The quality of fuel at domestic gas stations often leaves much to be desired, so the question of what to do if bad gasoline, can be heard often enough. Often, drivers are faced with the consequences of such a refueling unexpectedly, and simply do not know how to proceed. The complexity of the situation also lies in the fact that sometimes the symptoms of bad fuel resemble other malfunctions, and the driver does not pay attention to it for the time being. Although, in fact, this problem can lead to serious malfunctions. Be sure to spend in such a situation detailed diagnostics engine, this will avoid surprises in the future.
What to do if you fill up with bad gasoline? As a rule, a car enthusiast detects a problem by driving very close to a gas station. If you are sure that the cause of the malfunction power unit just low-quality fuel, you can return to the gas station and demand a fuel check. To do this, you will need to write a claim to the refueling management. After an independent examination of the fuel, you will be able to receive compensation for damage. But, keep in mind that the whole procedure is quite time consuming, which is not always beneficial.
How to eliminate the consequences?
Let's move on to eliminating the consequences of using low-quality fuel. To begin with, you should decide on what you put into the tank. Poor fuel can be divided into the following categories:
- Low octane fuel. This also includes fuel with additives to increase the octane number;
- Contaminated fuel;
- Diesel fuel not suitable for use in winter.
If low-quality fuel comes in, drain it completely. This will minimize damage to the vehicle. Some difficulties may arise with diesel cars... When the fuel freezes, the most logical way to solve the problem is to place the car in a warm box. If you are sure that the reason is just a low octane number, then you can simply dilute the fuel in the tank with fuel with a normal indicator. Special additives are also commercially available that eliminate the problem with low quality gasoline. But they are quite expensive and not always useful for the engine. Low octane, this is the most harmless thing that can be found at a gas station.
It is much more dangerous to use gasoline with an artificially increased octane number... The main danger here is the invisibility of the impact on the engine. After refueling, you will only notice the problem after a while. Most often, as a result of the use of such fuel, valves are burned out. As a rule, refueling with such fuel leads to an overhaul of the engine.
Fuel contamination with mechanical impurities is common. In this case, the complexity of elimination directly depends on the degree of pollution and your luck. If the car was filled with dirty gasoline (diesel fuel), then the following steps should be taken:
- We remove and. At the same time, we check the fuel pump, which is located in the tank. It is the first to encounter contamination, and often fails;
- Checking the highway. It's not bad if you can rinse it out;
- Replace all filters;
- We check the performance of the injectors. They are washed out if necessary. Sometimes, after a strong blockage, they may need to be completely replaced.
In the case of frozen diesel fuel, as already mentioned, the most adequate option would be to use a warm box. But, not always this advice can be used. If you have a cold garage or your car is on the street, you will have to warm it up with a construction hair dryer. Remember that paraffin is the first to accumulate in the filter. So it should be warmed up first. It is also worth doing with the tank. After you warm the fuel, you should add an additive to it, which will prevent the diesel fuel from freezing again. Please note that it is prohibited to use open fire for work.
How to avoid problems?
As you know, any malfunction is much easier to avoid. In order not to bother with eliminating the consequences of refueling low-quality fuel, do not refuel at points unknown to you. In order not to pull to the nearest gas station, you should avoid driving "on a light bulb". Always refuel, if not to a full tank, then at least halfway. This will not only save you the trouble of refueling anywhere, but also prevent the pump from feeding fuel to the engine from the bottom, where dirt and water always accumulate.
If you have to fill the tank at an unknown gas station, then first pour some fuel into a transparent container. This will help you visually identify the presence of dirt and water in the gasoline. Avoid refueling at small gas stations with suspiciously low prices.
Conclusion... Domestic fuel sellers cannot boast high quality services. Therefore, the question of what to do if you have filled in bad gasoline is quite popular. Knowing the basic tricks to fix this problem can save you money and time, and extend engine life.
Millions of cars are refueled every day at hundreds of thousands of filling stations. Seemingly common business: drivers open fuel tank, remove the pistol from the column ... Stop! There are three of these pistols: AI-92, AI-93, AI-95, and sometimes more, with all sorts of additives. And every driver must know what kind of fuel is recommended for his vehicle... But, unfortunately, neither awareness, nor technical knowledge, nor the amount of money spent on gas stations can guarantee the quality of the fuel they buy. Even more so - a brand of a car filling station.
What is "bad" gasoline?
The numbers indicated on the columns are the octane number of gasoline, which characterizes its chemical resistance to fire. Low octane gasoline will ignite without a spark, creating a tremendous air / fuel pressure called detonation. The worst fate for a car is hard to imagine. Bad gasoline can also contain acetone, ethyl alcohol and a large amount of metal-containing additives that can negatively affect the "heart" of the car - its engine.
Sad consequences
Filling with gasoline with a low octane number, the car owner is at great risk. Uncontrolled ignition can melt the piston holes, bend the connecting rods, and in the end you have to spend money on overhaul engine. IN modern models special sensors monitor the occurrence of knocking in cars. And, upon detection, controls fuel mixture module, lowering the boost level, or delaying the ignition time of the plug. In this way, computer unit protects the engine in an emergency situation. However, most cars are reliable protection does not have, so the bad gasoline starts "offensive". Candles will be the first to suffer from low-quality gasoline. They will simply flood. Gasoline additives and additives are already permanently destroying them, but bad gasoline will reduce their service life by three times. If a large amount of low-quality gasoline is poured in, a conductive deposit can form in the engine, which can damage all electrical equipment. Resins in gasoline contaminate pistons and rings. Due to low-quality gasoline, the catalyst may be faulty, it will refuse to work fuel system, which can lead to damage to the fuel pump. And this is already considerable headache and a blow to the wallet. Bad gasoline is the last to reach the injector. The main goal of low-quality gasoline sooner or later becomes the engine. After an unsuccessful refueling bad fuel sometimes it is necessary not only to overhaul the engine, but also to change everything that had contact with the "harmful" fluid. In other words, clean out the remains of bad gasoline. A large number of small parts must also be cleaned from low-quality gasoline if they come into contact with terrible gasoline. This is almost always valued as amounts with multiple zeros.
