Poppe’s Diesel Co. LLC

05/09/2026

Re-sharing this from last night in case anyone missed it.

I’m getting the schedule tightened up for Poppe’s Diesel Co., so if you need work done, message me soon before the next available spots fill up. I appreciate everyone who has already reached out, shared, or supported the shop.

Poppe’s Diesel Co. — Scheduling & Pricing Update

Hey everyone, I wanted to put out a quick update before any new jobs get scheduled.

First, thank you to everyone who has trusted me with your vehicles. I truly appreciate the support, referrals, and repeat customers. Poppe’s Diesel Co. is still growing, and I want to make sure I’m able to keep providing honest, quality work, clear communication, and the level of detail each job deserves.

Going forward, my updated pricing will be:

Labor Rate
- General repair labor: $100/hr
- Diesel diagnostics, electrical, drivability, and advanced troubleshooting: $125/hr
- Minimum diagnostic charge: $150

Parts Policy
For larger jobs or jobs requiring special-order parts, parts will need to be paid upfront before they are ordered. This helps keep jobs moving, avoids delays, and makes sure parts are ready before the vehicle is tied up.

Scheduling
Jobs will be scheduled based on availability, job size, and parts readiness. I’ll do my best to keep everyone updated with timing, but I want to be fair and realistic instead of overbooking and rushing work.

Warranty
I stand behind my work with a 30-day labor warranty on repairs I perform. Parts warranty depends on the parts supplier/manufacturer. Customer-supplied parts are not covered under parts warranty.

My goal is simple: do honest work, communicate clearly, and keep vehicles on the road the right way.

Thank you again for supporting Poppe’s Diesel Co. I’m excited to keep building this into something better.

05/09/2026

Poppe’s Diesel Co. — Scheduling & Pricing Update

Hey everyone, I wanted to put out a quick update before any new jobs get scheduled.

First, thank you to everyone who has trusted me with your vehicles. I truly appreciate the support, referrals, and repeat customers. Poppe’s Diesel Co. is still growing, and I want to make sure I’m able to keep providing honest, quality work, clear communication, and the level of detail each job deserves.

Going forward, my updated pricing will be:

Labor Rate
- General repair labor: $100/hr
- Diesel diagnostics, electrical, drivability, and advanced troubleshooting: $125/hr
- Minimum diagnostic charge: $150

Parts Policy
For larger jobs or jobs requiring special-order parts, parts will need to be paid upfront before they are ordered. This helps keep jobs moving, avoids delays, and makes sure parts are ready before the vehicle is tied up.

Scheduling
Jobs will be scheduled based on availability, job size, and parts readiness. I’ll do my best to keep everyone updated with timing, but I want to be fair and realistic instead of overbooking and rushing work.

Warranty
I stand behind my work with a 30-day labor warranty on repairs I perform. Parts warranty depends on the parts supplier/manufacturer. Customer-supplied parts are not covered under parts warranty.

My goal is simple: do honest work, communicate clearly, and keep vehicles on the road the right way.

Thank you again for supporting Poppe’s Diesel Co. I’m excited to keep building this into something better.

02/13/2026

Touareg TDI leak hunt ✅
Front cover + oil cooler reseal, replaced a compromised coolant crossover, and verified the cooling system holds vacuum. No oil or coolant leaks — clean and dry after a full run-in.

01/24/2026

Wrapping up a VW this week and doing final verification before delivery here in Columbus, IN. During checks, coolant was found where it shouldn’t be and traced back to the front/timing cover sealing area.

Important part — the engine was not started. The issue was caught immediately during inspection. I pulled a vacuum on the system and it didn’t come close to holding, which told me right away this wasn’t something to ignore or “send it and see.”

That means pulling it back apart, verifying gasket choice, checking sealing surfaces and flatness on the cover, and making sure it seals correctly before it ever runs. It’s extra time now to prevent bigger problems later.

It also means honoring warranty labor on my end — because standing behind your work matters more than rushing a vehicle out the door.

We have cold temps today and we’re expecting up to 14 inches of snow over the next day or so, but progress keeps moving. Some jobs fight you right at the finish line — that’s where attention to detail makes the difference.

