Hyundai i35 - Fair Go

As they say fordcrzy keep it simple stupid, less to break, less to spend.

I haven't seen any manufacturers recommending using any kind of additive let alone 2 stroke oil, there is some information on the net about using it but it is a certain spec 2 stroke oil. I wonder how many people if they have had problems and the manufacturers have fobbed them off as " contaminated fuel" have actually tested the fuel to see if in fact it is " contaminated'.
Nissan recommend to change the fuel filter in my Venturer every 50,000kms, i do it every 20,000km's for piece of mind. If water is a issue i would first drain the filter to see how much water content and secondly i would start questioning the OEM filter and whether it is doing its job properly. The level of water in a filter is quite a bit for the sensor to float and set of the dash light, and even at this level the filter should not let water pass out of it into the injection system. The other thing i would be asking is whether any of the new vehicles with CR have tank drains that the agents actually drain as part of a service, as the filter should cope with the amount of condensation that forms between services and the agent should drain the filter of water and also the tank as part of a service. Machines have tank drains and drains on a big water trap and some even have big warning stickers in them to be drained every day by the operator.

Due to the format of the Fair Go show, the story presented was unfortunately completely unbalanced.The hour of interview was distilled down into a couple of minutes.
Not letting facts get in the way of a good story, what was not shown included:
1.Fair Go has not released to us or Gull the location(s) and specifics of the fuel source for the customers car ??

Fair enough comments.
How did the repair bill get up to $20k!I take it that wasn't just for pump, injectors, and all lines back to the tank, or was it!
And how come the water level sensor didn't trip!
I don't recall Fair Go mentioning Gull, but now you have.Here's a news article from 2009 alluding to "dirty" tactics from the other fuel cos.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/2709596/Secret-payouts-for-dirty-diesel

Mrcat1, Mercedes is 1 manufacturer that has (that I'm aware of)recommended it, but not formally/publicly.And your right, it has to be a mineral oil not a synthetic type.

Toyota Corolla and Rav CR diesel require the fuel filter to be changed EVERY service (15000kms) and on the other CR diesels (Hilux, Hiace, L/cruiser) every 30kms but to drain the water trap every 7500kms. Still doesn't stop the issues.

Most CR tanks are plastic now and have no drain. Makes things harder to do when the tank needs to be drained and removed.

The problem with testing fuel is what is in the tank may not have been the cause. It could have happened on a previous fill and it now isn't present in the tank as such.
Also what happens, in most cases, is sludge grows on the water trap sensor stopping it from working. Poor design really!

But yes people need to really question them a lot more regarding this contaminated fuel issue. Manufacturers seem to put faults/breakdowns down to contaminated fuel just to, as you say, "fob people off" and get out of fixing the problem.

Another large issue affecting some CR diesel's is the DPF burn off cycle that occurs. But that is another kettle of fish.

So really no manufacturer has publicly come out and said YES we recommend a additive or 2 stroke oil, i under stand the 2 stroke TO USE is actually a full syntheic LOW ASH version, but the costs of the oil is to great, so a mineral version is used.
As for testing the fuel, you simply draw from the tank with a small vacum pump, i have 2 of these for actually taking fuel and oil samples, if containinated fuel is present the test will find it, as it will be mixed with the new fuel, evidence will still be there.
And as for sludge growing in the water trap sensor, that is bug! if a vehicle has the bug then it is getting heaps of water, not just a few teaspoons. I have never seen bug in a trap sensor yet and if it does then the tank will be full of it, and basically the engine won't run.
As for the DPF burn off cycle, how does that affect the injection system! One is on the intake system and the other on the exhaust system.
The reason it burns off is to get rid of carbon particles in the filter, usually from not using a high quality low ash engine oil.

As I said, the DPF is a totally different issue, not related to the fuel issue, but is still another issue with the CR diesels that is becoming more common as well,even with low ash oils being used. Mainly caused by owners/drivers not understanding the implications of not completing the cycle. But I won't go into that now.

Yes you are correct in saying that as no manufacturer has publicly announced the use of 2SO ( I did say that). Why is that! I have no idea. Conspiracy theory maybe lol! But I have it on good authority from Mercedes that they have been recommended to get people to use 2SO to help calm issues caused by the poor fuel quality here in NZ.
And yes, the 2SO has to be MINERAL OIL or SEMI SYNTHETIC not full synthetic. Full synthetic doesn't do anything better and is more expensive, so out weights any fuel economy/cost saving benefits.
I'm not preaching here to use it, I'm just passing on info I've been given that some may want to try after doing more research into it. There is enough antidotal evidence for people to make their own minds up.

Yes testing fuel from the tank is good with those devices, but again if the fault hasn't occured during THAT tank, there will be very little, if any, contaminant to pickup. Been there, done that numerous times. We have even removed tanks and sent them in for thorough testing/swabbing as well, on the request of the manufacturer because even they have said there was little chance of picking up contaminants in the fuel sample, in those cases. And on return of reports - none found. But they still claimed contaminated fuel was at fault.

No, not all sludge is the "diesel bug". Diesel bug is a bacteria that grows in the water. This "sludge" I've mentioned is in fact build up of nothing more than crap in the fuel. It isn't a bacteria that grows. We've had to get it tested and it wasn't "diesel bug".

CR diesels are becoming more popular due to newer emission regulations enforced upon the manufacturers. Whether there needs to be more work done on fuel quality vs manufacturing vehicles to suit, is something they need to do.
Why produce a superb piece of engineering when the fuel and quality of that fuel will cause failures!
Why try and screw every last bit of power/performance out of an engine when the fuel will hold it back from performing!
Lots to think about.

My CR engine got diesel bug! I filled up from a petrol station when the fuel shortage was on. At the time the tanker was there refilling the underground tanks. This was at a station that I don't normally fill up at. Within 2 days my car could not be driven. There was quite a bit of water in the tank and the car company paid for a test on the fuel. Turns out the water was sea water. Initially my insurance company paid for the $17k damage as I claimed it was no different to my son putting water in the tank with a hose. I passed all the info on to the insurance company and they said they would chase it up. I had quite a bit of follow up from them and then everything went quiet. I then heard from an inside source at the insurance company that Mobil paid the insurance company out with a gag condition. Considering the station is only a 100m from the coast I was not surprised they found seawater and also not surprised about the gag condition.