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At 10,500 miles pa I think you're a tad below the point at which diesel makes real economic sense - I think 15k is the quoted 'break even' point. However, if like me you prefer the diesel experience don't worry - it might just cost you money.
AIUI the risk of clogging a DPF arises if your usage/driving style does not allow it to regenerate. Basically regeneration requires twenty minutes or so of sustained running at moderate revs, you'll most likely acheive this on a M/way, dual carriageway or good fast A/B road. Does your routine include such a run at least once a fortnight?
If so you're probably OK with DPF. If not then perhaps better to go for petrol.
Our family car is a 63 Berlingo with a 115PS HDi 1.6 and has DPF. I don't expect a problem as kids at Uni and rellies an hour or so up either M1 or M6 mean it gets a good run out most weeks.
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Thanks, Bromptonaut, we are aware of the need to re gen, what we are concerned about is the filter blocking without giving us the option to give it a thrash! Our Fiat never did it just went straight to limp mode. If we can get a diesel & just regen as a matter of course that's OK. I don't really subscribe to the diesel is more expensive thing...we changed back to petrol & we were filling up every few days /once a week 240 miles to a tank..The Fait does about 450..getting on for double!
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Sounds like your DPF on the Doblo might have been deleted - too may D's!
Many garages can regenerate a DPF when it needs it, not always but it is cheaper than a replacement. Either way it is an additional cost and if it cost say £500 once while you own the car that is an awful lot of miles you'd have to do on diesel to save £500 over petrol. Petrol versions can be cheaper to buy than equivalent age/spec diesels but that can be lost with higher `VED over several years.
Like Bromptonaut I prefer the way a diesel car "goes. As my miles reduce I still go on motorway trips once a week at least so I'll justify my continued use on that basis and its 20% cheaper in France.
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Buy a petrol. The mpg difference on such a low mileage is marginal.
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I too had this dilemma, i ran Diesels since the early 80s and got rid of my last one a couple of years ago.
I now run older petrol cars converted to LPG, larger engined with lovely silky smooth TC auto boxes, economic motoring bliss.
Not saying this would suit everyone, its a niche choice and i hope it stays that way, but for the forseeable future its my method, indeed i have one vehicle being converted this week, oh and rustproofing and maintaining my vehicles well to make them last as long as possible, see i prefer 80/90's designs, not so much carp to go wrong and easier to fix when it does.
20 years driving car transporters gave me an increasing loathing of the most recent cars of all makes, especially electric parking brakes hill holds and idiot gearboxes (and don't get me started on the Zanussi wash program style pop up gearchange on Jaaags, dear Lord) and stop start keyless go toys.
Few genuine improvements since the 90's except to stuff the things to the gunnels with electronics and make them as hard as possible to diagnose and impossible to repair economically, to be fair most people seem to like the stuff or they presumably wouldn't buy into it, but i exercise my right too avoid them.
Apart from any of this, 4 cyl Diesel engines sound like, and they do, belong in tractors, they are nothing short of horrid.
Edited by gordonbennet on 14/04/2014 at 21:11
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We just want another diesel...maybe it doesn't make that much sense, but our presesnt Diesel does almost double the MPG to the previous petrol car of a similar size. I do agree that cars are becoming too complicated...
What I really want to know is will these things let me know if they need a regen & unlike the Fiat give us the chance to do it before it goes into limp mode.
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I'm on my 5th year with DPF diesels with zero issues under 7K miles a year.
Modern DPF cars do a timed regen, its never been required for me to do a substained speed at reves over 2K to burn off.
This only applied to the very early DPF cars.
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We just want another diesel...maybe it doesn't make that much sense, but our presesnt Diesel does almost double the MPG to the previous petrol car of a similar size. I do agree that cars are becoming too complicated...
What I really want to know is will these things let me know if they need a regen & unlike the Fiat give us the chance to do it before it goes into limp mode.
I suspect the answer to this won't be known until they've been in service for a good while after warranty has expired and the next generation of customers have been turned over with cast iron promises about lessons learned.
Quite why the DPF state of play can't be displayed on the dash i haven't a clue, OK there's some owners out there who could be almost as dangerous as a cow with a gun with this knowledge, but you'd think that if an owner requested, it wouldn't be hard for a simple breakdown of DPF condition to be displayed on the screen when required.
