posted 03-07-2004 12:51 AM                    

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LOS ANGELES, March 5 — "This is killing me," Bob Sherwood, an electrician who spends a lot of time on the road, said on Friday at a Santa Monica gas station after paying $30 to pump 13 gallons of gasoline into his '71 GMC truck.

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Well, lets see....$30.00 divided by 13 gallons = $2.30 a gallon. As I said before, it is going to happen, so deal with it.

Scott, I wonder how long the company will take care of some of the expense. I wish you the best of luck.

For semi-retired people like me, it is getting cheaper to stay home than to goof around with part-time jobs just to have something to do.

I guess I can forget about a vacation this summer.

posted 03-10-2004 01:49 AM                       

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Some time ago, a bunch of college kids modified a Diesel engine to burn McDonald's french fry oil. Sure, it smelled like a french fry when it was tooling down the road, but who cares? The fuel was free.

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Police impound cars run on cooking oil

Police in west Wales have taken action against five drivers in one day for using vehicles run on cooking oil as part of a clampdown on the illegal practice. The motorists were stopped under new legislation which makes it an offence to use the oil as an alternative fuel without paying a fuel tax levy.

It has been reported that a growing number of motorists are using the ordinary frying pan oil in their diesel engines to cut costs. But such drivers face having their vehicles impounded if they do not pay a fine of £500 and persistent offenders face up to seven years in jail.

The legal problem is, that by using 32p-a-litre cooking oil instead of petrol costing around 73p a litre, they are not paying fuel tax. But they are committing an offence because all cars on public roads must pay fuel tax - and cooking oil is not taxed.

Officers have launched a crackdown in areas and it is reported that six drivers were arrested and questioned at Burry Port. The Automobile Association (AA) has warned that cost-conscious motorists could be storing up trouble for themselves.

Oil fumes

"It could severely damage your vehicle if you do not follow the manufacturers instructions about which fuel to use," a spokesman said. Traffic police - dubbed "frying squad" officers - are sniffing out the tax dodgers because the fumes smell like chips cooking.

One driver, who did not want to be named, said: "I've halved my motoring costs since I started running my diesel Subaru on cooking oil. The car runs just as well and even smells a lot better than diesel." The motorist was one of dozens who have had their cars impounded in the crackdown.

He said: "I was stopped by an unmarked car which had blue lights flashing. The officer went to the fuel tank, dipped it, and found cooking oil. "I put my hands up to the offence and the car was towed away. They said Customs would be notified."

Legal powers given to the Customs and Excise mean that drivers are being forced to hand over £650 to get their vehicles back. They can be fined £500 for using illegal fuel and charged a £150 towing fee.

More sold

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesman denied earlier reports that six drivers had been arrested in the crackdown. "It is part of our spot stop-and-check fuel strategy to catch offenders dodging fuel taxes."

One supermarket in Llanelli confirmed it sold more cooking oil than any other branch in the country. Asda spokeswoman Rachel Fellows said: "We have to admit we do sell a lot of cooking oil at our Llanelli store, but anyone seen attempting to wipe out our stock with bulk purchases would be stopped."

Customs and Excise spokesman Bill O'Leary said: "All cars on public roads must pay a tax on the fuel they use. "Evasion is a criminal offence and carries a maximum seven-year jail term."

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