The Merg

Earle Horton wrote:
> Another time I was in the Bus Depot in Burgos, and a guy from LA started
> having breathing difficulties. I was trying to remember the Spanish
> equivalent of "911" but he just stuck his head down by the bus exhaust, and
> was OK in a minute or two. (Third time I've used this story. Have to go
> back soon and get another one. You old coots won't notice anyway.)
>
> Earle

Don't worry Earle, I noticed. Before I saw your disclaimer, I was
thinking "hey, he's told this story before. I'm definitely calling him out."
Let me know when you go back. I'm down for a trip to Spain.

Matt Macchiarolo

I don't know about all the specifics about deisel refinement, but I do know
in Europe the sulfur content used to be way lower. Not anymore, since ULS
diesel was mandated in the States this year.

"DougW" <post.replies@invalid.address> wrote in message
news:8AVUh.113834$nh4.66384@newsfe20.lga...
> Earle Horton wrote:
>> I rented a four cylinder Golf when I was in Spain. It was almost as
>> peppy as the four cylinder Renault I rented another time. There are
>> plenty of trees there, except in the dry central part which is a
>> little like Western Colorado. I could smell the Golf, but it was
>> early morning, just after I had rented it, and while it was warming
>> up. The Avis guy and I were standing right back of the rear bumper,
>> shooting the breeze, and it was just a faint smell you could barely
>> detect. I would have no qualms about letting these cars in the
>> States, except for the block heater I would probably need in
>> Silverton.
>
> Keep in mind the diesel fuel they have over there is more refined
> than what you find in the pumps here. They will still run on it
> but the smell will be just like any other diesel on the road over
> here.
>
> I've driven the 4cyl Golf before, but I like the BMW +1 because
> you can park four in a one-car garage. :) It's like riding in
> a pimped out gocart.
>
> --
> DougW
>

Matt Macchiarolo

I don't know about all the specifics about deisel refinement, but I do know
in Europe the sulfur content used to be way lower. Not anymore, since ULS
diesel was mandated in the States this year.

"DougW" <post.replies@invalid.address> wrote in message
news:8AVUh.113834$nh4.66384@newsfe20.lga...
> Earle Horton wrote:
>> I rented a four cylinder Golf when I was in Spain. It was almost as
>> peppy as the four cylinder Renault I rented another time. There are
>> plenty of trees there, except in the dry central part which is a
>> little like Western Colorado. I could smell the Golf, but it was
>> early morning, just after I had rented it, and while it was warming
>> up. The Avis guy and I were standing right back of the rear bumper,
>> shooting the breeze, and it was just a faint smell you could barely
>> detect. I would have no qualms about letting these cars in the
>> States, except for the block heater I would probably need in
>> Silverton.
>
> Keep in mind the diesel fuel they have over there is more refined
> than what you find in the pumps here. They will still run on it
> but the smell will be just like any other diesel on the road over
> here.
>
> I've driven the 4cyl Golf before, but I like the BMW +1 because
> you can park four in a one-car garage. :) It's like riding in
> a pimped out gocart.
>
> --
> DougW
>

Matt Macchiarolo

I don't know about all the specifics about deisel refinement, but I do know
in Europe the sulfur content used to be way lower. Not anymore, since ULS
diesel was mandated in the States this year.

"DougW" <post.replies@invalid.address> wrote in message
news:8AVUh.113834$nh4.66384@newsfe20.lga...
> Earle Horton wrote:
>> I rented a four cylinder Golf when I was in Spain. It was almost as
>> peppy as the four cylinder Renault I rented another time. There are
>> plenty of trees there, except in the dry central part which is a
>> little like Western Colorado. I could smell the Golf, but it was
>> early morning, just after I had rented it, and while it was warming
>> up. The Avis guy and I were standing right back of the rear bumper,
>> shooting the breeze, and it was just a faint smell you could barely
>> detect. I would have no qualms about letting these cars in the
>> States, except for the block heater I would probably need in
>> Silverton.
>
> Keep in mind the diesel fuel they have over there is more refined
> than what you find in the pumps here. They will still run on it
> but the smell will be just like any other diesel on the road over
> here.
>
> I've driven the 4cyl Golf before, but I like the BMW +1 because
> you can park four in a one-car garage. :) It's like riding in
> a pimped out gocart.
>
> --
> DougW
>

Matt Macchiarolo

I don't know about all the specifics about deisel refinement, but I do know
in Europe the sulfur content used to be way lower. Not anymore, since ULS
diesel was mandated in the States this year.

