The Waldorf Auto Service Centre is giving a series of free consultations to all those whose car operates with LRP, which will no longer be on sale from 1 January.

Leaded Petrol was banned from general sale in the EU in 2000 as part of a European strategy to reduce pollution from road traffic and improve the air we breathe. However, as there remained on the roads a significant number of cars that needed leaded petrol, oil companies introduced lead replacement petrol (LRP) - essentially an unleaded fuel containing other metal salts such as potassium or manganese, to give the valve seat protection that some cars need.

“Basicaly, lead in petrol does two things,” explains Ing. Roberto Mifsud Degiorgio, Service Manager the Waldorf Auto Service Centre. “Leaded petrol increases the fuel’s octane rating, making it less prone to ‘knock’ or ‘pinking’. This is when the fuel in the engine burns in an uncontrolled manner, potentially causing damage to the engine. Secondly it protects the engine’s exhaust valve seats from wear. Cars that are designed to run on unleaded fuel in fact have very hard valve seats that resist wear. As with anything else, there are always alternatives that the LRP car owner may wish to consider,” Ing. Mifsud Degiorgio said. “If your car needs LRP or leaded petrol to protect the valve-seats from wear you can fill up with the appropriate grade of unleaded petrol and add a lead-replacement anti-wear additive. Some additives designed to protect valve-seats also contain octane-boosters. In normal or moderately hard road use, the valve seat protection afforded by these additives is perfectly satisfactory, and engine life will be just as good as with LRP. These additives are already available in bottles or syringe-like applicators from service stations and from motor accessory shops.

“If your car uses LRP for its higher octane rating alone, one may also use unleaded petrol and convert the car by simply having the ignition timing retarded. A check of the ignition timing is usually part of the routine service schedule, so the extra cost of the re-setting should not be great, ” added Ing. Mifsud Degiorgio.

Waldorf Auto Service Centre, located in Msida Valley Road, has over 30 years of experience in the industry as authorized repairers of Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Iveco and Hyundai passenger and commercial vehicles. The Service Centre is now launching a new initiative aimed at all LRP car owners – a free consultation service to help them find the best possible solution prior to 1 January 2011.