The Automotive Blog

Misfuelling is a costly problem for lots of companies, when employees fill diesel vehicles with petrol. It’s estimated that at least 150,000 drivers put the wrong fuel in their car each year, one every three and a half minutes!

However there is a device that stops misfueling ever becoming an issue. Right Fuel is a smart little gadget that is a direct replacement for a filler cap. The device’s cap incorporates both a vacuum and pressure relief system to enable it to replace almost all automotive filler caps. The device allows a diesel nozzle to be inserted however if someone attempted to insert a petrol nozzle  it would butt up against the device, and quickly alert the user that the wrong nozzle is being used.

With the high cost and inconvenience of a diesel engine being misfuelled with petrol, this device will cut out expensive repair costs and vehicle downtime.

Right Fuel was designed and is made right here in the UK under strict quality guidelines.

Poorly educated and trained company car drivers are causing thousands of breakdowns a year because they are failing to carry out basic vehicle maintenance and are not fully briefed on the vehicle they are driving.

Company drivers are putting petrol into diesel cars, which can cost up to £6,000 to repair, and plugging so many electronic gadgets into their cars that their vehicles’ batteries run flat.

Such common mistakes, which according to the RAC mean fleet vehicles are off the road for 11,757 days annually, could be avoided if drivers conducted simple maintenance checks and undertook driver training.

The RAC estimates that over 40,000 fleet breakdown call outs could be avoided this way.
The company’s analysis of fleet vehicle breakdowns revealed that 17 out of the top 20 reasons for breakdowns are beacuse drivers fail to carry out simple actions.

The top call out is for punctures, although this has more to do with health and safety policies than poor driver education, as Debbie Floyd, fleet manager for Bauer, explained.

“The days of a young female sales rep trying to change a flat tyre at the side of the road are over,” she said.

“It is part of our driver health and safety policy that a breakdown service must be called to repair a puncture.”

The most common avoidable call out is for flat batteries.

“Fleet vehicles have become like mobile offices with more and more current-hungry gadgets, such as mobile phones, PCs and navigation systems, and drivers seem to think their cars are bottomless pits of energy,” said Elvin Ravenscroft, tactical development manager for RAC.

“Modern batteries are designed for a high discharge of power when starting the car, but not for a constant, steady power flow as in the case of lights or charging mobile equipment.”

Fleet drivers are continuing to mis-fuel their cars in massive numbers.

Diesel contamination now makes up almost a quarter of the top 20 driver-induced faults.

“If a vehicle is misfuelled, the car should not be unlocked and the key should not be put in the ignition.

“Under no circumstances should the engine be started, since it could result in a repair cost of around £200 to have the fuel tank drained and between £3,000 and £6,000 to repair an engine,” said Mr Ravenscroft.

As well as education regarding their vehicles, fleet managers must continue to ensure their drivers improve their road skills.

RAC data revealed that fleet drivers are twice as likely to be involved in a collision as an average motorist.

“If fleet drivers adhered to road rules, took adequate breaks to avoid tiredness or considered undergoing training to improve driving skills, the number of fleet call outs to a collision could be reduced by as much as 50%,” said Mr Ravenscroft.

One of the biggest causes of car insurance claims could soon be a thing of the past thanks to a handy new device that prevents drivers from putting unleaded petrol into a diesel car.

It is thought that around 150,000 put unleaded fuel into a diesel car each year, and this leads to a number of car insurance claims, many of which ar turned down and seen as negligence on the part of the driver.  This can then lead to costly repair bills for the car owner.
However, a small innovative piece of kit known as Diesel Guard™ can help prevent these unfortunate mishaps.

Diesel Guard™ is a smart little gadget that will remind you at the pumps that your vehicle runs on diesel fuel. On opening the fuel flap there is an audible warning advising that this vehicle runs on diesel. The device’s volume is such that you cannot ignore it, even on a noisy forecourt! DieselGuard also has a small button to terminate the message once acknowledged.

Diesel Guard™ attaches to the inside of your fuel flap with just a high strength sticky pad.

With the high cost and inconvenience of a diesel engine being filled with petrol, this device will cut out the risk of expensive repair costs and vehicle downtime.

The inspiration came from an unfortunate experience when, on a dark and rainy evening, the innovator grabbed the wrong pump when he went to fill up his car.

It was night and the weather was bad, I couldn’t see much. I wasn’t really thinking about what I was doing and I picked up the wrong pump. I just wasn’t paying attention. I suddenly realised that it must happened to thousands of drivers every day and decided there was a need for some kind of warning device.

In today’s society there is a bigger need than ever for this kind of device. People are so busy, always rushing around. It’s very easy to make a mistake like filling up with the wrong fuel.

If you’re consistently forgetful then a Diesel Guard™ device is well worth the investment.  The stern, audible warning from the device will ensure that you never put the wrong fuel in your car again and save you from both embarrasment on the forecourt and the cost of the repair bill that follows.

For more information on the DieselGuard product, visit the Aide Automotive web site.