vegetable oil and mot.

timc1967 said:

I used to top up my 300tdi discovery up to about 50/50. I felt it was slightly quieter than diesel, as it was thicker but it might have been psychological.

The 20 litre container is quite heavy and you need a large funnel to avoid spillage.

I was always concerned in case I was spotted filling the tank on my drive as I live on a main road.

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You are allowed to use veg oil up to a certain amount per year which I can't remember at the moment but it's something like 5000 litres

mick the builder said:

Its cheaper to drive to the north and buy in asda than to buy wholesale in the south!

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It aint legal though, is it ? ( in the south of Ireland)

joeyb said:

It aint legal though, is it ? ( in the south of Ireland)

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No it isn't but this forum is ".co.uk" so unless I know otherwise I have to assume that the users live within the jurisdiction of the UK. The law in Eire specifically states you CANNOT use biodiesel you make yourself nor can you use veg oil that has not had mineral oil tax applied but in the UK you can use (I think this is the right number) unto 5000 litres a year. If you are re-cycling this from used veg oil it is even cheaper but if you buy it it still CAN work out ok.

I wouldn't trust going over 50% at least for a while so if I can get veg oil at 80p a litre and diesel is £1.35 a litre we are looking at a saving of 27.5p per litre of mixture used or £1.075 per litre.

If bio-diesel is sold in Eire then you could still stick veg oil in because a dip sample will just show it is a mix.

Tesco were doing two 5L bottles for £10 last time i was in there Its a lot easier to stick in the tank like that but you do get some strange looks in the car park

I am running around 50% at the moment and normally drop down to about 20% when it gets really cold although this year I might try thinning it out with petrol.

It's 2500l a year before you have to pay tax on it but they have no way of knowing how much you have used.

barmatt said:

It's 2500l a year before you have to pay tax on it but they have no way of knowing how much you have used.

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But it also say you need the paper work involved with using oil. It is not just that simple , chances of getting pulled for it are slim but if you do you need all the paper work involved to run veggie oil legal

Tuskenraider said:

Tesco were doing two 5L bottles for £10 last time i was in there Its a lot easier to stick in the tank like that but you do get some strange looks in the car park

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+1 on that, usually down the ethnic isle(or whatever they like to call it) the square bottles seem to fit perfectly in the defender tank cut out bit too.

thanks cowaski for the info, X
I was actually responding to mickthebuilder, who does live in southern ireland.
good tip about mixing legal bio with vegi though !

I'm in the south and 20litres of KTC veg oil is £16.99 at Booker's at the mo if you have a card. That's about 85p per litre.

Thor1950 said:

But it also say you need the paper work involved with using oil. It is not just that simple , chances of getting pulled for it are slim but if you do you need all the paper work involved to run veggie oil legal

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Not sure what you mean by "the paperwork" the only record you need to keep is a notebook showing how much veg you put in and when. Who's to say if you've always written it down when you filled up the tank?

joeyb said:

It aint legal though, is it ? ( in the south of Ireland)

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Hi Joey, i was responding to Barmats point about buying from a cash & carry in the south, and my point was a lot of publicans and shopkeepers near the border were going north to stock up because it was cheaper buying from asda than buying from a wholesalers in the south.
I must admit, i didnt know using veg oil or bio diesel in the south was illegal. They are always dipping down here in the countryside because of the abundance of green(colour) diesel i suppose.

barmatt said:

Not sure what you mean by "the paperwork" the only record you need to keep is a notebook showing how much veg you put in and when. Who's to say if you've always written it down when you filled up the tank?

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The way it has been posted before for permit app, if under the 2500 rule they send you back your app with a you do not need to give the tax people paper work. But says you need to retain said paper work if questions arise. It is on the official site. Guess it is cover your arse type of thing. There has been cases if you smell like a chip shop going down the road they can stop you, and ask for paper work.

To my thinking is keep receipts of your purchase and have that letter from tax people. Better safe than sorry.

What you said is true, but a gray area. I like black and white. Is a lot easier to tell them to take a leap

if you're using less than 2500l you don't need a letter from the tax man in fact you don't need to contact them at all.

All you are obliged to keep is what I said before, a notebook, that's it, no need for receipts or anything else.

cowasaki said:

Is that a standard price inc VAT for them and how big are the containers? I can get a free card but its 20 miles away.

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Its is for 20 litre plastic drums and there is no vat on food items. Limited to five per transaction but just pay for five, take them out to the motor, and come back in for a second bite of the cherry. My local (12 miles away) costco has two flavours for the same price both are soya. I buy the one with the thicker plastic drums as my daughters school uses them for their greenhouse projects. The rape is more expensive when they have it but it goes quick.

I just keep a receipt for 20 litres of veggie and if I'm ever asked then I've just started using it as an experiment No way they can prove otherwise. I dont keep fuel receipts or mileage records as I dont claim mileage on my tax return. Simples.

I was dipped last year when I was using used engine oil and petrol and they looked at me like I was mental when I told them I'd just done an oil change and tipped it straight in the tank as it was anti social to tip it down the storm drain. Sent me on my way as soon as they pulled a sample. Did not even bother to test it. Never heard back from them and never yet had any issues with MOTs.

Shifty, I am reading this and I can just see Arthur Daly giving the guff to the poor police/customs officers as they dip his tank....... :clap2::clap2::clap2:

used engine oil! are you taking the ****? how does it run on it?

nothing wrong with used oil...just filter it first..atf is best though..hydraulic is real good as thin and usually clean...
yanks being using waste mineral oil for years..do a search on google..

leeby7 said:

used engine oil! are you taking the ****? how does it run on it?

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A 200TDi will run on just about any oil - the petrol is to give it a fighting chance and thin it a bit - cleans the combustion chamber a little too - like Redex

leeby7 said:

used engine oil! are you taking the ****? how does it run on it?

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Dippypud said:

A 200TDi will run on just about any oil - the petrol is to give it a fighting chance and thin it a bit - cleans the combustion chamber a little too - like Redex

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I'm not comfortable with adding petrol to fuel for a diesel engine and I can't see it cleaning the combustion chambers.
And I believe using mineral oil as fuel falls foul of HMRC as it attracts fuel duty.
I can't see that used engine oil, unless well centrifuged would be good for the injector pump and the engine.