From owner-diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Thu Nov 6 06:32:48 2008 From: diesel-benz-digest diesel-benz-digest Thursday, November 6 2008 Volume 01 : Number 2896 Forum for Discussion of Diesel Mercedes Benz Automobiles Derick Amburgey Digest Coordinator Contents: Re: [db] fuel costs and projects [db] fuel costs and misadventures with grease... Re: [db] fuel costs and misadventures with grease... Diesel Benz Digest Home Page: http://www.digest.net/diesel-benz/ Send submissions to diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Send administrative requests to diesel-benz-digest-request-at-digest.net To unsubscribe, include the word unsubscribe by itself in the body of the message, unless you are sending the request from a different address than the one that appears on the list. Include the word help in a message to stag-digest-request to get a list of other majordomo commands. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:56:13 -0500 From: Edward Pomeroy Subject: Re: [db] fuel costs and projects Spot on, got my first VW bug in '72 and when gas stations had a war on the corner of two main roads in Rochester NY (3 stations within 100 yards of each other), I could fill up at .25 and even .23/gal. 3 bucks gave me change back when filling the bug ....how I miss those days..... :-) john wrote: > I remember pumping gas at .29/gal in subzero weather. :) > I think premium was .32... trying to remember what year it was... I think > this was around 1972... > > john > ----- > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Snohomish, Washington -o|||||o- where Jeeps don't rust, they mold > SAVE fuel: use synthetics: http://www.AMSOIL.com/redirect.cgi?zo=283461 > SAVE power: use LINUX: http://johnmeister.com/tmcp.pdf > http://wagoneers.com http://gunbanobama.com/ http://freegift.com > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > On Mon, 3 Nov 2008, Jim Hoffman wrote: > > # Well, I'm old enough to remember my father getting VERY > # upset if the > # price of a gallon of gas went over $.269!!! > # > # When I got my license and started paying for my own gas I > # think it > # was somewhere around $.509. > # > # But I'm not expecting anything like that... > # > # ;) > # > # Jim > # > # > --- On Mon, 11/3/08, Alec Cordova > # > wrote: > # > > # > > From: Alec Cordova > # > > Subject: Re: Fw: Re: [db] fuel costs and projects > # > > To: diesel-benz-at-digest.net > # > > Date: Monday, November 3, 2008, 10:37 AM > # > > Our lone Wal Mart and major grocery store (HEB) in > # > Taylor, > # > > Texas have > # > > been in a fuel price pissing match for over two months > # > now, > # > > and I'm > # > > loving it. > # > > Regular unleaded was $1.839 a gallon this morning, > # > with all > # > > other > # > > grades and diesel at normal intervals above that base > # > > price. > # > > > # > > Alec > # > > > # > > On Mon, Nov 3, 2008 at 10:32 AM, Jim Hoffman > # > > wrote: > # > > > Yeah, kept forgetting to send an update about > # > fuel > # > > prices... > # > > > > # > > > Diesel dropped below three bucks over a week ago! > # > > # > > Filled up for > # > > > $2.929 yesterday. Regular is around $3.359. At > # > these > # > > prices I > # > > > can afford to eat out again! > # > > > > # > > > ;) > # > > > > # > > > Jim > # ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2008 16:13:31 -0800 (PST) From: john Subject: [db] fuel costs and misadventures with grease... doing some number crunching and thinking about what I want to drive and do with my time... ...don't want to spend time hauling WVO around, and can't say I really like driving a Chevy... ;) assumptions: 1,200 miles per month, gas pump price $2.47, Diesel pump price $3.19, labor to handle/process/move wvo & biodiesel $30/hr. to MOVE WVO around for BioDiesel is about $1.98/gallon. - total biod costs: $3.73 to move wvo around AND FILTER it, is about $3.00/gallon. insurance is about $42/vehicle/month, give or take... using in town mileage - mileage estimates LOW and labor costs HIGH... ...your mileage may vary... (YMMV) so, that stated: WJ - 15 mpg in town - cost / month: $197.40 K1500 - 15 mpg in town: - PUMP: $255.20 - BIOD: $298.40 ($140 straight costs + est. labor) - WVO/blend: $251.40 (can not use biodiesel) - WVO