How to tell if gasoline is bad
Sometimes drivers do not immediately notice changes in the car's performance after refueling. It happens that the engine stalls a few meters from the gas station. This may mean that gasoline contains water and mechanical impurities. But when the car does not develop the required power, or additional metal tapping is felt, it means that the gasoline turned out to be with a low octane number. In any case, a stop is necessary to figure out whether the fuel is to blame, or the matter is in the machine itself.
Checking gasoline "by eye"
You need to drop gasoline on the skin and rub it with your finger. If it becomes dry, it means that the fuel is good, but fatty residues indicate the presence of impurities in gasoline. You can try pouring gasoline (about a teaspoon) on a sheet of white paper, then wait until the liquid evaporates. If there are no traces left on the paper, then the gasoline is most likely not to blame. And if there are greasy stains on the paper, it means that gasoline with impurities that "did not like" the car and the breakdown was his fault. You should not enter this petrol station again. Fuel can also be checked for tar content. To do this, a drop of gasoline must be set on fire on a glass surface. White spot indicates complete absence resin in the composition, or its insignificant amount, but yellow, or dark, brown spots speak, more precisely, shout about the excess of the resin concentration in the fuel. If there is a transparent container, they try to check the gasoline "for light". The fuel should be slightly yellowish. By adding potassium permanganate to the fuel, or, more simply, potassium permanganate, which was in the first-aid kit, you can find out if there is water in the gasoline. If the fuel turns pink, it means that the gasoline is watery. For those with a good sense of smell, it will not be difficult to calculate by smell the fuel to which hydrogen sulphide or naphthalene has been added. Gas station with such fuel, you should also go around the next time.
Gasoline is bad, what to do?
Even refueling dozens of times at the same gas station, vehicle owners should remember that receipts for gasoline payments must be kept until the next refueling. However, if the check is not saved, and gasoline turned out to be the culprit of a serious breakdown of the car, you can try to prove the fact of its purchase at a gas station, and then present claims to the fuel station management regarding the quality of the fuel. This is a long and difficult process that will make you waste time and nerves. But there may be several victims, and then it will be easier to prove the fact of the released low-quality gasoline. Perhaps the case will not reach the court, and the owner of the gas station will agree with the claims presented. Then you can go to a peaceful settlement of the issue. Of course, it all depends on the losses incurred by the car owner due to low-quality gasoline. Be careful, take care of the health of your "iron" friend.
The Office of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare has published clarifications for motorists. Experts advised to keep a receipt for payment for gasoline. However, even the absence of this document does not deprive you of the right to make a claim. The department indicated where and with what requirements to apply.
Rospotrebnadzor has published explanations for motorists in the event of a car breakdown due to low-quality gasoline. Material on this topic is posted on the website of the Office of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare in the Leningrad Region. Experts advised to keep the fuel receipt. However, even the absence of this document does not deprive you of the right to make a claim. The department indicated where and with what requirements to apply.
First of all, you need to write a complaint to the management of the company that owns the gas station. If the car is sent to a car service, it is advisable to call the representatives of the gas station before repairing to take a fuel sample. The consumer has the right to claim damages. If there is no positive response to the claim, after the expiration of the period established in it, you can safely file a claim with the court. A complaint to the SZMTU of Rosstandart will not hurt either. If the gas station does not agree that the malfunction was due to low-quality fuel, it can be assigned independent expertise... The costs must be reimbursed by the gas station. But if she turns out to be right, the driver will have to pay for the services of experts. However, the conclusion can be challenged in court, Rospotrebnadzor notes:
If the car is out of order due to the sale of low-quality gasoline to you at gas station and if the car is used for personal purposes not related to entrepreneurial activity, this is a violation of consumer rights. The fact is that, refueling at a gas station, you enter into a legal relationship for the purchase and sale of goods, which is automobile fuel.
These relations are governed by the norms, as well as by the Law of the Russian Federation. As a seller, the filling station bears full responsibility for the inadequate quality of the goods, including for causing damage to the consumer's property due to the use of low-quality fuel.
Art. 14 of the Law of the Russian Federation "On Protection of Consumer Rights" states: harm caused to the life, health or property of the consumer due to defects in the goods is subject to compensation in full.
Therefore, having found any malfunctions in the car that appeared after the next refueling of the car, you should immediately file a complaint with the management of the company that owns the gas station.
In such cases, it is imperative to keep the cashier's receipt for the payment of gasoline, since this is the main evidence confirming the fact of purchase at this particular gas station. Due to the increased frequency of requests for fuel quality, we advise you to keep the receipt every time until the next refueling.
However, even if you have not saved your receipt, this does not invalidate your right to file a claim. The fact of purchase can be proved in other ways, for example, by testimony of persons who were with you at the time of refueling.
If you have already sent the car to a car service company, it is advisable to call the representatives of the gas station by a registered telegram before repairing to carry out an inspection and take a fuel sample.
In a claim against the company that owns the gas station, you must indicate when you purchased the fuel, what brand, in what volume. Next, state what kind of malfunction occurred in the car due to the use of low-quality gasoline, if possible, attach supporting documents, for example, the conclusion of a service station.
