Lexus - Mad or simply idiotic owner?

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
View Threaded
Thu 6 Sep 2018 16:20
Lexus - Mad or simply idiotic owner? - skidpan

Walked into town on Tuesday. Close to a set of lights a Lexus GS passed me and from the exhaust it was emitting quite a bit of white smoke (not steam). A few seconds later the unmistakable smell of parafin (I know the smell well - in my youth every outside loo was heated by it in winter as was every greenhouse) drifted into my nostils. As it pulled away from the lights a huge cloud of white smoke came out the exhaust.

Was going to post but forgot all about it until today. Walking into town same car passed both me and the Mrs. Same smoke, same smell. I asked her what the smell was, she answered parafin (she experienced the loo and greenhouse heaters as well). Now 100% certain I am not dreaming.

How long will that car last. Presumably the owner is running the thing on a shoe string using what he thinks is cheap fuel.

As I asked in the title, mad or idiot? Would the DVSA be interested I wonder?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 6 Sep 2018 17:24
Lexus - Mad or simply idiotic owner? - BMW Enthusiast

As I asked in the title, mad or idiot? Would the DVSA be interested I wonder?

The answer to your question is both mad and an idiot. A lot of people here are running cars on Kerosene and old VW group cars with the 1.9 TDI engine are the favourite for it. The place smells like an airfield because of it. Using Kerosene causes coking of the injectors and eventual failure of the injector pump but people are adding vegetable oil or filtered used engine oil as a lubricant. Kerosene has no lubrication qualities at all. Vehicles are being dipped by HMRC all the time but they are targeting commercial vehicles, coaches and taxis. Private motorists are very unlikely to get caught but the aircraft smell is the dead giveaway.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 6 Sep 2018 18:20
Lexus - Mad or simply idiotic owner? - tourantass
Apparently you can use upto 2500 litres of veg oil a year as a car fuel before there is any tax payable, that is of course providing your car will run on veg oil.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 6 Sep 2018 18:56
Lexus - Mad or simply idiotic owner? - skidpan

Apparently you can use upto 2500 litres of veg oil a year as a car fuel before there is any tax payable, that is of course providing your car will run on veg oil.

See www.gov.uk/government/publications/excise-notice-1...s

It needs a careful read before you can jump to any conclusion but the 2500 litre limit is for producers not users. It still appears all fuel for road use is taxable, and quite right too.

Edited by skidpan on 06/09/2018 at 19:09

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 6 Sep 2018 19:49
Lexus - Mad or simply idiotic owner? - BMW Enthusiast

It still appears all fuel for road use is taxable, and quite right too.

Indeed. Filling stations that sell red diesel and kerosene at the pumps need to stop turning a blind eye to motorists filling up with it.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 9 Sep 2018 20:37
Lexus - Mad or simply idiotic owner? - focussed

I don't know about a blind eye - there is a garage between Mundford and the B1108 turn for Bodney that always did openly advertise "red diesel sold here". I just checked on google maps street view and blow me if they are still doing it, image date 2016!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 9 Sep 2018 20:55
Lexus - Mad or simply idiotic owner? - focussed

If you produce and/or use less than 2,500 litres per year of biofuel, and expect to continue at or below this rate of production/use, then you are considered to be an exempt producer. In this case you do not have to register with HMRC, nor do you have to pay any duty. You are however legally required to keep records of a) the date of each supply and/or use, and b) the amount of supply of own use. These records must be preserved for six years.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link