I'm trying to save the world (a bit at a time). In this case, by reducing automobile carbon emissions. Carbon emissions are proportional to fuel consumption, so I'm really trying to get the best fuel economy vehicle. I also have a family of 4 that needs to be transported (along with some groceries, karate gear, etc.).
I'm still not sold on electrics or even hybrids due to the battery disposal issue (though there is a Tesla dealer in town using 70% recycled lithium batteries...) and obviously gas vehicles aren't yet getting more than 40 mpg. (My old VW Fox got occasionally got that much on trips.)
However, I quickly learned that 50--60 miles-per-gallon (3.9--4.7 liters-per-100 km) turbo-diesel-engine-powered cars are commonly available in Europe and not very expensive. Thus, I have been wondering how to get one for use in the U.S. People I spoke to said that these cars would either not meet U.S. safety standards or emission standards. [I note that the VW Jetta is available in the U.S. with a diesel and gets close to 50 mpg, but (after having VWs all my life), I've recently had a bad experience with my Passat that makes me question VW engineering. I've also seen the announcement that Audi will make a diesel available, but it will have even lower economy.]
9/08: I first looked at the Fiat Punto, which claims to have won saftey awards and has airbags, etc. I looked at the http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/ National Highway Transportation Safety Administration WWW site. Cars intended for sale in the U.S. should have a placard stating that they meet U.S. safety standards. I'm pretty sure that, since Fiats are not sold in the U.S. that they don't have this placard. I also learned that no Fiats are on NHTSA's "List of nonconforming vehicles eligible for importation". (This only has Lamborgini's and their ilk.) NHTSA has a procedure to add specific vehicles to this list through the use of a "registered importer". I contacted Wallace Environmental Testing Laboratories in Texas (knowing that I might be able to obtain a diesel Punto in Mexico) who immediately replied that they wouldn't touch importing this car. "The vehicle must be modified to be identical to the US version, and if there was not a US market version of this vehicle sold in that year, we will be unable to petition the DOT to add it to the list of eligible vehicles." Dead End #1.
9/09: After a bit more poking, I realized that there are at least 3 models of cars available
with diesel engines in Europe that are also available in the U.S. (only with gas).
gas hwy mpg diesel hwy mpg
Ford Focus 35 52 (TDCI)
Kia Rio 33 58 (CRDi)
Mazda 3 29 53 (CD)
Having rented a Mazda 3 earlier in the year and been reasonably satisfied with it, I decided to contact Mazda directly to see if I could get a diesel. Their reply: "Unfortunately we cannot assist with your request in the importing of a vehicle from outside of the U.S. you may want to contact a 3rd party vehicle importer for information on what changes would need to be made to meet U.S. specifications." Dead End #2 and run-around #1. I later took my family to test drive a gas Mazda 3 locally and my wife was not happy with how it felt. It is designed to be "sporty" which really isn't what we're after.
I now started developing a sinister plan: Buy a gas version of one of these cars, remove the engine, and replace it with a diesel engine that I would just buy as a spare part from Europe. Clearly, the car would have met U.S. safety standards.
10/09: We then went to a Ford dealer. I explained my intensions and they said that though they would be very excited to have a 50mpg car on their lot to sell, they didn't think that a diesel would meet emissions. They didn't offer to let me even test drive their gas Focus, though the kids enjoyed crawling through the trunk and split seat backs. Dead End #3.
12/09: Same routine with a Kia dealer. This guy was nice and gladly had us drive a Rio they had. (I really would want a Rio5 with the hatchback, but the sedan was fine to test.) It was a basic car, quite reminscent of my Fox that I like. Not a lot of power and not even extra cup holders, but everything I wanted was there. This would be a perfect vehicle at 58mpg!
So now some real questions. First, is the emissions a real problem? I note that the Rio (presumably like most European vehicles) must meet the "Euro4" emission standard. Wikipedia gives the numbers which are straightforward. I then find from Wikipedia that U.S. emissions are MUCH more complicated, but that this would have to meet "Tier2 standards" for a "light duty vehicle". The particulate emissions on for Euro4 are pretty bad, but I read that Tier2 diesel LDV's only have to meet the "bin10" level. The only category that I can't compare is "non-methane hydrocarbons" vs. hydrocarbons including methane, but all other emission categories appear to show that any diesel vehicle meeting Euro4 should meet U.S. Tier2 standards. Furthermore, it is entirely possible that a Rio would be significantly better than just meeting Euro4 standards. Green Light #1.
