So, E10 bio fuel is on the way and there's a rumour that VAG engines up to 2007 won't like the stuff - any techies out there who can confirm if we're all going to need expensive engine modifications or is it the usual load of crap / scaremongering to ramp up the prices of current superunleaded and then advertise it as the only fuel we can soon use! :wonder:

According to this website it is fine to use in all Volkswagen Petrol engines it just that Volkswagen don't recommend it

http://www.onlinemechanical.net/ethanol-E10.html

Whereas this article from the telegraph says engines before 2000 could be damaged.

http://www.onlinemechanical.net/ethanol-E10.html

I personally wouldn't use it anyway as it reduces your fuel consumption and is a lower powered fuel

According to this website it is fine to use in all Volkswagen Petrol engines it just that Volkswagen don't recommend it

http://www.onlinemechanical.net/ethanol-E10.html

Whereas this article from the telegraph says engines before 2000 could be damaged.

http://www.onlinemechanical.net/ethanol-E10.html

I personally wouldn't use it anyway as it reduces your fuel consumption and is a lower powered fuel

Good info, thanks. Interesting that Audi really don't recommend the E10 but VW say you can use it but they wouldn't recommend - talk about hedging bets in case of future warranty claims!

read the pistonheads news on this.

apparently all newer (current range) VAG engines are fine with the fuel. (aswell as BMWs, the germans seem ahead of the game with this)

its because the fuel can be corrosive to some components in the fuel system which im sure wont be a hard fix however who really wants to have to.

dont think it will be as bad as the old leaded to unleaded scenario of replacing cyclinder heads, valves etc.

Sticking to tesco 99 there wont be any E10 in that

Tesco 99 contains

Ethanol including bioethanol %(v/v) -

5.0

according to the spec on Tesco website

Tesco 99 contains

Ethanol including bioethanol %(v/v) -

5.0

according to the spec on Tesco website

Now they are yes, and so is shell, seems we are doomed :(

I work in a refinery and we have just recently started making a lot of gasoline for the US market where they blend with 10% ethanol. I've not heard any talk of it for the UK market. Blending 10% ethanol will generally (at least at UK specs) reduce the RON (octane rating) so the remaining 90% gasoline would have to be of a higher spec in the first place to still meet the 95 RON we have for regular unleaded gasoline in the UK. The US market is a little different as they use an average of RON and MON ratings for their gasoline.

The link above (for the Australian market) is talking about just blending 10% ethanol with regualr gasoline which will reduce the octane rating (RON). I would hope that if they chose to introduce this in the UK they would still have to meet a basic spec of 95 RON at which point you have nothing to worry about if there's 10% ethanol in there or not.

I don't recall exactly what the RON is for our US gasoline once blended with 10% ethanol, but I think it's somewhere in the 91-92 region (I can check if anyone is interested).