Hi,
I've got a 2 and a bit year old Corsa which seemed to be mis-firing under acceleration.
I thought it might just be that the injection system was grubby so I put some injection cleaning additive into the fuel.
It didn't make things any better and the problem has gradually deteriorated to the point where I've taken it to my local Vauxhall garage, the car being under warranty.
Now they're telling me that the fault was CAUSED by the additive and the work can not be completed under the conditions of my warranty.
It didn't say that on the bottle when I put the stuff in there - and it doesn't say that on their website either.
Is it the case that fuel additives to clean injection systems can actually DAMAGE the engine?
Thanks
Simon
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Sounds like any old excuse to avoid resposibilities to me.
Think they're on very shaky ground.
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Personally I think they could have a strong case. My guess some muck has been loosened up (maybe in the fuel filter) and clogged the injectors.
As I wrote on another thread (about Forte products) - these additives are claimed to remove deposits from fuel systems - they are basically strong detergents. Where do the 'removed deposits' go? Maybe end up around the injector pintle? Petrol also has lubricating properties - what is the impact of the additives on lubricity?
You can't just throw anything into the fuel system and expect the VM to pick up the tab if damage is caused. Does the additive manufacturer say that the product won't cause damage? Maybe you could claim against the additive manufacturer.
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I had been using fuel from all sorts of petrol stations - supermarkets, Jet, Texaco, Shell, BP, whatever was nearest at the time.
Whilst some muck MIGHT have clogged the injectors, how much muck can accumulate over 16,500 miles where the car has been serviced by the manufacturer according to their own instructions?
I used ONE dose of the additive. It must be a very powerful additive if it causes the entire system to be flushed through as you suggest.
You're right - if I'd thrown water or sugar or flour or something into the fuel system then of course the warranty is invalid. But injector cleaning additive?
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The garage are absolutely correct. I work for the warranty engineering department of a midlands OEM and can tell you that returned parts are examined very thoroughly. We recently rejected a claim for a new deisel engine because chemical analysis of the fuel filter proved the vehicle had petrol in the tank.
You should have said nothing about the additive. When one has problems with a car under warranty give it to the garage to sort - that's what the warranty is for. Did you read your warranty agreement? What does it have to say on the subject?
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Ok so we are dealing with a 2 year old car here with, what, 10,000 miles on the clock perhaps? If the injector(s) were clogged to the point of causing misfiring then some very dodgy fuel must have passed through them to cause that problem.Some more info is required here (ie source of fuel) before we start apportioning blame to anyone. Anyway if it is simply clogged injectors then it isnt rocket science to get them cleaned.
Andrew
Simplicate and add lightness!
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Usually Jet (Connoco) sometimes supermarket, BP, Shell... But mostly Jet as they are local and cheaper.
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I wouldn't have said anything but THEY said to ME that the problem was either with wiring or with contaminants in the fuel. So that's when I said I had originally had this problem and tried to see if I could clear it myself using an injector cleaner (guessing that the problem might be in the fuel system).
You would not expect a car with 16,500 on the clock to have a misfire problem under acceleration. I just hoped that using one dose of the additive might clear the problem but it had no discernable effect.
I am sure that putting the wrong type of fuel in a tank WOULD invalidate the warranty. Whether using an injector cleaning additive to clean the injectors would invalidate a warranty might be a different question.
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Browns: if you had information that said garage used fuel injector cleaners themselves, as many do, their argument would be toast. Anyway, can't see that these additives, in the quantities directed actually do anything at all, having tried to get carbon deposits off two-stroke baffles!
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STP® Super Concentrated Fuel Injector Cleaner was what I put in there.
The mechanic doesn't think it would void my warranty - nor do STP. Panic over - thanks for all of your help.
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