While most magazines would rather conceal the idiotic mishaps we encounter from time to time, we thought we should share our most recent misadventure we experienced with Project TDI.
The other day, I had the misfortune to fill our “Ultra-low Sulfur Diesel Only” Jetta TDI with plain-old “Low Sulfur Diesel”.
The “warning” sticker on the pump looked exactly like the “Ultra-low Sulfur” label, and after briefly reading it I proceeded to fill ’er up.
Only after filling the tank did I realize I’d selected the wrong jungle-juice.
Expecting the worst, I phoned VW of America and a few of its dealers to discover the worst. However, I was relieved to hear that a tank of the older low sulfur diesel wouldn’t actually hurt our ultra-low-only 2009 Jetta TDI.
They did point out that while the older fuel wasn’t necessarily good for the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF), one tank wouldn’t do irreversible damage — if anything, I noticed a bit more power from the older diesel fuel, as the technicians predicted I might.
Using the wrong diesel fuel is along the lines of running leaded gas in a modern, unleaded car – it will clog the cat if used too often.
So you don’t make the same mistake, I’ve taken a photo of the “Ultra-low Sulfur Diesel” sticker to point out the differences between it and the “Low-Sulfur Diesel” counterpart. After a long day’s work, the easiest way to decipher between ultra-low sulfur and regular low sulfur is the “parts per million” (PPM) figure. If it reads “500” it’s low sulfur. But if it’s a scant “15”, it’s ultra-low. And remember that most ’07 and newer cars need ULTRA-low sulfur diesel fuel.
Whenever possible, try your best to always run the appropriate diesel in your car but, if your ‘07+ diesel is on “empty” and low sulfur is all that’s available, one tank shouldn’t hurt things too badly.
On a side note, I had the pleasure of taking our Jetta TDI on a 1000-mile jaunt and averaged an amazing 46mpg with a combination of 80mph cruising and tons of stop-and-go holiday traffic. The little oil-burner continues to impress us with its torque-rich character and soot-free fire-ups. Stay tuned; the modding is about to begin…