Contamination claims lack substance
The Motor Trade Association (MTA) has carried out a survey following recent claims that contaminated diesel is causing a range of problems for some diesel vehicles. Results from the contaminated diesel survey show that the problem has not increased over the last three years.
Over 30 specialist diesel repairers from around the country took part in the survey which was aimed at getting a better understanding of whether or not there actually are any outstanding issues with this increasingly popular type of fuel, and whether or not the issue is widespread or a localised event.
MTA spokesman Ian Stronach says the survey results and feedback from expert repairers show that owners and members of the public may be getting an incomplete picture. Survey results confirmed that there has been no real increase in the number of reported cases over the last three years.
“We are surprised and at a loss as to why some people in the industry have made these claims, based on what members from across the country are telling us, there simply isn’t any evidence to suggest that there is an issue.” says Stronach.
The MTA says the Ministry of Consumer Affairs have been carrying out tests on service station fuel tanks at a rate of 18 per month over the last three years, and to date, have found no contamination.
There were 615,000 diesel passenger cars, trucks and buses in New Zealand at the end of 2008, accounting for 18 percent of the total national fleet. In 1999, there were just 360,000 diesel vehicles.
“The number of diesel vehicles on our roads over the last ten years has almost doubled (up 71 percent). When you consider the dramatic surge in the number of diesel vehicles on the road, it’s no surprise that there could be an increase in the number of incidents. However, in this case, our analysis shows that the number of incidents has decreased in proportion to the number of diesel vehicles on the road.”
It was also suggested that certain vehicle models were suffering faults more than others. Stronach says “It stands to reason that if there are one or two very popular models, then the odds are, they are bound to show up in repairers workshops more often.”
Importantly, MTA doesn’t see it as a reason not to buy a diesel vehicle, on the contrary. The benefits of fuel efficiency and low emissions still remain compelling reasons to consider diesel vehicles, as an increasing number of New Zealanders are. |
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