"DougW" <post.replies@invalid.address> wrote in message
news:8AVUh.113834$nh4.66384@newsfe20.lga...
> Earle Horton wrote:
>> I rented a four cylinder Golf when I was in Spain. It was almost as
>> peppy as the four cylinder Renault I rented another time. There are
>> plenty of trees there, except in the dry central part which is a
>> little like Western Colorado. I could smell the Golf, but it was
>> early morning, just after I had rented it, and while it was warming
>> up. The Avis guy and I were standing right back of the rear bumper,
>> shooting the breeze, and it was just a faint smell you could barely
>> detect. I would have no qualms about letting these cars in the
>> States, except for the block heater I would probably need in
>> Silverton.
>
> Keep in mind the diesel fuel they have over there is more refined
> than what you find in the pumps here. They will still run on it
> but the smell will be just like any other diesel on the road over
> here.
>
> I've driven the 4cyl Golf before, but I like the BMW +1 because
> you can park four in a one-car garage. :) It's like riding in
> a pimped out gocart.
>
> --
> DougW
>

Matt Macchiarolo

"Jeff Strickland" <crwlr@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:H2WUh.2959$nU4.2698@trnddc03...
> When the bonnet is raised, one is allowed to count the exhaust tubes.
>

Not when there is a huge plastic engine cover obtrsructing the ENTIRE
engine...I didn't have time to look too closely, I was too busy enjoying the
beer and schnitzel...

> Geez Matt, what's wrong with you?
>
> If you had the 6-speed trans, I'm all but certain you had a 6 under the
> hood. I do not think the 6-speed is available with the 4 banger. Having
> said that, if you squoze 130+ mph from a 4-banger diesel, I'd be impressed
> so much that I suppose my eyes would water when I raised the hood -- I
> mean, bonnet.
>
It was the 6-speed manumatic, and that would be my guess as well. It took us
ten minutes to figure out how to start the damn thing, there is no standard
key...you fit the key fob in a slot in the dash, foot on the brake, and
press the start button. Then we had to figure out out to get the navigation
system to speak.display English instead of German...

