# Want to get a 335d..BUT



## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

The few stations I know with the stand alone diesel pumps are all the ones with a crummy pump being used for stand alone. Matter of fact in the past two weeks I started to fill my truck up and head fluid falling on the ground. Looked on the other side of the pump and diesel was just pouring out of the thing.


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## Jojo_la (Aug 31, 2010)

toujoursdebob said:


> I did! It has been great! I have driven about 3000 miles so far with 5 tanks of diesel fuel. I don't refill until I have less than 100 miles left to empty... according to the on-board computer. Alles gute!


My dad who only drives diesel (overseas of course) recommends to not run off the tank and keep it at 15% full at minimum. Otherwise you will risk having dirt going clogging your gas pump (or filter). Not sure how accurate that is, but I m following his advise as he proved me wrong too many times.


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## KarlB (Nov 21, 2004)

that is actually good advice for all vehs with a PU fuel pump in their fuel tanks. as these pumps are cooled by the fuel in the tank and will last longer if they arent constantly run in a low tank where they arent submerged.


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## traderfjp (Aug 22, 2010)

I try to fillup when I hit a 1/4 tank. That way I can avoid some sations that are way expensive and fillup at night when there are less cars to deal with.


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

KarlB said:


> that is actually good advice for all vehs with a PU fuel pump in their fuel tanks. as these pumps are cooled by the fuel in the tank and will last longer if they arent constantly run in a low tank where they arent submerged.


Yeah. I read many years back that keeping a vehicle with a near full tank actually helps mileage. I forget the reasoning, seem to make sense at the time but also was in regards to fuel systems with return lines and I know a lot off vehicles these days use a returnless system so maybe does not even apply to those.


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## anE934fun (May 10, 2008)

Jojo_la said:


> My dad who only drives diesel (overseas of course) recommends to not run off the tank and keep it at 15% full at minimum. Otherwise you will risk having dirt going clogging your gas pump (or filter). Not sure how accurate that is, but I m following his advise as he proved me wrong too many times.


Are you saying that you top-off the tank when the fuel level gets to the 3/4 full mark? :dunno: If that floats your boat, then have at it. You are making needless trips to the service station. There may be a risk of getting contaminated fuel outside of California, but it is highly unlikely in state. CARB has a fuel specification for all diesel fuel sold in the state, and all contamination must be almost nil.


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

I think he was saying his dad fills up when it gets somewhere just below a 1/6th off a tank left since that would be somewhere around 15% full. I bet a lot of people fill up their cars around that spot just simply because it is getting pretty low on fuel.


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## Jojo_la (Aug 31, 2010)

That is actually the opposite, I should fill it up when it is between 10% and 25% full.


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## ZQQM (Aug 31, 2010)

Do to unavoidable circumstances yesterday, I took it down to empty. OBC said I still had 15 miles left. Car took 15.965 gal of diesel. 482 miles on the trip odo.


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## autoJeff (Oct 1, 2009)

I was also taught not to let the tank get close to empty. Especially when it is freezing outside. But sometimes it happens. Like during my recent road trip where I drove approx 7 hours before stopping for fuel with the OBC saying I had about 50 miles to go. The car's range can be over 600 miles.


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## traderfjp (Aug 22, 2010)

Has anyone started these cars when it's really cold out. I was reading in the manual there may be a dealy before the car starts. I guess there are glow plugs that have to heat up. ??


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## bimmerdiesel (Jul 9, 2010)

autoJeff said:


> I was also taught not to let the tank get close to empty. Especially when it is freezing outside. But sometimes it happens. Like during my recent road trip where I drove approx 7 hours before stopping for fuel with the OBC saying I had about 50 miles to go. The car's range can be over 600 miles.


I usually fill it up when it drops to 40 mile range. Makes me wonder if I should fill it up when I have 100miles range but then whats point on having to go to fuel station every 300 miles. I think I will stick to 40 mile range till its under warranty.


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## autoJeff (Oct 1, 2009)

I suppose it depends on how much contaminants are in your tank. 

In the case I mentioned above, it was not a lack of diesel stocked fuel stations that caused me to drive so far before stopping to fill up. Diesel is available everywhere on the interstate system. Idrive knows of a lot of diesel stations on this route. The signs on interstate advertise diesel availability. 

I stopped where I did because I know that travel plaza and decided I wanted to eat and rest there, and at that time of day when the sun would otherwise be in my eyes. The fact that this car can make it that far without stopping is great. Even my 2001 four cylinder VW golf could not have made it that far within one tank. And the golf certainly could not pull 45 to 90 mph runs on the uphill side of the mountain like the 335d.


