'contaminated' fuel

Vertigo · 3 Mar 2007 at 11:19

So the latest wisdom is that the silicon which has contaminated the fuel is turning to silicon dioxide when burned and is then depositing on the lambda sensor, causing the ECU to get incorrect readings and thus fuel the car wrong.

Just one thing - isn't silicon dioxide actually sand!? That's going to do your engine a lot of good! Ok so we're not talking about pouring sand crystals into the engine but the point I'm making is how much other damage is being done besides the failing lambda sensor and which may cause problems months or years down the line. Good luck getting any compensation for that when it happens.

Third Opinion · 3 Mar 2007 at 15:53

I see they have finally found the problem. Still no advice given to people who have had cars breakdown due to this.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6414905.stm

Best bit is looks like we will all have to pay for there mess up!!

"They look for those opportunities and the price goes up so motorists across the UK everywhere, not just in the south-east corner, they'll end up paying probably one to two pence more per litre in the next week."

Looks like the oil company bosses take lessons of politicians.

Fr0dders · 3 Mar 2007 at 16:08

seems its silicon after all

and not ethanol

interesting reading, considering there was a post made on scoobynet a while back, by a bloke who said he worked for the petrol industry

he said as he was posting this, he was sat at work with a sample of tesco fuel in his hand, and the sand deposits in it were hurendous,

i just took it as BS at the time, what's he doing posting on a forum in a computer lab ?? 2ndly, if they had as much sand as he was making out, this sort of thing that has happened now, years later, would be widesspread

looks like there may have been a certain ammount of truth in what he said, just possibly exagerated slightly

Simon · 5 Mar 2007 at 16:59

Told you supermarket fuel was crap.

Simon · 5 Mar 2007 at 17:02

BenST said:
I always fill up a Tescos (love the clubcard points) and I've noticed my ST struggling to start over the past couple of weeks. Could it be fuel related?

This is a common thing being noticed with tesco 99

Lashout_UK · 5 Mar 2007 at 17:07

Tescos 99 is so poor where I live, any of the Triumphs takes a noticeable hit on it :mad:

Hence why I've only ever filled up with it once, in desparation - every other time it's Optimax

Adnams Drinker · 5 Mar 2007 at 19:39

Simon said:
Told you supermarket fuel was crap.

Exactly what my father would be saying now if he was alive - he gave me ear 'ole for years about Tesco petrol

Simon · 5 Mar 2007 at 20:41

Adnams Drinker said:
Exactly what my father would be saying now if he was alive - he gave me ear 'ole for years about Tesco petrol

Also proves that petrol does indeed differ due to the different (cheaper) additives that supermarkets use.

stoofa · 6 Mar 2007 at 11:01

On-topic kinda...
Does anybody happen to know which newspapers are carrying the full page advert on what to do to go about claiming charges back?

Due to my sensor actually surviving the onslaught of Tesco Unleaded and getting away with being removed and cleaned-up I've got a rather modest bill of £235 for them to pay rather than the £450 - £500 I was originally quoted.

To anyone else who was effected by this - Oh boy it's amazing how different your car feels when it comes back from repair.
I know all that is being done is the car is being returned to it's normal self, however if like me you were forced to drive the vehicle for any length of time with the fault - scary is an understatement.

Confused · 6 Mar 2007 at 11:06

The other question of course is what damage has been done to the cat? With the oxygen sensor giving false readings, it's likely to throw the wrong amount of fuel into the engines. Not to mention the same coat of silicon that has covered the oxygen sensor has also probably coated the cat.

The garage where my dad works in Colchester was the first to report possible fuel contamination! They had 3 cars in one day with the same problem, and this number increased to about 8 per day at the peak of it all! Most have got away without too much damage, but 2 have so far been taken off the road for repair!

stoofa · 6 Mar 2007 at 13:15

To anybody interested in this - I went through the procedure a little while ago.
The phone number you need to call is:

0800 028 6428

They first want to get you logged in their system, so they ask for the usual name & address etc.
They then ask where you bought the suspected contaminated fuel from and on what date and then check if you've got receipts.
I could only really narrow mine down to one week or another, however as I had receipts for both purchases they asked me to include both.

They then asked what symptoms I experienced and when I first noticed them.
Next they ask for make & model of the car and finally if work has been done and do you have an invoice for the work etc.
Finally they asked if I held a Club Card and asked for it's number.

I've now been asked to send photocopies of the two receipts and the garage repair bill to an address in Dundee (which I'll do tomorrow) and I got the impression it was now just a matter of waiting for the money to be sent to me.

I think my claim is quite straight forward as I wasn't taken off the road, so I haven't got hire car and/or taxi bills and other concequential losses I'm claiming for.
Whole call took around five minutes and I feel I'm just a step away from getting my costs covered on this one.
I don't think I can trust Tesco fuel again, however hats off to them making this claim procedure pretty straight forward.
However...it was only byh luck I still had receipts, especially for petrol.
If I buy something electrical I keep a receipt, I really don't usually bother for something like petrol and I still don't know why I did.
I shall just put a very standard covering letter in with

nutcase · 6 Mar 2007 at 22:58

I do laugh when people say they won't be trusting XZY again after something like this - if anything, it'll be the most checked fuel ever now!

It's not like it's a regular occurance

Got a feeling I might have had some of the dodgy fuel. Mine coughed a bit on the last tank. Hurrah for no silly electronics and sensors and cats

Simon · 6 Mar 2007 at 23:27

nutcase_1uk said:
I do laugh when people say they won't be trusting XZY again after something like this - if anything, it'll be the most checked fuel ever now!

It's not like it's a regular occurance

Got a feeling I might have had some of the dodgy fuel. Mine coughed a bit on the last tank. Hurrah for no silly electronics and sensors and cats

Quality control costs time, time costs money.

jcat98 · 7 Mar 2007 at 08:15

Probably posted elsewhere, but http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1480349.ece

"Driver sends bailiffs into Tesco to win bad fuel fight:
Officers impound £60,000 worth of supermarket’s finest wines and spirits"

The Article said:
Mr Bennington, a senior legal executive with Withy King, said it was ironic that Tesco was making the pledge after failing to pay his client. “This case clearly shows that the issue of contaminated fuel is not just a recent one,” he said.