>
>
>
>
> "Matt Macchiarolo" <matt@nospamplease.com> wrote in message
> news:fMGdnUwia9OJhLnbnZ2dnUVZ_qSrnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
>>I stand corrected, BMW's 6-cyl diesels are straight 6-'s, I was confusing
>>them with the Mercedes V-6's.
>>
>> After looking at the site a little closer, it very well could have been
>> the four-cylinder, in which case I would be doubly impressed. Nothing on
>> the registration indicated number of cylinders, according to my German
>> friend...
>>
>> "Matt Macchiarolo" <matt@nospamplease.com> wrote in message
>> news:beCdnSf6FbIajrnbnZ2dnUVZ_qarnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
>>>
>>>
>>> "Jeff Strickland" <crwlr@verizon.net> wrote in message
>>> news:Q6UUh.1434$xL6.325@trnddc05...
>>>> 1.) Are you sure it was a V6? BMWs are usually inline 6s. BMWs usually
>>>> badge the trunk lid with the model, and there is a 330d rolling around
>>>> Europe. The 330i that is in our market is an I6, not a V6, I'm not sure
>>>> of the configuration of the diesel motors, but I thought they were an
>>>> I6 as well.
>>>
>>> I checked out the BMW-Germany website and apparently BMW 3-series cars
>>> in Europe have two V-6 diesels available as well as two four-cylinder
>>> diesels. There were no badges of any kind on the car except the BMW
>>> logo. Many cars over there were like that, my friend I was visiting says
>>> you have to request the badges when ordering. I'm even guessing at the
>>> number of cylinders based on my fuel consumption and top speed, there
>>> was nothing under the hood that told me how many cylinders it had short
>>> of taking the plastic engine cover off. It did *sound* like a four, but
>>> I don't think it was.
>>>
>>>>
>>>> 2.) Personally, I hold diesel motors in VERY low regard. Having said
>>>> that, I took note recently of the Audi TDI cars running in the Le Mans
>>>> Series. They kick ***. I need to re-think my position on them.
>>>
>>> This is not your father's diesel :-) I was pleasantly surprised at the
>>> performance and smoothness of this engine. Incidentally, almost every
>>> car that passed me on the autobahn when I was going a decent clip
>>> (110mph) was an Audi, and was usually black and passed me as though I
>>> was standing still :-)
>>>
>>>>
>>>> "Matt Macchiarolo" <matt@nospamplease.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:Xu6dnWc0Q_zIrL_bnZ2dnUVZ_rqhnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>>
>>>>> Just got back from Europe yesterday, my first time to Germany visiting
>>>>> friends, and we rented a BMW 3-series touring sedan with one of their
>>>>> diesel v-6's with the six-speed auto. I'm guessing it was the 330, but
>>>>> not sure...there were no tags on the car that indicated the model and
>>>>> the manual was in German. Anyway, driving that car around for a week
>>>>> has me convinced that the North American auto market is missing out
>>>>> big time on modern diesel technology. Performance was excellent, it
>>>>> had great acceleration, it topped out at about 140mph (228kph...I love
>>>>> the autobahn!) and I got a combined 6.8L/100km which translates to
>>>>> about 34.6 mpg while regularly running the autobahn at 100-110mph. It
>>>>> was about as quiet as my wife's Saturn Aura, though the engine did
>>>>> make a different sound, more like a four cylinder gas engine. And
>>>>> never once did I catch a whiff of diesel exhaust stink.
>>>>>
>>>>> Just thought I'd share...
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> ---
>>>>> Matt Macchiarolo
>>>>> mlmacchiarolo at comcast dot net
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>

Matt Macchiarolo

"Jeff Strickland" <crwlr@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:H2WUh.2959$nU4.2698@trnddc03...
> When the bonnet is raised, one is allowed to count the exhaust tubes.
>

Not when there is a huge plastic engine cover obtrsructing the ENTIRE
engine...I didn't have time to look too closely, I was too busy enjoying the
beer and schnitzel...

> Geez Matt, what's wrong with you?
>
> If you had the 6-speed trans, I'm all but certain you had a 6 under the
> hood. I do not think the 6-speed is available with the 4 banger. Having
> said that, if you squoze 130+ mph from a 4-banger diesel, I'd be impressed
> so much that I suppose my eyes would water when I raised the hood -- I
> mean, bonnet.
>
It was the 6-speed manumatic, and that would be my guess as well. It took us
ten minutes to figure out how to start the damn thing, there is no standard
key...you fit the key fob in a slot in the dash, foot on the brake, and
press the start button. Then we had to figure out out to get the navigation
system to speak.display English instead of German...

