The Retail Motor Industry (RMI) has moved to end what it calls confusion in the fuel sector, saying on Monday it has taken steps to help drivers choose proper fuel for their cars.
“Today’s reality is that less than 10% of all our passenger vehicles now need to operate on lead replacement petrol.
“However, an alarming 60% of motorists up until the end of last year had still not made the switch to unleaded,” RMI CEO Jeff Osborne said in a statement.
“This was largely due to the oil companies’ continued use of the words ‘Super’ and/or ‘Premium’, which very incorrectly convey that these are superior products, thus inducing motorists to use lead in cars that can quite safely run on unleaded of the same octane.”
He said fuel companies had aggravated the “confusion” when, in many instances, they failed to or inadequately briefed their customers.
Some motorists are still confused about the choice of fuel for the cars since the switch to cleaner fuels began this year, Osborne said.
“Instead of getting simple, accurate selection guidance, there has been a mixed variety of differing advice distributed by the fuel companies to their dealers, making it highly confusing to the motoring public.
“The simplest way to make the right choice is for motorists to speak to the filling-station operator who has the Naamsa [National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa] database information print-out at his driveway,” he said.
Naamsa is a body that represents vehicle manufacturers and distributors in South Africa.
“Safda [South African Fuel Dealers’ Association] members countrywide should all be able to give the appropriate advice from the correct source right now,” Osborne said.
Some fuel companies give out “inconsistent and confusing” information to motorists about the right fuel selection.
“Fuel companies seem to have suffered years of reluctance to persuade motorists on the many good reasons for them to make an early switch to the more environmentally friendly unleaded fuels [up till December 2005].
“[The] RMI had moved quickly to rectify the shortcomings, and all Safda dealers were now answering driveway queries off the full Naamsa cleaner-fuels database,” Osborne said.
He said the changeover is now “even more cumbersome” as a result of the lack of awareness on the benefits of cleaner fuel.
Earlier on Monday, Osborne said free ignition timing checks for coastal vehicles having to use lower-octane fuel will be conducted by RMI members until at least the end of February.
With 95 octane now the highest-octane fuel available at the coast, adjustments are necessary to mainly older-model cars that use 97 octane.
“Timing needs to change in coastal operation only because of the need to adjust to a lower-octane fuel availability,” he said.
“In many instances, the cars coming in for the free checks (largely from the older sector of the vehicle population) had other apparent faults, and our members were able to list these to the owners, who could then choose to have them adjusted or not,” Osborne said. — Sapa
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