|
On the inside of the fuel flap on my Skoda Octavia 2.0TDI it says not to use BioFuel. With the forced introduction of 2.5% BioFuel in fuel, should I be worried?
|
|
My Audi 2.0TDi handbook says up to 5% biofuel is fine. You obviously haven't reached that far in the manual yet!
|
Cars have manuals?
Fair point - I didn't get that out to read this morning, I just remembered the sticker on the fuel flap. Should be ok then.
Cheers.
|
|
|
|
My new ride's handbook says no bio fuel too.
Privately I suspect that it will not be critical at this ratio but if government action damages a whole class of engines they can look forward to a class action.
Edited by Ubi on 15/04/2008 at 11:46
|
Man on radio this morning says its within tolerance of ALL manufacturers, so warranties aren't an issue. Which is fine if you have a car with a warranty...
Still I don't expect to see much trouble with older cars, as they are simpler mechanically, so I'm sure we don't need to worry.
|
|
In France, they have been putting a 5% mix of biodiesel in diesel sold at all filling stations for years. I believe it is mandatory. I would be astonished if your engine cannot handle this.
|
The European fuel standard EN590 specifies that up to 5% biodiesel can be added to diesel and it will still meet the criteria for ordinary diesel fuel.
It is accepted that 5% biodiesel is fine in any car without modification.
If your car was unable to run on 5% bio, it is the manufacturer you should be having a go at. The EN590 fuel spec. has been around since at least 2000.
The RTFO comes into force in 2010 which stipulates a minimum of 5% of all road fuel sold must be from renewable sources.
Edited by Rich 9-3 on 15/04/2008 at 12:24
|
|
New Hyundai i30 petrol, handbook forbids gasohol (i.e. petrol and ethanol mix) with over 10% ethanol and petrol or gasahol containing methanol - both on pain of rejected warranty claims. Also suggests avoiding methl tertiary butyl ether, whatever that is, over 15% volume. I do hope we can trust suppliers over this.
|
|
|
|
|
The VW Tiguan 2-litre I hired in France recently also had the same message inside the fuel flap but I took this to mean avoiding pumps that specifically say biofuel where the biofueld share included is presumably much higher than 5 percent. Not that I saw any such pumps as it happens.
|
|
New Mondeo IV manual says any diesel meeting EN590 is fine, and it mentions up to 5% biodiesel is acceptable.
|
Go onto the Skoda site and email them via it...
You got me thinking about my Fabia (TDi PD) and I sent a message to them as the handbook was a bit vague - they came back really quickly and confirmed that it can run on Biodiesel subject to "standard EN590 containing up to 5% RME (Rapeseed Methyl Ester)" - they did say its not compatable with 100% biodiesel.
|
|
My Volvo D5 says in the handbook, No RME to be used, but if this is whats going into the diesel will it harm my engine , pump etc?
|
I wonder if the "no biodiesel" clauses and notices are to dissuade owner/operators from trying to use cooking oil etc in the belief that these are a biodiesel?
A statement such as "No Biodiesel" is not open to interpretation and is unequivocal. It does not goad someone into trying to calculate what mix of veggy oil they can get away with, if for instance, the instruction was "Only Up To 18% Biodiesel". Someone might be tempted to push the envelope for the sake of economy, to the detriment of the engine.
Of course it could be that the car manufacturers get a "consideration" from the oil companies for applying these rules?
|
Isn't it one of those semantic points in that Biodiesel is nothing like the ENO-defined Diesel that comes out of pumps that happens to contain 5% bio.
Biodiesel is predominantly made from vegetables, sfaik.
|
"Biodiesel is predominantly made from vegetables, sfaik."
So is cooking oil! Rapeseed, sunflower, olive, peanut - the supermarkets are full of them. What is the difference between the veggy sourced oil used to make the 5% in biodiesel and the veggy oil I cook my bacon in? Not that I intend trying it my car I might add but Bio is Bio!
|
|
When Diesel invented his engine he designed it to run on peanut oil, NOT DERV !
|
|
The problem is not the engine itself, but the way the fuel is handled en-route to the cylinder. The new-fangled very high pressure pumps need lubricating. Furthermore, the Euro 4 compliant diesel engines have a particulate filter that does not agree with 100% bio diesel.
|
|
|
|
I wonder if the "no biodiesel" clauses and notices are to dissuade owner/operators from trying to use cooking oil etc in the belief that these are a biodiesel?
Don't think they need to go that far - cooking oil is sold as that, not as car fuel! Also the Handbook (and their email) clearly stated you had to use fuel "to such-and such standard" - that would cover them plenty... I suspect its more likely that the injection gear has not been tested thoroughly with cooking oil and other such "products" so they can't guarantee that there are not things in cooking oil that won't harm it...
After all the instructions for fueling a petrol car is equally explicit - you have to use fuel to a certain standard - if you do the warranty will be honoured, if you don't then you are on your own....
|
Got this from BMW UK today :
We can confirm that none of the present models of diesel engine will run on 100% bio diesel, therefore it cannot be used as an alternative.
We can confirm that the properties of a diesel fuel with a bio-content of up to 5% are the same as those of conventional diesel fuel, which means that there is no effect on their suitability for use in diesel vehicles. This is not to be confused with Ultra Low Sulphur or City Diesel, which are now commonly seen on most fuel station forecourts and can be used. These fuels have no detrimental effect at all on the fuel system or engine.
We would advise that customers proceed with caution when looking at bio diesel as a primary source of fuel though. Diesel fuel in accordance with EN 590 with a bio-content of up to 5% must not be confused with pure bio diesel. Vehicles must be specially designed to run on 100% bio-diesel (rape methyl ester), unlike vehicles that are able to run on diesel conforming to standard EN 590.
This in effect means that the bio-content of diesel fuels available from fuel suppliers should be problem free provided it is under 5% of the total volume (normal diesel supply complying with EN 590). Pure bio-diesel, or blends containing more than 5% bio-diesel, may not be used, as this will lead to detrimental effects on the fuel system or engine. 100% biodiesel cannot be used in our normal diesel engines as symbolised on the fuel filler cap of any new BMW.
If this type of fuel is used, any resultant damage will not be covered by the Manufacturer's Vehicle Warranty. Should bio-diesel be added accidentally, do not start the engine as this can cause serious damage, please contact BMW Emergency Service to assist you further.
|
IIRC French diesel has had 5% bio for a while.
Never affected the Honda - well not up to last Friday anyway. Not my problem now.
Will quite happily put French diesel in the Skoda.
|
|
Not much choice if you drive more than the limit of your tank over there!
Edited by b308 on 17/04/2008 at 18:44
|
|
Just wondering if part bio would lubricate the pump and counteract the low lubricity of low sulphur derv?
|
|
5% bio in low sulphur fuel does just that, and is one of the reasons it was introduced!
|
|
|
|
