December/January 2022

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022 AFTERMARKET 43 retailers are among the winners, so demand from them is rising too.” Switchover Then there is the impact of E10. Now that the fuel delivery issues seem early in the Autumn are over, the E10 fuel switchover and the potential damage that the higher ethanol concentration may cause is becoming apparent to an increasing number of motorists. This ensured that demand seen in August, September and October is gaining momentum as the winter season progresses. Dan continued: “We’ve been advising garages that upselling the Safeguard Ethanol additive is a valuable service for their customers. A bottle of the additive kept in the glovebox makes it handy to protect engines from ethanol damage when there are no E5 petrol pumps available. “Other upselling opportunities are arising as a result of declining octane levels in the new E10 fuels. As well as leading to damage to hoses and other internal parts, the E10 petrol fuels don’t retain their octane levels as well as E5 and earlier fuels. For motorists with a vintage or treasured vehicle that’s likely to be standing for some time during the winter, Lucas Oil also has a solution. “Fuel Stabilizer is an additive that preserves the octane level of these fuels. It prevents the fuel degradation during storage that can also lead to a build-up of gum and varnish deposits. It’s an additive that cleans, lubricates and maintains fuel pumps, carburettors, fuel injectors and compression rings. It’s also safe to use in all grades of petrol and in all two-cycle and four-cycle engines. It’s also ideal for leisure craft, boats and garden machinery.” Dan added: “It means cars and equipment can be left for long periods, without worrying if the engines will start-up again after the lay-up.” Impact As we have seen, E10 petrol is intended to make the fuel more environment-friendly, but it also has a number of quirks that could make additives a must for some motorists. David Kaiser, Head of Research & Development at LIQUI MOLY commented: “Since the fuel differs from ethanol-free petrol in some respects, we have developed our E10 additive. “E10 means the petrol contains up to 10% bioethanol. This is intended to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels. However, ethanol has a calorific value that is almost one third lower than petrol. The more ethanol in the fuel, the lower its energy content. This increases fuel consumption. It can also have a negative impact on engine performance. The second point: ethanol is hygroscopic, so it attracts water. This can cause corrosion in the tank and fuel system.” The E10 additive by LIQUI MOLY is designed to stop this from happening. David observed: “It improves combustion, thereby ensuring better acceleration, particularly in the partial load range. This compensates for the power loss to some extent. The petrol additive also contains highly effective corrosion protection, so it prevents damage to the tank or fuel system resulting from the higher water content. This makes it a good choice for any motorist who doesn't want to have to deal with the disadvantages of E10.“ David concluded: “However, there is one problem where this additive has its limitations, too – namely material tolerance. Ethanol can attack seals and hoses on some older vehicles. Unfortunately, this is something that cannot be influenced by an additive.” Above: LIQUI MOLY E10 Additive 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 )4 -*/)+ *-3. /,324 -.-*/)+ /0/2 /*-)//. ) Y AWA + /30/23 //-3 3 23 23 / // */) 432 03 /0* / 23/.2/23 3/)**2/ /,/0 , 23-* , 4 , , 2/ .- 3 +*)) ('&%$ #"' '!& .) .- 3 *).0/ 3 )0) 2. *- 3