It was -28c here to this weekend. The car started and drove without a problem. Fuel sold here is good for -32c.....-35c

-25c washer fluid had frozen tho. But it's good now, only -10c outside.

Looks like I shall have to make representations to the garage where I bought the fuel then. I didn't have problems starting it was just further than 200 yards!

Cheers people. Freelander 1 TD4 HSE - gone, 2 weeks after the Cat.Converter!
Freelander 2 TD4 SE Auto MY08 - Santorini black

Temperature gauge the other morning was showing -11c.

Car started after the plugs had warmed and had no problems all day.

Having read this thread it would appear that non-winter diesel is being sold by some filling stations.

Does anyone know if it's possible for the recovery vehicle/man to take a sample of diesel and have it checked out.

I'm sure that LR would be interested to see why so many LR vehicles are suffering from the cold.

I'm fairly sure that when diesel freezes it's called "waxing"?

wingit wrote:

Temperature gauge the other morning was showing -11c.

Car started after the plugs had warmed and had no problems all day.

Having read this thread it would appear that non-winter diesel is being sold by some filling stations.

Does anyone know if it's possible for the recovery vehicle/man to take a sample of diesel and have it checked out.

I'm sure that LR would be interested to see why so many LR vehicles are suffering from the cold.

I'm fairly sure that when diesel freezes it's called "waxing"?

It's called a "pain in the butt"

This garage was on the A14 near Ipswich... the main road from Felixstowe. There are always plenty of trucks there so if it was dodgy fuel there will be plenty of livid truckers around! Freelander 1 TD4 HSE - gone, 2 weeks after the Cat.Converter!
Freelander 2 TD4 SE Auto MY08 - Santorini black

I bought from Morrisons in Stamford last time, Ill buy elsewhere just to make sure. I think the threads are right, the winter deisel is probably not to spec as -10 or lower is still rare in most UK. 2012 MY TD4 SX Manual in very rare Buckingham Blue!

Interesting, it seems if the diesel is 'waxing' then some fuel stations are not playing by the book. I think a reputable brand like 'BP' might be beneficial when we experience these low temperatures, then again who can you trust these days.

EYorkshire wrote:

Interesting, it seems if the diesel is 'waxing' then some fuel stations are not playing by the book. I think a reputable brand like 'BP' might be beneficial when we experience these low temperatures, then again who can you trust these days.

EYorkshire wrote:

who can you trust these days.

No one

You would have thought that the oil companies & fuel retailers with all their technical & financial resources could amend the diesel fuel filler line slightly by inserting a transparent section in the black delivery hose near the filler handle. This transparent section could contain a mesh filter (or some other device) that detects the presence of "anti-waxing" agent in the diesel fuel, and when it's present transform that transparency for example into a light "ice" blue section to indicate treated for very cold temperature driving. Just a thought

Anyone else remember the news footage of 30+ years ago of wagons stuck on the side of a road because of diesel waxing, and they lit fires under the diesel tanks to warm it up!
Try that with a modern plastic tank! Don`t drive faster than your angel can fly!

nicam wrote:

Anyone else remember the news footage of 30+ years ago of wagons stuck on the side of a road because of diesel waxing, and they lit fires under the diesel tanks to warm it up!
Try that with a modern plastic tank!

that would be a very smelly, sticky and expensive experience

Can anyone confim that 'premium' diesel (vpower for example) has a lower freezing/waxing point?

I like your idea 'athlestan' yeah something sensitive to the additive and changes colour.
Could have blue for winter and orange for summer, a cost they won't want to incur as there is no profit attached to it.

Ok... update on Shell diesel fuel.

I've just called Shell Technical and after that their complaints department.

Both Regular and V-Power fuel is graded Winter and Summer. (same temp spec for both variants)

Winter DPPF temperature is between -15C° and -20C°
Summer DPPF temp is between -5°C and -6°C (not much of a summer then)

They are going to get back to me in the next 48 hours Freelander 1 TD4 HSE - gone, 2 weeks after the Cat.Converter!
Freelander 2 TD4 SE Auto MY08 - Santorini black

Last edited by razmabaz on 13th Feb 2012 2:20 pm. Edited 1 time in total

EYorkshire wrote:

a cost they won't want to incur as there is no profit attached to it.

Had the dreaded Reduced Engine Performance on French Autoroute on Saturday having filled up with BP diesel in England before leaving. Got car going again by removing and reinserting key fob and made it to next Service Area where I topped up with French diesel, still had reduced performance fault light but performance was back to normal. At next stop for lunch and another top up, left car for 30 minutes and on return fault had cleared.

Last time I buy diesel from a certain BP garage near Corby.