Diesel questions for the chemists amongst us

[Vultch]

To cut a long story short a friend has found a garage out in the country that is selling diesel considerably cheaper than the norm... its say 86p a litre.

Souinds a bargain... but in this area there are many dubious suppliers.. who take red diesel and wash it of its dye's (some sort of chemical process) .. before selling this off as the legal stuff.
This washed diesel is also acidic.. and after a few thousand miles its major engine damage.. new fuel pump etc.

How can I tell if this diesel is the good stuff, I thought about taking Litmus paper with me and testing the nozzel before I buy to check its Ph... but is there anything else I could check or do..

Also does anybody know what price garages buy diesel at.. and what their mark up is..

Thanks

[david306]

If you want your Surf to last a while...Stick to the proper stuff from reputable shops. There is a supplier up white mountain that sells diesel at 75p per litre...I know of a few taxi drivers who use it but have all had serious engine problems too...

Red diesel can be made to look like white diesel but the process destroys the chemical makeup of the diesel. It loses its lubricating properties too...

I used to deliver the stuff and i can tell you even some big suppliers have dodgy diesel...

Stick with Tesco, Sainburys, BP, Texaco and Shell... These suppliers have strict paperwork that stops crossevers....I would not even rate maxol...

I remember when the old four star was out, a guy asked me to dump 5000L of unleaded into that tank as it was cheaper...This was a major garage that you would not think twice of getting fuel from...

Try http://www.petrolprices.com/ for the best price close to you...


I live pretty close to you ...we should meet up sometime...do a surf run or summit...

[Vultch]

Thanks Dave.. the Surf run sounds good.. not too many in our area.. I'll steer clear of this stuff..

[CaptainBeaky]

If the diesel is acidic, then it has acid-washed to extract the dye - the dye is more soluble in acid solutions, which is the method used to extract it for analysis. The extraction also concentrates the dye and enhances the intensity of the colour, which is why HMRC can detect red diesel in your tank after several fill-ups of normal derv.

My advice would be to not to touch it with a bargepole.