New E10 petrol suitable for fewer car models than previously thought

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The transition to the new E10 (95 E10) grade of petrol, with a ten per cent ethanol content, has not been without problems.
      A number of car models have been removed from a website put up by the Association of Automobile Importers in Finland, which lists cars that can take the new fuel.
      The new grade of fuel has been available from the beginning of the year, and the latest updates to the list were made on January 5th, and further alterations have not been ruled out.
     
“It would be really difficult and awkward if the list were to change some more. Problems like this emerged as Finland became one of the first countries to shift to this new grade of petrol”, says Pasi Nieminen, managing director of the Automobile and Touring Club of Finland.
      Cars affected by the changes include the newest Chevrolet and Daewoo models, whose importers say that no problems have arisen yet.
     
Filling up once with 95 E10 is not harmful even if the grade is not recommended for the car in question. However, if used regularly, the wrong type of fuel can soften rubber and plastic components that it comes in contact with.
      If a car is damaged as a result of erroneous instructions, the importer is liable for the damage. Car dealers are on the lookout for those who might try to get free repairs for damage with some other cause.
      “For instance, one person claimed that E10 does not work in his car. A closer examination revealed, nevertheless, that the new petrol was not even available in the area where he lived”, Kallberg says.
     
The basic guideline is that cars requiring fuel with an octane level above 95 should use 98 E5 petrol instead of 95 E10.
     


Previously in HS International Edition:
  New 95 E10 petrol is being introduced into Finnish market (3.1.2011)
  Higher ethanol content in petrol could force one in three motorists to switch fuels next year (5.10.2010)

Links:
  Information on the new E10 petrol

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