Hello all. My new 3500 Limited with a CTD HO is going to be here on 3/10. Can't wait to own a diesel again!
A little back ground. I spent a lot of time in the EU for work from 2001 - 2005. I was always amazed to see how many miles (km) the diesel cars and trucks had on them over there. This made me want to purchase a diesel as my perception was that these cars last a long time. So, in 2010 I bought a brand new BMW X5 diesel. This is right after the new EPA standards for diesels were implemented. Thus, my X5 was one of the early adopters of the DPF, EGR, SCR, DEF, etc. My goal was to drive it at least 200k miles before I even considered replacing it. Well, fast-forward 7 years to the 100,000 mile mark and the car barely ran. Honestly, I was barely able to get it to the dealer lot as a trade-in for my next vehicle. Right before this, I had taken it to a BMW mechanic and asked him what was going on. He told me this was caused by the new emission standards set by the EPA. All that Diesel emissions equipment had drastically reduced the life of the engine. The DPF was shot and needed to be replaced, not a cheap procedure. The engine had massive amounts of carbon buildup from the stupid EGR valve shoving dirty air back into the intake. DEF was caked all over the exhaust system. When I learned about this, my question was, what the hell was the EPA thinking mandating all this emissions crap??? They essentially ruined a car that would have easily hit double or triple the mileage had the emissions equipment been deleted. Not to mention the massive improvement in gas mileage! It was at that moment that I swore to delete all emissions equipment from the next diesel I purchase.
So, to all you environmentalists out there, what is the impact of mandating emissions equipment that cuts the useful life of a diesel by 75%? Because that's what I experienced first hand. It is however, a great way to force people to buy more cars! I heard an expert once say, in the automotive industry, the worst thing for the environment is the purchase of new cars. Well the EPA has essentially ensured this will happen far more often with these stupid emissions standards/controls.
This feels like a scam to me... More government overreach for the purpose of driving big auto profits perhaps?
Anyway, that was my experience from a 2010 model year diesel BMW. Perhaps the emissions tech has improved to not reduce engine life so much. I pray that this is the case!