Anyone else ever have a project put up a last-minute fight?

01/08/2026

🚨 Schedule Update – Poppe’s Diesel 🚨 🇺🇸

The week of the 12th is filling up fast, and I’m now also booking ahead for the week of the 19th.

If you’ve got a diesel, work truck, or project that needs attention, now’s the time to get on the schedule before spots disappear.

Built in the garage. Backed by freedom. 🇺🇸
Shoot me a message and let’s get you lined up.

— Poppe’s Diesel

01/06/2026

Post 1/2

When one leak turns into a full investigation 🛠️

This Touareg came in showing oil and coolant in multiple places — oil on the alternator, oil on the A/C compressor, oil across the front of the engine, and small coolant drops underneath.

At first glance, it looked like everything was leaking.
That’s rarely the case — and that’s why this job slowed down before it sped up.

Before replacing anything, I:
✔ Pressure tested the cooling system
✔ Cleaned the engine thoroughly
✔ Ran oil & coolant dye
✔ Heat-cycled and rechecked
✔ Traced fluid paths top-down, not bottom-up

What looks like multiple leaks is often one failure spreading fluids across multiple components due to airflow, engine layout, and heat cycling.

At this stage, the engine is torn down to the point of confirmation, which is what you’re seeing in the photos. Nothing here was removed blindly.

Several gaskets and seals were found flattened and heat-compressed — a common result of age, repeated heat cycles, and sometimes over-tightening over time. Once a gasket loses its elasticity, it can no longer seal correctly, even if it isn’t visibly torn.

This part of the job doesn’t look pretty, but it’s where repairs are either done right… or done twice.

Once everything is resealed, reassembled, and verified, I’ll post a full update on what was replaced, why it was necessary, and how it was confirmed.

This is the work most people never see — but it’s the reason the fix lasts.

01/06/2026

🚨 Availability Update 🚨

Poppe’s Diesel Co. will be available to take on new work starting January 12th.

If you need help with:
• Diesel diagnostics & repairs
• Automotive repairs
• Maintenance & troubleshooting
• Honest, straightforward work

Send me a message to get on the schedule. As always—quality work, fair pricing, and no nonsense.

🔧 Poppe’s Diesel Co.
Built in the garage. Backed by freedom. 🇺🇸

12/08/2025

Diesel is finally sliding… a little.

Lately the U.S. average diesel price has eased off the spike we saw a few weeks back. It’s trending down instead of up, which is better than nothing—but it’s still not “cheap,” especially if you’re feeding a work truck every week.

Around here in Columbus, Indiana, we’re heading into the season where cold mornings make every gallon count even more. Thick fuel, cold starts, and idling to warm up all add up fast.

The part you can control is how much fuel your truck wastes (and how it handles winter):
• Lazy injectors or a dirty fuel filter
• Low tire pressure dragging your mileage down
• Small oil/fuel leaks you’ve been ignoring because “it’s just a drip”
• Weak batteries or glow plugs making cold starts a gamble

On top of basic maintenance, I’m a big fan of running a good winter diesel treatment. One I like is Howes Diesel Treat.

It’s not magic, but it does a few really useful things for winter diesel: 
• Helps prevent fuel from gelling when the temps tank
• Removes water from the fuel instead of just mixing it in, and it does it without alcohol, so it’s easier on modern fuel systems
• Adds lubricity back into today’s “dry” ultra-low sulfur diesel, which helps protect injectors, pumps, and upper cylinders
• Has detergents that help clean and lubricate injectors, which can cut down on rough idle and excessive smoke

Additive is cheap insurance. It doesn’t replace real maintenance, but it can absolutely keep you from being the guy on the side of the road with a gelled-up truck and a full day of work on the schedule.

If you want to squeeze every mile out of the fuel you’re paying for and have your rig ready for Indiana winter, hit me up here at Poppe’s Diesel Co. I’ll go through your truck, check filters, leaks, batteries, glow plugs, and get you set up with a winter game plan so your diesel stays clean, strong, and doesn’t turn into a big cold paperweight.