Costly Repairs For Diesel Vehicles.

[mikecwm]

I've just been reading (in a Telegraph article) about costly repairs / replacement of components on diesel vehicles over 3 years old in the UK. Here's a quote from the article.

Buying a three-year-old, 80,000-mile diesel could be a very expensive mistake. It will very shortly need a need a diesel particulate filter (£1,000-£1,500), then a dual mass flywheel and clutch (£1,000-£1,500), possibly a turbo (another £1,500) and probably an exhaust gas recirculation valve (£500). Diesels can run reliably and cheaply on a fleet for three years, but contain many potential pitfalls for whoever buys them next.

I'm considering a new diesel pickup in Thailand soon, and having never owned a diesel before, I'm wondering what sort of expenses I'm looking at a few years down the road.

Having put 200,000km on a Toyota petrol car over the last 5 years, with no expenses for repairs - except a battery, brake pads and rotors, the article makes me wary of now buying a diesel.

Any advice from you long time diesel pickup drivers in Thailand?

Especially which makes might be most reliable. Costly repairs might soon over take any fuel savings of a diesel.

Any comments re- dual fuel Petrol / CNG also welcome regarding repair costs.

Thanks in advance for enlightening me.

[IMHO]

You have to love Western parts markups and labor costs, LOL.

Particulate filters only became mandatory this year, but average cost is around 15K for a new one and it'll be several years before it'll need replacement.

EGR valves are normally very easy to clean/recondition, and are often intentionally blocked by those looking for a little extra down low in the rev range anyway Get it cleaned (300-500 Baht) every 40,000KM and it'll likely last until the doors fall off.

Reco turbos are dirt cheap in TH, and new ones are very well priced anyway. Most pickup turbos will last you 200,000KM (non intercooled Vigo) to 400,000KM (2.5L Isuzu), unless you're modifying to increase boost pressure by a substantial margin.

The clutch is up to how you drive, and whether or not you're buying stick anyway - but even then you'll be paying around half of the prices quoted in that article.

[transam]

My chum in UK has an diesel, bus type caravanette. He told me he's got to sell it cos it will cost more than the thing is worth to become legal.

[Jitar]

Diesel is a good option for pickups here, especially for those doing high mileages or carrying a heavier loads. Petrol / gas engine options in are limited to Toyota, Mitsubishi and Tata. The CNG versions are cheap to run but have a lot less torque.

The UK article is a bit exaggerated, there are similar articles about problems with petrol engines, e.g. Google engine oil sludge.....

Diesels' reputation for reliability and low running costs has suffered over the last five years or so after problems with low sulphur diesel and emissions controls to meet Euro 4 and US Tier 2 in western countries. DPF and EGR are poor compromises to reduce emissions but changes to fuel, oil and service schedules have contained problems to a degree.

From a Thai perspective, we have the luxury of lower labour cost and adopting Euro 4 much later, hopefully avoiding some of the problems. Emissions are not checked here, so cleaning or blocking EGR avoids problems. DPFs are new for Thailand but if significant service cost is required, a local aftermarket delete option will appear. The bigger issues with clean diesels now seem to be Fuel contaminating engine oil for some models with DPF when engines run too cool / lots of cold starts.

Longer term maintenance risks can always be avoided altogether by selling vehicles while still young. This is not a bad option as depreciation on pickups is low here, especially Toyota and Isuzu.

[mikecwm]

You sound very knowledgeable Jitar. Many thanks for the replies.

I understand that the prices quoted in the Telegraph article are probably over the top for Thailand, but that's why I posted - see what I might be in for in Thailand.

A diesel pickup is at the top of my list. Double cab, Auto, probably a Toyota. I've learnt with my current car that regular qualified servicing is the best plan for a long trouble-free life.

I'll certainly give thought to buying new every 4 or 5 years. Improved returns on investments will help there.