U.K. – Faulty fuel: mystery deepens

Motorists were yesterday warned to take care where they fill up and to keep all till receipts as mystery continued to surround reports of contaminated fuel.

Supermarkets, which have been identified as a possible source of a problem now thought to have damaged thousands of vehicles, continued to deny that there was anything wrong with their fuel sources.

…The problem emerged this week as large numbers of drivers across the east of England reported the same fault, all thought to be caused by fuel containing excess amounts of ethanol. Symptoms appear to be juddering and misfiring vehicles and a loss of power, possibly caused by engines switching to emergency settings after an exhaust sensor is damaged.

Mechanics in Norfolk have now reported several hundred cases but can do little to repair the vehicles because demand for the crucial part – a sensor used to regulate emissions – has led to a national shortage.

EDP24 (U.K.)