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Your car could be suffering invisible issue that costs you hundreds – £4 item can show the truth before it’s too late
A major law change in 2021 means drivers have to be extra vigilant
YOUR car could be suffering from an invisible issue that can cost you hundreds - but a £4 product can reveal it before it's too late.
Expert mechanic Scotty Kilmer explained that the type of fuel you use could have a significant impact on your motor's performance.
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In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, he said that it all comes down to the amount of ethanol contained within your fuel.
Scotty warned: "The gasoline in most stations contains 10% ethanol blended with the gasoline.
"But you don't want too much.
"Too much ethanol will make [the car] run poorly."
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Thanfully, he demonstrated how a £4 gadget can help to reveal the problem.
All you need is a fuel tester bottle, which are freely available online.
Simply place a small amount of water in the bottom of the bottle then fill it up to the line with fuel siphoned from your car.
Give it a good shake and let it rest for five to ten minutes.
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This will dissolve the ethanol in the water and separate it from the rest of the fuel.
A cloud residue will then form, representing how much ethanol is contained in the mixture.
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Use the percentage markings along the side of the bottle to check that your fuel has the proper proportions.
Ethanol fuel is standard in the UK for petrol vehicles and you can usually tell by its name how much is contained within.
For example, E5 petrol contains 5% ethanol mixed with 95% petrol while for E10 the proportions are 10% and 90% respectively.
In 2021, Britain switched from E5 to E10 as its standard petrol mix, with Northern Ireland following the next year.
This was done to reduce emissions on UK roads as the burning of ethanol produces less carbon dioxide and fewer harmful chemicals.
However, having too much ethanol in your fuel could be costing you big in the long run as it burns less efficiently than pure petrol.
This means that cars using fuel with a higher proportion of ethanol are less fuel efficient.
As a result, you could be paying more than you need to for a tank if the E10 at your local forecourt actually contains more than you think.
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However, E5 is now sold as premium or "super" grade fuel and can be around 3p per litre more expensive, so make sure to shop around to get the best deal.
E10 petrol is still very efficient and is the cheapest option, as long as the ethanol content remains under 10%.
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