Will fuel prices limit your touring.

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Jul 23, 2021
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Since I became interested in Caravans, on a long motorway journey I tend to look at the caravans I am overtaking and on a long motorway journey of 225 miles a month ago I counted 20 caravans.
I did the same journey this Monday and only counted 2.
Perhaps the fuel costs do have something to do with it ?
A month ago was half also school half term. That may have had more to do with it.
 
Nov 6, 2005
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Since I became interested in Caravans, on a long motorway journey I tend to look at the caravans I am overtaking and on a long motorway journey of 225 miles a month ago I counted 20 caravans.
I did the same journey this Monday and only counted 2.
Perhaps the fuel costs do have something to do with it ?
How many you overtake will depend how much faster you're towing than the average caravanner - maybe you'd slowed down because of the fuel cost?
 
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Jan 3, 2012
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In Sport mode and full throttle, I have to be very careful with speed limits as it reaches them very quickly - most turbos these days have variable geometry and the moving vanes stick if the car is driven gently all the time and can cause error codes which usually need a new turbo to fix - "exercising" these vanes keeps them working.


In that case, use Sport Mode 1 as "instructed" - it won't necessarily be more economical but it will avoid undue stress on the engine/transmission.
in that case i ought to try sport mode on my tiguan and see what it like (y)
 

Ern

May 23, 2021
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in that case i ought to try sport mode on my tiguan and see what it like (y)
I set our Tiguan to Eco mode for solo work and standard D mode for towing.
It all depends on how what you personally prefer, how much loading, and what power your car generates. Since using Eco for solo work, I have noticed the improved fuel consumption.
 
Jan 3, 2012
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I set our Tiguan to Eco mode for solo work and standard D mode for towing.
It all depends on how what you personally prefer, how much loading, and what power your car generates. Since using Eco for solo work, I have noticed the improved fuel consumption.
My Tiguan starts off in Drive mode then it goes into Eco mode when solo and towing i find it more economical that my choice
 

JTQ

May 7, 2005
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- most turbos these days have variable geometry and the moving vanes stick if the car is driven gently all the time and can cause error codes which usually need a new turbo to fix - "exercising" these vanes keeps them working.

IMO with diesels this point makes a very sound case for exploiting the use of "sport mode" when towing.
The highish towing loading and the sport algorithm combined, are very likely to provoke quite a lot of hot end turbo vane switching, along with unusually high temperatures to burn off some of the offending "coking".

Accepted not best for fuel economy, but being too focused on that is not good news for the vane switching technology, and a turbo change out buys a lot of any extra fuel saved.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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IMO with diesels this point makes a very sound case for exploiting the use of "sport mode" when towing.
The highish towing loading and the sport algorithm combined, are very likely to provoke quite a lot of hot end turbo vane switching, along with unusually high temperatures to burn off some of the offending "coking".

Accepted not best for fuel economy, but being too focused on that is not good news for the vane switching technology, and a turbo change out buys a lot of any extra fuel saved.
A friends 2017 Santa Fe had just had a failed turbo 2 months out of warranty. Cost to replace ? £1300. Hyundai gave £300 as a good will gesture. Be nice if Hyundai made caravans.
 
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Nov 16, 2015
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Today we decided to take a trip up to Norfolk, to check out a few sites before comitting our selfs. Going up the A14 and then then the A11 towards Cromer. I reset our MPG calculator and at 67mph steady on cruise control, I registered a fantastic 51.8 mpg. Eventually it dropped to 48 mpg, Then after Cromer across to Fakenham and down to Kings Lynn, and down to Huntingdon, eventuall back home to Woburn Sands, and a nice pint in the Royal Oak. So after 250 miles, the SantaFe recorded an average of 43 mpg. Not bad, but I did have to put £80 worth of diesel in at £1.80.9.
Oh yes, we didn't like the three sites we visited. Two were clean but middle of nowhere and the last one very run down.
 
May 7, 2012
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I am beginning to doubt everyone with the current fuel prices. After Richi's announcement the local garage put its prices up 5p for a couple of days and then took them back to where they were but diesel is now 20p more than petrol. At least Morrisons had knocked the money off both and their diesel was 10p more than diesel which seemed more reasonable. so they got the business.
 
Nov 16, 2015
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I wish I had topped up the car before setting off, as diesel fuel around us is at £1.75 twenty miles north and it shoots up to £1.80 .
And cod and chips in Cromer, £9.20. Or I should say Batter and chips.
 
