A frienmd of mine has just bought herself a 2002 Polo 1.4 HDi and is wondering whether it can safely run on vegetable oil.
Anybody know the definitive answer? I know she could just try it but I believe some of the more expensive potential damage takes a while to show up...
should be ok in the warm weather, look here:
No one will be held liable so will not give a definitive answer, so you're both going to be stuck. If you tell her it will and after following your advice, or opinions here you pass off as your own, she will probably go wild if the car develops a fault - even if it isn't related. It will be your fault each time something goes wrong.
Tell her to price a new fuel filter, diesel pump and various seals plus the labour to fit them all unless you can do it for her. If heaters are not used with a seperate tank for the vegetabe oil, which is a hell of a DIY job, it will be difficult to start in the cold. It tends to be older cars that run well, such as an old Volvo that cost £50 and you didn't care about breaking.
Newer diesel cars such as the Vauxhall diesel turbo engines can be run on Kerosene (heating oil!) without ANY modification or causing ANY damage. Astra 1.7 and 1.9 are perfect examples, so is the 1.9 vectra. Most people that buy a diesel on the Vauxhall Employee Scheme use Kerosene to save money. Many are sold on and never suffer. You do need to research and check first.
from the damage I have seen caused by vegetable oil, I wouldn't bother. You will not find one single company that will back their products and claims they make - that should tell you something.
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember PCPaul saying something like:
If common rail pump - not worth the risk. The older conventional pumps by Bosch were/are very tolerant, but CI - no way.
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