Blog Post
Are you using the correct grade of fuel in your car?
Anne Jones • Jul 31, 2020
Using the incorrect octane rating fuel for your vehicle can have catastrophic effects on the engine e.g. broken compression rings and piston failures which would unfortunately require a complete engine rebuild.
With manufacturers producing more smaller fuel-efficient turbo-charged and super-charged engines with high power outputs it is imperative that the correct fuel is used.
The pictures above are of a job we are currently undertaking – overhauling the engine on this 2016 vehicle which had travelled 47,000kms using low octane 91 when it should have been using a higher-octane fuel as in 95 or 98.
If you have any doubts about which fuel to use, please get in contact with us. Saving a few cents at the petrol station by using a cheaper fuel could cost you thousands of dollars in engine repairs.
Petermark Automotive add WOFs to their list of services
The video and photos attached show the importance of regular servicing and oil changes, this is an extreme example. I know we sound like stuck records going on about why long-interval servicing doesn't work, but if you were faced with a $7000.00 repair bill and a long time off the road I think you would understand why we push this issue. Unfortunately even after the vehicle has been repaired we believe the engine will not last as long as it should do if it had been looked after. This vehicle has not had regular servicing. The turbo charger failed and on inspection we discovered that the oil had turned to an almost solid-like jelly, blocking the oil galleries which has led to the failure. We highly recommend having your vehicle serviced at a minimum of 10,000kms or 12 months whichever comes first.
Are you like us in that certain words or phrases that have appeared since the beginning of the year make your blood run cold? Words like “unprecedented times”, “clusters”, “tricky virus” or “the new normal” – ugh! We have been very fortunate in our industry in that we have so far survived the Covid Pandemic thanks mainly to the Government for assistance packages and also for the loyalty of our clients who continue to support our workshop. We have been able to continue to operate our business as we did before and are forever grateful that the only time we had to close down completely was over those five weeks during Lockdown 4. We have however noticed a few minor problems that have an impact on the speed and proficiency of servicing or repairing our client’s vehicles. In the past we prided ourselves on a reasonable turnaround. Unless it was a major repair, we could almost guarantee that a vehicle would be in and out in a day. In some cases now though, we are having to wait for over a day, sometimes two for parts to arrive from a warehouse that might be just over the other side of the Harbour Bridge and not to mention how long it is taking for parts to arrive from overseas! It is disappointing for us that we are having to wait so long for parts to arrive but we understand how disappointing it must be for our clients too and we thank you heaps for your patience and understanding. This is causing a “cluster” f*** and “tricky” to work around - but is this the “new normal” during these “unprecedented times”? ๐ ๐ ๐ท ๐งด ๐
