Supermarket fuel: is it good enough?

One PHer reckons it's cost him dearly

Is Tesco's petrol causing problems? One PHer reckons it's cost him £90 for a new fuel sensor, although Tesco said that it's found no problems with its fuels.

Here's the PHer's story:

"I have a Vauxhall Corsa and whilst driving home last night my Exhaust Emissions warning light came on. I rang my local garage this morning and was told I was the third one they'd had with this problem this week and that they had been told by the Vauxhall main dealer that it is being caused by a bad batch of fuel - I last filled up at Tesco in Dereham on Sunday.

"I have now spoken to Hartwells who have confirmed that this is a nationwide problem affecting all makes of cars -- not just Vauxhalls -- and seems to stem primarily from Tesco fuel although they have had some cases involving Asda fuel. They couldn't tell me any more at the moment other than to continue using the car if it is running OK and see what happens the next time I fill up. I am probably going to need a new sensor at £90.00 plus VAT but they don't know whether it will have caused any more permanent damage!"

In response, Tesco issued this statement: "We and our suppliers rigorously test all our fuels to the highest possible standards. We have carried out extensive tests on current and past batches of unleaded fuel to the European EN228 standard and have discovered no abnormalities or contamination whatsoever.

"We source from exactly the same suppliers and our fuel originates from the same depots as many of our competitors, and so if a problem did emerge it could not by definition be Tesco-specific.

"We are aware of a small number of customer concerns regarding this particular issue. While we take matters of product quality very seriously indeed and will continue to monitor the situation, it is unfortunately quite common for mistaken rumours to arise as to the provenance of car maintenance issues."

An Autocar story suggests that the fuel came from a contaminated batch via a distribution terminal in Essex, and that an outbreak of combustion problems appears to centre around petrol stations in the Essex, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Middlesex areas -- although some reports of problems have come from places far apart, including Fife in Scotland and Dorset in the south.

We'd like to hear from you if you've experienced problems that could be fuel-related.