DanUK

I might go and dilute the Tesco 99 I have in mine with V Power on the way home!

David Lock

I simply don't believe that they don't know (or can't find out) what's been added to the fuel to stuff the sensor. More like they are hoping the problem will go away - damage limitation. dl

DanUK

Sky News saying fill up with Super Plus to solve problem! No Problem for most of us then!

sjwent

Does this mean that the Tesco 99 isn't causing any probs ?

nick_wrx

Ive got Tesco 99 in mine at the moment, normally use shell V-power but couldnt find a petrol station and was running low, touch wood i dont seem to have any problems. I'll defo be putting v-power in on the next fill.

PPPRob

Just had a quick flick through articles on some sites and I can't find out what this fuel is supposed to be contaminated with???

Diesel? Water? What else could it have come into contact with

WRXMATT

News is saying that garages have tested their fuel and nothing wrong. Also that some cars going in for work have had the fuel in their tanks tested and again nothing wrong.

Makes me wonder if someone decided to blame a garage when their car went wrong and news has travelled fast.
Also all those people who's cars have been running dodgy for a while due to their O2 sensors or other bits just wearing out have decided to try and get something for free.
Anyone's car that just goes wrong over the next week is automatically going to try and blame fuel.
I'm not saying it isn't a problem with the fuel so i'll wait to see the findings.

dpb

400 quids worth of damage here
definitely 'contaminated' fuel .


What chance is there of getting compensation i wonder

myblackwrx

iTrader: (1)

Ethanol allegedly

DanUK

seems to be the case

dynamix

iTrader: (3)

ran a full track day yesterday on Tesco 99 - no problems here.

RichWalk

sorry to disappoint the doubters but there is a problem, we had something like 10 times the volume of enquiries/orders for lambda sensors yesterday and its pretty much the same today.

pslewis

I guess that anyone who have a CockLink in their dash will not suffer from any bother whatsoever ........... they also won't get any compensation as they clearly ignored the magical device

dynamix

iTrader: (3)

ricardo

If it is ethanol then that's exactly what is in Tesco 99. Petrol can't really be be 'contaminated' with ethanol, some fuel is 85% ethanol anyway - it is much higher octane and a normal ingredient. I suspect that the extra oxygenation of a high-ethanol blend is causing the engine management to go outside its limits and it is causing the air/fuel ratio to be all over the place (hence the spluttering and hesitation) eventually giving the CEL and putting it into limp-home mode (hence all the comments about lack of power).

Draining it and resetting the ecu should be enough if that's the case, those garages replacing the sensor are doing so because the CEL code indicates the sensor is faulty, but it might be that the sensor is working perfectly. It is just measuring more oxygen than the map caters for so is flagged as faulty by the engine management.

I'm guessing that the amount of ethanol was too high, and some cars don't like it. I'm not so sure about replacing sensors but I'm sure it will all be clear eventually.

dpb - what car, what fuel, and what were the symptoms ?

ArghJae

I always 99ron from Tesco's. My car's idle on startup has been irratic shooting up to 2000 rpm and then down to stalling. But once warmed up with a little help from my right foot all seems well. There was one instance last week where my car was driving fine but started spluttering and stalled. Took a couple of starts then ran fine. I just changed the MAF and Lambda sensors less than 6 months ago and thought it was the idle control valve until seeing the news. I don't think I have my receipts either!!!

D1CCY

Did an internet search on Lambda sensors to see what kills them. Apparantly Lead or Silicon bearing compounds are worst culprits. Mechanism is coating the sensor with cr*p so it can't work.

Don't see how Ethanol content can have an impact (or water or diesel for that matter).

Working in the chemical industry I am mystified about the "agressive chemicals" used to clean tanks. Normally they just get drained and then either water washed or steam cleaned. Only thing I can think of is cross contamination in a ship's tanks.

As for not finding anything by analysis I'd say you have to look for the right things and if you don't then you will not find anything.

InvisibleMan

thought the higher rate was ok as its contained seperately, it was only the regular unleaded that was contaminated.

Good ole Tesco Value range...

brickboy

Great! Sounds like they're selling old-style 4-star

dpb

Citroen xsara 1.6 petrol 16v . Im not sure what the fuel was thats the thing ; ive out in about 3 x £20 quids worth over the last week / 9 days i think not sure ive kept the reciepts.....
Idle was ruf and some hesitation all over range -gradually getting worse
Assumed it just needed a tune-up ,perhaps spark plugs - until i took it to halfruads who declared its failing emissions and its prolly lamda - but best take it to citroen who have the proper diagnostics.

So the stealership want to drain it ,new lamda and so on - ive clearly handled this badly

WRXMATT

Of course the garages are just replacing the Lambda's they'll be charging loads aswell, they are gonna make a mint out of all this

dpb

'kin right

Judally

If you go on the BBC news web site you can look at a map of all the problem areas .

KiwiGTI

Now recommending all drivers change their petrol.

Sky News: 'Polluted' Petrol Blamed

dpb

I cant see them coughing up for damage on this scale ???

D1CCY

Just a thought but the things that kill a Lambda will also damage the Cat so come the next MOT cars will fail on emissions even if the Lambda has been sorted. This saga is going to drag on a bit.
What concerns me is the cause has not been identified and isolated. Suppliers that are saying that their fuel is OK are burying their heads in the sand.

ricardo

Tesco's pockets are very deep, and the amount of publicity given to this is huge. Even if you don't have a receipt there may be CCTV footage of you buying the stuff. Once the nature of the problem with the fuel is known it should also be easy enough to get an independent garage to state that your car suffered from a problem caused by the fuel, and then take the supplier to the Small Claims court.

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

bit scary this...

BBC NEWS | UK | Where you've been buying 'faulty' fuel

thats the map of the affected stations round the uk

good job i live in lincolnshire, seems ok to me

but i may swap to v-power over tesco 99 for a couple weeks... cant afford a melting engine


andy

dpb

Thats exactly what the dealer said !! cats costing anywhere between 100-1000 pounds they had 'several' cars whilst i was there with silimalr problems all waiting for back ordered parts to mend .

They said theyd save a sample of the contaminated fuel ,but since ive been to at least 2 garages i can see it being tricky to button anyone down.

Norman D. Landing

What a novel terrorist attack !

Just think, if they got all suppliers at once the country would be fcuked !