Is driving a diesel fast bad???

I would not expect driving 75-85 to be terribly bad for the engine. I'm sure these things get run wide open, at least for short duration, in Germany. As with all engines, it would probably last somewhat longer at lower speed, but should do fine at the speeds you mention. Of course, the fuel economy will be lower at 85 than at 65.

My '97 Jetta TDI has burned oil when I cruise a whole lot at speeds >75mph. IMO it does no harm except that you should keep an eye on the oil level.

Lots of in town driving = no change in 5000 miles

As I recall, diesels love to be run wide open a lot more than they like to be babied. Maybe the technology has changed in the past 15 years or so, but that's my recollection.

Tim Wohlford

The general feeling around Fred's TDI Page is to treat them with a little care while they're warming up, but, then, to "run it like you stole it." They _are_ fun to drive that way ... :-)

sd

What kind of Diesel? For a Passat V6 TDI that's nothing, whereas for an A2 Golf non-turbo ... ;-)

Current model TDIs are being driven at beyond 100 mph in Germany, all day, every day. They're the standard company car, and you can imagine what that means in absence of a speed limit. In other words, don't sweat it. Do give your engine the time it needs to warm up properly before kicking it in the head, and do not run it pedal to the metal for prolonged periods of time, and you'll be fine. Finer probably than you'd be driving those 40 miles in city traffic every day.

Yours, Erik.

You can say that again. I did 105 MPH with my A2 Golf non turbo Golf diesel today on I78 in NJ. The temperature started going way past the normal indicator and the LED start flashing, pinning the meter. I slowed back down to 60 MPH and the meter came back to almost normal.

When I got home, I noticed that the coolant tank was below normal enough to trigger the sensor and that was it.