w/aux tank: $240.00 (still need the tank and setup, add $1k) for $15/mo savings it's not worth spending $1k on a 2nd tank, nor is it cost effective, considering my time, to do BioDiesel... when it was free, or even $1.30/gallon it made sense... BENZ - 29 mpg in town - cost / month: - PUMP: $132.00 - BIOD: $154.34 ($72.41 straight cost + est. labor) - WVO/blend: $130.03 (can not use biodiesel) - WVO w/aux tank: $124.14 (still need the tank and setup, add $1k) Coming to the somewhat abrubt conclusion that biodiesel and/or blending wvo isn't worth the trouble, although it does feel good... (and smells good...) the math just doesn't work out when one considers the TIME, the mess and the extra incidentals... over $4/gallon it starts making some sense, but considering the effort and TIME, not that much... I've got empty buckets and cubies and barrels all over my yard, my trailer has one empty and one full barrel of oil in it... and an empty bucket... and a barrel lift attached... making it hard to use for topsoil (which I was told is something we need for the yard... ;) Of course, the time issue isn't that big of a deal, and we often combine the adventure, so it's not just about the time... question is, is it worth all the mess and chasing around to save $75 to $125/month in direct costs? Selling the K1500 would immediately save about $100 / month in fuel and insurance... and give me the money to get a nice Diesel engine driveline for my J10... :) We'd use the WJ for trips and the Benz for commuting/local stuff like we did before. That leaves me without a 4x4 Diesel, but having had one I can say I'll be ok... until I can get my J10 working again. ;) I still plan to build up my J10 as a Diesel, and building it from the ground up for WVO makes sense... will have time to acquire free parts and time to engineer it. Not insuring it or driving it for months or a year also save money... The WJ is more than capable of pulling the trailer... if gas prices go up again we could just not drive as much... freedom isn't free, right? ;) Eventually the Mercedes will die and perhaps the J10 will be ready... I should have plenty of time, the Benz "only" has 254,000 miles on it and not a single issue... oil change every 15 to 20 thousand miles, front brake pads every 20 to 30 thousand miles and a tank of go-juice once every 500 or 600 miles and it's happy... So for now, the K1500 will be going up for sale, possibly along with the Panel... Will only make one trip up north a month to move barrels of WVO around... will cut way back on my bioDiesel use... Oh the insanity of it all... :) ...have excellent sources of WVO and the equipment to move it and the chemical costs just made it non-cost effective... guess I'll start filtering and stockpiling like I used to... or selling my WVO if I can find a buyer... of course the supply of wvo has decreased with the costs of cooking oil too... guess everyone is cutting back. :) I'll put the spreadsheet up on my server if anyone is interested in checking my math... :) john ----- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Snohomish, Washington -o|||||o- where Jeeps don't rust, they mold SAVE fuel: use synthetics: http://www.AMSOIL.com/redirect.cgi?zo=283461 SAVE power: use LINUX: http://johnmeister.com/tmcp.pdf http://wagoneers.com http://gunbanobama.com/ http://freegift.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2008 14:30:46 GMT From: "jasonbassett-at-juno.com" Subject: Re: [db] fuel costs and misadventures with grease... Don't forget the transmission fluid, or you'll have a great engine that can't turn the wheels. Ask me how I know this!!! Jason - -------------------- plenty of time, the Benz "only" has 254,000 miles on it and not a single issue... oil change every 15 to 20 thousand miles, front brake pads every 20 to 30 thousand miles and a tank of go-juice once every 500 or 600 miles and it's happy... _____________________________________________________________ Click here for free information on nursing degrees, up to $150/hour http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2111/fc/Ioyw6iifeLf4FjV2jtLqhabeKGi8CpuAF Zw9ycJ07FLZJ8hSmW2usX/?count=1234567890 ------------------------------ End of diesel-benz-digest V1 #2896 **********************************