Car has engine problems? Blame it on adulterated fuel
Hyderabad 23-Aug-2010
Automobile users in the city are battling a serious problem these days - adulteration of fuel. With an increased number of petrol pumps in Hyderabad dispensing 'unfit' oil, consumers complain that vehicles are now faced with a range of glitches including poor ignition, reduced mileage and even jammed engines. Apart from causing inconvenience, this has also added to the 'maintenance' cost of automobiles, say users, with the price of spare parts, especially engines skyrocketing by the day.
Industry sources confirm this rise in adulteration of fuel in the city and even attribute many vehicle breakages to this problem. "On an average, we get at least five to six such complaints every month. In most cases, there is either a pick-up problem or the engine of the vehicle is damaged completely. There are also complaints about the vehicle stalling because of the use of fuel mixed with either water or kerosene," says an official at the Varun Motors' service centre. And the price that a user pays for any such damage ranges from Rs 20,000 to Rs 3 lakh, the sources claim. What adds to the woes of customers is the fact that the breakages due to adulterated fuel is not covered under warranty by any manufacturer.
"We realise it causes a huge dent on the pocket of automobile users, but is a rule followed by every dealer. As a result, consumers are made to cough up a huge sum for no fault of theirs," said Mark Mendes, deputy general manager (service) of Fortune Ford adding, "Sometimes, replacing an individual spare part is difficult and the entire unit has to be changed to make the vehicle functional. That's when it becomes a costly affair for the consumer."
Already faced with a steep inflation, consumers say that this 'oil fraud' has only made matters worse for them. They complain that their vehicles are routinely developing problems, despite them fuelling their automobiles from reputed gas stations. "I have been subscribing only to branded petrol for the last five years. In spite of that, the engine of my car has burnt out completely. The service centre says that it is only because of adulterated petrol," said a resident of Banjara Hills. For the Honda City, bought for a price of Rs 7 lakh five years ago, the user has now been made to cough up a whopping Rs 2.5 lakh to get his car engine replaced.
Similarly, a denizen driving a Maruti Wagon R was also fleeced of Rs 40,000 when the piston of the automobile choked due to the use of poor quality petrol. Industry analysts claim that the consistent rise in the number of adulteration cases only indicates the seriousness of the issue and feel that it should be dealt with an iron hand. "The regulators should take sincere measures to check this fraud. Considering that even new-age automobiles with high-end technology are falling prey to adulteration, it is time something substantial is done to arrest this business," said an industry insider.
However, despite this uproar among automobile users, oil companies seem to be least perturbed. According to them, adulteration of fuel is only a "minuscule issue" and is far from causing any panic among consumers. Further, they also claim that most oil companies have stringent "quality check" processes in place as a result of which there is negligible pilferage. "We have a six-step process to ensure that the fuel being delivered to the consumer is free of adulteration. There is zero tolerance for any mischief in this company and we do not hesitate to cancel dealerships if any outlet is caught violating the rules," said N Srikumar, executive director and head of Andhra Pradesh for IndianOil. Vouching for all the oil companies in the public sector unit Srikumar said, "Adulteration is a problem that we give maximum importance to. Therefore, we have routine checks to ensure that it does not take place rampantly. Apart from mobile labs and officers who routinely visit the outlets to check their standards, we also have provisions at our stations for consumers to check the fuel for adulteration themselves."
Trying to pass on the buck, some oil companies even allege that the service centres squarely put the blame on the fuel quality to save their backs. "For any damage caused to the vehicle, they attribute it to adulterated oil. But where is the proof for it? They only make these blanket statements to cover the manufacturing defects in the vehicle," said an official of another established oil company. This claim is, however, denied by manufacturers and dealers who say that repeated letters sent to oil companies about adulteration have gone unnoticed. "We have written to them on several occasions when we have done tests at our own centre and found that the fuel is not fit for use. But we have not received a single response," said the owner of a car outlet in the city.
Intriguingly, officials of the legal metrology department - a wing of the Andhra Pradesh police- responsible for the quality of fuel, not only admit to this large-scale adulteration but even confess that there is little the department can do to check the menace. "Inspectors on the field are known to accept small bribes in exchange of a clean chit to petrol pump owner," said a senior official of the department adding, "That is one reason why the post is much sought-after." In fact, officials even admit that the quality testing labs are not competent enough to arrest adulteration. "Up to 20 per cent adulteration goes unchecked in the labs, if naptha is used. For kerosene it is between seven and ten per cent," said P S R N T Swamy, assistant controller (Hyderabad zone), legal metrology department.
