What are you paying for Diesel?

Now well over $8.50 a gallon here...

Still running around $2.60 to $2.75/gal.

By the way, has anyone ever found Shell V-Power Diesel here in the US? I've seen it in Latin America, but never here.

V-Power Diesel
This section requires expansion.

V-Power Diesel is an enhanced diesel fuel, designed for modern diesel engines, to offer enhanced performance along with increased engine protection, for more consistent operation and engine longevity.[2][opinion needs balancing]

It is a blend of regular diesel and synthetic diesel created using GTL (Gas-to-liquids), along with some extra additives designed to clean the injection system and improve injector lubricity.

One characteristic of V-Power diesel is that it is a lot clearer and odorless than normal diesel, mainly due to the synthetic GTL component.

The fuel is slightly less dense than regular diesel so, per volume, the unit energy is actually lower than regular diesel. This is offset as the fuel tends to burn more readily (And thus has a higher cetane rating) than regular diesel, and a side benefit of this is that it tends to produce less soot during combustion.

Anecdotal evidence shows that its performance varies depending on how an engine is set up. In most cases, it will make a rough-sounding engine run noticeably smoother and can also alter the performance characteristics; Typically some low-end torque is lost but performance in the middle of the rev range and above is increased. In some engines however, particularly well-tuned common-rail turbo diesels, very little effect can be seen or felt.

My last 6 fillups have all been $2.699 except a couple days ago for Shell Premium, their sign said $2.599 when I pulled in but the pump said otherwise and paid $2.659. All fillups have been with Shell Premium or at least that is what the big sign on the road said, I have not filled up at the Shells that just say Diesel.

I saw a news clipping online that said that V-Power Diesel is available in Canada as well.

Originally Posted by 335diesel

Now well over $8.50 a gallon here...

My last fill (yesterday) with Chevron D2 was at U.S. $3.039/gallon.

EDIT: At the same station, unleaded regular was 3.039/gallon and premium was 3.239/gallon.

I want the 335d. But I drive 25,000 highway miles per year. At $2.80 for premium and diesel, and at 28 mpg (330) and 36 mpg (335d) the savings are only $600 per year. So, economically it doesn't cover the 335d premium.

On the other hand, I think the 335d will be WAY more fun to drive, so I'll probably still go for it. I wish we had more d choices in the USA though.

Diesel here is $2.99, and Chevron Premium is $3.17. I test drove a 335d last year; felt very similar to the 335. Spoke to a couple at Willow Springs Raceway Saturday (BMW Club Racing). They drove an X-Drive X-5 35d from Sacramento and averaged 28mpg.

Originally Posted by mecodoug

I want the 335d. But I drive 25,000 highway miles per year. At $2.80 for premium and diesel, and at 28 mpg (330) and 36 mpg (335d) the savings are only $600 per year. So, economically it doesn't cover the 335d premium.

On the other hand, I think the 335d will be WAY more fun to drive, so I'll probably still go for it. I wish we had more d choices in the USA though.

Is premium really that cheap in Mass?

I filled up in Southern CA this morning. Diesel was $2.99, Regular 87 was $2.99, and Premium 91 was $3.19. The way prices are currently in CA diesel is way cheaper to run. I just hope nothing changes.

Originally Posted by mecodoug

I want the 335d. But I drive 25,000 highway miles per year. At $2.80 for premium and diesel, and at 28 mpg (330) and 36 mpg (335d) the savings are only $600 per year. So, economically it doesn't cover the 335d premium.

On the other hand, I think the 335d will be WAY more fun to drive, so I'll probably still go for it. I wish we had more d choices in the USA though.

I do not know what a 330(shouldn't that be 335i for a like car comparisons?) costs out the door v. a 335d out the door with all the current deals and such but my experience with diesel vehicles over the years is they never end up being cheaper than their gasser brothers/sisters. For most of them you typically pay more for the vehicle itself and then your maintenance ends up being more(once you get to the point of paying for it since a BMW) and lastly diesel around here and for many years now tends to be the same or usually more than super unleaded. Based upon my experiences I thin kit is just a little crazy to go into any diesel thinking one will be saving money going that direction over the same car but with a gas motor.