1/10: Next, could I get this vehicle licensed with emissions tests after an engine replacement? A call to our nice County Clerk disclosed that there is a straightforward procedure for all engine type conversions gas-diesel, gas-electric, etc. 1: After conversion, the vehicle has to be taken to a vehicle testing station (about 20 miles from my house) to certify that, indeed, the engine has been replaced and in a competant manner. 2: The vehicle then has to go to a diesel emission testing station to certify that emissions are within range. 3: I go to the Clerk and they reissue the title with a new engine classification. Green Light #2.
Now, I need to know how hard a job it is to do this conversion. A mechanic friend-of- a-friend just laughed. The best would be to ask a European mechanic that has serviced both. I did try an e-mail to a U.K. Kia dealer, but never got a reply. Dead End #4. I then decided to look get a Rio service manual for both engines. Amazingly, there are two different suppliers of these manuals on CD listing on e-bay -- one in Canada and one in Paris. I buy through the one in Canada, but the disk only has the gas engine description. Maybe this is Dead End #5, but he has promised to try to get the diesel files. If that falls through "We always have Paris!". I did note in the gas manual a comment that CAN-buss sensors are used, but only in gas versions. If we have to redo all the sensor wiring, this would be a daunting job!
In the meantime, I've been looking on the WWW for gas Rio5s. I also want a manual transmission (of course -- I live in Colorado where it snows!) and power locks/windows/mirrors (they are handy with kids). I also think that the Kia Orange is a good color. In the entire U.S., yahoo.auto only finds 2 like this, a 2008 with 18K miles for $11,400 in Indianapolis and a 2009 new for $12,600 in Cincinatti. Both would be a bit of a pain to get to, though Frontier has one-way flights for $94 to Indianapolis. Fly out, buy the car, drive it back, then replace the engine! (Maybe I am crazy, though I prefer the term "desperate".) Green Light #3?
I've also found diesel Kia engines (D4FA) on e-bay Germany. The only one who ships "worldwide" is asking $2,200 -- happens to be the cheapest. So...for $13,600 I could have a 58mpg car??? Seems like a great deal (though there is some labor involved!) Also, if I'm REALLY trying to save the world, I would want to pave the way so that this process would be a snap for others to follow. Having to travel across the country to get a body and then replacing the engine is not going to be a process many will want to repeat. However, the alternative probably is much more expensive (buying a car in Europe and shipping a whole car to the U.S.) and getting through the U.S. bureacracy is equally daunting. I do have a contact with my U.S. Representative, and could imagine a sympathetic hearing to ease the import process, but maybe it would be easier if I went ahead with my conversion demonstration first.
Naturally, (yet?) another major issue is who would do the actual conversion? I can do wrench work, but this will require someone who knows cars and who can figure out how to tune up a turbo diesel. (I'm guessing that even the local Kia dealer's mechanics won't know how to get this running.) I actually have another mechanic friend who's first reaction when I hinted about this was: "You just mentioned that you needed to work on a car, but then you said it was a Kia." Clearly, it will take some serious coaxing to get him on board with this idea. Yellow Light. I'm waiting to get the diesel manual before approaching him seriously.
1/22/10: 4 days ago, the Indianapolis dealer reduced their price to $9000 for the Rio5 that I wanted. This is too good to resist, so I've given them my credit card number. I'm (at least partially) committed now! I realize that I will start this venture with a carbon debt, as I have to fly to Indy to get the car and then drive 1100 miles, though perhaps this is offset by buying a used car (which is recycling)? These carbon credits are too hard to figure out.
There still is a big risk, since I do not yet have the diesel service manual to tell how difficult the conversion would be. I mitigate this risk by saying that the gas Rio5 gets as good or better mileage than the VW Fox it is replacing. If the worst happens, I will still have a gas car I'm happy with. My coworker says that I should expect to have to get at least a new wiring harness, computer, perhaps engine mounts, and fuel pump in addition to the basic engine. I'll have to make sure that the engine supplier (perhaps a junkyard that has an entire vehicle in front of them) has these parts available.