>
>
>
>
> "Matt Macchiarolo" <matt@nospamplease.com> wrote in message
> news:fMGdnUwia9OJhLnbnZ2dnUVZ_qSrnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
>>I stand corrected, BMW's 6-cyl diesels are straight 6-'s, I was confusing
>>them with the Mercedes V-6's.
>>
>> After looking at the site a little closer, it very well could have been
>> the four-cylinder, in which case I would be doubly impressed. Nothing on
>> the registration indicated number of cylinders, according to my German
>> friend...
>>
>> "Matt Macchiarolo" <matt@nospamplease.com> wrote in message
>> news:beCdnSf6FbIajrnbnZ2dnUVZ_qarnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
>>>
>>>
>>> "Jeff Strickland" <crwlr@verizon.net> wrote in message
>>> news:Q6UUh.1434$xL6.325@trnddc05...
>>>> 1.) Are you sure it was a V6? BMWs are usually inline 6s. BMWs usually
>>>> badge the trunk lid with the model, and there is a 330d rolling around
>>>> Europe. The 330i that is in our market is an I6, not a V6, I'm not sure
>>>> of the configuration of the diesel motors, but I thought they were an
>>>> I6 as well.
>>>
>>> I checked out the BMW-Germany website and apparently BMW 3-series cars
>>> in Europe have two V-6 diesels available as well as two four-cylinder
>>> diesels. There were no badges of any kind on the car except the BMW
>>> logo. Many cars over there were like that, my friend I was visiting says
>>> you have to request the badges when ordering. I'm even guessing at the
>>> number of cylinders based on my fuel consumption and top speed, there
>>> was nothing under the hood that told me how many cylinders it had short
>>> of taking the plastic engine cover off. It did *sound* like a four, but
>>> I don't think it was.
>>>
>>>>
>>>> 2.) Personally, I hold diesel motors in VERY low regard. Having said
>>>> that, I took note recently of the Audi TDI cars running in the Le Mans
>>>> Series. They kick ***. I need to re-think my position on them.
>>>
>>> This is not your father's diesel :-) I was pleasantly surprised at the
>>> performance and smoothness of this engine. Incidentally, almost every
>>> car that passed me on the autobahn when I was going a decent clip
>>> (110mph) was an Audi, and was usually black and passed me as though I
>>> was standing still :-)
>>>
>>>>
>>>> "Matt Macchiarolo" <matt@nospamplease.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:Xu6dnWc0Q_zIrL_bnZ2dnUVZ_rqhnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>>
>>>>> Just got back from Europe yesterday, my first time to Germany visiting
>>>>> friends, and we rented a BMW 3-series touring sedan with one of their
>>>>> diesel v-6's with the six-speed auto. I'm guessing it was the 330, but
>>>>> not sure...there were no tags on the car that indicated the model and
>>>>> the manual was in German. Anyway, driving that car around for a week
>>>>> has me convinced that the North American auto market is missing out
>>>>> big time on modern diesel technology. Performance was excellent, it
>>>>> had great acceleration, it topped out at about 140mph (228kph...I love
>>>>> the autobahn!) and I got a combined 6.8L/100km which translates to
>>>>> about 34.6 mpg while regularly running the autobahn at 100-110mph. It
>>>>> was about as quiet as my wife's Saturn Aura, though the engine did
>>>>> make a different sound, more like a four cylinder gas engine. And
>>>>> never once did I catch a whiff of diesel exhaust stink.
>>>>>
>>>>> Just thought I'd share...
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> ---
>>>>> Matt Macchiarolo
>>>>> mlmacchiarolo at comcast dot net
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>

Matt Macchiarolo

"Jeff Strickland" <crwlr@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:H2WUh.2959$nU4.2698@trnddc03...
> When the bonnet is raised, one is allowed to count the exhaust tubes.
>

Not when there is a huge plastic engine cover obtrsructing the ENTIRE
engine...I didn't have time to look too closely, I was too busy enjoying the
beer and schnitzel...

> Geez Matt, what's wrong with you?
>
> If you had the 6-speed trans, I'm all but certain you had a 6 under the
> hood. I do not think the 6-speed is available with the 4 banger. Having
> said that, if you squoze 130+ mph from a 4-banger diesel, I'd be impressed
> so much that I suppose my eyes would water when I raised the hood -- I
> mean, bonnet.
>
It was the 6-speed manumatic, and that would be my guess as well. It took us
ten minutes to figure out how to start the damn thing, there is no standard
key...you fit the key fob in a slot in the dash, foot on the brake, and
press the start button. Then we had to figure out out to get the navigation
system to speak.display English instead of German...

