How many Hippy / Beatnik types have parked their TDIs?

[onewhippedpuppy]

How many have parked them? None, because the average tree hugger loves the earth until it hits their pocketbook. It's way easier to blame others for the problems of the world.

[peppy]

My wife is a little embarrassed about her car, she works with tree huggers.

I had someone ask me if my 01 TDI was one of those nasty diesels on Monday. I responded for him not to ride behind me.

We do like the car and will just wait and see what the fix will be.

[don911]

I bought a golf tdi 3 weeks before the news came out. My only reasons were gas mileage and maintenance costs. My commute is now 65 miles / day and with the difference in fuel and maintenance costs compared to the 911, the tdi is almost a "free" car.
I didn't consider emissions at all in my decision. After installing a cat by pass on my old 911, claiming to care much about emissions would be hypocritical.
You just have to see all the threads on cat by pass, headers, etc to know emissions isn't much concern to a lot of 911 owners.
My only complaint about the tdi is that it's such a great car that I don't drive the 911 enough.

[911SauCy]

These emissions fooling diesels are a travesty....

Better not educate the (insert funny enviro junkie name here) on the manufacturing process, life cycle or disposal of the batteries powering their perfect little hybrids.

Its unfortunate people allow themselves to get brainwashed and stand behind riduculous movements like they're really making a difference.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF_4OEoFOgU

[Deschodt]

Are those 2.0 TDI convertible to food-oil burning ? NOT that there's enough used kitchen oil to power them all, but does burning that old mc donald's oil produce the same pollutants ?

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by 911SauCy

Better not educate the (insert funny enviro junkie name here) on the manufacturing process, life cycle or disposal of the batteries powering their perfect little hybrids.

What do you know about it?

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

What do you know about it?

Like a lot of companies we're looking into getting into making a profit off battery disposal. Most automotive type large batteries end up like below because they are to costly to recycle.

Really unless you factored some sort of recycle cost into the price of the vehicle, or made the buyers responsible for the disposal costs they will likely end up like below because of cost.

[aigel]

Originally Posted by don911

I bought a golf tdi 3 weeks before the news came out. My only reasons were gas mileage and maintenance costs. My commute is now 65 miles / day and with the difference in fuel and maintenance costs compared to the 911, the tdi is almost a "free" car.

Mine takes<$35 to fill up and it lasts me between 10-14 days of serious commuting. I will keep the car. If it gets de-tuned, I will re-tune it. I am a car enthusiast after all. My only fear is forced buy back - CARB taking it off the road. I'd hate to have to sell back even at a premium. I am not ready to buy a 5 year old replacement car of similar value or a new one and spend +15k again. My plan was to drive to 200k / 12 years.

G

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Scott R

Like a lot of companies we're looking into getting into making a profit off battery disposal. Most automotive type large batteries end up like below because they are to costly to recycle.

Really unless you factored some sort of recycle cost into the price of the vehicle, or made the buyers responsible for the disposal costs they will likely end up like below because of cost.

What does "like below" mean? Those look like lead-acid batteries sitting on pallets waiting to be recycled. Lead-acid batteries are among the most highly recycled commodities around.

[Scott R]

Just one of many dumps out there for the piles of non-recycled batteries in the world, of which there are many.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Scott R

Just one of many dumps out there for the piles of non-recycled batteries in the world, of which there are many.

I thought that photo looked familiar. It is awaiting recycling or "refurbishment" in Kuwait.

[mikester]

If I had one I'd be super pissed.

Most electric hybrids and full electrics don't use lead batteries for their drive systems. It's either Nimh or Lithium which are both highly recyclable and much safer to the environment.

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

I thought that photo looked familiar. It is awaiting recycling or "refurbishment" in Kuwait.

That's the point, waiting forever. No incentive for anyone to do anything with these mountains of batteries.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Scott R

That's the point, waiting forever. No incentive for anyone to do anything with these mountains of batteries.

Please support your "waiting forever." Pb batteries are among the most recycled commodities in the world.

from the environmental group worst polluted:

"Recycled lead is a valuable commodity and for many people in the developing world the recovery of car and similar batteries (ULABs) can be a viable and profitable business. Therefore, the market for reclaiming secondary lead has been growing, especially in developing countries."

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Scott R

That's the point, waiting forever. No incentive for anyone to do anything with these mountains of batteries.

A country where they abandon a car by the side of the road when it has a minor mechanical problem... pretty sure the middle east is not on the cutting edge of recycling technology.