Now, I need to make plane reservations!
Reservations now made for plane and a hotel (since we get in late). The sales lady will pick us up from the hotel on Saturday morning to complete this purchase. My son will join me on the trip, which should make it a much more pleasant drive.
1/24/10: My cousin in Peoria is happy to have us stop by on our our way back, so we'll have a bit of a break on the drive. Also, my colleagues at work are running an experiment near Davenport, so we might see them as well. Now, I just have to wait for the trip...
1/25/10: The e-bay guy came through with the diesel parts of the Kia service manual. Green Light. As my coworker had expected, the wiring is significantly different and the fuel pump moves from in the gas tank to the engine compartment. I notice an air filter on the fuel tank filler line that isn't on the diesel. My WWW reading shows that the mufflers should be different, but I haven't found this in the manual yet. The alternator also seems a bit different -- at least one of the mounting flanges changes.
The engine removal procedure for the two engines are quite similar -- there is an intercooler rather than an oil cooler, some sensors don't exist on the diesel, and the alternator doesn't have to be removed. I don't know if it is a typo, but the diesel instructions don't show sensors on the manual transmission transaxle. I also note that in both cases the engine (and transaxle) drops out, so the body of the car has to be lifted. Can I rent a car hoist? Another (of many) problems to be solved!
2/5/10: My son and I had an uneventful flight into Indianapolis, but got great customer service from the staff at the airport Days' Inn. Their shuttle van driver went past the shift end at 12:00 to pick us up in blowing snow and get us to the front desk at 12:45 AM. (Fortunately, only 10:45PM for us.)
2/6/10: There were some hiccups in the purchase (which took 3 hours, despite weeks of preparation), but I have taken possesion of the Rio and started the drive back home. We passed numerous vehicles along the side and median of the highway that obviously had problems with slippery roads (blowing snow from the edge of the storm that ended up shutting down Washington DC). However, the Rio has a tight suspension that gives me a good feel for the road and I had no particular problems driving. I find that the gearing is too clumped on the low side -- I use 5th gear from 40--80 mph and could easily shift from 1-3-5 without ever using 2-4. This doesn't seem optimum (especially for trying to get good mileage). I will have to consider playing with the gearbox as well once the engine is out!
We did get 45 minutes in the Motor Speedway Hall of Fame museum (highly recommended) had a nice, though brief, visit with my cousin -- including a great tour of his public radio station WCBU. We spent the night in Des Moines. Mileage hasn't been great -- hovering about 30mpg even on the highway. The fuel gauge gets to E after using only 9 gallons, so this has made for frequent stops.
2/7/10: Woke up to more snow and a new round of junked vehicles off the highway -- SUVs and pickups on their roofs and down steep embankments and even a semi on its side. By Lincoln, the roads cleared (until we got well inside Colorado), so we made good time. We got home about 6pm -- just as the Olympics opening ceremony was going on.
2/19/10: Have finally run the tank down till the fuel light comes on. Now I put 10.2 gallons in, but still only getting 27mpg (now city, though still with snow and a need to keep heat on). Thus, I've never yet gone even 300 miles on a tank. Hopefully, this will change with a diesel!
2/20/10: Have continued to appreciate the snow handling. Have just changed oil (the manual recommends low viscosity 5W-20 to get the best mileage), since I don't know when this was last done. (The dealer claims to have done a "120-point inspection" and "cleaned it up" before handing it to us [a wasted effort after 2 days on I-80 in snow!], but never mentioned what, if any, service they did.) Also, I know that it sat in their lot for 2--6 months without being driven. (The last receipt for oil was in July and I had been watching the listing since December. Also, the odometer when I got it was only 1 more mile than the photo in its listing.) Since I don't yet have a handle on where/when I will get a diesel in this car, I'd like to get the best mileage I can out of the gas engine. Also, I'd like whoever gets this engine after me to get reasonable mileage out of it as well. The old oil was quite dirty and the car now gets about 35 mpg -- significantly better.
4/10: A friend thought he had a line on how to get an engine from the Czech Republic, but it hasn't yet worked out. We'll keep exploring options. However, with other tasks going on in our family I'm told that this work is not my highest priority.