I’m probably a complete dope & this has been well publicised by HMG, but are you guys & gals ready for E10? Regular petrol will start being sold with 10% ethanol instead of 5%. Not next year, it’s imminent. 2011 and newer cars should be fine. Older than that, not so much. You can check if your car is OK or not on the government website (or you will be able to when it’s back up again). Ethanol in higher concentrations is corrosive to some stuff like rubber and brass. One tank full is not a big deal, but regular use will kill affected components. So if our highly efficient government hadn’t explained this to everyone in the UK (which I must have missed), I predict a lot of very very unhappy people by Christmas time. You can switch to “super” (at a price) which the government has promised to keep E5 for a further 5 years. Is it really just me that’s only just found this out? I’ll get me coat…
Are you “E10” ready?
- Thread starter gog64
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doctor Bob
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I've got a 1979 car that will have to be filled with super. I had heard about this.
Cabinetman
Established Member
Well thank goodness for diesel! That could be expensive for some people and I hadn’t heard of it at all and I normally keep my ear to the ground. Ian
Very few vehicles are affected and those that are are unlikely to last the 5 years that Super will be E5.
Ollie78
Established Member
I will have to start putting super in mine. The ethanol content in even E5 has been causing problems in classics for some time, evaporation, damaging rubbers etc etc.
I am going to avoid E10 just in case, I certainly can`t afford a different car which is I am sure what the government would prefer.
Ollie
I am going to avoid E10 just in case, I certainly can`t afford a different car which is I am sure what the government would prefer.
Ollie
Trainee neophyte
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I understand, from things I have seen from USA where the ethanol content is high, that this fuel will destroy chainsaw and lawnmower engine seals in quick order. You will have to get into the habit of draining the fuel after every use, which is something I never do. Not so bad with a chainsaw, but if you have a big lawnmower it could be annoying to say the least.
Perhaps our American contingent can confirm or deny if this is actually the case?
Perhaps our American contingent can confirm or deny if this is actually the case?
We have had E10 petrol here since 2011 I think. About 8 or 10 years ago I bought a used ride-on mower of unknown age. I have used both E5 and E10, filling it with whatever I have available in a can.(*) I never drain the fuel system. I have had no fuel-related problems.
(*) Living a long way from a fuel station I tend to keep a can or two of fuel at home, just in case I run very low. That can be E10 for my wife's car. If I buy fuel specifically for the mower I am more likely to buy E5 because it is cheaper. So I have used more E5 than E10, but I have never hesitated to use E10 if that is all I have.
(*) Living a long way from a fuel station I tend to keep a can or two of fuel at home, just in case I run very low. That can be E10 for my wife's car. If I buy fuel specifically for the mower I am more likely to buy E5 because it is cheaper. So I have used more E5 than E10, but I have never hesitated to use E10 if that is all I have.
For regularly used vehicles, it’s less of a problem as the fuel is used up and replaced. For lawnmowers, strimmers or chainsaws, it’s worth adding fuel stabilisers which will delay the decay of the fuel caused by ethanol content.
The alternative is to buy something like ‘Aspen’ fuels which doesn’t have any ethanol in it.
The alternative is to buy something like ‘Aspen’ fuels which doesn’t have any ethanol in it.
Cooper
Established Member
Any chance of a link? I find the Gov websites a frustrating maze.
Krome10
Established Member
Thanks for the heads up on this. I was totally unaware. I've got a Skoda Fabia 2003 but have checked the .gov website and by all accounts I'm good. Might just check with the guys over on the Skoda forums though as I think I'd trust their opinions more than the government's 
Glad I've replaced my chainsaw with various manual saws (including a 6 foot Tyzack beauty), and am aiming to replace the strimmer with a scythe. So shouldn't have much use for petrol for my shed friends, but when I do perhaps it's time to switch to aspen, which is something I've been mulling for a while now anyway...
Glad I've replaced my chainsaw with various manual saws (including a 6 foot Tyzack beauty), and am aiming to replace the strimmer with a scythe. So shouldn't have much use for petrol for my shed friends, but when I do perhaps it's time to switch to aspen, which is something I've been mulling for a while now anyway...
Thanks for the heads up on this. I was totally unaware. I've got a Skoda Fabia 2003 but have checked the .gov website and by all accounts I'm good. Might just check with the guys over on the Skoda forums though as I think I'd trust their opinions more than the government's
I doubt it is the government deciding, I would suspect they asked the car manufacturers to tell them since E10 fuel is used in other countries and has been for a while.
Krome10
Established Member
Ah, that's good to hear and now I think about it makes total sense. More sense than Boris et al figuring it out amongst themselves!!!
Er..... what is Aspen??
The site says all BMWs are ok with E10. Seems a bit of a sweeping statement.
We run my wife's 2003 325 on E10 without problems if that helps.
Why?
From my experience, this is a myth, and I remember some of the same claims made in the U.S. when the E10 was introduced. I don't know of any case where this proved to be true.
On my six-acre farm in Virginia (small by comparison to my neighbors) I had a 1950 Ford 8N tractor, a John Deere mower, two smaller petrol push mowers, three Stihl chainsaws, a few other petrol engine powered items, and a 1980 Ford F-150. I used the lowest octane ethanol-enhanced fuel available and I never drained the fuel at the end of the day. Except for the F-150, at the end of the season I added fuel stabilizer to the tanks and that was it. When I sold the farm, all of the equipment stayed with the property and as of a few years ago, the current owner was still using it.
We have been using E10 fuel in Germany since 2011. My 2003 Ford Ranger and 2000 Ford Focus ran fine on the lowest octane. Both were replaced with newer vehicles when I retired.
Trainee neophyte
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Another internet myth truly put to bed
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