Scamp 13 Towing with 2016 Prius

[k0wtz]

I have a tdi shop within 30m of me but they charge an arm and a leg for work. believe it or not I convinced my gas mechanic who charges 50 an hour to attempt some work.

he can work on anything but the tdi intimidated him a little. I was told my diesel pump was leaking and big bill to fix. I did a little searching and found new gaskets for 30.00 out of the set I needed one but john was able to change out the old ones for 40 bux on this one!

took him a bit as when he opened the pump up it lost its prime had to take it apart again and reprime it.

bob

[Mike Magee]

My father was a diesel enthusiast back in the mid '70s through '80s. Diesel fuel was cheap, no emissions add-ons, and tough cast iron engines that he thought would outlast gassers. Diesels are completely different now. DPF, regen cycles, special low-ash oils, and sometimes more expensive to repair.

[lisantica]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

Diesels are completely different now. DPF, regen cycles, special low-ash oils, and sometimes more expensive to repair.

Luckily my 2004 Sprinter doesn't have to use the additive like the newer ones.

[Paul O.]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

My father was a diesel enthusiast back in the mid '70s through '80s. Diesel fuel was cheap, no emissions add-ons, and tough cast iron engines that he thought would outlast gassers. Diesels are completely different now. DPF, regen cycles, special low-ash oils, and sometimes more expensive to repair.

That's when we were still able to compare vehicle fuels by their energy content...

[k0wtz]

tom 72 last trouting trip to Bennett springs we saw a can-am pulling a small camper one of those you lay down in but he pulled it up a steep hill. I have pulled a small trailer behind my suziki cavalcade never knew it was there!

[Joe Romas]

I've owned too many VW diesel cars to count.

My first was in 1978 a Rabbit, and the mechanics at VW didn't know anything about them.
I bought a Helms manual and taught myself
My last Jetta was a 1999.5 (A4) that AVERAGED 49.6 MPG for 114,000 miles.
Before that I owned a 1996 Passat TDI Wagon, 45.x over 107k miles.

WAY back I owned a 1966 Land Rover Series 2A "station wagon. The kind you see in the African movies with the spare on the hood.
This past summer I saw a Land Rover forward control truck in the Outer Banks of NC. The rear had a canvas top and carried their surf boards and kayaks.

But I don't want another Land Rover or diesel.

Currently I own a CRD diesel powered 2006 Jeep Liberty along with my 2017 Sierra double cab with gas 5.3L V8 that I'm very pleased with.
I got 20 MPG on a few trips towing the Casita with the Jeep.

At my age I no longer "enjoy" working on cars short of washing and waxing

Joe

[k0wtz]

mike my first diesel was a 1984 Pontiac I never knew they made one was in a dealer one time and it had just came in. I drove it 150k no problems at all just an injector one time.


bob

[k0wtz]

joe I had a 1984 diesel rabbit I towed a trailer with a big grasshopper mower for 125m it had a ton of miles on it I only drove it about 45 on the highway big hills it was a real struggle. used a bumper hitch I was very careful. I don't think I ever spent any money on that car I finally gave it away big mistake. Next time I saw it they had burned the clutch out of it. Dumb people-good hearted me!

[Tom 72]

In my opinion, the best thing that happened to diesels was pairing them with turbos. Big acceleration difference!
Down the list somewhere was improved cold weather starting, and quieter engines. There are plenty of diesels, that go by you without you even knowing they are diesel. Some of the noisier ones are noisy just to sound manly.

[SilverGhost]

Originally Posted by k0wtz

I have a tdi shop within 30m of me but they charge an arm and a leg for work. believe it or not I convinced my gas mechanic who charges 50 an hour to attempt some work.

he can work on anything but the tdi intimidated him a little. I was told my diesel pump was leaking and big bill to fix. I did a little searching and found new gaskets for 30.00 out of the set I needed one but john was able to change out the old ones for 40 bux on this one!

took him a bit as when he opened the pump up it lost its prime had to take it apart again and reprime it.

bob

I don't know where in Missouri you are but OilHammer has a shop in St Louis area. He is a TDI specialist. There is also another gent in Kansas (AirCooledVdub?). Both are on TDIClub.com

There is some adjustments to make after resealing the pump that require a scan tool and know how.

Jason

[DeBreez]

My father was a master mechanic for IUoE local 150 in Chicago and was in charge of the slag processing operation at the old US Steel plant on the south side. I worked with him occasionally as a greaser and general gopher. That plant was like something out of the industrial revolution, all rust and smoke.

Slag is a byproduct of the steel-making process, the plant dumped the molten slag into large open pens, and after some hours, my dad's crew would dig the hardened but still hot slag out with big Cat 992 loaders, load it into giant Terex dump trucks. A hopper system transferred it into rail cars and it was taken wherever slag goes.

Anyway... it was a long commute from where we lived in the NW suburbs, and in reading the fine print of his union contract, he found that as foreman of the operation he was entitled to a large quantity of diesel fuel for personal use.

So, his next car was a 69 Mercedes 220D with an automatic. When that one got backed over by one of the dump trucks (possibly an expression of "buy American" sentiment from one of the teamsters, lol) he got a second one with a four-speed manual. That was a cool car to drive. Slow as paint, but comfortable and handled nice. Had the glow plug on the dash - you pulled a knob until the filament glowed red, indicating you could start the engine. Noisy and smoky compared to the new ones, but could be fixed by a shade-tree mechanic, although the parts were pricey.

[Glenn Baglo]

My father owned the only two-tone Mercedes 190D in existence ( cream over green ). He picked it up in Germany on the way home from four years in Tanzania ( which is why he didn't know that two-tone vehicles were no longer in fashion ).
I learned to drive in that car. I learned that you had to book an appointment to pass another vehicle.
Worst day of my life was the day he traded it in on a Valiant ( paint runs standard ). What a piece of crap that was.

[mud]

My 2004 Prius gets 50ish mpg empty at 80mph in the hills of PA, 45ish loaded down, and 30 towing a 400lb utility trailer but I baby it at 65 max because the tiny engine and CVT sure don't like it.

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by mud

My 2004 Prius gets 50ish mpg empty at 80mph in the hills of PA, 45ish loaded down, and 30 towing a 400lb utility trailer but I baby it at 65 max because the tiny engine and CVT sure don't like it.

Welcome to the forum Chris. Have to say, your comment here really answered your own question in your thread about towing a TT with the Prius.

[thrifty bill]

Two choices: 1) make your towing decision based on what someone else has done or 2) base it on the manufacturer's tow rating.


Here's my Escape 19 behind our Honda Element. Does it pull it? Yes. I use it to pull my trailer about 100 feet to get it into my tight carport. Would I use it to go camping? Of course not.

Escape 19 Behind Element by wrk101, on Flickr