Servicing Costs: Diesel vs Petrol

Deeps · 26th February 2006, 03:10

Many auto. experts say that due to the higher servicing costs of a diesel car (as compared to a petrol one), it only makes sense to buy a diesel if one expects high running/usage of the car. Now, for a fair comparison lets take into account an Indigo (diesel) and a Baleno (petrol).

First question: What are the exact servicing costs of these two cars? Obviously, the owners themselves would be able to give an accurate answer to this.

Second question: What is that x amount of km that one should have a running of (per month) in order to justify the higher maintenance costs of a diesel?

Third question: With the introduction of new diesel technology does the statement "that due to the higher servicing costs of a diesel car (as compared to a petrol one), it only makes sense to buy a diesel if one expects high running/usage of the car" still hold true?

So guys, fire away the answers.

.anshuman · 26th February 2006, 03:40

A regular service for indigo costs around Rs.1500 including labour ,all fluids and everything

.anshuman · 26th February 2006, 03:41

i have a diesel indica and a petrol accent,the indica is cheaper to maintain and in my case indica is more reliable.

SLK · 26th February 2006, 06:26

somehow Indica is an exception!.. its really as cheap to maintain as any petrol car in same range.

filcord · 26th February 2006, 10:27

Had a Ford escort 1.8 diesel for four years, purchased second-hand. It costs me a lot, and I mean a lot, to maintain. However after deducting accident repairs, and needless parts changes foisted on me by the dealer, (which is why I did not buy a Ford again)- I would estimate I spent an average of Rs 2500/- per scheduled service incl of fluids. Service every 5000 km.

kb100 · 26th February 2006, 11:45

Hi

I have an Accent CRDI (the diesel) for the last THREE years.... done 32k till date

I have had to change ONLY the filters and fluids... the cost /service is on or around 1k PEROID...

I think this talk about he diesel being more expensive to maintain does no more apply to the new generation vehicles . The Hyundai's are know for their service and related costs in any case... Skoda is another thing all together!!!

Sujit

murlidar · 26th February 2006, 13:09

In diesel there is no cost of Point, condensor and spark plugs and other electricals etc to be changed during the servicing. The cost of oil and oil filter and other fluids will be more or less the same as petrol. In case of Indica the oil change is 10000 kms but in some petrols it is around 5000kms.So I guess it is a myth that maintainence of modern diesel engines cost more than petrol.

iamdstig · 26th February 2006, 13:12

Diesel cars work out quite economical if u r to drive the vehicle for somewhere around 2.5k kms per month. else maintainance vice both diesel and petrol works out same if u r servicing on a calender basis rather odometer basis

ramkya1 · 26th February 2006, 13:52

Hai There,

I have been using Santro LP for the last 4 years and have a Ford Fusion for the past 6 months. Im thinking seriously to replace the old santro with a diesal car. Ive been doing some data collection on my own to decide from owners of Diesel / Petrol Car owners. Some of them:

1. The Santro cars after 3 years the maintenance cost per month works out to about 600 Rs. This is the average from 5 owners who maintain records and are good city dirivers.

2. The Ford owners ( we have 3 ikon owners in our company) say the cost per month can be anywhere between 750 -1000 per month, after 2 years. If you have 3 years TMP you would be lucky. They are all planning to sell Ikons after 36-42 months.

3. The Indica owners seem to be the happiest with the average maintenance cost of about 250 -300 per month after 24 month. The 4 owners whom I know are very satisfied and the fuel cost is also much less.

4. I have inputs from 1 Viva owner, only 18 months old, he says practically no cost except the standard maintenance service changes. Statistically small number to make any decision.

From what I read on BB's, Magazines and first hand information, indica D seems to be the best bet if you are running about 1500 K + per month. I would love to hear from others too so I too can make a decision.

Thans in advance for help.....

