Contaminated diesel driving engine damage

Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) has expressed concern over the shock revelation that local motorists have been unknowingly exposed to contaminated diesel.

The department for mineral resources and energy found that 70 filling stations around the country were selling diesel, mixed with illuminated paraffin. As paraffin is cheaper than diesel, wholesalers will make more profit.

Andrew Kirby, president and CEO of TSAM, said the consequences stretches much further than the actual damage diesel engines will suffer.

“I’m more concerned about the message and the lack of being able to control fuel quality in South Africa and what that could mean for us in the future,” Kirby said during TSAM’s annual state of the motor industry address at Kyalami this week.

“We are pushing hard for more advanced engines using a lower sulphur grade of diesel. This type of controversy doesn’t help us.

“We need to demonstrate that we are using low PPM fuel in order to utilise Euro 6 and 7 grade engines.

“We still have Euro 3 in SA. If we are going to be making the transition to lower emission and emission-free vehicles we need to achieve that with our fuel quality as well.”

Kirby assured Toyota customers that the manufacturer will

“walk the journey” with them. “We don’t know how many times people filled up with these fuels and the distances that they drove, as it will have a big impact on the lifespan of these engines.

“We’ll obviously be watching it very carefully for when customers do come in with any problems.”

TSAM provided Saturday Citizen with a detailed technical explanation

of why it is detrimental for a diesel engine to run on contaminated fuel.

“Paraffin affects the lubricity of the fuel and does not contain any of the necessary additives required by modern engines.

“These additives assist with the lubrication and cleaning of the moving parts in the diesel injection system and the conditioning of the seals,” Toyota said. “The

components will fail with the repeated use of paraffin.

“Furthermore, the flashpoint of paraffin is lower than diesel, which could lead to an engine knock that can cause catastrophic engine failure.”

Further bad news for motorists is that a vehicle’s manufacturer’s warranty will likely not cover any damage caused by contaminated fuel.