B57 v B58 Maintenance costs.

[stickshifter]

[QUOTE username=Mark Evans  grenadierboy userid=8954799 postid=1332748677]I am pretty sure that on board engine monitoring will be able to advise levels of Adblue , especially when levels are getting low.[/QUOTE]

Let's hope that this is completely irrelevant to the Grenadier: the Adblue monitoring system in the Jeep Ecodiesel regularly malfunctions, and especially when the vehicle is in 4-low. This is probably unique to Jeep, and their rather 'special' electronics, but the DEF and EGR systems in modern diesels are - in my opinion - not in alignment with the ethos of the Grenadier as a "simple-as-possible" off-road vehicle that can survive in the outback for extended lengths of time. Its sad, but I don't really think of modern diesels as the dead-reliable power-plants of diesels-past. I recognize that I might be overly-influenced in this opinion by my experience with Jeep products, and maybe modern diesels from other manufacturers are more robust.

 

[Shaky]

I went with petrol for many of the reasons mentioned above and in what may be flawed thinking that the petrol engine will be tolerated on the roads a lot longer than the Diesel engine in the UK. With an annual mileage of probably 7k miles at a push and the extra money per litre for diesel if felt like a no brainier for me. Personally I like Diesel engines a lot but they are on the edge of extinction imo. It’s coming, just don’t know when.

 

[DaveB]

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/the-tech-behind-the-garrett-turbochargers-that-keep-bmw-b57-diesel-engines-alive-163750.html

 

[stickshifter]

Interesting piece on the B57 - thanks for sharing that DaveB.

 

[G-Man]

[QUOTE username=Shaky userid=8970976 postid=1332750608]I went with petrol for many of the reasons mentioned above and in what may be flawed thinking that the petrol engine will be tolerated on the roads a lot longer than the Diesel engine in the UK. With an annual mileage of probably 7k miles at a push and the extra money per litre for diesel if felt like a no brainier for me. Personally I like Diesel engines a lot but they are on the edge of extinction imo. It’s coming, just don’t know when.[/QUOTE]

I think it’ll go the other way. Petrol car owners will move to electric in the next decade, but trucks will take a lot longer to wean themselves off diesel. Battery technology and charging infrastructure is still a way off making electric HGV’s viable. 

 

[Shaky]

You may well be right and I did say flawed thinking because it is hard trying to second guess what the hell is going to happen at the minute.

You are certainly right about electric vehicles they are well off the mark for most purposes.  A recent experience is a 2016 electric van, it now has a maximum range of 60 miles and won’t charge at most of the roadside charging stations apparently. So that a perfectly fine vehicle that is useless due to crap technology. How much will that be to sort out and what the carbon footprint replacing batteries etc. 

At the minute, no thanks. 

 

[DaveB]

I had to get the RACQ (Royal Automobile Club of Queensland) come to my home because my car wouldn't start and the battery was fired. 
I asked him about electric vehicle breakdowns and he said it was a nightmare. If they run out of battery they have to send a special vehicle that can add enough charge to get them to a charging station. If there is one close enough. Or they need to put them on a flatbed tow vehicle 
Some electric vehicles go completely  dead and you can't move them o the tow vehicle is out. 
If they get stuck in a traffic jam and go flat they cant get to them and they can't walk up with a 5 litre bottle of fuel. 
Luckily we live in a warm area as he said getting stuck in the snow in an electric vehicle means you can't run the heater and could freeze to death. 

 

[Shaky]

I can sort of back up those comments from the RAC man. A Electric BMW broke down on a motorway recently and had to be dragged onto a recovery vehicle with ll four wheels locked up. The van i mentioned had to be recovered by the RAC as it couldn’t be charged and was at least 200 miles from its destination (max range 60 miles on full charge).

