Why diluted gasoline came to Russia again

Russian motorists have a lot of problems now, starting with the fact that the cost of new cars is off the scale, and spare parts for existing ones are sold at the price of gold dust. Very soon they will have even more headaches — there is a danger that the engines will fly. The reason is low—quality gasoline at gas stations in the country, experts warn.

Rosstandart stopped checking gas stations

The National Automobile Union received a letter from Rosstandart that during the control and supervisory reform, the agency no longer has the authority to check gas stations. And who now checks refueling for fuel quality and under-filling? But nobody. Now scammers of all stripes can walk around the counter without hiding, and they will not get anything for it. The situation in the country is catastrophic, the head of US Anton Shaparin told <url> magazine:

«The problem in a number of regions is becoming egregious. Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria — the situation there is simply catastrophic. Spot checks were carried out there at the level of the authorities. Rosstandart found violations at legal gas stations, but they did not even come to illegal ones. A huge number of substandard gas stations have been identified in the Vladimir region. And in the neighboring Kostroma region, the governor was forced to adopt a new law that punishes low-quality fuel. Now we risk getting a wave of low-quality fuel all over the country.»

The moratorium on gas station inspections has been extended until the end of 2023. The head of Rosstandart Anton Shalaev confirmed that now his department checks gas stations only by order of the Prosecutor General's Office.

Illegal gas stations

The Russian Fuel Union says that the number of illegal gas stations is growing throughout the country. Every tenth gas station operates without any permits. The state wolf has led to the fact that buses and buses are being converted to gas stations. Gazelles, and gas meters are installed right on the street. In the Saratov region, 30 out of 300 gas stations are illegal. RTS President Yevgeny Arkusha calls spontaneous gas stations «time bombs». They do not have certified equipment, fire safety is not observed, they also do not pay taxes.

How do they even exist with such tight control of various law enforcement agencies?

But the most important thing they are dangerous for is the quality of gasoline, or rather, low—quality gasoline.

What is the danger of burnt fuel and where does it come from

The head of US, Anton Shaparin, says that even if fifth-class gasoline comes out of the refinery, this does not mean that it will reach the tanks of motorists.

From the refinery, the fuel gets to the oil depot, and it is from here that it is no longer checked by anyone. Commercial Director of the «Plant of Additives and reagents» Alexander Yanchenkov describes the problem as follows:

«Our oil depot is considered a reserve bank with a thousand tons of storage. And anything less than that, for example, 900 tons is already an oil deposit. There are no requirements for it, no one checks it. Such oil depots produce counterfeit fuel.»

The expert says that small oil depots buy high-quality fuel from refineries and already breed it at home. Then he gets to the gas station. Counterfeit gasoline can also be refueled at gas stations that operate under a franchise, but small gas stations are the most dangerous

«They buy some of the fuel on the stock exchange, some through oil depots or of unknown origin. These guys record an enchanting profit, getting about 5 rubles per liter, » says the head of US Shaparin.

Sanctions and additives

In the industry, it is often said that gas stations mix and dilute fuel because there are no high-quality additives. However, this is not quite true. There are domestic additives for gasoline. The problem with winter diesel fuel for temperatures minus 15-20 degrees. Additives for this type of diesel in They are not produced in Russia. If supplies stop through parallel imports, there will be nowhere to take them. In addition, sellers have taken the fashion to receive imported additives and repackage them in supposedly their own. How and what gets into the cans and bottles there, no one knows for sure.

The industry asks for control

If the government leaves the existing freemen, then trouble will come to literally every house, or rather, garage, experts warn. Without quality control, an unknown liquid will get into the engines of cars. Such motors do not live long.