Why are all garages out of E5 petrol.

[IHK 11]

Hi everyone ive been trying to get E5 petrol for about a week now and every garage ive tried near me are sold out and dont know when they can get more.  I live in North Wales and its not really rural where i am.every Esso or Shell garage near me always has it. Ive got a 1990 Audi coupe and a 1992 Escort Rs2000 which i really need petrol for. I havent heard anything from the government or on the news. I am starting to worry tho as this has never happened before. I have other cars which i can use that run on E10 but the 2 that run on E5 are my favourites. Does anyone have any idea whats going on or have heard anything about this? Thanks from Ian!

[Steve Q]

I think e5 is selling out faster as people aren't trusting E10. It's all a money making scam as cars running on E10 are getting less mpg. 

[IHK 11]

I just hope i can get some soon. The cars running very low. I should of filled up sooner really. Thsnks.

[Magnet]

Hello Ian,

As I understand it, E10 has been the norm on the Continent for a few years, and again as I understand it, there hasn’t been many reports of disastrous consequences with its use in older cars. I used it in three 20 year + cars last year, and a bit when allowed during Covid - well they are still running! 
I get the impression with yourself that ideally it’s E5 - or nothing - and I think you will have to consider the possibility of the ‘or nothing’ bit, since fuel stations are unlikely to occupy one tank with much slower selling E5. 
Again, I think it’s been justifiably pointed out on here that E10 is ‘up to’ 10% Ethanol, and doesn’t necessarily mean the ethanol content is consistently at that maximum. 
Just a thought.

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[IHK 11]

Thanks for your reply. Do you think it would be ok to use E10 just until i can get some E5? 

[Magnet]

The answer has already been written in the above post - in my experience. 
 

[Stevey Y]

3 hours ago, IHK 11 said:

Thanks for your reply. Do you think it would be ok to use E10 just until i can get some E5? 

Hi if you look on the government web site it tells you the years of cars that won't run well on E10, but in saying that E10 has caused a lot of problems with later cars as well the upside is if your cars are not on the list you can take some of the guess work out of it by buying a proprietary fuel additive that will alleviate any problems you might have using E10, there have been people with later cars posting on this site that have been having problems with E10 causing sensors to play up and as extra ethanol will eventually corrode metal parts . I can see why when they change back to E5 the problems cease, European blending of fuels is different from U.K. blending which is why the fuel is delivered raw and blended at refineries such as the big site near me and it is blended to our regulation and then checked by weights and measures before its allowed to be sold

Steve.

[IHK 11]

I dont know why but my gut feeling is just stay away from E10 at all costs. Ive checked the government website and its not suitable for my car. I like the sound of the additives tho. Thanks for your replies. 

[Stevey Y]

26 minutes ago, IHK 11 said:

I dont know why but my gut feeling is just stay away from E10 at all costs. Ive checked the government website and its not suitable for my car. I like the sound of the additives tho. Thanks for your replies. 

Hi I can concur with Steve Q as the additional Ethanol added makes it less stable but allows the refiners to make more money as it is a cheap filler as per gov regulation, remember these are the people who told us that we should buy diesel vehicles as they are better for the environment and then spent the last decade trying to hang diesel owners out to dry, I agree with you stick with E5 if you can.

Steve.

[Steve Q]

I personally go from my experience of how my 1993 ford escort runs on E10 which is a lot different to e5. I know the car well as I've owned it 16 years. I always put e5 in it, unless E10 is a last resort. 

My worry is how E10 degrades the fuel lines due to the extra sulphur. Ultimately increasing the risk of pipe degradation and thus fuel spilling into a hot engine causing a fire. 

However I appreciate fuel lines should be checked regularly on older cars anyway. 

[IHK 11]

Fuel lines are always something thats on the back of my mind. I had one leak about 7 years ago on the Audi and i drove 256 miles before i noticed. Im just glad it was raining that day. I only got sudpicious when i was using more fuel than usual. I always check them now. Im just glad  and lucky nothing bad happened. 

[IHK 11]

Just an update. Ive managed to get some E5 and have been told its not a problem at the moment. I found some additives for £12 that would do 4 full tanks of E10 so thats something i would consider if i couldnt get E5 again. The car does run so much better on E5 tho. 

[Steve Q]

15 hours ago, IHK 11 said:

Just an update. Ive managed to get some E5 and have been told its not a problem at the moment. I found some additives for £12 that would do 4 full tanks of E10 so thats something i would consider if i couldnt get E5 again. The car does run so much better on E5 tho. 

Glad you got sorted 🙂 glad you had a lucky escape with that leaking fuel line.

[IHK 11]

I was lucky to be fair. Thanks.

[Steve Q]

On 1/26/2023 at 8:05 PM, Stevey Y said:

Hi I can concur with Steve Q as the additional Ethanol added makes it less stable but allows the refiners to make more money as it is a cheap filler as per gov regulation, remember these are the people who told us that we should buy diesel vehicles as they are better for the environment and then spent the last decade trying to hang diesel owners out to dry, I agree with you stick with E5 if you can.

Steve.

Exactly Steve. My A6 brochure tells me how good it is for the environment! 

Regardless of our views on emissions and the environment, one thing we can all agree one is that any government in power is a money hungry, living so n so. I just know my Audi is more environmentally friendly than any modern electric milk float. 

Nothing will change until build carbon for any item is taken into account when considering the environment. 

[Steve Q]

1 hour ago, IHK 11 said:

I was lucky to be fair. Thanks.

No probs at all 

[black jack]

i will only use E5 in my A3 , it might bit a little more expensive but for piece of mind its worth it.

i had jap imports for years and only used Vpower , you get what you pay for and weather its in my head or not i am shore it does help with performance.

[IHK 11]

I agree with you it definitely helps with performance. The engine just sounds and feels smoother with e5 in it. Like you say it is peace of mind. Youd always be thinking and worrying what if on E10.