Brad,
I had a Volvo wagon for a while, an old 245D, with a Pathfinder (VW) industrial, non-turbo diesel engine. It had a lot of miles, but finally succumbed to an unfortunate encounter with some other cars on the 101 freeway. It followed my much maligned but also very functional, 1st generation VW Rabbit diesel.
I used the Rabbit to move from Boston to L.A., towing a trailer that dwarfed the Rabbit. We'd pull into fuel stops and up to the truck diesel pumps. That rig looked like a semi-trailer rig that had gotten washed in too hot water.
I'll keep driving these old beasties as long as I can. But I try to do it with some sense of reality. To the MEDICAL and SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH communities, diesel exhaust has long been a known carcinogen, along with lots of other fumes. The particulate matter in the exhaust has been a particular source of problems. Paul, the oil apologist, has a 350 (rod bender) I believe that those were even fitted, by Mercedes with a particulate trap as one method of trying to deal with the pollution. Now the Blu-Tech, chemical pollution control is trying a new method of cleaning up the exhaust.
We don't do ourselves, or our children, any favors by not acknowledging the reality with which we (and they) must deal. Science doesn't cease to exist when we simply deny it.
As for banning diesels from service, I don't see that happening. They ARE more efficient that gasoline engines. And they represent, at least in the U.S. a much smaller percentage of the auto population than gassers. But there is probably some reasonable spot between denying reality and banning diesels where we can keep driving without causing unnecessary pollution.
For more than a decade, Europe has had "clean" diesel fuel that is much cleaner than our "low sulfur" diesel. What we call "low sulfur", Europe considers "high sulfur". But then their policies are based on science and public interest, not on a desire to please the oil industry lobbyists.
In a message dated 6/12/2012 12:38:31 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, brad_macaboy1234@yahoo.com writes:
I have been driving a Volvo wagon. It was a pretty good car when new but it really has fallen apart and requires constant repair....it is far inferior to the 300D series MBs. While traveling around for work today I heard on the radio that some UN group has changed the designation of diesel fumes from a "suspected carcinogen" to "known carcinogen." I suspect this is an attempt to eradicate diesel engines. Hopefully, they won't demand that our diesels be retired from service, permanently.
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