Considering the massive increase in fuel (108p here!!) - are there any alternatives to forecourt diesel - also what mods would have to be made to the car to make it run?

According to the service schedule, the only thing is that you will have to change the fuel filter more often if you were running on, say, biodiesel. Newer diesels (with the DPF) won't run on it at all though, apparently.

Having said this, horror stories about delivery fleets spending most of their time broken down because of biodiesel seem pretty common... :(

Ran the VRS on Bio for 50k with no mods and no issues, at one point I was even running it 100%.

It depends on your Biodiesel how much you can run and what reaction you will get from it. The one batch I had was abou tthe same viscosity as mineral and ran 80 - 100% but caused problems starting, it ran great but it took a bit of turning over. The regular stuff I use is not much thinner than the oil it's made from as it's not processed in the same way, but it's cheaper and easier to get. This stuff runs about 20% in the VRS and 10% in the Roomy despite the "No Bio" warning (I assume this is because of the DPF which hisn't fitted

Your fuel filter will croak earlier, probably about 10k but thats the only worry you should have with a VRS

When you say BioDiesel, from what you are saying, I'm assuming your not talking about the stuff you get from the petrol station?

No I am talking about what is essentially processed, recycled used cooking oil.

Thanks Decron.

Found a good (but simple) article Vegetable Oil as Vehicle Fuel

"At 25% veg oil in 75% diesel, your exhaust stops smelling like a taxi and starts smelling like a doughnut fryer. It's pleasant and a real talking point..."

What a geek.

Ooooh, interesting. So banging in a bottle of veg oil from the supermarket every now and again won't do it any harm? I like the idea of it smelling like a doughnut factory too. Mmm.....dounghnuts.....

hmmmm i'm not convinced. i think i'll stick to pump fuel.

I ran my 1.9TDi Passat on BioDiesel from 2 different suppliers for about 15,000 miles, then I had a mysterious pump failure.......the front bearing failed, causing the timing belt to come off the pulley, and then destroyed 5 valves in the head, and all the cam buckets!

I probably saved about £400 to £500 while using Bio, but my bill to repair my car was considerably more........

Neither of the suppliers wanted anything to do with the repairs.....what a surprise!

The problem is that Bio is not made to a proper standard and is not monitored, so you could be getting any old rubbish!

My mechanic said some of the bio felt like it was burning his skin!!!

Be very carefull who you use to suuply your bio.

Also be careful in the winter, as Bio will set as fat in your filter and pump if it gets too cold, and does not go back to a molten state until it is warmed up a fair amount.

At least get a sample first in a clear container and leave it to settle for a week to see if there is any debris still in it, and also leave it outside with your car and see if it sets!

I will try to get a photo of the Bio I left in a jar in the garage......

The problem is that Bio is not made to a proper standard and is not monitored, so you could be getting any old rubbish!

My mechanic said some of the bio felt like it was burning his skin!!!

Be very carefull who you use to suuply your bio.

Also be careful in the winter, as Bio will set as fat in your filter and pump if it gets too cold, and does not go back to a molten state until it is warmed up a fair amount.

At least get a sample first in a clear container and leave it to settle for a week to see if there is any debris still in it, and also leave it outside with your car and see if it sets!

I will try to get a photo of the Bio I left in a jar in the garage......

Well, it is supposed to conform to EN 14214 (Europe) and DIN V 51606 (Germany, because they like their won number), problem is the tests are so expensive on the scale that most producers work then it would make it too expensive to produce the fuel.

The only oil I have know to cause skin issues was Skydrol (Flame retardant hydralic oil for aircraft) so if your bio was doing that then it must have had too much Caustic soda in it (used as part of the glycerin removal process). Nasty :thumbdwn:

Good advice about letting it settle though and if anyone is using you will need to thin it down a bit more for the winter. Proper bio won't solidify but it does become thicker in the cold. The PD will cope with a british winter fine on it as long as it's less concentrated.

Perhaps you should process your own? Be good quality and cheaper in the long run.

Lots of places pay money to shift used cooking oil, I'd imagine....

Only thing is that you are supposed to pay tax on it....

Perhaps you should process your own? Be good quality and cheaper in the long run.

Lots of places pay money to shift used cooking oil, I'd imagine....

Only thing is that you are supposed to pay tax on it....

You need a licence to shift waste oil in decent quantities. They don't like to make it easy...

Perhaps you should contact a mate with a fish and chip shop? May find it easier than you think......

Perhaps you should contact a mate with a fish and chip shop? May find it easier than you think......

Tried it all at one point as was convinced I could turn mu garage into a mini plant. The biggest problem is getting the quantities transported. It's very messy and a real PITA.

Chippys also seem to want paying for it now as there is a demand for the oil locally.

Just asked Dave - apparently he gets rid of 100KG of solidified waste oil every month. Don't know if that is at all suitable for processing though....

If he uses solid, then it isnt.

Looking at that article, is normal cooking oil ok though? Say like bog standard vege oil? I'd imagine it's filtered enough and will dilute well with normal diesel to make it more runny.

There's a lot of info on SVO (straight veg oil) use on the net. How much is a litre of veg oil anyhow?

That's what I'm thinking. Less than a quid a litre?

Looking at that article, is normal cooking oil ok though? Say like bog standard vege oil? I'd imagine it's filtered enough and will dilute well with normal diesel to make it more runny.

In my experiance I would say that the occasional fling with it is ok, but I wouldn't make a habit of it (It's also not strictly legal unless your paying tax on it). During the last fuel crisis I was stuck in Birmingham with not enough fuel to get home so I dumped 5 litres in as stop gap. Car ran fine, i got home with fuel to spare but normal veg oil is chemically different to used veg oil. I can't remember what happens to the molecule chain when the oil is heated but used oil makes better fuel than new. New als contains a lot of glycerin which can over time plug things up.

There have been posts on here about it in depth.

Ah ok, so popping into Asda on my way home and buing a 5 litre drum of Sunflower oil would be not as wise an idea as I first thought.

No wonder chippies are charging for used oil now - cottoning on to the idea.

http://www.dieselveg.com/

interesting.. just been a new (and friendlier) tax law on using veg oil passed thru parliament too (home page)

No wonder chippies are charging for used oil now - cottoning on to the idea.

Our local Tesco's puts a limit of two per customer on catering-size drums of vegetable oil - I'm guessing that's why!

Our local Tesco's puts a limit of two per customer on catering-size drums of vegetable oil - I'm guessing that's why!

Hmmm.....sounds very much like it. Mind you, from what Decron says you'd have to cook some spuds with it anyway before you could use it in your car. :confused: