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Van damaged by contaminated fuel -can I sue

Last week I filled my Mercedes-Benz Vito van, but 24 hours later the entire injection system was destroyed, with repair cost amounting to £4500. The dealer who carried out the repair confirmed that the diesel was contaminated and I have sent a sample away for analyses.

I will pursue fuel station for the cost of the repair, but can I also claim for the use of my Range Rover for the six weeks I was without the van and would £0.45 per mile be fair? I covered 2500 miles during this time at 18mpg.

Asked on 10 November 2014 by Ian Bowden

Answered by Honest John
You can try. I would think that once fuel contamination is proven they will meet the claim for the repairs, but you may be in dispute for the travel costs you are claiming. I think £1125 is "reasonable" for your use of your other car as replacement because you tried to "mitigate" the cost by using your own vehicle instead of hiring another van for which the bill could have been £3000 - £4000. Good luck. Even if you get the £4500 repair cost, you may have to go to small claims court for the travel expenses.

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