After refuelling with AI-95 and AI-98 petrol, drivers in Astana are reporting problems with their engines. Similar complaints have appeared on social media regarding loss of power, engine misfiring and fuel system faults.
WHAT DRIVERS ARE SAYING
According to Syrmedia.kz, motorists are linking the faults that occurred after refuelling to the quality of the fuel. Among the recurring symptoms cited are engine misfiring, loss of power, the appearance of the Check Engine indicator and difficulty starting.
A representative of one of the capital's service stations claims that over the past two weeks there has been a sharp increase in the number of enquiries from owners of vehicles with direct injection. According to him, fuel injectors and high-pressure fuel pumps are failing.
Among the vehicles whose owners have reported such problems, he named BMW, Audi, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and cars from Chinese brands.
WHAT CASES HAVE APPEARED ON SOCIAL MEDIA
In one of the videos, the owner of an Audi Q5 said that the car stopped running after refuelling. At the service centre, the fuel was drained, the injectors were flushed and the spark plugs were replaced, but one injector continued to work incorrectly.
Another author reported a similar problem affecting the owner of a BMW X7. Meanwhile, in one of the videos, the author links most of the cases he is aware of to the Qazaq Oil network, while a representative of another service station says that cars are arriving after refuelling at various networks.
WHAT QAZAQ OIL HAS SAID IN RESPONSE
In one of its public responses, Qazaq Oil stated that all batches of fuel undergo mandatory laboratory checks.
The network has asked drivers who have encountered problems to provide the address of the filling station and their contact details so that an inspection can be carried out.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE PETROL
Separately, the Ministry of Trade reported that every 11th sample of petrol from test purchases did not match the declared octane rating. In the Kyzylorda region, AI-92 was sold as AI-95, and in Almaty, AI-99 was sold as AI-100.
These violations confirm the existence of isolated cases where fuel does not meet its stated specifications. However, their connection to the current reports of breakdowns in Astana has not yet been established. The octane rating discrepancy in itself also does not prove that it was the cause of damage to injectors or high-pressure fuel pumps.
WHO INSPECTS FUEL AT FILLING STATIONS
The Ministry of Energy reports that three Kazakh oil refineries produce fuel in accordance with the requirements of the technical regulations. Meanwhile, oversight directly at filling stations falls under the remit of the Committee for Technical Regulation and Metrology of the Ministry of Trade and the regional headquarters of akimats.
The Ministry of Trade has stated that inspections are carried out after official complaints are received. Therefore, in order to establish the causes of specific breakdowns, not only social media posts are needed, but also documents that will allow the fuel and the circumstances of each case to be examined.
