Have Top Gear been flogging their moody petrol to supermarkets?

[Dave B]

:eek: "Hundreds of drivers across south-east England are reporting that their cars have broken down after filling up with petrol at Tesco and Morrisons." - BBC News 24, just now.

Guess where I filled up yesterday? :eek: :s

[Iain]

I read about this elsewhere. It seems like it has spread up to Northants as well. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6405051.stm

[Hazell B]

News 24 had texts and calls from people all over the UK claiming they've had car trouble too. They sounded a bit like they were trying it on, to me, especially one who said she'd had problems for several days .....

Do you think I could say Tesco petrol's killed off my diesel Landie chassis
and get away with it? :p :

[Dave B]

Well I've got a tank full of Tesco unleaded which is going nowhere near a spark plug until this is resolved. I've only done about 5 miles since filling up, with no ill effects thus far, but I'm not going to chance it while there's uncertainty.

[Hazell B]

Want to borrow my Boris? Just give him a quick clean and he'll be as good as new, just slower than yours. Of course, I do run to the 'if you try it, you buy it' code of practice :p :

[Dave B]

Do you deliver?

[Hazell B]

No, we do beef, pork and prawn.

[Dave B]

B'dum-chaa!

:p

[acorn]

this article:

http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1710219,00.html

is very interesting. i particularly noted the effects of mixing regular petrol with petrol ethanol mix. petrol water and alcohol separate with the water going to the bottom. guess what that does. best get a magimix fitted to the inside if the fuel tank. how long does it have to be sitting before it starts to separate?

anyone noticed a decrease in mpg from using tesco's ethanol mix as opposed to ethanol free fuel?

[Daniel]

When I used to fill up with petrol I always go to a Shell or a BP or at a push a Texaco if I'm low on petrol. If possibly I always put in BP Ultimate or Shell V Power as they're much better for power and economy.

Got a turbo diesel now and am considering filling it up with BP Ultimate Diesel from now on. Anyone got any experience of BP Ultimate Diesel?

[Iain]

No, because it's too expensive. :mark:

[oily oaf]

Sounds to me like a rougue batch of high ethanol fuel has found it's way to the depot that supplies Tesco and the other lot.

Coats up the lamba sensor and eats into the fuel lines and seals. Nice :(

Mind you I had to laugh today when this Chinese geezer brought his chariot to the workshop today complaining of a rumbling noise when he went round corners.

"Do you think it could be something to do with that bad petrol?" says he.

"No mate" I replied "it's something to do with the fact that a split gator has turned your CV joint into swarf" :D

I didn't offer him a job :mad:

[acorn]

latest report says they've found silicon in samples they've tested from affected vehicles. i 've heard they have to coat the storage tanks to protect them from the corrosive properties of the ethanol. could this be the added nasty?

[Caroline]

About 4 years ago Tesco were blamed for a series of break downs here in North Wales. Having never used Tesco fuel before I passed a garage and thought 'why not?' and filled up my car, an Escort. Feeling pleased with myself for saving some cash I drove home and parked up outside my home without incident. Next day whilst hurtling along the A55 the car spluttered and died and I serenely glided up a handy slip road into a Little Chef car park.

The AA man came out and told me that I was the 80th call out that weekend with these symptoms and asked if I had filled up with fuel from a well known supermarket beginning with T. Although he never named Tesco he strongly recommended I stay away from supermarket pumps. I managed to dilute the fuel in the tank with as much Shell as I could but for about 4 months after the car would stutter and cough and was never the same really.

Tesco denied it had anything to do with people buying their petrol! They got quite a lot of bad press here and people have long memories, I certainly haven't used their stuff again.

[Hazell B]

I almost always use the cheapest supermarket stuff I can find. I even drive extra miles to get it if the saving is worth the hassle (and it is in my vast-tanked vehicle :p : ) and so far, so good.

However, I've lost count of the times horror stories like Caroline's have been told to me. Cheap fuel is worse than cheap aftershave as far as most people are concerned.

All the same, I shall enjoy the get-customers-back-here sale Tesco will no doubt have as a result of this mess :p :

[Iain]

Around here, I find Tescos are a couple of pence dearer for all their fuel (unleaded, 99 unleaded and diesel), so I haven't gone near them for about a year. Maybe they'll have a dramatic sale like you say Hazell.

[raybak]

latest report says they've found silicon in samples they've tested from affected vehicles. i 've heard they have to coat the storage tanks to protect them from the corrosive properties of the ethanol. could this be the added nasty?

They must have been crap tanks if they had to improve them so they would hold ethanol. I just changed over a 1,000,000lt tank at my depot to ethanol and didn't have to do any changes. We build our tanks tough here in Australia. Our Shell ethanol fuel is selling quite well here in Canberra, especially the V Power Racing which is 100 octane and great for the Rally car.

Ray

[oily oaf]

Sometimes I love my job :D
I've just got in from doing a service on a neighbours chariot and while I was in the garage tinkering and cursing in equal measure a Fiesta hove into view doing a fine impression of a kangaroo.

When the driver spotted my overall clad form she pulled over, for it was a young lady at the wheel, and asked me if I knew anything about cars :)

Well I didn't want to rain on her parade by telling the truth so I answered in the affirmative.

"I think I've got some of that bad petrol" she wailed. "My boyfriends going to kill me"

Anyway I whipped out a plug and to say it was sooty would be like saying Jordan has quite large knockers.

Playing a hunch (Blimey I sound like a bloody detective) I removed the fuse which supplies the onboard computer ECU and after waiting for 30 seconds or so I replaced it and waited for the unit to reset itself.

Job done!

Anyway this young kid is so grateful she starts pulling out her purse and whipping out the old readies to offer me by way of compensation for my 5 minutes work.
I told her not to worry about it and that I'd get my reward in heaven as my old mum used to misguidedly tell me if I cleaned the Ben Ghazi.
The look of gratitude on her face as she realised she wouldn't have to face an irate boyfriend was more than money could buy folks.

When you really get right down to it I'm a bit of a latter day saint I suppose.

St Oily of Whitechapel.
Yeah got a nice ring to it that ;)

[Hazell B]

Doesn't look as if my wish for a sale will come true - Tesco have said they need to increase fuel prices to cover the costs of this mess.

How come a cock-up on petrol means diesel prices go up? :mark:

[Daniel]

Doesn't look as if my wish for a sale will come true - Tesco have said they need to increase fuel prices to cover the costs of this mess.

How come a cock-up on petrol means diesel prices go up? :mark:
I filled my 70ltr diesel tank up the other day Hazell :cheese: How happy do you think I am? :p I'll probably only save a pound or so but hey it's a pound!

[Hazell B]

A pound saved is a bird in the bush earned, as they say ;)

[wedge]

Great thread title!

Sorry to get off topic, but I always had the sneaking suspicion that Jezza advised the Chinese Military to dismantle an old space satellite via the use of a ballistic missile!

[J4MIE]

This fiasco will cost Tesco millions I'd imagine, who will pass these costs onto their suppliers. Who will put up the prices to pay for it :rolleyes:

Like they say, you don't see oil refinery people going around on a bike.