General Advice on diesel please

[jacko69]

Hi everyone, newbie here.

I went to look at and test drive a multijet diesel yesterday and was pretty impressed. I've phoned the dealer today and told him I'll buy the car but I've paid nothing yet.

I've noticed that a few people on here have said that the diesel engine takes ages to warm up (both the engine and the heater). This is worrying me as there's nothing worse than a freezing cold car in winter, especially as nearly all my journeys are short hops.

Can any diesel owners help please?

For the record the car is a lounge in bossa nova with climate and side rubbing strip. It's a demonstrator on a 58 plate with 75 miles on it and it's £10, 500 (£11230 on configurator) I've shopped around and no one will give me a penny off a new one and used ones are fetching good money so I thought it seemed a reasonable deal, What dya reckon?

Anyway, great forum and thanks in advance

 

[Jake_in_notts]

I own the diesel and yes it does take a long time to fully warm up and for warm air to come out the vents - this can be a pain defrosting the windows.
I wouldnt say its a massive problem and it wouldnt stop me buying it again though.

im still surprised that the prices are holding up so well and that there is no money off new ones.

 

[Ulpian]

Diesels do take longer to warm up, so if you only do short hops you may never get a truly warm car. Secondly, you will need to ensure that you DO get it good and hot on a regular basis to make certain that the catalyst burns off the carbon deposits. If you don't reach this critical temperature regularly you'll have problems. Honestly, if you really do only short journeys you'll be better off with the 1.2 petrol.

I don't have a 500 but I do have a Diesel, and in very cold weather it never gets truly hot unless I've been driving hard for twenty minutes, at least.

 

[T14086]

cat doesn't burn of deposits Ulipan, sure your thinking of the DPF.

 

[jacko69]

It doesn't sound good does it?!

I think I might have to switch to a petrol.

 

[Ulpian]

Yes T, I am, but for the lay punter (me) its all the same - stuff going on in the exhaust system that requires a very high temperature to function properly - which means getting the engine hot regularly. My local council seems to be bypassing these DPFs on some of its BlueMotion VWs as they have given so much grief: according to the people who have to drive them anyway.

 

[nottsfiat07]

If you are doing shortish trips around you might be better with the 1.2 petrol, the economy isnt massively different to the diesel and the engine does suit the car quite well. I'm currently getting about 50mpg on the 1.2 with a mixture of town and country road driving with a bit of motorway thrown in. And its a fair bit cheaper than the diesel to buy new.

 

[j3bnl]

Have had the diesel since October and dont find the engine or the heater a problem in regard to heating up. Mine takes about 5 mins to start blowing warm air (could be something to do with having the auto climate) and the engine warms up about as quick as my last car (diesel Honda Civic). My dailly journey is mostly duel carriageway so this may also be a factor. If your journeys are all short hops I dont think any car will really warm up properly.

 

[jacko69]

Have had the diesel since October and dont find the engine or the heater a problem in regard to heating up. Mine takes about 5 mins to start blowing warm air (could be something to do with having the auto climate) and the engine warms up about as quick as my last car (diesel Honda Civic). My dailly journey is mostly duel carriageway so this may also be a factor. If your journeys are all short hops I dont think any car will really warm up properly.

That sounds a bit more encouraging. The one I'm looking at also has climate so that may make a difference.

I just really don't need a car that can't perform the basics.

Any more input would be appreciated guys and girls

 

[shortie]

I've noticed that a few people on here have said that the diesel engine takes ages to warm up (both the engine and the heater). This is worrying me as there's nothing worse than a freezing cold car in winter, especially as nearly all my journeys are short hops.

I've got a Diesel Panda (500's and Panda's share all engine's and platforms) it only takes about 5 mins too to warm up. The way I deal with the harsh winter weather is to drive with gloves on.

I use my car for short journeys too but once or twice a week it gets a nice long run so i'm not too worried about it not always getting to optimum temperature.

In my opinion and it is only my opinion I think the diesel engine is the best all rounder for the 500 and Panda. Its torque-y and good on fuel below 60mph. I know I will never recoup the extra money paid out for the Diesel but I'm not that fussed.

My advice to you would be to drive the 3 different engined 500's and choose whatever puts a smile on your face at a price you can afford to run.

Finally... The Diesel Rocks:slayer:

 

[jacko69]

I've got a Diesel Panda (500's and Panda's share all engine's and platforms) it only takes about 5 mins too to warm up. The way I deal with the harsh winter weather is to drive with gloves on.

I use my car for short journeys too but once or twice a week it gets a nice long run so i'm not too worried about it not always getting to optimum temperature.

