Fuel supplied may impact fuel gauge accuracy in small number of vehicles

Three of New Zealand’s major fuel companies today said they were investigating a potential fuel quality issue that may have affected a small volume of petrol supplied from late November to mid-December 2017

The companies are investigating whether the issue may have contributed to inaccurate fuel gauge readings, particularly in Holden vehicles in the Auckland region with fuel purchased from Z Energy.

The three major fuel companies have tested petrol from the shared fuel storage tanks, with results indicating that there were elevated active sulphur levels in batches of 91 and 95 octane petrol supplied from late November to mid-December 2017.

It is important to note that the fuel sold met all regulated specifications, however fuel suppliers set a voluntary specification for active sulphur levels which was exceeded in these batches. The fuel companies in question are investigating the issue further, and recommend that customers with any concerns around the accuracy of their fuel gauge should ensure their gauges read above half, and get their vehicle checked by their local vehicle dealer.

Representing BP, Z and Mobil as major participants in the fuel industry and users of the shared supply chain assets, spokesperson Leigh Taylor said that customers should contact the company they purchased the fuel from with any issues or queries.

“Currently our understanding is that this has been limited to a relatively small group of customers with a specific vehicle type. If the current issues being experienced in these vehicles is shown to be connected to the fuel, we expect that at these low levels of active sulphur, and the small amount of fuel affected, the vast majority of vehicles will not be impacted at all.

“We do however encourage vehicle owners with concerns around their fuel gauge performance who have refuelled within the identified timeframe to immediately check with their vehicle manufacturer.

“If there are concerns – particularly if the gauge does not drop below a quarter full – please ensure the vehicle has plenty of fuel and get it checked.”

Leigh Taylor is acting in capacity as spokesperson of users of the shared supply chain assets. BP is currently Chair company of customers of this group.

Fuel company helpdesk numbers
 

BP 0800 805 111

Mobil 0800 880 361

Z Energy 0800 567 723