Diesel RVs: Re: [diesel_mercedes] Re: they are talking about us

If you own a mechanically injected diesel, they can be repaired virtually anywhere. If you have an EFI diesel engine, knowledge of the coding is usually held proprietary by the manufacturer. So, if my truck dies on the road, any truck stop out there can deal with a plain ol' Cummins B engine. If my sons truck dies on the road, he has to find a specially trained MoPar tech who is authorized to fiddle with his computer.

In spite of this, most seem to think his newer truck is more valuable than mine. Go figure...

--- On Mon, 2/14/11, Alan Boucher <alstheone@verizon.net> wrote:

From: Alan Boucher <alstheone@verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [diesel_mercedes] Re: they are talking about us
To: diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com
Date: Monday, February 14, 2011, 7:34 AM

On 2/13/2011 4:21 PM, Nate wrote:

I have heard many pleasing things about the electronically injected Diesels .

I still don't want one but I hope the sales take off....

-Nate
Max wrote:
>
> Diesel's Reputation
>
> Imagine having an older brother who couldn't keep out of trouble, and as a result other people assumed you were the same way, too. This is the perception the new diesels have to deal with. For better insight into diesel's reputation, ask someone what they first think of when they hear the word "hybrid," then ask them what comes to mind when they hear the word "diesel." Odds are good that you'll get completely opposing replies.
>
> It's no secret that older diesels were dirty, smelly, noisy and slow. And though the new crop of diesels has all but eliminated this, it's been an uphill battle to re-educate consumers. Volkswagen and its "TDI Truth or Dare" campaign are trying to change public perception through a series of viral videos and FAQs on its Web site. Max
>

I have an 2003 Sprinter low top with the 2.7 Liter 5 cyl engine. It pushes that tin box at 70MPH only using 28 MPG. Although I have had relatively little problem with and it has never let me down on the road, I have spent some time in " limp home". Look at one of the sprinter sites, they will cause you to think twice about computer controlled anything. One interesting item that came up was the immobilizer module. The fact that the thing exists is enough to tell me that sooner or later it will go south and immobilize the vehicle at an inconvenient time or location. In this particular case there seemed to be a cold solder joint or other intermittant failure that would cause the truck to not start when it was cold but start when it was hot.