Xantia 2.1 on Veggie oil

VisaGTi16v · Post by **VisaGTi16v** » 17 Aug 2005, 19:30

Has anyone run one on veggie oil long term? I was round at my local garage this morning speaking to the owner as he rallies a lot and he had a Golf there his assistant started up and he said hmm smells like veggie oil then said he had heard quite a few cases where the engines need full rebuilds after 25K as it just clogs them up or something?

sooty · Post by **sooty** » 17 Aug 2005, 22:00

"The problem I find with anyone using Veggie oil, is the smell of a burning chip pan. Isn't there any thing they can add to make them smell better."
Has'nt anyone an answer to this question ???

splat · Post by **splat** » 17 Aug 2005, 22:37

I've seen a lot of posts regarding vegetable oil as a diesel substitute and keep wondering why people don't use the more obvious (to me, anyway) heating oil instead? The stuff is a lot closer to diesel than veggie oil and much cheaper, or at least it was a few years ago. About 20p a litre if I remember correctly.
Please don't tell me it's concern for the environment...

JohnD · Post by **JohnD** » 17 Aug 2005, 22:57

Why not? As long as you don't get caught!!!!!!!!!!!

howiedean · Post by **howiedean** » 17 Aug 2005, 22:59

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by splat

I've seen a lot of posts regarding vegetable oil as a diesel substitute and keep wondering why people don't use the more obvious (to me, anyway) heating oil instead? The stuff is a lot closer to diesel than veggie oil and much cheaper, or at least it was a few years ago. About 20p a litre if I remember correctly.
Please don't tell me it's concern for the environment...
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Because if you get stopped by Mr Customs officer you will be in deep do do. [}:)]

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 18 Aug 2005, 00:28

You'd be in the same quantity of do do if you were caught with veg oil in your tank... the tax bill would just be 20p/litre smaller

James.UK · Post by **James.UK** » 18 Aug 2005, 01:56

"why people don't use the more obvious (to me, anyway) heating oil instead?"
Splat... Purely out of curiosity you understand, [:I] [;)] what kind of heating oil are you referring too? Parafin? White spirit? other? [:)]
.

caveman_si · Post by **caveman_si** » 18 Aug 2005, 15:32

Kowalski as i understand it as long as you pay the tax on the veg oil and have the forms/reciepts to prove it, (and you have to keep the forms for 6 yrs anyway with the tax office) if you get stopped by mister customers and excise everything is ok. But if you have heating oil in your tank its a whole other matter, as there is no provision for paying the tax on heating oil as a vehicle fuel, its a big fine and possibley bye bye car!!!

splat · Post by **splat** » 18 Aug 2005, 18:29

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by James.UK

"why people don't use the more obvious (to me, anyway) heating oil instead?"
Splat... Purely out of curiosity you understand, [:I] [;)] what kind of heating oil are you referring too? Parafin? White spirit? other? [:)]
.
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Standard home heating oil which I believe is some type of kerosene. The stuff those of us who live out in the sticks run our boilers on. The advantage over red diesel is that it isn't, well, red so it looks ok to the casual plod dipping the tank. The invoices have a warning printed on them: "Not to be used as a road fuel" which pretty much gives the game away.
Naturally I wouldn't try it myself but I have a friend who used it in a 405TD for 30,000 miles. The only difference seemed to be that the tickover dropped to about 600RPM, otherwise it was fine. The car died of a broken camshaft at about 180,000 miles which was never properly explained - the recent timing belt had stripped, so speculation was that either the cam broke first or the belt was weakened by fuel leaking from the pump, which could perhaps have been down to the oil rotting the seals. It was a Lucas pump if I remember correctly.

Wookey · Post by **Wookey** » 24 Aug 2005, 05:32

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by sooty

"The problem I find with anyone using Veggie oil, is the smell of a burning chip pan. Isn't there any thing they can add to make them smell better."
Has'nt anyone an answer to this question ???
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Surely the smell of veg oil is nicer than the smell of diesel?
I don't think there is anything you can do about it, but I prefer the chip pan smell myself.

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 24 Aug 2005, 17:43

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by caveman_si

Kowalski as i understand it as long as you pay the tax on the veg oil and have the forms/reciepts to prove it, (and you have to keep the forms for 6 yrs anyway with the tax office) if you get stopped by mister customers and excise everything is ok. But if you have heating oil in your tank its a whole other matter, as there is no provision for paying the tax on heating oil as a vehicle fuel, its a big fine and possibley bye bye car!!!
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You have to be registered and have payed the tax in advance otherwise you'll be treated as a tax evader as opposed to somebody being environmentally conscious / carbon neutral etc.
If you're caught with home heating oil or red diesel in your tank you'll be treated as a tax evader regardless.
By my calculations, if veg oil costs 42p per litre (best price I've seen), and you pay 27.1p per litre tax on top, then VAT, you're looking at 82p per litre to run your car on veg oil legitimately, so it is worth doing.

citroencharlie · Post by **citroencharlie** » 25 Aug 2005, 00:41

Used bio diesel 50/50 in my 2.1 TD, engine cut while driving, completly clogged the fuel filter after two weeks, feel i'm lucky it didn't do worse

fastandfurryous · Post by **fastandfurryous** » 25 Aug 2005, 01:28

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Kowalski
By my calculations, if veg oil costs 42p per litre (best price I've seen), and you pay 27.1p per litre tax on top, then VAT, you're looking at 82p per litre to run your car on veg oil legitimately, so it is worth doing.
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I still haven't seen any documentation or information as to whether VAT is then payable on the whole lot or not, and if so, how you go about paying it. If you're registered with customs and excise for paying the 27.1p/lit duty, that's fine, but unless you register as a company, and turn over more than 70k per annum, I don't see that there is any mechanism for paying the VAT.
If that's true, then at just under 70p/lit, it's definitely worth doing!

Terry Brooks · Post by **Terry Brooks** » 25 Aug 2005, 02:37

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by caveman_si

Kowalski as i understand it as long as you pay the tax on the veg oil and have the forms/reciepts to prove it, (and you have to keep the forms for 6 yrs anyway with the tax office) if you get stopped by mister customers and excise everything is ok. But if you have heating oil in your tank its a whole other matter, as there is no provision for paying the tax on heating oil as a vehicle fuel, its a big fine and possibley bye bye car!!!
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It could be bye-bye home comforts, hello porridge, as well !

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 25 Aug 2005, 03:59

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by fastandfurryous
I still haven't seen any documentation or information as to whether VAT is then payable on the whole lot or not, and if so, how you go about paying it. If you're registered with customs and excise for paying the 27.1p/lit duty, that's fine, but unless you register as a company, and turn over more than 70k per annum, I don't see that there is any mechanism for paying the VAT.
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Everything you buy is supposed to have VAT on it, with certain exceptions, one of them being food. If you buy veg oil as a food product, you pay no VAT but if you don't use it as food, are you guilty of tax evasion?
Do we need a VAT consultant? [;)]