ALERT!! Petrol Issue in UAE

[alwayzinit]

Heads up to all who live and work in the UAE.

I have just picked up my Beast from the dealers after a service. It appears there is a serious issue with the quality of the 94 oct "Special" fuel currently.

Many hundreds of cars have been getting engine fault messages and clogged catalytic converters due to the amount of MMT, Methylcyclopentadienyl Mangenese Tricarbonyl, being added to the lower octane fuel to enhance the octane rating.

EU limits for this additive is 2-3mg/ltr, samples taken in the UAE so as much as 86mg/ltr.

This excessive amount of MMT can show up as a brownish deposit in exhausts (great in a dusty environment!!:ugh:)

Dealers advice is to use Super or 98 octane fuel TFN.

Oh happy days....................................:ugh:

[alwayzinit]

A Truck but bog standard, the issue is showing up in all types of vehicles that use Special fuel, according to the service bloke at Al Tayers.

[Desertweasel]

VW reckoned substandard fuel killed 1.4 golf that my Mrs has, needed new engine at 4 years old, is actually a highly tuned motor despite being a shopping trolley so don't think is limited to high performance cars.
Always use super.

[jack schidt]

So the cost of fuel went UP 24% and the amount of crap they put in it went up also so as to make even greater profits? :ugh: x kerbillions

[cheaptickets]

What about Diesel?

[alwayzinit]

Jack, I know who would have "thunk it"!

Throw a load of really cheap stuff in the fuel, are we being paranoid or have we been here long enough to know the truth of the matter?

Hmmm. Now let me think.......................................:E

[alwayzinit]

Cheaps, the Diesel here has always been crap!;)

[jmn]

Blehbleh blabla bla

[Dubaian]

Does anyone know if this applies across other Emirates or only to Dubai?
(AFAIK ADNOC for AUH and ENOC for DXB are different organisations and probably use different refineries)


And quite apart from what this stuff is doing to your motors, just think what it is doing to your bodies. Most of the air quality monitoring stations in Dubai are off line today but last time I looked when it was working Zabeel Park was ranked as 'very unhealthy'


http://aqicn.org/city/uae/dubai/zabeel-park/

[Dubaian]

Since I moved back to Dubai a few weeks back, the filling station attendants have often gently pushed for me to buy a little bottle of stuff to add to the fuel. Never had that happen in Abu Dhabi.
(I buy the suspect 'special' stuff but refuse the offer of additives - it's a rented Kia Optima so if it blows up it's not my problem. Potentially a bit of inconvenience only while a replacement is arranged)


Could this plugging of fuel additives be related to the distribution company knowing about poor quality fuel? And would that stuff make any useful difference?

[J.L.Seagull]

Can't find a reference for it anymore, but yes, it is true.

Since the beginning of this year, there have been nearly 4000 warranty claims for blocked catalytic converters on Toyotas, Fords, and VWs, collectively.

All claims have been refused by the companies. Technical analysis has shown that an excess of manganese in the petrol was the root cause.

Seems to affect "E-plus" and "Special" grades. The top grade "Super" seems to be fine.

Not sure if this is a conspiracy to try and get people to use a more expensive fuel, or just a genuine screw up. i.e. one bad batch delivered from the refiner.

The workshop manager for Peugeot is a good friend of mine. He showed me a tech analysis document on the subject.

[Sheikh Your Bootie]

Most refined fuel, that is used in the UAE, gets refined in Abu Dhabi and Singapore. No refineries in Dubai. Small capacity in FUJ. Fuel gets made in batches and maybe a batch was screwed up.
Not seen the brown deposits mentioned, on either of my motors. I use special.

Maybe I will use Super for a while :ugh::ugh:

SyB :zzz:

[nakbin330]

I use an additive supplied, and recommended, by the guys who service my car. Not on every tank fill, maybe every third. My valves were coking due to the low quality fuel. No warning lights since but a little pricey.

[C4]

What additive is it that they recommended please?

[aussiefarmer]

So I filled up my car yesterday (with 98 of course). The screen showed I refuelled 62 litres. My car tank is only 55. They are really short of money. :sad::confused:

[ruserious]

Ah, that will be US litres, they are smaller :}:}

[CEP]

Yes, funnily enough, my vehicle (even before the price increase) was becoming more and more expensive to fill up. Same tank size (unless the agents swapped it out for a bigger one at one of the services), but over three years the cost of filling it up was around AED25 more than when I bought it. Can't be the pumps....they've got a sticker on them that says they're calibrated :E:E

[145qrh]

I got conned at ENOC recently .Asked for 100 dhs worth , but they hadn't reset pump from previous fill up , I got maybe 15-20 dhs worth .

Sticky petrol guage so didn't worry that it didn't register before I left garage , but on subsequent fill up turns out it was really empty and needle was ok ..

[DCS99]

I have become so untrusting of people here I always get out ASAP, remove the cap myself and do everything except start the pump.

Perhaps I should be more trusting of others..

[cerbus]

Not in the Middle East. Very few people are trustworthy and even less in position of power.

[maligno]

Hello tomorrow! What more rubbish you have prepared for us? Will we be treated still like modern slaves? Or maybe like an ethiopian maid? Or like a Brit financial advisor? Or like an aussy builder? Or maybe, like a Fleet manager administrator? What could be worse than today? Maybe the EXPO slavery 2020 could improve our lives...

[skytrax]

I have read on a automotive forum about some Ford cars that had problems with the catalytic converter that failed due to the fuel quality.
It is recommended that 98 fuel it is used to prevent this failure.

Not all the cars have this problem though.