October 2021

Above: The introduction of E10 could cause fuel tank issues for some vehicles F rom 1 September, E10 has been the standard grade of petrol sold in the UK. Containing 10% bioethanol, it superseded the E5 grade for the most part, which itself included 5% bioethanol in its make-up. While E5 will continue to be sold in via the Super-Unleaded premium option, going forward most petrol vehicles in the UK will be running on E10 from now on. Commenting on the introduction of the new fuel grade, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Every journey matters as we drive forward the green industrial revolution, which is why the rollout of E10 is so important. It’ll help us cut road greenhouse gas emissions and meet our ambitious net zero targets. Although more and more drivers are switching to electric, there are steps we can take today to reduce emissions from the millions of vehicles already on our roads – the small switch to E10 petrol will reduce greenhouse gas emissions as we accelerate towards a greener transport future.” Following an information campaign that gradually increased in volume throughout the year, the first day with E10 as the main grade of fuel represented a formal switchover. Indeed, for some weeks many petrol stations will continue to sell E5, until they can be re-supplied with E10 when the time comes for their tanks to be replenished. While most cars sold since 2011 are compatible with the new fuel, along with many cars built since the turn of the 21st century and even before, there will remain on the roads thousands of vehicles that were not designed to run using this fuel mix. That means there could be problems down the road that end up driving straight through your doors. Compatible Let’s start by looking at the fuel itself. Commenting on the potential impact on vehicles that could result from the change, Phil Monger, Technical Director of the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) said: “The overwhelming majority of vehicles will be unaffected. They may experience a slight reduction in MPG, but motorists should not notice it. In terms of energy content, E10 is marginally less than standard petrol. All vehicles built since 2011 will certainly be compatible.” Commenting on the roll-out, Phil said: “Having been part of the E10 working group with the Department for Transport for the last five years, we realised it would be imperative to carry out a major publicity campaign if the switch was to be successful. We did all the preparation, and then waited until the number of non-compatible cars had fallen to an acceptable level. We pointed out that back in 1993 when we introduced unleaded petrol, at the time we were struggling with the same thing because of the number of vehicles that needed leaded petrol. We then had a solution in that they could buy off-the-shelf additives that they could put in the tank every time they refueled. This would cover the risk factor and enable them to use the unleaded. We were dealing with a similar situation of needing to get the number of compatible vehicles up to the level. It has been publicly stated as 95% of the vehicle parc. You are looking at a maximum of 5% of vehicles not being compatible, many of which are classic vehicles. Many of those are probably already running on super- unleaded.” He continued: “Apart from older vehicles still in the regular use category, in rural areas there are still a few, but the number of miles they do are usually quite limited. When you are looking at damage from putting ethanol in, the areas where you will see damage will be where there is soft metal. So, if you have got a copper fuel pipe, or a rubber fuel pipe, which some of the very much older cars will have, or if you have a copper seal or a fibre seal, that is the sort of thing that will erode over time. If this were to occur, you would begin to experience leakage. However, many people could replace all of this beforehand if they were aware. If not, they keep an eye on it and if there is any seepage they can replace it. Each motorist should, however, check with the vehicle manufacturer or dealer, to ensure there is no other long-term damage risk from using a higher percentage blend of ethanol. Beyond that, it’s not the same as when we got rid of leaded petrol, where you could end up with significant valve seat damage, among other things. Back then you bought an additive, but comparatively today that would be more expensive than just buying super-unleaded. Bearing in mind the mileage a classic car is going to be doing, the financial impact is 8 AFTERMARKET OCTOBER 2021 BIG ISSUE www.aftermarketonline.net E10 INTRODUCTION: WHAT IT MEANS FOR GARAGES While the initial impact of the E10 roll-out was far from dramatic, a whole slew of fuel system-related problems could be heading your way