Dodgy fuel leads to car stoppages

Fuel sold in Auckland has been linked to inaccurate fuel gauge readings, with motorists saying they ran out of petrol despite their car showing a quarter tank left.

Z Energy, BP and Mobil have said they are investigating a fuel quality issue that affected petrol sold at some of its stations from mid-November through to December last year.

One West Auckland driver, who used one of these stations, said he was forced to pull off the motorway because he felt his engine losing power unexpectedly, and found his fuel had run out.

BP spokeswoman Leigh Taylor said the issue was caused by heightened levels of active sulphur in the fuel, which interfered with some vehicle components.

‘‘As an industry we haven’t seen anything like this before,’’ she said.

Holden vehicles seemed worst affected, and most of the issues occurred in cars purchasing from Z Energy stations.

The issue included 91 and 95 octane fuels, and it was believed to be limited to Auckland.

However, a community Facebook page for Muriwai and Waimauku residents suggested Mazdas and Toyotas were also affected.

One woman said her Mazda 6 ran out of petrol unexpectedly, and when a tow truck arrived, the driver said he had seen four similar situations in Mazdas and Toyotas recently.

One West Auckland Mazda driver was advised to spend $450 on a new fuel pump after his car twice ran out of fuel despite it saying both times that he had a quarter-tank.

‘‘I’ve never run out of petrol in my life, and this made twice, so [I thought] it was something with my fuel gauge.’’

Despite the repair, last Monday the car began to lose power again – this time on the Auckland motorway.

With only 77,000km on a newly installed engine, the man is now attempting to claim against the fuel companies.

He used Mobil stations on West Coast Rd, Z on Henderson Valley Rd, Z on Green Bay, and BP on Te Atatu Rd, all in West Auckland, as well as a Mobil in Mt Eden.

Taylor has warned effects may be delayed, depending on how regularly a vehicle was used.

‘‘If they have not driven it or it’s taken a while to drive it a reasonable distance then they may be experiencing issues more recently.’’

Anyone with concerns over the accuracy of their fuel reading should contact the provider they purchased from.

‘‘We all have technical support teams who will be able to help and go through the process with the customer and do as much as we can to make sure they are compensated in the right way, if it is due to this issue,’’ Taylor said.

‘‘The fuel is not on the market anymore.’’

‘‘The fuel sold met all the regulated specifications ... that’s something we are looking into as well.’’

A spokesman for Holden said at least 120 cars had been affected. There is so much ‘‘rancid’’ oil used to cook every component of this meal