Jul 18, 2017
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Although I get a small discount of 4p when filling up. it is cheaper for us to use the Tesco pump as that is11p cheaper and I am not keen on supermarket fuels which is just my preference for no reason. :D
 
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Although I get a small discount of 4p when filling up. it is cheaper for us to use the Tesco pump as that is11p cheaper and I am not keen on supermarket fuels which is just my preference for no reason. :D
I use a lot of supermarket fuel and make a note of my towing mpg on most trips. On our regular trips down from Glasgow to White water Parks I have normally used Tesco as the nearest supermarket, but sometimes a nearer Esso station and my conclusion is that the Tesco fuel does seem to have a small advantage of a couple of miles a gallon over Esso almost every time. As far as I can tell there is very little if anything in the mileage achieved between different makes and I have never had any fuel related problems with either type of fuel.
 
Jul 18, 2017
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Has anyone seen the benefit of the 5p knocked off the duty? Nearest town to us is about 10 miles away. Local Tesco in that town is £1.699 per litre, but the two Essos within less than half a mile away charge £1.809 and £1.799 respectively. The Esso closest to us charge £1.879!
Seems a bit of profiteering going on as the 5p discount is not being applied?
 

Ern

May 23, 2021
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I don't think we will ever benefit from the 5p duty reduction. The problem is that, unlike VAT, Duty is not shown on the receipt. The retailer pays the duty when they get the delivery, so their stock has duty on it at the old rate. This means we also don't know what duty they have paid.
 

JTQ

May 7, 2005
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Not that it is 5 pence at the pump, its 5 pence off the fuel duty, on which we are paying 20% VAT, so we should see 6 pence reduction at the pump.

Here with the prices being asked you would be forgiven thinking we are being exploited, leaving a feeling that most of that "saving" we ultimately as tax payers will bear its cost, is being syphoned off into the supply chain.
Then, what is new?
 
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Jul 18, 2017
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IMHO VAT overall should have been reduced to 15% as then everyone benefits and not just the motorist. It will also help boost the economy plus it should have a small effect on the cost of fuel.
 
Nov 6, 2005
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IMHO VAT overall should have been reduced to 15% as then everyone benefits and not just the motorist. It will also help boost the economy plus it should have a small effect on the cost of fuel.
That would have left such a big hole in Treasury finances that some other tax would have to increase, eg Income Tax.
 
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That would have left such a big hole in Treasury finances that some other tax would have to increase, eg Income Tax.
They managed to do that under the previous government and it did help stimulate the economy resulting in more VAT being paid especially on big items.
 

Ern

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Direct taxation is OK because it's visible. The taxes I object to are the sneaky ones which are not called tax - 25% of our energy bills are this type of thing.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Please elaborate as VAT on energy is 5%? Thanks.
I think it’s referring to the additional charges included within bill to help the move towards reduction of carbon dioxide emission.. They aren’t taxes and duties though, as taxes have to be declared within HMGs Consolidated Fund via HMRC.
 
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May 7, 2012
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Has anyone seen the benefit of the 5p knocked off the duty? Nearest town to us is about 10 miles away. Local Tesco in that town is £1.699 per litre, but the two Essos within less than half a mile away charge £1.809 and £1.799 respectively. The Esso closest to us charge £1.879!
Seems a bit of profiteering going on as the 5p discount is not being applied?
It is a bit of a mixed bag round us. Morrisons have certainly dropped the price to £155.9 and £159,99 for petrol and diesel, Tesco has no price indicated at the moment although the queues suggest the price is good. One local garage upped the price 4p and then dropped it 5p a few days later although has a 20p premium on diesel which I assume is not now selling as everybody else charges a10p premium. Two local garage charges £154.9 and £155.9 and one does have an attendant to serve you, which does mean they do charge for that, but two others are at £169.9 and £179.9 which shows no drop at all. All you can do is shop around.
 
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Jul 18, 2017
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I was referring to the fact that 25% or more of our energy bill pays for various social obligations, levies, surcharges all sorts of generous donations to good causes.
Having worked in the industry I have never heard of any of the above. The above may be in the 5% VAT that you pay, but not in the cost of the energy? Not sure where you got the above information.
The standing charge pays for the distribution network maintenance, meter reader, meter operator, data collector, data aggregator etc all related to the supply of power.
 

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