Mayo motorists’ cars damaged by diluted petrol

Mayo motorists’ cars damaged by diluted petrol


Ciara Galvin

OVER 100 motorists in east Mayo are expected to be left out of pocket to the tune of thousands of euro, after their cars were extensively damaged by ‘petrol stretching’.
The practice of petrol stretching  involves adding up to 10 percent of kerosene to petrol, thereby ‘stretching’ or diluting the fuel.
Contaminated fuel has reportedly been sold in recent weeks in the Swinford and Foxford areas, and many motorists who unwittingly put it into their vehilces are now facing repair bills of several thousand euro.

Public meeting
Almost 400 people attended a public meeting on Tuesday last in Swinford to voice their anger and share their stories. People from all over the county, as well as parts of Galway and Sligo, attended, all seeking answers after their vehicles were damaged.
The meeting was chaired by local man Paddy McNulty, who says his car engine has been destroyed by diluted fuel.
Speaking to The Mayo News yesterday (Tuesday), Mr McNulty said he ‘lost’ the engine of his 05 Toyota Corolla three weeks ago.
“I’m completely out of pocket and there doesn’t seem to be any redress. My car was making funny noises at the end of August, so I brought it to my local garage. They didn’t think anything was wrong, but when I brought it back after doing a bit more mileage they said the engine was gone [due to] fuel contamination,” said Mr McNulty, adding that he got all his fuel in a filling station in Swinford.
Mr McNulty said he believes the stretched petrol, or ‘jungle juice’ as he calls it, was delivered in June and that the damage to most cars has only coming to light in the last number of weeks. “The newer the car the quicker they went,” he said.
The Swinford man, who has spent €2,000 repairing his car, explained that he was lucky to get his hands on a secondhand engine. Other people with newer cars are facing bills of up to €7,000 for replacement engines, he said.
Information gathered at the meeting about when cars began to fail and where fuel had been purchased has been passed on to the Gardaí.
Sergeant Richard Taheny of Swinford Garda Station has urged anyone affected to visit the station to make a statement. They should also supply as much information about the vehicle – such as service history, NCT, fuel receipts – as possible.
Though fuel samples have been taken from filling stations in east Mayo, Mr McNulty believes there is no contaminated fuel left.
“I don’t know will we ever get to the bottom of it. Forecourts are getting samples taken now but they’re ok, the [contaminated] fuel is gone,” said McNulty. “The horse has bolted and there’s a mess left.”

Out of pocket
According to Mr McNulty, Aviva Insurance is the only insurance company that covers fuel contamination under its policies. However, Cllr Annie May Reape has indicated that AXA Insurance may also now be prepared to deal with claims.
“AXA I think have had a change of heart and contacted policy holders and told them to send in their details,” said Cllr Reape.
Following her attendance at the meeting last week, Deputy Michelle Mulherin tabled a motion for debate in the Daíl, asking the Minister for Finance to ‘provide assistance’ to car owners who are ‘significantly out of pocket’.
Nevertheless, Mr McNulty said he and many others affected are not confident that a fund, similar to that rolled out in Dublin to deal with pyrite damage, will be established.

Symptoms
According to After Sales Manager with Tim Hastings Ltd in Westport, Jimmy Moohan , petrol and kerosene burn at different rates during combustion, causing a build up of residue and carbon inside the combustion area and on the piston crown and valves.
This residue makes its way down the cylinder walls causing the piston rings to stick, resulting in low engine compression.
Symptoms of damage to engines due to fuel contamination include loss of engine power; the engine management warning light coming on; engine misfiring; a knocking noise after engine starts up from cold and excessive blow back through the oil dipstick and oil filler cap when the engine is running.
According to Mr Moohan, most engines that have been run on stretched petrol are so damaged they have to be replaced.
Kerosene is used as a fuel for heating and is available for as little as 80 cent per litre. Petrol is often close to double that.
A retailer who buys in 10,000 litres of petrol, could pay out €15,000 for the fuel, while a competitor illegally adding ten percent kerosene to 9,000 litres of petrol will pay only €14,300, saving €700.