There’s been a great deal of discussion recently in Jersey about the fuel that’s being sold at some forecourts.
Part of the problem is that some garages are not accurately displaying what products they are selling. Another issue is that some fuels being sold in the Island are not being appropriately stored or handled and this can lead to contamination. This is particularly the case with so-called ‘biofuels’, commonly branded E5 or B7, and available across Europe.
Biofuels are thought to be better for the environment than standard petrol and diesel, but they are not necessarily better for your car. The UK Government has pledged to phase out standard road fuels and replace them with biofuels, but before that can happen a lot of work needs to be done both preparing forecourts so they can handle these fuels, and educating drivers about the pros and cons of putting them into their cars.
For instance, most vehicles manufactured before 2002, and in some cases as late as 2012, cannot switch to some biofuels; and they can cause issues to classic and vintage cars. At Rubis we believe in education and transparency, so we always advise customers to check their vehicle handbook, manufacturer’s website or main dealer before they switch to biofuels. There is also some really helpful advice on leading motoring websites such as www.rac.co.uk.
As well as making sure your car can accept these new fuels, there is also a significant amount of preparatory work that needs to be undertaken at the forecourt to ensure the fuel is properly stored and delivered. Biofuels have solvent properties which can loosen residue in tanks, this increases the risk of filter blockage and in some cases can attack pipework. Once the fuel is contaminated, it cannot be rectified and the whole tank has to be emptied and disposed of. Imagine what could happen if that fuel made its way into your tank.
There have recently been reports in Jersey of vehicles breaking down shortly after filling up, leading to expensive recovery and repair bills and the suspicion is these drivers had unwittingly put contaminated biofuel into their vehicle. Rubis does not distribute biofuels. Rubis only distribute high quality road fuels across the Channel Islands. When the time comes to start selling biofuels, Rubis will make sure that drivers are properly informed about the pros and cons of these fuels, and that pumps are clearly labelled so that drivers know what they are putting into their tanks.
At Rubis, our professionally trained and qualified technicians will make sure that our forecourts are thoroughly inspected and prepared to make sure they can handle these sensitive fuels. There is absolutely nothing wrong with biofuels, as long as they are treated with great care and your vehicle is able to use them. At Rubis, we believe drivers should be able to make an informed choice. Until then, you should always make sure you know what you are putting in your tank and go for known quality fuels.
Fill up at any of our 24 forecourts across the Channel Islands and trust you will receive quality fuel at competitive prices.
We have produced a helpful FAQ factsheet to provide some further information on this subject, you can download it here.
