Just wondering if someone could smell it when used in cars? ;)

and what would the penalties be if someone were to use it in their car?

it smells exactly the same as white diesel. it's the same stuff, with red dye in it. if you get caught by customs and excise, you get a large fine. dunno about imprisonment.

Not a wise move. It's like tax evasion but worse. Her Majesty's Customs and Excise would take a very close look at your affairs - usually with a rubber glove on.

have a read

AFAIK...last time I was carrying it around it stunk like normal diesel. Apparently it gives off a little more smoke, nothing that would create a visible problem form the exhaust.

But I wouldn't use it on the road...because it stains your filter pink, so even when your back on the legal stuff - if customs decide to check your car they will know that at some point the vehicle has been running on the red stuff.

Remember - All it takes is a phone call from someone who doesn't like you!

Why not run on cooking oil instead ;)

Seriously - all that's needed is a fuel heater :)

Thats illigal too....

You can extract the dye from the diesel though !!!

[Edited by Scooby_Dan. - 1/5/2004 4:42:43 PM]

Doesn't the red stuff wreck the engine?????

You can run on cooking oil as long as you declare it C&E and pay duty as required on it.

Red diesel is just normal diesel AFAIK.

Nope, don't think it does, I think it really is just a dye in normal 'white' diesel so that C&E can prove if you've been using it or not.

We had the Customs and Excise on a flying visit during the summer in our area. I was stopped by plod driving my STI V3 - 'scuse me sonny, is this car a diesel':rolleyes: See below fallout from their visit....

SEVEN motorists in Shetland were found running their vehicles on red diesel during recent checks.

HM Customs and Excise officers said they were encouraged by the relative small number of people using the rebated diesel after recent checks in Orkney resulted in more than 20 drivers being fined.

Red diesel is untaxed for use in agricultural machinery and not road vehicles.

700 tests were carried out between last Friday and Monday on roads throughout mainland Shetland and Bressay.

The seven vehicles found to be running on red diesel were seized and restored after payment of fines in excess of £3,000.

Of the seven vehicles seized, two belonged to commercial companies.

A spokesman for HM Customs and Excise said that these two firms would now be audited to assess previous illegal fuel use with the possibility that “a further duty assessment may be levied on these firms.”

Customs’ head of detection in Scotland, Dave Clark, said: “We want to show people in the Shetland Islands that firms using illegal fuel commercially put honest competitors at a disadvantage, as well as stealing cash from public services.”

He added: “It was encouraging to hear that most of the drivers we tested were aware of our recent results in tackling the use of illegal fuel in Orkney and taking heed of that warning as evidenced by the low number of positive test results.”

No it doesnt wreck the engine! It is chemically the SAME as DERV which is white. DERV = Diesel Engined Road Vehicle = red diesel coloured white for tax purposes only ;) Red Diesel is intended for tractors that plough fields and certain central heating systems:)

Apparantley if Robin Hood were around he would allegedly use Red diesel in his peugeot 306... Also a mate of mine has a round trip of 280 miles 3 times a week as his mum is on Chemo. For this altruistic and somewhat sad state of affairs the government nail him for £100 a week in petrol tax which ne can ill afford. So why wouldnt you risk red Diesel...?

D

Don't even think about it, HMCE are reet dodger foookers, where do you think all the corrupt coppers go to work when "retired" early from the police force, don't mess...

:)

Ever seen a farmer (easy access to red diesel) driving a petrol car? Nope, they all drive diesels. Coincidence? Think not.

Allegedly you can filter out the dye with a loaf of bread. Not sure how you pass the diesel thro the bread though. And what do you do with the stained red bread loaves?

i work on the wrexham industrial estate , and 3 times withing a space of 4 months they set up a cheakpoint , had police , pulling lorries and vans on the way in to the estate , escorting them to there ''test station'' diped all the wagons for red and had minesrty vehicle inspectors cheak over vehicles , whas allways a couple of artics and vans left locked in there make shift compound when they finished .

apparantly you can filter the dye out through pete , not sure how though

i ran it in my old veccy for 6 months (aledgedly)

he who lives by the sword dies by the sword ;)

mmmmmm...... the cops don't even have to stop you to find out if your running 'tax free' on RED. Apparantly, police can now tell if you are running on RED by following behind you whilst driving along. The police car switches on it's front FOG lamps (which have been replaced with some 'infa-red' type lamps. The assisting police officer in the passenger seat can put on some yellow lense glasses or similar, and can see the dye in the exhaust fumes whilst following you. Whether this is definately true I'm not sure, but it made me think twice about filling the "turbo'd oil burner" up with RED.

Proby.

What if: "it's not my car officer, i had no idea what was in it"

and "it was in the tank when i bought it"
ive heard it stains the tank and takes a while for it to compleatly flush out

that thing about the foglamps sounds a bit far fetched

can they use infra red fogs for anything else?
seams a bit daft to fit infra reds just to catch derv scammers!

Yeah, what would they say then, would i still get fooked?

Its also legitimately used on the canals and rivers by the diesel narrowboats - Go to a marina and it will be marked up for 35p per litre (ish). This is why you rarely see petrol powered rivercraft (outboards excluded)

All the farmers here in Devon run diesels.

The C & E did a check at one of the farmers markets and caught loads. Apparently it is usually a £500 fine which some of them keep in cash in the glove box just in case. One farmer was done recently and had to phone his wife to bring the money to the market. Unforunately, her car was also full of the red stuff so she had to catch a bus:D:D:D

just bought 2000 litres of the stuff this morning
19.9 pence per litre (for agricultural use) :D

Do as my ex boss does.He has a dual tank set up.One with red for when he runs about the farm & one with white for on the Queen's highway.

He allegedly switches the Landy over when he leaves the farm tracks.But has been known to forget. :D

ive had mates hide tanks in the boot as massive bass boxes ;)
but the speakers have the magnets facing outwards for ovb reasons ;)