--- Ramky.
===================

jkdas · 26th February 2006, 16:21

Seems it all depends on teh company rather than the odometer reading to some extend. Hyundai cars seems to be cheaper to maintain and so would be case of Indica V2. A cousin of mine had a Zen had I was suprised when i saw the bill for a paid service.

turbo_c · 27th February 2006, 01:34

I picked up my 2001 MPFI Esteem in 2004 with about 43k on the odo and now she has about 73k on the odo; I drive her pretty hard on the Mumbai - Pune Express way but quite gently in Mumbai city and Pune city... I take her to a MASS at least once in 6 months (adjusted to coincide with things like oil change intervals or if some problem pops up).

What I found was that the price of a service has a lot to do with the particular MASS ! Some of these guys would like to keep just my original driver's side door and change everthing else on my car (for a "nice" price !), while some others are reluctant to change the brake pads that I INSISTED on changing !

Still... I have made some "informed" decisions (thanks t-bhp

) and kept my averge servicing cost to under 2k per service... no major parts ever changed, except for my "steering rack" that I was told "had developed excess play" ... not sure if that was really needed, but there was some suspension noise that was solved when it was changed. That would make it max. of 4k per year (not incuding things like radiator coolant / oil top-ups)...
about 330 bucks odd per month.

I think the new-gen deisels are pretty reliable... any concerns about performance would be put to rest by the Accent CRDI and Octavia 1.9 TDI ! They give me a good run for my money on the expressway and only my 185/75 Potenza GIIIs save my pride (on the twisty road at Lonavala) ... my next car will most probably be a deisel! (Hey, what does it cost to service an Octavia 1.9 TDI ?)

- T u r b o C -

Deeps · 28th February 2006, 00:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamdstig

Diesel cars work out quite economical if u r to drive the vehicle for somewhere around 2.5k kms per month. else maintainance vice both diesel and petrol works out same if u r servicing on a calender basis rather odometer basis

Then the savings on the diesel would be more due to the higher FE and cheaper diesel considering that the servicing cost is bout equal for both diesel and petrol.

So judging by the responses it seems that the deisel servicing costs are on par with the petrol. So then why must one require high running for a diesel car?

Is it because of things like the suspension assembly needs to be overhauled sooner?

Indigo owners please contribute

!

garvit2002 · 2nd March 2006, 15:52

i have a diesel marina the maintanence required by my vehicle over 45000kms was just the regular oil change, filter change, oil topps nothing to big to worry . i have spent 5200Rs on it yet . Moreover , my car had a broken clutch plate but that was covered under the warranty

Zappo · 2nd March 2006, 18:21

Haa haa haaaa... Tanveer bhai where are you? Boyy... have the views really changed so radically?

Well actually speaking diesel always works out way cheaper unless you landed up with a poor piece by sheer dint of bad luck. If you scrupulously maintain the car getting it serviced at the regular intervals with timely oil and filter change you will be surprised how inexpensive it is. A car like the new Indica will give you something between 15-16 in city.

Why people talk about minimum mileage then? Well I feel that unless you drive something like a Skoda (free service=Rs.8k and parts extremely costly) cost wise it does not matter how many kms you actually drive. The only downside I can see is that if you can afford to pay for petrol you can buy a car that makes lesser noise and also maybe a lot zippier (primarily because it is also lighter). So now you decide. Whether the immense savings is what sounds prudent or the comparative silence and comfort of a petrol is more important to you.

Zappo · 2nd March 2006, 18:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by ramkya1

From what I read on BB's, Magazines and first hand information, indica D seems to be the best bet if you are running about 1500 K + per month. I would love to hear from others too so I too can make a decision.

Thans in advance for help.....

--- Ramky.
===================

Well you asked for a view and you will get one. In my opinion Indica D is the most logical and financially prudent decision that you can make in terms of buying a car. Of course when I say so I take it that you are not a boy racer... that you do not buy a car to practice for the drag races. Indica D will underwhelm you terribly if that is what you intend to do. Otherwise it is the most sensible thing you can buy. I drive my car across Hyderabad everyday covering good no. of kilometers. And yet I never ever needed more than Rs.800 a week. beat that...

