The European’s high use of diesel cars should not be equated to a European love affair with diesel nor should it be used as a model to recommend diesel because it is artificially manipulated by very high government taxes on gasoline. You can as include Brazil who uses alcohol at their primary fuel for the same reason high gasoline tax by the government. At least in Brazil if your car doesn’t run you can have a drink of fuel while waiting for the tow truck :D.
On the drip level, quite often. Things splash a bit, sometimes the shut off malfunctions, or the last guy to fill up topped off and got fuel on his hand then onto the pump handle, so even IF you have a perfect no-spill pump you can still have hand stank all day, and with diesel it could be 5 fillup’s ago with the same effect on you. With gas it’s not bad, with diesel you are wearing that scent till your next shower.
They were generally harder to start in cold weather, I think there is a temperature that starting becomes nearly impossible, though modern ones may not have that limitation.
Diesel needs high compression = much more drain on the battery to start
And ignite by compression so no friendly sparkplug to help out - though they use glow plugs.
it’s the reverse, actually. diesel fuel tends to thicken and “gel” at cold temps. cold weather areas transition to winterized fuel when it’s cold, but even then if it gets cold enough it’ll turn to glop.
but, as long as the fuel is not a problem, modern diesels are a lot better at cold starting thanks to the return of direct injection and ultra-high-pressure injection systems.
this is what cold starting a diesel used to entail:
Well, I had a quick look around at the pumps when I filled up yesterday, and didn’t see any diesel oil-slicks. I think you are making a problem out of nothing here.
the HP fuel injection (as well as multi-shot injection) has been the main driver for that. diesels have been DI for most of their existence; prechambers were a relatively short-term “fad” to try to reduce noise, cost, and ostensibly emissions.