>
>
>
>
> "Matt Macchiarolo" <matt@nospamplease.com> wrote in message
> news:fMGdnUwia9OJhLnbnZ2dnUVZ_qSrnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
>>I stand corrected, BMW's 6-cyl diesels are straight 6-'s, I was confusing
>>them with the Mercedes V-6's.
>>
>> After looking at the site a little closer, it very well could have been
>> the four-cylinder, in which case I would be doubly impressed. Nothing on
>> the registration indicated number of cylinders, according to my German
>> friend...
>>
>> "Matt Macchiarolo" <matt@nospamplease.com> wrote in message
>> news:beCdnSf6FbIajrnbnZ2dnUVZ_qarnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
>>>
>>>
>>> "Jeff Strickland" <crwlr@verizon.net> wrote in message
>>> news:Q6UUh.1434$xL6.325@trnddc05...
>>>> 1.) Are you sure it was a V6? BMWs are usually inline 6s. BMWs usually
>>>> badge the trunk lid with the model, and there is a 330d rolling around
>>>> Europe. The 330i that is in our market is an I6, not a V6, I'm not sure
>>>> of the configuration of the diesel motors, but I thought they were an
>>>> I6 as well.
>>>
>>> I checked out the BMW-Germany website and apparently BMW 3-series cars
>>> in Europe have two V-6 diesels available as well as two four-cylinder
>>> diesels. There were no badges of any kind on the car except the BMW
>>> logo. Many cars over there were like that, my friend I was visiting says
>>> you have to request the badges when ordering. I'm even guessing at the
>>> number of cylinders based on my fuel consumption and top speed, there
>>> was nothing under the hood that told me how many cylinders it had short
>>> of taking the plastic engine cover off. It did *sound* like a four, but
>>> I don't think it was.
>>>
>>>>
>>>> 2.) Personally, I hold diesel motors in VERY low regard. Having said
>>>> that, I took note recently of the Audi TDI cars running in the Le Mans
>>>> Series. They kick ***. I need to re-think my position on them.
>>>
>>> This is not your father's diesel :-) I was pleasantly surprised at the
>>> performance and smoothness of this engine. Incidentally, almost every
>>> car that passed me on the autobahn when I was going a decent clip
>>> (110mph) was an Audi, and was usually black and passed me as though I
>>> was standing still :-)
>>>
>>>>
>>>> "Matt Macchiarolo" <matt@nospamplease.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:Xu6dnWc0Q_zIrL_bnZ2dnUVZ_rqhnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>>
>>>>> Just got back from Europe yesterday, my first time to Germany visiting
>>>>> friends, and we rented a BMW 3-series touring sedan with one of their
>>>>> diesel v-6's with the six-speed auto. I'm guessing it was the 330, but
>>>>> not sure...there were no tags on the car that indicated the model and
>>>>> the manual was in German. Anyway, driving that car around for a week
>>>>> has me convinced that the North American auto market is missing out
>>>>> big time on modern diesel technology. Performance was excellent, it
>>>>> had great acceleration, it topped out at about 140mph (228kph...I love
>>>>> the autobahn!) and I got a combined 6.8L/100km which translates to
>>>>> about 34.6 mpg while regularly running the autobahn at 100-110mph. It
>>>>> was about as quiet as my wife's Saturn Aura, though the engine did
>>>>> make a different sound, more like a four cylinder gas engine. And
>>>>> never once did I catch a whiff of diesel exhaust stink.
>>>>>
>>>>> Just thought I'd share...
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> ---
>>>>> Matt Macchiarolo
>>>>> mlmacchiarolo at comcast dot net
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>

Matt Macchiarolo

"Jeff Strickland" <crwlr@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:H2WUh.2959$nU4.2698@trnddc03...
> When the bonnet is raised, one is allowed to count the exhaust tubes.
>

Not when there is a huge plastic engine cover obtrsructing the ENTIRE
engine...I didn't have time to look too closely, I was too busy enjoying the
beer and schnitzel...