Compared to that when I used my friend's Santro for a week for the same run I had to fill up Rs.500 worth of petrol every 2.5 days!!!

26th February 2006, 03:10	#1
Deeps Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: Delhi/Noida Posts: 1,119 Thanked: 170 Times	Servicing Costs: Diesel vs Petrol Many auto. experts say that due to the higher servicing costs of a diesel car (as compared to a petrol one), it only makes sense to buy a diesel if one expects high running/usage of the car. Now, for a fair comparison lets take into account an Indigo (diesel) and a Baleno (petrol). First question: What are the exact servicing costs of these two cars? Obviously, the owners themselves would be able to give an accurate answer to this. Second question: What is that x amount of km that one should have a running of (per month) in order to justify the higher maintenance costs of a diesel? Third question: With the introduction of new diesel technology does the statement "that due to the higher servicing costs of a diesel car (as compared to a petrol one), it only makes sense to buy a diesel if one expects high running/usage of the car" still hold true? So guys, fire away the answers.
	() Thanks

26th February 2006, 03:40	#2
.anshuman Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Good-Gaon Posts: 7,763 Thanked: 11,124 Times View My Garage	A regular service for indigo costs around Rs.1500 including labour ,all fluids and everything
	() Thanks

26th February 2006, 03:41	#3
.anshuman Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Good-Gaon Posts: 7,763 Thanked: 11,124 Times View My Garage	i have a diesel indica and a petrol accent,the indica is cheaper to maintain and in my case indica is more reliable.
	() Thanks

26th February 2006, 06:26	#4
SLK Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Nomad Posts: 1,795 Thanked: 1,409 Times	somehow Indica is an exception!.. its really as cheap to maintain as any petrol car in same range.
	() Thanks

26th February 2006, 10:27	#5
filcord BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: goa Posts: 997 Thanked: 68 Times	Had a Ford escort 1.8 diesel for four years, purchased second-hand. It costs me a lot, and I mean a lot, to maintain. However after deducting accident repairs, and needless parts changes foisted on me by the dealer, (which is why I did not buy a Ford again)- I would estimate I spent an average of Rs 2500/- per scheduled service incl of fluids. Service every 5000 km.
	() Thanks

26th February 2006, 11:45	#6
kb100 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bangy Boy! Posts: 1,556 Thanked: 22 Times	Hi I have an Accent CRDI (the diesel) for the last THREE years.... done 32k till date I have had to change ONLY the filters and fluids... the cost /service is on or around 1k PEROID... I think this talk about he diesel being more expensive to maintain does no more apply to the new generation vehicles . The Hyundai's are know for their service and related costs in any case... Skoda is another thing all together!!! Sujit
	() Thanks

26th February 2006, 13:09	#7
murlidar BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MUMBAI Posts: 86 Thanked: 83 Times	In diesel there is no cost of Point, condensor and spark plugs and other electricals etc to be changed during the servicing. The cost of oil and oil filter and other fluids will be more or less the same as petrol. In case of Indica the oil change is 10000 kms but in some petrols it is around 5000kms.So I guess it is a myth that maintainence of modern diesel engines cost more than petrol.
	() Thanks

26th February 2006, 13:12	#8
iamdstig Newbie Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 12 Thanked: 0 Times	Diesel cars work out quite economical if u r to drive the vehicle for somewhere around 2.5k kms per month. else maintainance vice both diesel and petrol works out same if u r servicing on a calender basis rather odometer basis
	() Thanks