You as owner with nous know you are about to embark on 50 mile motorway run, press button on dash, display says DPF 50% full, press Regen button, DPF gets regen, nothing could be simpler.
Even if it wasn't manually overridden, if the damned thing at least told you it was regenning and preferable not to switch off for ten minutes and counting it would be something.
Far better than the present method where mushroom management applies, unless you are Hercule Poirot you don't have the foggiest idea if a regen is needed or if one has just started seconds before you pull up to stop after an hours hot run.
Its amazing, with all the superfluous electronic rubbish now fitted to cars, this vital knowledge must still be kept secret form the enemy, sorry, the cash cow customer.
Edited by gordonbennet on 15/04/2014 at 11:57
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We just want another diesel...maybe it doesn't make that much sense, but our presesnt Diesel does almost double the MPG to the previous petrol car of a similar size. I do agree that cars are becoming too complicated...
What I really want to know is will these things let me know if they need a regen & unlike the Fiat give us the chance to do it before it goes into limp mode.
I suspect the answer to this won't be known until they've been in service for a good while after warranty has expired and the next generation of customers have been turned over with cast iron promises about lessons learned.
Quite why the DPF state of play can't be displayed on the dash i haven't a clue, OK there's some owners out there who could be almost as dangerous as a cow with a gun with this knowledge, but you'd think that if an owner requested, it wouldn't be hard for a simple breakdown of DPF condition to be displayed on the screen when required.
You as owner with nous know you are about to embark on 50 mile motorway run, press button on dash, display says DPF 50% full, press Regen button, DPF gets regen, nothing could be simpler.
Even if it wasn't manually overridden, if the damned thing at least told you it was regenning and preferable not to switch off for ten minutes and counting it would be something.
Far better than the present method where mushroom management applies, unless you are Hercule Poirot you don't have the foggiest idea if a regen is needed or if one has just started seconds before you pull up to stop after an hours hot run.
Its amazing, with all the superfluous electronic rubbish now fitted to cars, this vital knowledge must still be kept secret form the enemy, sorry, the cash cow customer.
Excellent reply thanks!
I do agree that if we were informed & knew the b***** thing needed to be done most would do it..of course some never would! I asked a dealer about this & he said we DO TELL people but they just don't listen....Maybe the problem isn't as bad with a more modern DPF car our Fiat is an '06....
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So...are we saying DPF's are not really a problem in more modern cars? They let you know so you can just do a regen?
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So...are we saying DPF's are not really a problem in more modern cars? They let you know so you can just do a regen?
That is not the case. We have had 2 cars with DPF's a BMW which has gone and a Kia which we still have. Both do/did a regen approx every 300 miles, no indication its happeneing other than a huge increase in fuel consumption if you have the instant mpg display showing, a slight smell of burning if you stop in traffic with the window open and and an uneven idle.
The driver cannot initiate a regen, the ECU decides when its due from mileage and sensor info.
The only time the car will display that a regen is due is when the car has failed to complete several regens and the DPF soot level is above a certain figure. The car will then display a light on the dash, varies with makes. You then need to drive at a pretty constant speed/revs (both our manuals stated above 37 mph and 1800 rpm) for about 20 minutes. If it stays on its off to the delaer fpor a forced regen or new DPF.
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The Outback LPG conversion is done, chap will be doing a few road trials with it today for final set up, and tomorrow we'll go and get it.
No DPF, DMF or oil dilution problems to worry about, the car simply gets up to temp on petrol then switches over to propane till the next time, there's a lttle light display to tell you whats what and an override switch so you can switch between fuels once up to temp, nearly all LPG conversions operate like this, simples.
Diesel?, pah, never again.
edit...one thing, do have to keep the flashlube topped up every few months, use about £30 worth a year on our present cars, nothing complicated, just take the top of the bottle under the bonnet off when it gets down a bit, top up from the 5 litre bottle i buy every 2 or 3 years, job done.
Edited by gordonbennet on 17/04/2014 at 10:02
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I don't think the OP should automatically assume that economy equals diesel as this is not always the case. Many of the petrol engines can be economical if driven with a little care and the maintenance and servicing costs can be ridiculous for diesel cars coupled with higher initial costs and the fact that diesel will continue to rise in price faster than petrol.
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