Courier guide

Low-sulphur diesel fuel became mandatory from December 31, 2002, under the Federal Government's program to reduce air pollution. Its introduction will allow car makers to sell new diesel engines that have previously been unavailable here because of the high sulphur content of our fuel. The new fuel must contain less than 500 parts per million sulphur, which is about half the level of the old diesel, and brings us closer to US and European fuel standards. Generally there should be no problem in running existing diesel engines on the new fuel, but there are potential issues. The lubricating effect of the new fuel is reduced, which may have an effect on fuel pumps and injectors, and the changed composition and chemical properties of the new fuel may cause some swelling or shrinking of seals and O-rings, particularly in older engines such as yours. It would be wise to check with a diesel specialist and consider changing any seals that may be affected. Herald Sun, Edition 1 - FIRST FRI 13 DEC 2002, Page 068 Q. Can you advise me a fair price to pay for a Dec 1989 VN HSV Berlina manual sedan. It has leather trim, with 10,000km and is in pristine condition. Bryan Fitzgibbon Melbourne A. With so few kilometres, the car is barely run in, so it should be in very good condition. At the same time, a car that has had such little use can still deteriorate quite markedly, and should be checked thoroughly. Seals can dry out and harden when a car is not used, and these can start leaking as soon as its pressed into service again. It's not unusual that a car with little use can need quite a bit spent on it to bring it up to a safe and roadworthy condition. Still it sounds like it's a very nice example of a quite desirable car, and any car with HSV heritage is worth a little more than regular models. Without actually seeing the car, its hard to put a value on it, but it should be worth between $5000 and $7500.