SHELL petrol stinks??

[queenjane]

ok...has anyone noticed how 'smelly' Shell's Optimax petrol is?

it's the high octane stuff......but it smells to me, strongly of ''ammonia?''

bit like wiffing an old cow shed???

is it Shell's answer to ''Bee Pee??'':rolleyes:

[Bambi]

well you never know

[IanW]

Cant say i have noticed, i tend to fill up 3 times a week with the stuff too.

[Bex]

Don't have a car to fill up any more :p

In my opinion though, all fuel stinks!

[Cookie]

Can't say I've noticed that V-Power smells of anything but petrol :p

[jamesson]

I love the smell of petrol.

[Masked Marauder]

Petrol? Not bought any in months.

[Erica]

You do realise it's more expensive than perfume now. :nods:

[Hoon Devil]

That depends on the perfume, surely?

[Cookie]

My cars engine doesn't like perfume

[darkstar]

ok...has anyone noticed how 'smelly' Shell's Optimax petrol is?

it's the high octane stuff......but it smells to me, strongly of ''ammonia?''

bit like wiffing an old cow shed???

is it Shell's answer to ''Bee Pee??'':rolleyes:

Never noticed myself - but then again I'm a Diesel fan myself - and doing aproximatly 45 miles to the galon with a 1.8 Turbo Diesel (and not been sparing the horses at times) isn't bad I believe. :tup::woot:

[Cookie]

I get 40+ mpg from my 2L petrol :p

[queenjane]

around here diesel is almost 10p a litre more than leadless petrol.....my head hurts trying to work out what petrol consumption would equal the cost of your diesel fuel consumptuon...???

[queenjane]

oh...and latest fuel consumption check on my 21 year old Volvo estate, 2 litre.......is a tad over 30 mpg's.....yeehah!

mind, I now get in EVERYBODY'S way!

[queenjane]

the reason I've posted this observation [the thread, that is] is I have just Mot'd and taxed my old Skoda trials car.....pix seen on here before.....it runs a modified engine, amongs other mods...and has quite high compression ratio...hence the need to use 98 octane fuel....shell optimax works best.......and as I was idly filling it up the other day, I noticed the unusual [for petrol] stink!

[Imbibing]

i useshell v fuel (optimax before) and it always smells of petrol. Worst petrol are the supermaket ones, they are cheal and nasty and gives my cars lot of problems.

[queenjane]

maybe I've become a connousourrr (all right, you spell it?] of petrol sniffing?

definately something in the additives shell use.......seeing as round here they get their petrol from the same tank at Immingham as all the supermarkets...


mind, I'm amazed at how different petrol smells now I've stopped smoking whilst filling up.....

[ozzmare]

connoisseur (http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=connoisseur&spell=1) ;-)

[queenjane]

blimey!...more letters in it than I thought!

[Rainmaker]

Smelling petrol?! :eek::daft: You do know the smell from petrol is benzene fumes, don't you? Benzene is a known carcinogen with no known safe level of exposure :tdown:

Go diesel, then go veggie. 55p per litre, no duty or tax payable. It doesn't smell, unless you count the sweet exhaust fumes (smells like McDonalds lol), is carbon neutral (some argue carbon negative!), and I still get 55mpg on a run.

[jamesson]

If you're using vegetable oil as a diesel substitute in your car, then you are liable for duty at the same rate as biodiesel.

You are obliged in inform HMRC of this and they will inform you of how to pay your duty.

[Rainmaker]

Unfortunately jamesson, you're almost a year out of date. As of June 2007 biofuels for personal use are tax and duty free up to 2,500 litres per year - ample for an individual. There is no need to register, or otherwise inform, HMRC. Their site has the amendments and relevant details if you're interested.

[jamesson]

That's odd. I checked the HMRC website earlier today and it still says you need to register. Let me have another look...

[Arryace]

maybe I've become a connousourrr (all right, you spell it?] of petrol sniffing?

do you taste it you know a quick swill round your mouth then spit it in the bucket :agree:

your right V power does have a wiff

and who dared mention dirty deisel in this thread, sure its the Devil's own fuel


:twisted: DIRTY:twisted:

[jamesson]

This (http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageExcise_ShowContent&id=HMCE_PROD1_024771&propertyType=document) is still on the site. Do you have the page which has the amendment you're talking about? Thanks.

[Rainmaker]

That's old ;) HMRC lists ALL documentation for reference purposes, not just the most current. You can read a summary of the simplification amendments HERE (http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/hcobigmanual/HCOBIG4200.htm).


Under the simplification:-
small producers have been exempted from the requirement to register, to submit returns, and to pay excise duty on the biofuel that they produce, provided this is less than 2,500 litres per annum.

[Rainmaker]

Further info from the main relevant Notice 179E (http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageVAT_ShowContent&propertyType=document&columns=1&id=HMCE_CL_000205):


4.2.1 Exempt producers/users

If you have produced or used less than 2,500 litres of:

any biofuel, or
any other fuel substitute or additive within the last 12 months, and/or expect to produce or use less than 2,500 litres in the next 12 months, you are an exempt producer and do not need to register with HMRC and account for duty. However, there are simple record-keeping requirements, which are described in paragraph 4.9.1.
Production includes the manufacture or processing of road fuel, and the setting aside of any product that has not been charged with duty, with the intention of using it as road fuel.

[jamesson]

That's me corrected then! :) Thanks for that, Rainmaker.

Just to throw a spanner in the works, am I right in thinking a lot of very modern diesels can't run on vegetable oil?

[Rainmaker]

You're welcome mate. It's a good job you didn't try to nick anyone for tax evasion in the meantime eh? ;) :D hehe You're right, straight vegetable oil can't be used in a very modern car unless the engine is modified. The systems these days (cdi, hdi etc) have unsuitable injection pumps and the tolerances are too fine.

They will however run 100% transesterified biodiesel without difficulty :) To run SVO (i.e. off the shelf from Tesco/wholesaler) you'd need an older car like mine. Basically any indirect-injection diesel with a Bosch (or licensed copy) injection pump. That's Pug 205/306/405, 406s with the same engine (XUD9), Citroen AX, ZX, Xantia, some Rovers with the same XUD series engine, Vauxhall Astras and Cavaliers (anything with the Isuzu 1.7TD engine, which has a Bosch-copy IP licensed to Nippon)... There's quite a list really.

You can have a "twin tank" setup installed for not too much money, which will allow any (diesel) car to run SVO. The benefits of SVO over biodiesel are: Cheaper to buy, no need to have a "production" process or use chemicals, better for the environment etc. Both fuels are better for the environment (and your engine!) than either petrol or petroleum-derived diesel fuel.

[queenjane]

don't forget the older Daihatsu 4x4 diesels, Landy's [old type]....etcmaybe even those cars running VAG diesels [like volvos]....

a useful bit of kit, which MAY allow 100% use of chipfat fuel....is a fuel heater.

this can be home made, tis easy enough....and most PSA cars can mount one under the bonnet.


another issue with 'modern' diesels, ie common rail types....is the tendency for the piston rings to become gummed up with varnish...much like the insides of one's chip fryer?

trouble is, by the time one has noticed the effects, it is already too late for the engine.

most older diesels can be made to run on just about anything lying around, as long as it can raise an eyebrow if you mention the word 'bang?'


then there's a certain DeLorean???????