Best car for Bio Diesel?

trubster

I am looking for a car that will run on Bio Diesel, I have read that the TDCI's are useless on it, as well as anything newer than 2004 is quite a risky business.

I had a thought on a Vectra 1.9 TDi (2004) and costs are quite reasonable.

any reviews on vehicles that run on bio?

Might be worth going for a small van (Transit connect) as this can be put through my business

worried_jim

If it is well made bio then any diesel should run on it. Most diesel sold in Europe contains a quantity of bio, esp France and Germany.
You will only encounter problems if the "soap" isn't removed from the bio- are you making yourself or buying from a retailer?

trubster

worried_jim wrote: »

If it is well made bio then any diesel should run on it. Most diesel sold in Europe contains a quantity of bio, esp France and Germany.
You will only encounter problems if the "soap" isn't removed from the bio- are you making yourself or buying from a retailer?

Its going to be either of 2 suppliers

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1000-Litres-Biodiesel-Delivered-NOT-Red-Kerosene-or-Waste-Vegetable-oil-/321228435071?pt=UK_Vehicle_Oils_Lubricants_Fluids&hash=item4acab4ee7f

or

http://www.bioukfuels.co.uk/w/doku.php?id=biodiesel_sales

It will not be "Home Made" and I have used it before in a Ford Escort (Long time ago) and a Renault Traffic 2004 without any issues.

97.5p per litre is a great price or 90p per litre if it is for "Off Road" use, but there is no difference between the "Off Road or On Road" products

OddballJamie

I thought there was still fuel duty and VAT to pay, after Ebay fees and delivery, how is the seller making anything?

trubster

OddballJamie wrote: »

I thought there was still fuel duty and VAT to pay, after Ebay fees and delivery, how is the seller making anything?

It must only cost pennies to make this stuff in quantity, after all it is waste oil that is cleaned, treated and resold

westwood68

All diesels will run on well made Bio but there can be issues with old rubber fuel seals leaking.

The Bio will recondition the seals and cause then to expand which can cause minor cracks to open.

Fuel won't leak out but air can leak in when the pump is running and pulling the fuel through. Older BMW diesels suffer from this.

Solved by replacing the seals with new ones or with replacement Viton seals. A lot of diesels have Viton seals anyway. Google should track them down

OddballJamie

trubster wrote: »

It must only cost pennies to make this stuff in quantity, after all it is waste oil that is cleaned, treated and resold

£975
Vat £162.50
Duty £580
Ebay £75
Tank £40
Total £847.50

So roughly £130 to make (filter) and delivery a one ton pallet.
Hmm...

(my figures are most likely way off)

forgotmyname

OddballJamie wrote: »

I thought there was still fuel duty and VAT to pay, after Ebay fees and delivery, how is the seller making anything?

Because that seller is not a business and the lovely clear jar of cooking oil is probably going to be some brown sludgy 2nd hand gloop from the local chipshop.

I doubt thats what your going to get. Or they stole it

trubster

forgotmyname wrote: »

Because that seller is not a business and the lovely clear jar of cooking oil is probably going to be some brown sludgy 2nd hand gloop from the local chipshop.

I doubt thats what your going to get. Or they stole it

Definitely not stolen and its definitely not the colour shown in the picture.

I have been to both sellers in my original post and they look very professional, everything is filtered and tested.

The off road price of 90p per litre is over 1000 litres or £1 a litre if less.

Definitely a lot cheaper than diesel but it's all about finding a suitable and reliable vehicle that will take it.

forgotmyname

If they are professional why are they not registered as a business on ebay?

westwood68

They're probably not registered as a business for tax and to avoid eBay commision.

On another point, selling the bio in IBC's they just pay the tax relevant to heating oil as they're not selling it as a fuel for a vehicle. If the punter decides to stick it in their tank, then they are the ones avoiding the tax. (which incidentally doesn't have to be paid if a private household uses less than 2500 litres/year)

It's a dodge but isn't much of a scam really