The Best Car Finance Blog In The World

I guess with the cost of diesel so high it was inevitable that people would try to save money by buying dodgy fuel that has either been bought cheaply, as it was intended for use by farmers, and as a result it attracts less duty or it has been stolen from farms where fuel is less protected than filling stations.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back

According to HM Revenues and Customs the sale of illegal fuel is up by 48% and not just from ‘pop-up garages’ and ‘huckster sites’ but also regular filling stations. In the past it was easy enough to identify the dodgy fuel if it originated from a farm as it was dyed red. But to avoid detection the crooks have found a way to strip the red dye from the fuel using a concoction of chemicals.

This is all well and good but the chemicals they use can damage the engine. The damage is made difficult to detect as the effects of the chemicals can take months or even years to be noticed. HMRC has revealed that they found illegal fuel at 388 sites in 2012 compared to 262 in 2009/10.

Closed (Photo credit: Joe Dunckley)

Whilst is seems there has been a surge the HMRC believe that it has more to do with the detection rate rather than a substantial increase in use or theft of illegal fuel. You can draw your own conclusions, just be careful where you are buying your fuel from and what harm the fuel could be doing to your car. By Graham Hill

Related articles

• More garages caught selling illegal fuel (telegraph.feedsportal.com)

My gadget of the week is the latest solution to an old problem. It’s a fuel cap that prevents you from misfuelling a diesel car with petrol. The clever gadget replaces the standard filler cap and prevents the narrower petrol nozzle from entering the tank. The unit, called the Diesel Head is easy to fit, simply unscrew the factory fitted unit and place the Read more »

The latest, and potential ongoing, problems with the US economy means that the future of the US dollar is becoming a lot less predictable. One of the downsides to this is the global use of the US dollar to set oil prices. Whilst countries around the world have pushed to change this method of establishing prices it looks as though we’re stuck with it for the Read more »

On the question of economy Auto Express carried out a test to see what the real effect would be of driving a car faster over the same distance. They carried out the test using a Renault Megane Sport Tourer 2.0l diesel. They covered a distance of 70 miles on the Longcross Proving Ground in Surrey. They used this 2 mile circuit as it allowed them to set Read more »

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

My gadget of the week is in fact an additive of the week. With fuel costs increasing daily (well it seems that way) a few additives have entered the market claiming to improve your car’s performance, improve fuel consumption and reduce CO2 output. One of these is called Mergi and is described by the manufacturer as ‘Magic in a bottle and helps you get Read more »

Something I’ve reported upon before is the increase in fuel theft but with the latest increase in cost at the pumps the number of thefts is increasing again. Farmers, heating oil and tankers have long been the targets of organised thieves but with an average family car holding around 60 litres of fuel this can represent about £80 (more if diesel) to regular Read more »

Even without the full increase in fuel duty we are seeing a constant increase in fuel cost. Petrol rose by 23% (21 pence per litre) last year whilst diesel increased by 13% (13 pence per litre) and we have already seen fuel increase by about 8 pence per litre this year. On average petrol increased every 2 weeks and as the increase was spread over the year it hasn’t led to serious discontent. But with fuel set to rise Read more »

Many large companies now use telematics to assess the efficiency of their drivers, understand how they drive and whether they take the most efficient route when they are out on their travels. Telematics is a sort of extended Tracker system that not only plots the route of the driver but also records all sorts of other data such as speed, acceleration, braking, fuel consumption etc. The fact is that with so much data Read more »

Experts are warning that the hike in fuel duty taking place this week by 2.3 pence per litre could be the start of significant increases on the way as crude oil increases in cost and the reduced rate VAT is set to end. The RAC predict that pump prices could return to the levels of summer 2008 at around £1.20 litre. So if you are thinking of changing your car you should make sure that you take a close look at fuel consumption, there is no longer the clear distinction between petrol and diesel. By Graham Hill

If you are a formula 1 fan like me you will often hear comments being made about tyre temperature and its effect on grip. Well it’s not surprising to learn that weather conditions can not only affect the handling of the car but also the fuel consumption. In wet weather grip decreases but did you know that fuel consumption increases by up to 10% in a downpour, so best you stay at home when it’s raining hard. Also grip increases in hot weather but fuel consumption drops by 1-2% for every 5 degree Centigrade increase in temperature.  By Graham Hill