Message Forums

We had a problem with our Mondeo back in May last year (2011) with dodgy fuel and I posted the details on here.  Fortunately we didn't call out the breakdown insurance, but just limped around for the last part of the holiday.  When we got home our trusty mechanic (Diesel Dave) sorted things out for us for not very much at all - where others who reported similar problems on another caravan forum had major work done by French garages, costing them a fortune!

There were quite a few reports at the time when we had problems, and several more throughout the summer, but I haven't seen anything recently.

Quote: Originally posted by bev+jon on 22/1/2012

---

i just cant justify the cost of a trip to the south now for 2 weeks , diesel / tolls has killed it for us plus the long drive home is depressing .its ok if you can go for a month + but its too much hassle and expense for less time imo, maybe im getting too old ? we`ve decided to fly off on all inc for a week in april and have a week or so on the opal coast of france in june .

---

I don't think you're getting too old, I'm fairly youngish still (she says, optimistically) and feel the same. We just can't justify the increased expense of it all during peak season (eldest now at secondary school so that's us now tied to peak time until -counts up - 2022!   when youngest leaves school) As I said on another thread, we're planning for 2 weeks AI in the Med (Turkey or Greece perhaps) for the same as 2 weeks self catering in a static in France. Without the three days each way drive. And food shopping, cooking and so on. Like you, when we retire and can have a month off, we'll definitely head back to France.

Quote: Originally posted by Val A on 22/1/2012

---

We had a problem with our Mondeo back in May last year (2011) with dodgy fuel and I posted the details on here. 

There were quite a few reports at the time when we had problems, and several more throughout the summer, but I haven't seen anything recently.

---

Yes, here's the link!  Potential problems with French diesel - we never were sure whether we'd bought biodiesel by mistake, whether the tank for the 'normal' diesel pump had been filled with the wrong fuel, or whether it was just a dodgy batch.  We filled up in SuperU and others had reported filling up in the same supermarket chain.

The other reports, on other forums, were all around the same time - but I've seen nothing much since then.  Some drivers were towed to garages, and ECUs and fuel lines replaced at a cost of thousands.  I think we were lucky to get home!  It did cause a 'bit of a rift' as I wanted to call out the breakdown - but OH didn't.  As we didn't have the caravan to tow home we decided to just limp back, and now I'm very glad we did.  I think we paid less than £30 for our car 'sorting out' - he's the old-fashioned sort of mechanic who does a great job for a very reasonable cost, and if he can't find a problem doesn't charge at all, however long the 'investigation' has gone on!

We had long discussions about this last year, and if you read the original thread you'll see there are French drivers mentioning the same problem (if the links are already there).  We've holidayed in France for thirty-one years, and always filled up in supermarkets or similar, before, and this was the only problem we had.

The problem was with Gazole - and seemed to affect quite a few drivers at that time, reported on this and other forums.  It's probably long gone as a problem now, but is perhaps worth noting as if a similar thing happens, (black smoke, reduced power, limp-mode, engine management light) that it may not be necessary to call out the breakdown service and be landed with an expensive bill but it is still possible to get home and get it sorted out here.

In a lot of cases it's the same supplier or source of fuel for various retailers.  In Scotland AFAIK all fuel comes from Grangemouth to all supermarkets and all retail filling stations.  If the "wrong" fuel has been put in a tanker in Grangemouth it may be delivered to several retail outlets by the one tanker.

I believe the "cheap substandard supermarket fuel" to be an urban myth whether it be in France or the UK.  Any of us could be unlucky at any fill up but it thankfully doesn't happen very often.  Water contaminating a filling station underground tank can happen however, and loads of drivers have put diesel into petrol tanks and vice versa (an easy mistake especially if you have 2 family cars running on different fuels- and that can be very costly to rectify - especially if you drive away without noticing.

The last big problem from 20+ years ago I seem to recall involved a supermarket - I think Tesco? having an engine cleaning additive put in their fuel which damaged some car engines - especially Vauxhall.  They paid out a small fortune in compensation and that ended the game of additives. 

Quote: Originally posted by oxter on 23/1/2012

---

In a lot of cases it's the same supplier or source of fuel for various retailers.  In Scotland AFAIK all fuel comes from Grangemouth to all supermarkets and all retail filling stations.  If the "wrong" fuel has been put in a tanker in Grangemouth it may be delivered to several retail outlets by the one tanker.

I believe the "cheap substandard supermarket fuel" to be an urban myth whether it be in France or the UK.  Any of us could be unlucky at any fill up but it thankfully doesn't happen very often.  Water contaminating a filling station underground tank can happen however, and loads of drivers have put diesel into petrol tanks and vice versa (an easy mistake especially if you have 2 family cars running on different fuels- and that can be very costly to rectify - especially if you drive away without noticing.

The last big problem from 20+ years ago I seem to recall involved a supermarket - I think Tesco? having an engine cleaning additive put in their fuel which damaged some car engines - especially Vauxhall.  They paid out a small fortune in compensation and that ended the game of additives. 

 

 

 

---