Unleaded petrol mixed with Diesel in a Chrysler 2.5CRD

Same applies on most council estates.

The message from Grimly Curmudgeon contains these words:

It's the land of the free. The official is free to be an officious git.

The message from Duncanwood contains these words:

That's rather different - the council /owns/ the driveway!

A few years ago our then childminder had her car clamped in her driveway by the council for not paying her council tax. Since it was a council property they were quite within their rights to do it, too.

It went with two rather big gentlemen and two rather beautiful ladies.

Amazingly they are still rocking all over the world. They did a superb non-stop two hour gig of heavy rock. The only loony in the audience was stood next to my wife and he openly smoked the wacky backy all night while head-banging between spliffs.

Sensitivity to fuel quality has always been an issue with diesels. Injector pumps have never been tollerant of pollutants.

robustness and

Not necessarily. There may be certain issues with certain engines and a few teething problems with some CR systems but it was ever thus. There have been issues with the occasional design of all mechanical systems since they designed the first wheel. This is nothing new. Most modern CR and other high pressure diesel engines are quite durable, robust and reliable with a few models less reliable than others. Again it was ever thus.

But of course they have

No gain without pain? No, just new technology teething problems mostly. The most important thing is that they design these new engines to have a very long life with minimal repairs or even servicing needed so that whole life running costs are low. Repairs, should they be needed, can be frighteningly expensive and this reinforces the need for good reliable design and construction. I have a friend who ran an Audi V6 diesel to 200,000 miles on 20,000 mile oil changes and it was running sweet as a nut when he sold it, never having had a single engine fault. I saw a Discovery diesel the other day with over

280,000 miles and that had no significant life problems either. There is no reason why the newer engines should not be as good or better while offering all the economy, power and refinement benefits already noted.

Huw

I'll bet the same legal system that allows that wouldn't allow a landlord to clamp a car for late rent, not that they necessarily should be able to - but why one and not the other?

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

Reminds me of the old joke: "If you want economy, you have to pay for it."

Regarding the quality, or lack thereof, for fuel needed by diesels, my dad used to always say from his days in North Africa in WWII that they, out of necessity, found that they could run a diesel engine on practically any liquid with the exception of water. Obviously that was an exaggeration, but, in comparison, things appear to have gotten rather temperamental to a fault for reasons that you bring up.

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

You can still run these engines on vegetable oil through to kerosene. Given the tolerances and the emission equipment fitted, I would stick with ultra low sulphur diesel fuel, for which these engines have been designed.

Huw

The message from Bill Putney contains these words:

'Cos the law is a four legged thing that brays.

I guess your view on the Status Quo concert is subject to the Official Secrets Act... ;-)

DAS

For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling

Not at all. I did post this "Amazingly they are still rocking all over the world. They did a superb non-stop two hour gig of heavy rock. The only loony in the audience was stood next to my wife and he openly smoked the wacky backy all night while head-banging between spliffs." I notice in the news today that Nick Parrfit, one of the lead singers, you know, the one with long blonde hair, is suspected of having cancer of the larynx and they have had to cancel the rest of their tour. I must say that he sang like a bird at Cardiff.

Huw

Well, I wouldn't say Diesels have ever been particularly forgiving of fuel QUALITY. Any water or grit contamination is deadly to even

40-year-old diesel designs, which is why they have so much more effective fuel filters than gasoline engines. They also never have tolerated fuel that solidifies at too high a temperature, lacks lubricity, etc. etc. etc.

Gasoline engines on the other hand, especially carbureted ones, can swallow a fair amount of both water and grit contamination (provided the grit is fine enough not to plug a carb passage), and can take a lot of adulterants like alcohol and other oxygenates in their fuel because its not required to be a lubricant to the same degree diesel fuel is in a diesel engine. As gasoline engine fuel systems have gotten more advanced with more and more precise fuel injector spray patterns, the differences have gotten less and less. But even still, gasoline fuel injectors and especially fuel PUMPS don't have anything like the precision clearances of old-school diesel fuel injectors and pumps, let alone the newest common-rail types.

Sounds great. I missed your original post. When/what time was that?

My ISP recenly moved to a different news server and I haven't come to a conclusion about the results yet. Previously I would not see quite a few of my own posts. Now this has happened a couple of times.

Thus, if I don't see my own posts I may not be seeing others'. Or I just need to get with making an appoinment with my optician.

DAS

For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling

I meant flexibility in the sense of accepting variations in diesel quality. However, if you put it your way maybe they never were so great cf petrol.

DAS

For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling

Ans that's how it should be. The fewer emergencies the better.

DAS

For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling

Inline ones with seperate lubrication will run on virtually anything that's about viscous enough to pump & can make it through the filter.

Here's a neat link:

Why? Just say it: he's a dick, it makes you feel better.