Even spending more money does not ensure smooth ride for you. Adulteration of petrol and diesel at subtle level affects a lot of vehicles. This problem is faced by many vehicle owners as well as manufacturer companies.

According to Debasis Ray, head of Corporate Communications, Tata Motors, ‘Across India, on an average every litre of diesel is mixed to the tune of 25% with kerosene and water too is added. This happens at the retail level, particularly on highways. Car owners therefore should ensure they use genuine filters, and replace the filters when required. If filters are not genuine or if are not replaced when required, the engine can get rusted and seize.’
Engineers from B. U. Bhandari Pvt .Ltd., authorised dealer and service centre of Tata motors said that spurious petrol causes starting problem in the car. ‘Either the car does not start or engine is damaged. We do not get many cases of petrol adulteration but we see lot of diesel adulteration cases,’ the engineer said prefering anonymity. Most of the adulteration happens at outskirts of the city.

Pranav Mehta of Mehta Auto Services, an authorised service centre of Bajaj Auto company said, "This problem is especially more intense in two stroke engine vehicles. The adulterated petrol affects each part of the vehicle thereby reducing the total efficiency of the vehicle. Because of foreign materials in fuels engines became rushy, bearings are damaged. Though an oil rducing the extent of damage is available in the market, it is not hundred percent effective."

According to Mehta, majority of petrol pupms in city sell pure fuel though outside pupms indulge in adultering the fuels. He advices consumers to continue with the same petrol or diesel and not change the brand to keep the purity of the petrol.

Former director general of police S. M. Mushrif, who has laid a series investigation of petrol adulteration cases in Pune and Thane district said, "The level of adulteration cases has really came down in last few years. Today there is no large scale adulterion going on in and around Pune."

Mushrif had led the investigations in Thane distirct which had led to a petroleum giant in India around seven years ago as additional commissioner of police. The giant company possesed sole licence for the manufacturing of Naptha and through spurious means, this Naptha was distirbuted all over the country to blend with petrol and diesel. Mushrif alleges that even central government choose to look away when this racket was at work. "At that time, India had not much foreign currency. Government was made to believe that mixing Naptha will reduce the burden of fuel demand.

According to Mushrif, now the need to indulge in such scams is not there. "Had there been large scale adulteration, we would not have seen the cruch for fuel that we are witnessing today," he said. As for as Pune is concerned, there were not many cases of large scale adulteration.

Last year, only one case was registered. In February 2007, Pune rural police busted a major petrol adulteration racket operating in Loni Kalbhor and arrested 12 people. The police seized eight tankers and two pick-up vans containing 50,000 litres of adulterated petrol, estimated to be worth Rs 95 lakh.