Originally Posted by Snipe656

I do not know what a 330(shouldn't that be 335i for a like car comparisons?) costs out the door v. a 335d out the door with all the current deals and such but my experience with diesel vehicles over the years is they never end up being cheaper than their gasser brothers/sisters. For most of them you typically pay more for the vehicle itself and then your maintenance ends up being more(once you get to the point of paying for it since a BMW) and lastly diesel around here and for many years now tends to be the same or usually more than super unleaded. Based upon my experiences I thin kit is just a little crazy to go into any diesel thinking one will be saving money going that direction over the same car but with a gas motor.

I'd say that with the ECO Credit of $4,500, the initial cost is about a wash.

Since all cars come with maintenance plan included for 1st 50k, that is a wash as well.

Diesel has almost always been cheaper than super, typically on par with premium or even a few cents cheaper.

So, until you have to start paying for the maintenance yourself, after 50k miles, you should be pocketing the difference in cost of fuel and mpg. If it's $600/yr on 25k, that means you have saved approx $1,200.

Certainly nothing to shout about I'd agree. Probably one of the main reasons we don't see more d's sold here in the US. But, Diesel fuel really is a lot cheaper to produce than gasoline. It is all the taxes that keep it par with gasoline. In the rest of the world diesel is probably closer to 3/4 that of gasoline, so you really should be saving a lot more.

No logic, just a lot of fun to drive!

I have been logging the cost of diesel since I bought my truck new. For a few of those years I was logging 93 octane and for almost two years prior to deciding to buy my truck I was track diesel costs. Around here since mid to late 2004 diesel has been usually more that 93 octane but sometimes is the same and very rarely is it less. So maybe the increased mpg will equal cost of fuel although I ran those numbers when looking at a tdi a few years back and do not remember it being a wash and it is far better that it's gasser sister. I tend to keep cars for at least 150k so the cost of maintenance is still a big factor to me. I suppose if I did not keepuch past 50k then it would be a wash but past that even oil changes will more money and my experience has been they go through filters a lot more and so on.

I say buy because you like it but don't trick yourself into thinking it is less money due to better mpg.

For a very long time, in California, diesel was either a few cents per gallon lower or equal to the price of unleaded regular. About 2 years ago at the peak of the home equity speculation bubble, diesel started pricing out at 5 to 10 cents higher than premium. After the Great Recession really took hold, and the UE rate started to fly (approx. October, 2008), diesel was back down to the rough equivalence to unleaded regular. On the S.F. peninsula (San Mateo area), it is presently (as of today) a few cents higher than unleaded regular but less than the mid-grade (for Chevron stations in San Mateo and Milbrae).

It will be interesting to follow the progression of diesel prices. I will be directly invested/impacted now that I own a d.

Diesel also went up a few years back because of the low sulfur requirements at least did here would not surprise me if California maybe had low sulfur fuel before the rest of us. With talks of some new diesel vehicles by other manufacturers such as the "big 3" doing at least half ton trucks it makes me wonder if we will see the quality of the fuel go up. Of course if it does then I am sure with every gallon we will be paying for that quality although maybe not in some places such as ones who enforce CARB or the upcoming TxLED for here since we'd already be seeing better quality.

I did the math on the d when it was first introduced and the numbers just didn't figure. The d car cost more than the 335i and therefore the slight fuel savings would take years to cancel out higher sale price. Then came the ECO Credit! In addition I realized that to get an automatic transmission in a 335i costs $2,000.

So with the ECO Credit the d is now cheaper than a comparably equiped 335i with automatic. Now the math works. So I bought one.

I also anticipate slightly lower maintenance costs and a longer operating life, but we'll see.

