Introducing Hermann - no really...

[focus1.6uk]

Nice Audi, especially as it won't suffer from DPF problems!

Sorry to keep the thread of topic....

Originally Posted by Daekar

"...It is odd, now that I think of it... I have literally never seen a European post about their work vehicles. Surely a few of them here or there have trucks, but I have seen absolutely zero evidence of this in my limited experience. Educate a man whose travels are limited to this side of the Atlantic: are work vehicles generally owned by companies?"

Daeker, I think in most cases, work vehicles are exactly that and aren't privately owned. Most businesses use vans, so pickups are rare, and as gas costs the equivalent of roughly $8/ US gal, most working vehicles are diesel fuelled.

Land Rovers and small diesel pickups are often used on farms.

Ive added photos of some typical working vehicles, none of which have automatics. The combo van uses a 1.7 litre engine and the rest are 2-3 litre.

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Arragonis -- Nice ride. Sorry for your loss.

Is the doggie going to be behind a dog car barrier or will you strap it down?

If you were going to spray 4 or 5 coats of PlastiDip S to protect the original finish, what colour would you prefer? Their matte pearlescents are nice.

Freeb old bean glad you found me!.

I took Connie (will add a pic or two) to the beach yesterday as a test and she's OK without a net or fence, plus Hermann is low enough for her to get into without help, or maybe with a step if her back hips start to play up.

I would go for red - I wasn't sure about this car but I saw a red one and "saluted" so that decided me.

Originally Posted by focus1.6uk

Nice Audi, especially as it won't suffer from DPF problems!...

Thanks, and your comments on vans etc. are spot on. Turbo Diesel Crew Cabs are popular but I'm not fat and/or bald enough to own one - yet.

[Arragonis]

Hermann update - learning a few bits and pieces - good and bad.

Auto - At standstill in Neutral it eats 0.35 GPH, Drive it eats 0.7 on my uncalibrated SG2. So shifting to Neutral when I come to a stop. Not sure on Neutral for coasting yet (tried it and it works but don't want to "lunch" the gearbox).

Anyone with info confirming or refuting this is OK on a "C6" Audi A6 please post - with links. FYI it doesn't have the same trans as the 2.0 or petrol models.

Coasting - it coasts pretty well on the open road. The Auto changes down when the pedal is up so the engine is DFCO. I would prefer it to hold a higher gear longer but it is better than I thought. I might have a sticky brake but not sure yet. It goes to my fave specialist next week and the weeping begins.

Doing a few "reset fuel computer, try that again differently" experiments - e.g. acceleration firm vs slow, slowing quickly vs keeping momentum, and some flappy paddle shifting up requests vs leaving it alone.

On the last of those -

4th - Auto is 35MPH, flappy will change at 30.
5th - Auto is 43 (ish), flappy will change at 38.
6th - Auto is 47 (ish), not got a flappy figure yet.

Have to say the Auto is super smooth so it's hard to work out exactly when it changes without checking the display, which means not watching the road so I don't.

On another sociological note, I was worried when I got George (1.0, 3cyl Aygo) that I would suffer from a lot of tailgating, bullying etc. It rarely happened. It seems to work in reverse. In Hermann (not small for the UK) I have been tailgated, raced and cut up quite a few times already, only had it 2 days.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

That's why Europeans don't care so much about an F350

Originally Posted by Arragonis

it doesn't have the same trans as the 2.0 or petrol models

Time to consider a manual transmission swap?

Anyway, since you won't have any DPF issue, have you ever considered one of those kits to run on veg oil into it?

[Arragonis]

A look into Veggie is on the list at some point. I need to be able to live with the MPG as is or improve it to a reasonable level before I start experiments. Starting point is technique before mods

Plus your image is kind of wrong, this is why Europeans think F350 is how much they would pay for a beer in Paris :

[RedDevil]

Originally Posted by Arragonis

(...) Auto - At standstill in Neutral it eats 0.35 GPH, Drive it eats 0.7 on my uncalibrated SG2. So shifting to Neutral when I come to a stop. (...)

That is 100+ Hypermiling Tip number 76. Cannot believe I missed that!

The I2 forces me to select Park before I can restart it, so I'd rather not kill the engine when the red light outlives the shortish AutoStop and the engine restarts. In N it idles unloaded, no doubt using less fuel and causing less wear than in D.
Thanks for teaching this ignorant Dutchie

[freebeard]

I would go for red

I like Koral Rot, but you might want to consider the manliest pink—Mountbatten Pink—RGB=997A8D
Mountbatten pink - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It goes to my fave specialist next week and the weeping begins.

To paraphrase the old "Speed costs money...": Efficiency costs money, how much do you want to save?

[spacemanspif]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Is the doggie going to be behind a dog car barrier or will you strap it down?

Don't you guys just keep the dog on the leash, tied to the bumper??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkT5g...yer_detailpage

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Arragonis

your image is kind of wrong, this is why Europeans think F350 is how much they would pay for a beer in Paris :

C'mon, you got what I meant with the picture of a Sprinter, with the dropside flatbed

Regarding electronic tuning, have you already found some way to overcome that issue about the shifting RPMs?

[Xist]

Originally Posted by RedDevil

That is 100+ Hypermiling Tip number 76. Cannot believe I missed that!

The I2 forces me to select Park before I can restart it, so I'd rather not kill the engine when the red light outlives the shortish AutoStop and the engine restarts. In N it idles unloaded, no doubt using less fuel and causing less wear than in D.
Thanks for teaching this ignorant Dutchie

What about in Park?