contaminated gas problems in Ireland
 

Are there places to avoid in buying gas because of contamination in the Northwest ( Galway), West, Southwest, and South areas of Ireland? Has anyone had any bad experiences? If so, what is the best way to solve on the road?

why on earth are you buying gas?

are you sure you asked for petrol and not 'gas'.

i think ireland has a good standard of petrol.i wouldnt worry about it unless your car rental company advised you otherwise.

We are renting a car and needing petrol. The rental car company will not be responsible for bad petrol and we were asking about experiences about places to be careful about.

Maybe the rental company means that if you put diesel in a non-diesel car they will make you pay for the repairs.

this is a bit rediculous from the agency side.if the agency knows about contamination they should tell you from which gas station chains you should use or avoid.otherwise occasional contamination by water or dirt is a part of day to day wear & tear for an automobile, & in my opinion should be treated as normal depreciation. this is like your medical plan not covering you for contamination in food you buy from the supermarket. but as i said before, you are not going to Molvania where the gas pumps are gravity operated.ireland has good petrol, regulated by 2003/17/EC directive to be exact,no worries.

I'm *guessing* but they probably mean groundwater getting into the underground fuel tank.

Rare but if it happens the rental company it seems will not pay for the tow, draining and disposal of the fuel, etc.

Usually if this happens the cars don't get too far or run really rough and I'd assume the station would start to get walk-in or puttering-in screaming irrate customers :)).

It's a rare and short term problem from what I have heard in the US and it is the station's responsibility for the repairs here. Regards, Walter

Because of high fuel costs, some people have started buying illegal 'red' diesel (for agricultural use, with a red dye) for car use. It's cheaper because it's taxed low. While the fuel is de-colored to avoid detection, it lacks many of the additives to protect sensitive engine components and you face heavy fines when caught. Don't worry - you won't be able to buy 'red diesel' from conventional pumps. Genuine stuff is dispensed from separate pumps clearly marked, and illegal stuff from private premises etc.

This is scaremongering from the Rental agent. You will not have this problem trust me. If it was rampant we would be in an uproar as all out cars would be ruined over here. Use a major station chain if you are worried.