I also anticipate declining diesel costs over the next several years. With all this talk about reduced emmissions, alternative fuels, and with more production diesels on the road I could see the price coming down and perhaps the government will cut taxes on diesel fuel to incentivize people to buy diesel cars.

I think diesel motors outlasting gasser is a think of the past. I have had and seen many gassers in the past decade still going well at 300k miles but getting the rest of the car to last is the hard part. Since our refineries are geared towards making gas if diesel becomes more popular and used more commonly used then I actually see the cost of fuel going up for us. Why would maint on a diesel car be less? Has not beeny experience at all with other brand vehicles.

Historical prices of diesel and gasoline: http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/gdu/gasdiesel.asp
You can see medium and even long term price history by clicking the link titled "On-Highway Diesel Prices".
The diesel primer enumerates factors that drive pricing trends.

This week I paid $2.54 on I-26 between Charlston SC and Columbia. Then I paid $2.53 on I-20 in Meridian, MS. Overall diesel seems to average $2.69 throughout the Southeastern region.

Originally Posted by dMabuse

I did the math on the d when it was first introduced and the numbers just didn't figure. The d car cost more than the 335i and therefore the slight fuel savings would take years to cancel out higher sale price. Then came the ECO Credit! In addition I realized that to get an automatic transmission in a 335i costs $2,000.

So with the ECO Credit the d is now cheaper than a comparably equiped 335i with automatic. Now the math works. So I bought one.

I also anticipate slightly lower maintenance costs and a longer operating life, but we'll see.

I also anticipate declining diesel costs over the next several years. With all this talk about reduced emmissions, alternative fuels, and with more production diesels on the road I could see the price coming down and perhaps the government will cut taxes on diesel fuel to incentivize people to buy diesel cars.

ECO Credit has been extended (not sure till when). Dealer says that was the only way they could move the 2009 D's off the lot. I agree, the math economically does not make sense without it. Unless you can put a price on the wow factor of that torque? I'm sure you can put a price on that. Why would they make a 325, 328, 330 and a 335?

Diesel cars seem to always appeal to a very small segment of people and seems like it barely grows in numbers. In hindsight I'd wished I realized these things were not moving well at all because pretty certain I could have talked the dealer down more than the additional money they took off over the Eco credit. They actually had been sitting on my car for around 10 months just was not selling and they now have another 335d collecting dust up there. They said the diesel x5 sells well but no idea if that was true, I know they now have one of those sitting up there as well. One thing is for sure or me, I'd never bought a BMW had it not been for this diesel offering and the Eco credit. If I would have had to paid msrp on it then I'd paid more and got an e class blutec(if new ones can be found, not sure if the new body has them yet).

V Power Diesel is $0.88 per liter or $3.52 per US gallon.

Premium fuel is $1.05 per liter or $4.20 per US gallon.

Gotta love $0.70 less per gallon, plus the added mpg.

paid $2.89/gal while i was in Sacramento

Just filled up for $2.80/gal in my new home of Burlington, MA

$2.73/gal here in South Florida. About the best price I've seen lately, just about $0.05 higher than regular.

Originally Posted by Flyingman

$2.73/gal here in South Florida. About the best price I've seen lately, just about $0.05 higher than regular.

I'm paying $2.65 in Wilmington DE for BP or Valero. Shell premium is $2.85-2.95.

My closest BP station has the large nozzle, though, so I am looking elsewhere now.

Regards,
TED

Originally Posted by Flyingman

$2.73/gal here in South Florida. About the best price I've seen lately, just about $0.05 higher than regular.

What is interesting to me is diesel here is 2.65 - 2.69 right now with some exceptions being higher but regular unleaded is more like $2.44 here instead of $2.68 there.

Originally Posted by Snipe656

What is interesting to me is diesel here is 2.65 - 2.69 right now with some exceptions being higher but regular unleaded is more like $2.44 here instead of $2.68 there.

Snipe, you live to close to Stinkadena. You can probably run your car in that area just on the fumes!