Jet fuel being used in a car?

[foxfire]

As I left a local shop yesterday a large SUV passed close to me, trailing the very distinct smell of aviation fuel, something that once smelt is never forgotten. 

After a bit of searching I've found that aviation fuel and diesel are not dissimilar, according to this link, and it could be used in a diesel engined car.  Aviation fuel is tax exempt.  I've heard of tax exempt red diesel, intended for off road/farming vehicles only, being used illegally in road-going vehicles, but haven't come across aviation fuel being used in the same way.

Has anyone else come across this? 

[gtf4j2m]

I think I have heard about it being used (in a former life). But I think the outcome is damage to the car engine eventually.

[graham]

Found this on the web....


The only problem with jet fuel for diesels is the low level of lubricity - it's not as oily as diesel, and diesel injection pumps use their fuel as a lubricant. So either the Diesel engines have to have injector pumps designed to work with the low lubricity fuel, or a small amount of a suitable lubricant is added to the jet fuel.

[foxfire]

So, with a little bit of technical knowledge, someone could use their access to jet fuel as a way of saving lots of tax when running their vehicle. Customs & Excise would take a very dim view!

[graham]

Indeed, when I was driving wagons years ago, Customs & Excise would have regular roadside spot checks to dip diesel tanks to see whether red diesel was being used. It's dyed red to indicate that it is excise duty free, and should only be used for agricultural use, but as it's half the price of regular diesel, some hauliers took the chance and used it to increase profits. Penalties were very high for those who were caught, both the drivers and the owners.

[foxfire]

I very much doubt that aviation fuel is similarly coloured making it much more difficult to identify.