Delivery drivers of these vehicles have to turn off the heater even whilst running to get the maximum range out of the for the delivery. Even the radio is turned off. All in all seems like a miserable existence and unless you are dealing with the latest and most expensive in most cases, electric vehicle they are just a pain in the rear end. Personally I think they will end up like those mini discs for music years ago, just a passing phase. I think Hydrogen will take over and firmly place electric vehicles into the history books. Charging an electric vehicle when you live in and apartment or a house with on road parking only ! So that really going to go well, for a start off there will be cable all over the place and charging pads or whatever the tech may be in the future is all good until someone parks their car on it and leaves it there. 

 

[DaveB]

My holiday house is 378kms away and takes me 4-5 hours to get there depending on traffic, roadworks and if I need to stop for a break. In my current vehicle I can get there and back and still have almost half a tank left.  In theory in an electric vehicle I could get there but there are no charging stations nearby so I would need to stop somewhere and charge up for at least an hour or more. and same on the way home. I wouldn't be in a Tesla  so no fast charging stations I am guessing it would take me 6-7 hours or more making it out of reach for a long weekend. 

    

 

[Davman]

Awesome thanks Dave, now we know where we can come up and use your Holiday House.  We are all family aren't we?  Well at least Grenadier Family.???

 

[DaveB]

[QUOTE username=Davman userid=8961117 postid=1332761118]Awesome thanks Dave, now we know where we can come up and use your Holiday House.  We are all family aren't we?  Well at least Grenadier Family.???[/QUOTE]
Certainly, It is a 1200m2 block with a small 3 bed house so plenty of room to park about 40 Grenadiers
We are going to Airbnb it when we are not using it and with Fraser Island just nearby and glasshouse mountain tracks as well it is a great location.
Grenadier discount on AIRBNB will be amusing

 

[DenisM]

[QUOTE username=Shaky userid=8970976 postid=1332757004]I can sort of back up those comments from the RAC man. A Electric BMW broke down on a motorway recently and had to be dragged onto a recovery vehicle with ll four wheels locked up. The van i mentioned had to be recovered by the RAC as it couldn’t be charged and was at least 200 miles from its destination (max range 60 miles on full charge).
Delivery drivers of these vehicles  etc..............Charging an electric vehicle when you live in and apartment or a house with on road parking only ! So that really going to go well, for a start off there will be cable all over the place and charging pads or whatever the tech may be in the future is all good until someone parks their car on it and leaves it there. [/QUOTE]

I saw an interview recently ...well more of a "news grab" with an official of the road transport authority in Thailand (I think...). Anyway, he was talking about plans for induction charging electric vehicles via under road cables at major intersections ...having once experienced down-town Bangkok traffic where you travel nowhere fast... this is possibly a feasible idea. The fellow said their major issue was how to generate  the energy required... I thought to myself 'you're not on your own there Mate!...

 

[xychix]

For serious offroading also keep in mind a DPF burn gets crazy hot. With my Hilux the DPF is next to the gearbox, driving dry area's with the ODBII scangauge telling my that my DPF is doing a 700 degrees celcius burn isn't comfortable!

 

[Jiman01]

[QUOTE username=Shaky userid=8970976 postid=1332757004]I can sort of back up those comments from the RAC man. A Electric BMW broke down on a motorway recently and had to be dragged onto a recovery vehicle with ll four wheels locked up. The van i mentioned had to be recovered by the RAC as it couldnât be charged and was at least 200 miles from its destination (max range 60 miles on full charge).
Delivery drivers of these vehicles etc..............Charging an electric vehicle when you live in and apartment or a house with on road parking only ! So that really going to go well, for a start off there will be cable all over the place and charging pads or whatever the tech may be in the future is all good uThe fellow said their major issue was how to generate the energy required... I thought to myself 'you're not on your own there Mate!...

[/QUOTE]

Generate the energy required using large diesel generators

 

[FlyingTexan]

I’ve had a discovery TD6 since 2017 and never had issues driving around Houston. However the particulate filter became scary to me. Was $7500-$10k to replace. While I miss the way it drives I’m happy to have the gasser. Much less complex.