> Geez Matt, what's wrong with you?
>
> If you had the 6-speed trans, I'm all but certain you had a 6 under the
> hood. I do not think the 6-speed is available with the 4 banger. Having
> said that, if you squoze 130+ mph from a 4-banger diesel, I'd be impressed
> so much that I suppose my eyes would water when I raised the hood -- I
> mean, bonnet.
>
It was the 6-speed manumatic, and that would be my guess as well. It took us
ten minutes to figure out how to start the damn thing, there is no standard
key...you fit the key fob in a slot in the dash, foot on the brake, and
press the start button. Then we had to figure out out to get the navigation
system to speak.display English instead of German...

>
>
>
>
> "Matt Macchiarolo" <matt@nospamplease.com> wrote in message
> news:fMGdnUwia9OJhLnbnZ2dnUVZ_qSrnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
>>I stand corrected, BMW's 6-cyl diesels are straight 6-'s, I was confusing
>>them with the Mercedes V-6's.
>>
>> After looking at the site a little closer, it very well could have been
>> the four-cylinder, in which case I would be doubly impressed. Nothing on
>> the registration indicated number of cylinders, according to my German
>> friend...
>>
>> "Matt Macchiarolo" <matt@nospamplease.com> wrote in message
>> news:beCdnSf6FbIajrnbnZ2dnUVZ_qarnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
>>>
>>>
>>> "Jeff Strickland" <crwlr@verizon.net> wrote in message
>>> news:Q6UUh.1434$xL6.325@trnddc05...
>>>> 1.) Are you sure it was a V6? BMWs are usually inline 6s. BMWs usually
>>>> badge the trunk lid with the model, and there is a 330d rolling around
>>>> Europe. The 330i that is in our market is an I6, not a V6, I'm not sure
>>>> of the configuration of the diesel motors, but I thought they were an
>>>> I6 as well.
>>>
>>> I checked out the BMW-Germany website and apparently BMW 3-series cars
>>> in Europe have two V-6 diesels available as well as two four-cylinder
>>> diesels. There were no badges of any kind on the car except the BMW
>>> logo. Many cars over there were like that, my friend I was visiting says
>>> you have to request the badges when ordering. I'm even guessing at the
>>> number of cylinders based on my fuel consumption and top speed, there
>>> was nothing under the hood that told me how many cylinders it had short
>>> of taking the plastic engine cover off. It did *sound* like a four, but
>>> I don't think it was.
>>>
>>>>
>>>> 2.) Personally, I hold diesel motors in VERY low regard. Having said
>>>> that, I took note recently of the Audi TDI cars running in the Le Mans
>>>> Series. They kick ***. I need to re-think my position on them.
>>>
>>> This is not your father's diesel :-) I was pleasantly surprised at the
>>> performance and smoothness of this engine. Incidentally, almost every
>>> car that passed me on the autobahn when I was going a decent clip
>>> (110mph) was an Audi, and was usually black and passed me as though I
>>> was standing still :-)
>>>
>>>>
>>>> "Matt Macchiarolo" <matt@nospamplease.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:Xu6dnWc0Q_zIrL_bnZ2dnUVZ_rqhnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>>
>>>>> Just got back from Europe yesterday, my first time to Germany visiting
>>>>> friends, and we rented a BMW 3-series touring sedan with one of their
>>>>> diesel v-6's with the six-speed auto. I'm guessing it was the 330, but
>>>>> not sure...there were no tags on the car that indicated the model and
>>>>> the manual was in German. Anyway, driving that car around for a week
>>>>> has me convinced that the North American auto market is missing out
>>>>> big time on modern diesel technology. Performance was excellent, it
>>>>> had great acceleration, it topped out at about 140mph (228kph...I love
>>>>> the autobahn!) and I got a combined 6.8L/100km which translates to
>>>>> about 34.6 mpg while regularly running the autobahn at 100-110mph. It
>>>>> was about as quiet as my wife's Saturn Aura, though the engine did
>>>>> make a different sound, more like a four cylinder gas engine. And
>>>>> never once did I catch a whiff of diesel exhaust stink.
>>>>>
>>>>> Just thought I'd share...
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> ---
>>>>> Matt Macchiarolo
>>>>> mlmacchiarolo at comcast dot net
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>