Bio Diesel Compatibility Question

[AntJC]

Folks,

Time to consult the PH Massive

Does anyone know what current 2009> major manufacturers cars will officially run on bio diesel. That is the proper refined stuff, not the DIY kit brew at home variety.

I called the local VAG and BMW dealerships, and both said that bio dev was a complete no for their diesel’s (Golf, Passat, ! & 3 series).

Is this down to the current high pressure delivery systems, Euro IV regulations or DPF’s, VW & BMW being picky, or do other major brands steer clear of bio derv?

Thanks in advance

[JM]

I suppose it depends on what you mean by bio diesel and what others think you mean by bio dielsel.

I though all diesel sold these days had a % of bio diesel in it.

[freecar]

For clarification, Biodiesel is any oil, veg or waste that has had ethyl esters (I think that's what they are called) added to produce a reaction that produces the product, it's all to do with the hydrocarbon chain lengths. It can be done at home or in a lab, it's not hard to do just more time consuming than just filtering.

It is suitable for far more applications than waste or fresh oil on it's own but there are still drawbacks!

I wouldn't expect you to find many 2009 vehicles to be suitable sadly.

[HellDiver]

Bio diesel turns to a varnish-like substance in modern high pressure commonrail injectors. About the most modern diesels that work well on proper bio is the last of the electronically controlled mechanical injection pumps like the Bosch VP44 as found on GM's DTi engines, and VAG's pre-PD TDI. Some PD engine will run on it, but they're hit and miss.

[AntJC]

Thanks for the replies so far.

I thought that the higher pressures on the common rail diesels might be the issue here.

I spoke to a close friend who runs a 2004 206 HDi in a mix of Bio and standard forecourt diesel, but he still has to change the fuel filters at shorter intervals than the service requirements state. He also suspects that performance is down over standard as well.

Regards