Biodiesel warranty

February 23, 2007 7:21 PM

Are there commercial diesel engines being manufactured and sold that will not lose their warranty if run on biodiesel?

I just read this article http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/freeheadlines/LAC/20070223/SUZUKI23/national/National about David Suzuki (Canada's environmental alarmist in chief) who was recently traveling around in a diesel fueled bus because "But using the more environmentally friendly fuel would void the engine's warranty" (from the article).

I'm curious as to whether it is possible to buy a new diesel powered bus (or engine for another purpose) that will not have its warranty voided by using biodiesel. Any ideas folks?

posted by ykjay to travel & transportation (4 comments total)

From greasecar.com:

Q Will adding a Greasecar Vegetable Fuel System void my vehicles warranty?

A This seems to vary on a case to case basis and should be discussed with the dealer you have warranty coverage with. Generally we have found that the addition of a conversion system will, at the most, void coverage of fuel system components only.
posted by jimmythefish at 7:57 PM on February 23, 2007

Let's get our terms straight here:

What oil companies are currently promoting as 'biodiesel' is fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) produced by transesterifying vegetable oil with methanol. It's nearly equal to petrodiesel in boiling point and other key respects (in fact it's much better at lubrication, to the point that it's being pushed to replace the sulfur compounds that the feds are requiring to be removed). As far as I know, there's no technical reason any diesel vehicle couldn't use it without modification, unless some seriously exotic elastomers are used in the fuel system seals.

Straight vegetable oil (SVO) is what the greasecar folks are selling mod kits for. It's vegetable oil (glyceryl esters of fatty acids) without any further treatment except filtration. It's significantly more viscous and higher-boiling than diesel, and for those reasons most diesels require some modification of the fuel delivery system to use it.

That said, a warranty is a liability for a manufacturer, and any way the manufacturer can find to reduce that liability by restricting the terms under which it can be realized will generally be pursued. Thus, the manufacturer is likely to limit the fuel that may be used without voiding the warranty, for the simple reason that they've never tried it.
posted by oats at 9:02 PM on February 23, 2007

I guess I didn't make my intention clear there. It was more to highlight the case-by-case nature, but yes it's critical to make the distinction.
posted by jimmythefish at 10:52 PM on February 23, 2007

That said, a warranty is a liability for a manufacturer, and any way the manufacturer can find to reduce that liability by restricting the terms under which it can be realized will generally be pursued. Thus, the manufacturer is likely to limit the fuel that may be used without voiding the warranty, for the simple reason that they've never tried it.

In the similar vain as any agreement foisted on you by a big business, there will be terms which are not legally enforceable. I can't think of any examples off the top of my head, but I've heard of people going to court over excessive restrictions on warranties. I think the argument is basically that a certain violation of the terms is nonetheless a normal use of the product, and it is therefore not reasonable that such use be restricted.
posted by Chuckles at 6:11 PM on February 24, 2007