We are driving over next week. Can anyone tell me what is the current price for Diesel please ?
It's around £1.15 per litre in the UK - so am interested to see how the recent drop in prices has affected fuel costs in France.
Don't forget to divide by 1.40 which means that the equivalent to the UK in UKL is 1.15 / 1.40 or approx. £0.82, so much cheaper then the UK.
- Lol ! No I don't think my local Total station has much of a call for specialist fuel - its just that I couldn't remember all the niceties of the petrol. A bit tricky then as the 95-E10 is the only petrol they sell and my faithfull Mondeo is 1998... Thanks v much for the clarification about my car's tipple!
Are you sure you filled up with E95?? This fuel is rather special, being 95% ethanol 5% combustion helpers which I did not think we could get here! It is used in diesel vehicles. E85 is the petrol version but even that is expensive & hard to find. I think you filled up with either Euro 95 (standard unleaded) or 95-E10, unleaded with 10% ethanol. The 95 figure refers to the ron or anti knock (pre-ignition) resistance. The higher the ron number the better the engine can run - slightly!
Pre 2000 cars should best avoid fuels with ethanol as the ethanol can dissolve rubber & some older plastics used in the fuel system!
I should not think that the Carrefour fuel is dodgy but if it is cheaper it will contain less of the additives the brands put in their fuels. The difference between a glass of water & a glass of juice - 90% the same but that little additive makes it much nicer!
Are our two local carrefour service stations dodgy then ? I have been filling my old Mondeo there and getting to the point where I had decided to take it in to our garage for a check-up. If it is just in too high a gear it starts to judder. Today I filled up at the total garage with E95 and our ride is a lot smoother - even when I purposely put the car in too high a gear to check it out. What do you think Mark Rimmer ?
The source of this water could be from many places including condensation formed inside you own fuel tank. It forms in all petrol stations' tanks as well & I used to dip my tanks regularly with a special paste which turned purple if it touched water. Fortunately it was never a problem!
If your light comes on you can drain the filter - about a cupful - using the screw in knob on the bottom.
Might I suggest that you remember that right now your £1 is worth €1.36. So a litre of Diesel costing €1.20 is actually around .859p a litre. When was the last time you paid less than a £1 a litre for any car fuel in the UK?
Thanks for that Mark - I was hoping you would have some input into the conversation. Yes - I have the water in tank in my discovery and it lights up from time to time.
@Helen.
Your mechanic is a little fanciful! TWO sets of tanks for loading fuels??? That would cost millions! All tankers, branded or not, all fill up from the same refinery. The driver adds chemicals to his tanks to make the fuel "Shell V-power" or "Total Excellium", supermarkets do not add these chemicals, thus saving money.
The maximum percentage of contaminant allowed in a fuel is 10%, & that is with another fuel. Water in fuel is a no - no! The problem is that diesel has water in it as part of its makeup but sometimes extra (free) water can sit in the storage tank at the garage. It sits in the bottom of the tank below the pick up pipe & is a tiny amount. There is also a water separator in the line & another in car filter systems. Some models can even detect water & light a bulb on the dash.
All filling stations monitor the water in their tanks as they would not want the bottoms to rust out! There is a risk of dirt & a little water being stirred up when the tanker delivers so do not fill up when it is unloading. Come back a couple of hours later when it has all settled again & the fuel is clean.
Talking of fuel and water, can anyone help re heating fioul! 14 mths ago when I came here the diesel tank was empty except for a load of sludge at bottom. I asked landlady if she was having the tank cleaned and BOiler serviced - no was the reply! Anyone know rules and regs on this - I-ve had it refilled 3x so far, 2@ 1000 litres and 1 @ 1100+. Costing me approx 2900€. and I’ve not had a big elec bill yet which I’m expecting soon. this house is so draughty, wind and rain coming in from some weird places which makes it damp in some areas. I also feel the cold more than I used to and as we are not yet having warm winds I keep heating on low at night. any advice gratefully accepted.
Great stuff. Looking forward to our trip - will make sure the tank is ready for refiling once we land on French soil :)
or 1,20€ ;-)
1.20 in "continental currency"
super U in Castres 1€15
I just paid 1.15 near carcassonne for gazole
Well Helen, I have been driving in France since I passed my test in 1971, I have had a few petrol vehicles but mainly diesel and I can honestly say i've never had any problems with this whatsoever and that's with always trying to buy the carburant from the cheapest retailer wherever possible. Maybe i've been very lucky for the past 44 years ?
We are having problems with our diesel fuel system - very long story. Our mechanic always buys his fuel from an independent retailer or from a branded retailer (eg Total) He avoids supermarket fuel like the plague and suggested that if I want to avoid water in my fuel, expensive problems with injectors and problems with algal growth (the car has been off the road for some time)I should do likewise. He was told that independent retailers can be fined if they have 3% water in their fuel. Supermarkets who may have a higher proportion of bioethanol in their fuel can be fined if they have 17% water in their fuel. His Independent retailer buys his fuel from the refinery where there are two stocks, one for supermarkets and one for the independents. Don't know if this is heresay but I am now buying my diesel from my more expensive local retailer - cheaper than new injectors !
PS supermarkets here St Cyprien Dordogne 1.48€ 98, 1.45€ 95 and 1.22€ diesel The independent Total garage charges around 6cts more.
Our local supermarket price of 1.19€ equates to 86p in the UK at the moment. Bring a 200litre drum in your boot and top up. (Just kidding…)