[aigel]

Originally Posted by peteremsley

When I bought my outback it was a tossup between it and the TDI sportwagon. I really wanted AWD and that was the decider. I can say though that I wanted a fuel efficient car Didn't want an SUV. I'd be mad right now if I'd bought the TDI, even though I don't fully understand the problem.

What's the difference in MPG when they are running in test mode?

I don't understand how pollution goes up with gas mileage. How does that work? It seems counterintuitive.

NOX goes up when you run hot and lean. Best fuel economy. NOX goes down when you run cooler and richer - worse fuel economy but also worse soot. The soot is the key why they can't just reprogram. It is caught in the DEF and that needs very frequent regen eating even more fuel. Also may blow up the system long term reliablity as regen heats everything up very hot, including the turbo, like the self clean in your kitchen range oven.

G

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Please support your "waiting forever." Pb batteries are among the most recycled commodities in the world.

from the environmental group worst polluted:

"Recycled lead is a valuable commodity and for many people in the developing world the recovery of car and similar batteries (ULABs) can be a viable and profitable business. Therefore, the market for reclaiming secondary lead has been growing, especially in developing countries."

We ship them to Mexico currently, where they sit. Better to send our problems a third world country where no one has to see them. When they do finally get around to tearing them down people do it with hammers and hand tools which is having a drastic effect on their environment, and the short lives of the people doing the work.

Batteries are pretty much the nastiest environmental items on the planet. And it's getting worse by the year.

In late January, authorities seized 37 tons of used batteries at a ramshackle lot in Ciudad Juarez, a border city across from El Paso, Texas. The owner of the lot said he planned to take spent batteries to Nuevo Leon state, home of Monterrey, for recycling but declined to say if the batteries had come from the United States.

Only the never really do.

As U.S. tightens rules on lead emissions, battery recycling has moved to Mexico | McClatchy DC

We just need to really stop using batteries at this point, it's a no win situation for the environments and the countries we're dumping them on. I've see the mountains of rotting batteries personally. But as long as it's not in your average Prius owners back yard, all is good.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Scott R

We ship them to Mexico currently, where they sit.

Apparently not according to your link. Sounds like they are being recycled.

We just need to really stop using batteries at this point, it's a no win situation for the environments and the countries we're dumping them on. I've see the mountains of rotting batteries personally. But as long as it's not in your average Prius owners back yard, all is good.[/QUOTE]

Well, all your posts have been about lead-acid batteries and Prius uses a totally different chemistry. If we really stopped using batteries you wouldn't be able to use a computer to post on a message board about how we shouldn't use batteries, so that's kind of a problem for you.

[SoCal911T]

Originally Posted by Scott R

We ship them to Mexico currently, where they sit. Better to send our problems a third world country where no one has to see them. When they do finally get around to tearing them down people do it with hammers and hand tools which is having a drastic effect on their environment, and the short lives of the people doing the work.

Well not ALL batteries are going to Mexico.


"Exide is one of the largest secondary recyclers in the world with six recycling facilities worldwide. We are one of the few companies with the ability to provide Total Battery Management (TBM) in its own facilities. TBM frees customers from the regulatory burdens of handling spent batteries. TBM also keeps recyclable materials in the manufacturing stream instead of landfills.
Recycling recovers 99% of all lead received at our recycling centers. Exide recycles more than 1.1 million pounds of lead per day; 365 days a year. Additionally, we recover and neutralize more than 15 million gallons of sulfuric acid per year and generate more than 30 million pounds annually of sodium sulfate.
Exide's recycling efforts support our commitment to environmental sustainability around the world.
Please view our updated Recycling Materials Identification Guide.
Our recycling facilities are located:

USA/North America:
Battery Recycling
Canon Hollow, Missouri
Muncie, Indiana
Vernon, California

Plastics Recycling
Reading, Pennsylvania

Europe:
Battery Recycling
San Esteban de Gormax, Spain
Sonalur, Portugal"

[pavulon]

So will a current owner be able to decline the "improvements" and continue to use a dealer for service?

Originally Posted by aigel

NOX goes up when you run hot and lean. Best fuel economy. NOX goes down when you run cooler and richer - worse fuel economy but also worse soot. The soot is the key why they can't just reprogram. It is caught in the DEF and that needs very frequent regen eating even more fuel. Also may blow up the system long term reliablity as regen heats everything up very hot, including the turbo, like the self clean in your kitchen range oven.

G