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## DnA Diesel (Jul 31, 2010)

traderfjp said:


> Has anyone started these cars when it's really cold out. I was reading in the manual there may be a dealy before the car starts. I guess there are glow plugs that have to heat up. ??


-35C/-31F last January in Northern Ontario -- about 1/2 second of glow plug then turned over and purred quietly. :thumbup:


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## Penguin (Aug 31, 2003)

traderfjp said:


> Has anyone started these cars when it's really cold out. I was reading in the manual there may be a dealy before the car starts. I guess there are glow plugs that have to heat up. ??


At 5 Fahrenheit with the vehicle outside overnight there was about a one or two second delay, My carchip confirmed that the coolant temperature was 7 Fahrenheit, so it was a true cold-soaked start-up.

BMW uses 6 volt glow plugs with a 12 volt system to speed-up the glow plug heating. I'm not sure what that does for long-term reliability...


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

autoJeff said:


> I suppose it depends on how much contaminants are in your tank.
> 
> In the case I mentioned above, it was not a lack of diesel stocked fuel stations that caused me to drive so far before stopping to fill up. Diesel is available everywhere on the interstate system. Idrive knows of a lot of diesel stations on this route. The signs on interstate advertise diesel availability.
> 
> I stopped where I did because I know that travel plaza and decided I wanted to eat and rest there, and at that time of day when the sun would otherwise be in my eyes. The fact that this car can make it that far without stopping is great. Even my 2001 four cylinder VW golf could not have made it that far within one tank. And the golf certainly could not pull 45 to 90 mph runs on the uphill side of the mountain like the 335d.


Assume the golf was tdi but did it have the same sized fuel tank?


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## DnA Diesel (Jul 31, 2010)

Penguin said:


> ...the coolant temperature was 7 Fahrenheit, so it was a true cold-soaked start-up...


[Crocodile Dundee accent]...You call that cold?...[/Crocodile Dundee accent]



The 335d also has a ceramic grid-heater in the intake, like larger medium-duty common-rail diesels in pick-ups, so the start sequence is much faster than old-school diesels.

The 335d is the quickest starting of my stable. The Jeep CRD is next fastest (2-3 sec glow when really cold) and my good old TDI Jetta needs a couple rounds of old-school glow plug cycling (15-20 secs) to start at really cold temps.

Regards,
D


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## autoJeff (Oct 1, 2009)

This might be a little off topic for the thread but I think it's interesting to the audience so I'll post anyway.



Snipe656 said:


> Assume the golf was tdi but did it have the same sized fuel tank?


It was gasoline 1.8 liter turbo 5MT. That year the 1.8t made 150 HP and 155 ft-lbs. Edmonds says it was 2915 lbs, has a 14.5 gallon tank, and was EPA rated at 28 mpg highway, but I got 32 - 33 when new. That's a comfortable range of a little over 400 miles. It called for premium gas.

I felt good about driving this little fuel efficient (for it's day) car for about 90k miles before moving to the 335d. Now I have much more power, much better handling, better fuel economy (including real world mixed highway / city use), cheaper fuel (diesel is usually < premium gas where I live), RWD (not FWD), more luxury and a larger interior. The only downside is a much bigger hit to my wallet and loss of the 5th door. I would have bought an E91 wagon instead of E90 sedan if the 35d power plant was available in that configuration in USA.

Looking again at Edmunds, for comparison against the 335d, the 2001 golf TDi was 2943 lbs, 90 hp, 155 ft-lbs, 14.4 gal tank, EPA 35 / 44 / 38. It was FWD and, IIRC, the TDi in the USA was offered only with the base overly soft "USA-spec" suspension. Put that up against a 320d and again modern BMW technology whoops 2001 VW technology's rear bumper.


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## autoJeff (Oct 1, 2009)

I hope the next generation 3 is offered in the USA with a choice of two diesel power plants: the big one for me, and a fuel efficient four cylinder in a wagon for the wife and our road trips. I might be happy with a diesel powered 1 hatch if I can get the wife into the next gen equivalent of the current 320d efficient dynamics edition. But first I want to drive my current 335d at least 100k miles.


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

Some of those older tdi models were vastly under rated on their economy, guess because how the EPA does the testing. I do not recal the model years but knew a few people with them and all were getting 50-55 on the freeway. Then vw changed something for emissions and things started to go down at some point in the 2000s. Their diesels for the most part are very non "sporty" I'd like a two door tdi golf for a daily beater.


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