Drivers furious as fuel from major supermarket with 500 stores ‘is contaminated and causing cars to suddenly break down’
DRIVERS are furious after fuel they bought from a major supermarket was "contaminated" and caused cars to "suddenly break down."
The chain has almost 500 stores across the UK and provides petrol stations at many of its sites.
Some drivers, however, are now fuming that they are hundreds of pounds out of pocket after filling up their cars with what is thought to have been contaminated fuel from one the supermarket's petrol station.
A number of people have experienced problems with their vehicles after buying unleaded at Morrisons in Strood, Kent last week.
David Abernethy put £65 of fuel in his Range Rover at around 5pm on Wednesday, September 25.
The 64-year-old, from Frindsbury, noticed there was something wrong the next morning.
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He said his car refused to start up when he tried to turn it on.
After what he described as a period of "unusual" rumbling noises, the car seemed to eventually be fine on the road.
But he said the car was still not working properly.
Then he saw on social media that other motorists had been having similar issues after filling up at the Morrisons on Knight Road.
Earlier this year, the supermarket announced all its petrol stations had been taken on by another company, Motor Fuel Group (MFG).
David said he tried to contact MFG but without success.
He then didn't use his car at all on Friday and rang them again on Monday as his wife could not get to work without the vehicle.
However, he says, he couldn't get through to the company.
David eventually called the AA that day who drained 65 litres of fuel out of his car.
When he asked for a sample of the fuel, he said it was "a third water."
How to spot contaminated fuel and what to do about it
THE increasing bio-content in today’s diesel means that the fuel in storage tanks often contains small, but problematic water levels that sink to the bottom.
As the area between the water and the fuel is the perfect environment for microbial growth, what is known as “diesel bugs” begin to develop. When these bugs are not dealt with, they can create a nasty sludge. It is this “biofilm” that can block filters, damage pumps and get sucked into machinery causing equipment failure, downtime and costly repairs. For this very reason, it is vital that tank owners can spot the tell-tale signs that their fuel might be contaminated. Here's what to look out for.
The appearance of your fuel
Diesel should usually appear bright and clear enough to see through. If it doesn’t then this is usually an indication that water contamination is present within the fuel. Once water in a tank becomes emulsified under the pressure changes and agitation of using the tank, droplets of water will form which gives the fuel a slightly cloudy or even milky appearance.
If left, this water content causes the nasty microbial sludge to grow that blocks filters and damages vehicles. When checking the appearance of your fuel, it is best to take a sample from the bottom of the tank as well as the top, as this is where the layer of diesel bug sludge forms.
Filters and equipment problems
The first thing you are likely to notice when contamination becomes an issue is your fuel filters blocking more quickly than normal. A filter blocking is the sign of a filter doing its job, so when they are needing to be changed more regularly, it indicates that you have more dirt or water present in the fuel for the filters to remove. When changing your filter, check for traces of sludge as this is a definitely indication you have a problem with water contamination.
If contaminated fuel gets into your vehicle, then you may start experiencing issues such as power loss, spluttering and involuntary speed changes. These are signs that the fuel isn’t burning as it should do, perhaps because the sludge is restricting fuel flow to the engine.
Erosion of your tank
If diesel bug contamination is not dealt with and you leave it to worsen over time, the bugs will eventually start to eat away at the fuel tank itself causing visible erosion of the tank base and walls.
It is standard practice to check your tank for rust, cracks and holes – and if you can visibly see this, it may be a sign of a severe contamination problem that needs to be dealt with urgently. Once erosion begins, the structure of your fuel tank is compromised and it could therefore be at risk of leaking and causing an oil spill, which you will be liable for the clean up of.
What to do if you suspect your fuel is contaminated?
If you’re experiencing any of the above tell-tale signs that your diesel may be contaminated with diesel bugs, then it is important that you act immediately to prevent further costly issues:
Keep stock of spare filter elements on site to ensure you can quickly replace them when they get full.
If your existing fuel is salvageable, get it professionally polished before you put any more into your vehicles and equipment and cause damage.
Have your tank and pipework expertly cleaned before refilling the tank to prevent it from contaminating the clean fuel.
Arrange for a tank service to check the contamination has caused no damage or leaks to the tank itself or its components.
Don’t let fuel sit stagnant. If your tank isn’t regularly used, install a fuel recirculation unit to prevent the bacteria from settling and the sludge from forming.
Not only did it cost him £360 to get the fuel drained, but then another £90 to fill up his tank with unleaded premium, as advised by the breakdown company.
He added: “The mechanic showed me all the water in the bottle and said there shouldn’t be that much in the system."
David said how it was "unfortunate" he was in the Morrisons car park at the time as he normally doesn't fill up there.
John Lowdon, who lives just 300 yards away from the supermarket, filled his car up at around 8.30am on Friday (September 27) and noticed problems straight away.
The 74-year-old put £48 of petrol into his Ssangyong Tivoli ready to drive to Dorset for a family holiday on Sunday but says the car “spluttered” on his way home.
He said: “I managed to get home but the car was spluttering the whole time and I didn’t know what it was so I went out later to try it again and the car was dead, it wouldn’t do anything."
John then went back to the petrol station in his wife's car only to find that pump seven had a 'do not use' yellow box over it.
He was then provided with the number and email address of the fuel provider by the station.
After trying to get through on several occasions, he says the company confirmed it was investigating the problem.
He added: “I have no idea what was wrong with the petrol, all I know is that my car is dead.
“At the moment I don’t know what’s gone on. As far as I’m concerned, you’re buying the petrol from Morrisons.
“If you go and buy a packet of somebody’s sausages in Morrisons you don’t then have to go back to them to fix the problem."
John says he hasn't got a quote yet from his mechanic about the car's problems and that he'll have to pay what he has to in order to repair it.
But he shone light on the thought that some people "just can't afford to pay for it."
He added: "But there are people that just can’t afford to pay for it. If their car has just stopped in the middle of Strood they have no option but to pay £90 to get it towed away, and then £250-£300 to have it fixed – plus the cost of filling it up in the first place.
“It’s something like £450, and some people don’t have that nowadays and rely on their cars for work.”
He says he will not be returning to Morrisons for fuel.
As of yesterday (October 1), the unleaded option at pumps three, four, seven and eight were all out of use.
Several other people have taken to Facebook to report issues with their cars after filling them up at the same petrol station.
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A Morrisons spokesman said: “We don't own or operate the petrol sites anymore – they are all managed by MFG”.
MFG has been approached for comment by The Sun.