollars for a good splitter. Still in use after 25 years.
If anyone gets the chance to bring home some Mulberry, it throws out some BTU’s
Our average usage is around 10 cord per year. Lowest since we've been at this place was 6, this year I'm already into cord 7 i expect to hit 10 by the end of February.(temp dependant.) Usually stop burning sometime late March or early April.
Mulberry is an excellent burn wood. Most guys just toss it as a junk tree, I grab it up whenever I can get it.
 

kjclow

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Charlotte, NC
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2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
Has anyone looked into how long the electric battery will drive in the winter with heater(s) going to heat the car and defrost the windshield and rear defroster?
As I am getting older I find I don't tolerate the cold as much as I use to. :unsure:
IIRC, most of the reports that I've read suggest that many cars loose between a third and half of their range in colder weather. Although, I did just see a comparison down in Switzerland that showed a few of them are getting fairly close to retaining most of their listed range. Polestar seemed to do the best but then it was designed for that part of the world.

Here's the article: Polestar 3 Dominates Winter Range Test: A Cold-Weather EV Champion | EV.com
 

IndigoBlueWagon

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I found this interesting:

BTW, I don't drive my B4 when it's below 20F or so. Most of my daily driving is 15 miles or less an it's barely delivering any heat in that amount of miles.
 

RexNICO

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Has anyone looked into how long the electric battery will drive in the winter with heater(s) going to heat the car and defrost the windshield and rear defroster?
As I am getting older I find I don't tolerate the cold as much as I use to. :unsure:
I think the short answer is "yes, creating heat in an EV will reduce the range", but as usual the details and your "use case" will tell the real story.

Some EV's use electrical resistance to create heat (not very efficient) and some use heat pumps. HP's are more efficient, but have limited effectiveness as temps get near 0F.
 

gmenounos

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I found this interesting:

BTW, I don't drive my B4 when it's below 20F or so. Most of my daily driving is 15 miles or less an it's barely delivering any heat in that amount of miles.
Yeah, our Model 3 heats up super fast. I looked back for stats from a recent cold morning and on 1/22, the interior went from 6.6 degrees F. to 49.1 degrees in 6 minutes in the driveway before my wife took it to work. Toastiest car I've ever owned. (Though back when the glow plugs in the wagon didn't work and I was using a FrostHeater, that provided instant heat in the morning).
 

oilhammer

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outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I think it is sort of a "well, duh" kind of thing regarding cabin heat if the vehicle can be plugged in and/or prewarmed before you begin your drive.

But if you are talking about nothing plugged in, nothing attached, nothing prestarted ahead of time, a complete cold start, our Sprinter would beat them all. It would have warm air blasting out the vents inside of about 90 seconds after even a single-digit start up. And the entire, massive, 10-passenger cabin would be no-coat comfortable in about 5 minutes. Because it was equipped with a fuel-fired 20k BTU Webasto furnace that heated the coolant right away. Not to mention it helped get the engine up to temp much quicker. This is something that a lot of European diesels have had available to them, but few were offered here.
 

dieseldonato

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Amazon guy showed up in a rivian delivery truck last night. Asked him about his range and how he liked driving it. He said in good weather he can get 200 miles, in cold weather it's substantially less, even worse when the heat is on. Said he was only able to do about 3/4 of his route last week before he had to return for a charge. Said he liked everything else about the van. Visibility, height, lights, camera were all much better then their gas powered vans.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
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Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
... and they can crash them just the same. :p

We service a bunch of Amazon vans for one of their many subcontractors. They beat the tar out of those things. They tear through brakes and tires like crazy. I think the criteria for getting a job driving for them is "do you have a pulse?" Half of them smell like weed, too.
 
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