In my opinion and it is only my opinion I think the diesel engine is the best all rounder for the 500 and Panda. Its torque-y and good on fuel below 60mph. I know I will never recoup the extra money paid out for the Diesel but I'm not that fussed.

My advice to you would be to drive the 3 different engined 500's and choose whatever puts a smile on your face at a price you can afford to run.

Finally... The Diesel Rocks:slayer:

Cheers Shortie, that's 2 of you who've said 5 minutes to warm up, I think that's good enough for me.

The only one I didn't drive was the 1.2 but I just fancied something a bit pokier.

How do you find your car in general, any little quirks I should know about?

 

[nottsfiat07]

Cheers Shortie, that's 2 of you who've said 5 minutes to warm up, I think that's good enough for me.

The only one I didn't drive was the 1.2 but I just fancied something a bit pokier.

How do you find your car in general, any little quirks I should know about?

Just read the various posts, all the quirks you could wish for!

 

[pearce_jj]

The warm up time depends on outside temperature and driving style. In that cold snap (winter some might call it ) I drove about seven miles along 40mph A roads to my destination and the engine still wasn't fully up-to-temperature.

Basically if it's frosty I have to scrape, drive off, then stop around the corner and scrape. I think of it as a cardigan kind of a car.

 

[jacko69]

The warm up time depends on outside temperature and driving style. In that cold snap (winter some might call it ) I drove about seven miles along 40mph A roads to my destination and the engine still wasn't fully up-to-temperature.

Basically if it's frosty I have to scrape, drive off, then stop around the corner and scrape. I think of it as a cardigan kind of a car.

Confused now!! Some say no probs others say no probs.

 

[nottsfiat07]

Well it just shows that its down to personal point of view, what some see as a prob, others dont, just as some prefer the diesel and some the petrol! If you ask for opinions thats what youll get, they wont all agree.

 

[rkt2003]

Don`t really have that bad a winter these days
So don`t worry about it so much ,maybe 5-10 really cold frosty nights is nothing out of 365 nights ,as for the car i love my diesel ,in these days of the credit cunch ,35 pounds tax ,on average 62-65 mpg im happy with my purchase

 

[rallycinq]

Ignore the heater problem, the DPF issue is far more important.

If you are only doing short journeys you will clog the DPF and require a new one. This is extremely expensive, and is not covered by warranty as you are not using the car in accordance with the manual.

Petrol is still cheaper than derv, so the real fuel costs are similar.

Petrol engines waste more heat than derv, hence why the heaters warm up quicker, the engine waste heat is what heats the car so the two are linked.

There is a £1400 premium on the diesel variant which you can save by buying a 1.2.

Cheers

SPD

 

[Peccadillo]

That`s right. I rang a Fiat dealer and was told none of the current diesels are suitable for ultra short journeys (exclusively) - due to DPF. ( was intended to be a home care - working in the community car)

Check out what the AA has to say about DPF diesels on their site.

I would buy petrol, or wait a year or two for this new technology to be improved on.

 

[Ulpian]

( was intended to be a home care - working in the community car)

...which is exactly the job of the VW Bluemotion Polos my Council bought, against the recommendation of the AA - allegedly

The result being that they have cost a fortune and have been nothing but trouble. DPF regeneration is a regular occurance, and breakdowns are common. Some are being worked on to bypass the DPF, or so somebody said, but this sounds odd to me. Anyway, unless you are doing regular fast and hot trips forget it.

There is a Fiat petrol twin coming next year with Diesel economy and petrol performance, so if you can wait....

I also did, on I think a Perry site, a petrol v Diesel economy comparison over the life of the car. If you pay list price it would take well over 100,000 miles to recoup the cost of buying a Diesel 500 over getting the 1.2. Who is likely to do 140,000 miles in a Diesel 500 in any reasonable time frame?

My Doblo was a good buy because I got discount, and the then petrol engine was a gutless (in a van) 1.2 . According to the site it would not have paid from the start to buy petrol even paying list. So then; in the 500, if you can get the Diesel for the same price as the 1.2, and you drive hard and don't even think about eco-drive, it might be worthwhile - unless you like to get warm quickly, in which case the relative thermal efficiency of the Diesel will keep you cold. And the 1.2 probably is more nimble at the helm because it weighs less.

 

[padgman]

long(er) warm up also not an issue for me - other positives outweigh this but I agree re short journeys. Tested all three and went for the torquiest! If you are a lover of revs then petrol prob better! Happy to rev nuts off a m/bike to make progress but not in a car unless genuine sports model.