26th February 2006, 13:52	#9
ramkya1 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Palakkad, Keral Posts: 1,829 Thanked: 434 Times View My Garage	Should I buy a Diesal Car? Hai There, I have been using Santro LP for the last 4 years and have a Ford Fusion for the past 6 months. Im thinking seriously to replace the old santro with a diesal car. Ive been doing some data collection on my own to decide from owners of Diesel / Petrol Car owners. Some of them: 1. The Santro cars after 3 years the maintenance cost per month works out to about 600 Rs. This is the average from 5 owners who maintain records and are good city dirivers. 2. The Ford owners ( we have 3 ikon owners in our company) say the cost per month can be anywhere between 750 -1000 per month, after 2 years. If you have 3 years TMP you would be lucky. They are all planning to sell Ikons after 36-42 months. 3. The Indica owners seem to be the happiest with the average maintenance cost of about 250 -300 per month after 24 month. The 4 owners whom I know are very satisfied and the fuel cost is also much less. 4. I have inputs from 1 Viva owner, only 18 months old, he says practically no cost except the standard maintenance service changes. Statistically small number to make any decision. From what I read on BB's, Magazines and first hand information, indica D seems to be the best bet if you are running about 1500 K + per month. I would love to hear from others too so I too can make a decision. Thans in advance for help..... --- Ramky. =================== Last edited by ramkya1 : 26th February 2006 at 13:55.
	() Thanks

26th February 2006, 16:21	#10
jkdas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Thiruvananthapu Posts: 9,687 Thanked: 1,496 Times View My Garage	Seems it all depends on teh company rather than the odometer reading to some extend. Hyundai cars seems to be cheaper to maintain and so would be case of Indica V2. A cousin of mine had a Zen had I was suprised when i saw the bill for a paid service.
	() Thanks

27th February 2006, 01:34	#11
turbo_c BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Pune / Mumbai Posts: 132 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	I picked up my 2001 MPFI Esteem in 2004 with about 43k on the odo and now she has about 73k on the odo; I drive her pretty hard on the Mumbai - Pune Express way but quite gently in Mumbai city and Pune city... I take her to a MASS at least once in 6 months (adjusted to coincide with things like oil change intervals or if some problem pops up). What I found was that the price of a service has a lot to do with the particular MASS ! Some of these guys would like to keep just my original driver's side door and change everthing else on my car (for a "nice" price !), while some others are reluctant to change the brake pads that I INSISTED on changing ! Still... I have made some "informed" decisions (thanks t-bhp ) and kept my averge servicing cost to under 2k per service... no major parts ever changed, except for my "steering rack" that I was told "had developed excess play" ... not sure if that was really needed, but there was some suspension noise that was solved when it was changed. That would make it max. of 4k per year (not incuding things like radiator coolant / oil top-ups)... about 330 bucks odd per month. I think the new-gen deisels are pretty reliable... any concerns about performance would be put to rest by the Accent CRDI and Octavia 1.9 TDI ! They give me a good run for my money on the expressway and only my 185/75 Potenza GIIIs save my pride (on the twisty road at Lonavala) ... my next car will most probably be a deisel! (Hey, what does it cost to service an Octavia 1.9 TDI ?) - T u r b o C -
	() Thanks

2nd March 2006, 15:52	#13
garvit2002 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Jaipur Posts: 241 Thanked: 2 Times	i have a diesel marina the maintanence required by my vehicle over 45000kms was just the regular oil change, filter change, oil topps nothing to big to worry . i have spent 5200Rs on it yet . Moreover , my car had a broken clutch plate but that was covered under the warranty
	() Thanks

2nd March 2006, 18:21	#14
Zappo Team-BHP Support Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 5,915 Thanked: 2,746 Times	Haa haa haaaa... Tanveer bhai where are you? Boyy... have the views really changed so radically? Well actually speaking diesel always works out way cheaper unless you landed up with a poor piece by sheer dint of bad luck. If you scrupulously maintain the car getting it serviced at the regular intervals with timely oil and filter change you will be surprised how inexpensive it is. A car like the new Indica will give you something between 15-16 in city. Why people talk about minimum mileage then? Well I feel that unless you drive something like a Skoda (free service=Rs.8k and parts extremely costly) cost wise it does not matter how many kms you actually drive. The only downside I can see is that if you can afford to pay for petrol you can buy a car that makes lesser noise and also maybe a lot zippier (primarily because it is also lighter). So now you decide. Whether the immense savings is what sounds prudent or the comparative silence and comfort of a petrol is more important to you.
	() Thanks