The summary report on the quality of motor fuels in the EU member states shows that the Czech Republic has been better than the European average over the long term . In 2015, 1.2% of defective gasoline samples and 0.2% of diesel were found in the Czech Republic, while in the EU it was 2.7% and 0.8%. It should be noted, however, that, unlike the Czech Republic in the monitoring of the European Commission, there is no check of the diesel flash point. According to the results of CTI inspections, the Czech oil pump is the most common defect in diesel. "The most common findings at controlled service stations are the deviation from the diesel flash point. It is a sensitive indicator of petrol oil contamination, " says Jiří Fröhlich, CTI press spokesman . "While the standard is 55 ° C, a potential risk of engine damage can be expected at a flashpoint of less than 30 ° C and in particular below 20 ° C. This could mean a gasoline content of more than 1%, and in connection with a reduction in viscosity, mechanical damage to parts of the fuel system could occur, " adds Jiří Fröhlich.
The CTI is regularly informed about the results of inspections in the framework of the final decisions on fines imposed from fuel controls, which contain a very detailed description of the situation. "For the average consumer this output is very unclear. In order to verify his quality of service, for example, his favorite petrol station, he has to go through all the months on the CTI website and find out if he does not find it as a sanction, " says Damir Duraković (Axigon). According to him, the practical information value of this list for the average consumer is not very large. "At the moment the decision becomes legally effective, fuel is sold at the gas station altogether at a time of control," Durakovic adds.
The amount of sanctions granted can give the consumer a clear picture of the seriousness of the fault of the service station operator, but this is not always the case. "When imposing a sanction, the administrative authority shall take into account aspects other than the seriousness of the offense. A higher fine may be imposed for repetitive offenses or non-cooperation with CTI and so on, " notes Jiří Fröhlich. According to experts in the industry, the amount of the fine, in the consumer's view, distorts the seriousness of the offense. "Fines for low-quality fuels are extremely high compared to other industries, even though CTIs are more likely to be at the lower level of possible scope," says Ivan Indracek, Chairman of the Board of the Union of Independent Petroleum Industry of the Czech Republic. "If the consumer sees that a petrol station has been fined, for example, 40,000 crowns, he may feel that he has sold significantly damaged, poor quality goods. At the same time, such a fine is usually awarded for marginal offenses where the goods found are contrary to a qualitative standard, but by their composition could not cause any harm to the consumer's car, " adds Indráček, with the typical example being slightly reduced flash points for diesel fuel or Higher vapor pressures for gasoline.
The solution could be on-line fuel station records including, among other things, the results of quality controls. The fact that the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MPO) has already completed the record of the filling stations, but unfortunately has not yet been enforced in the law about information about all the fuel quality controls that have been carried out at the petrol station. "The idea of our organization is that the consumer should have information in the form of a map where he could look at how inspections took place at the selected station in the last year," said Tomáš Palla, head of the Consumer Counseling Association - The Association. "If a sanction was imposed on a control, it would also be mentioned as a serious offense," adds Tomáš Palla, with the fact that the decision of the CTI is not the most important for the consumer, but rather the actual concrete result of the control, which makes the final decision often Months ahead. The result is rarely questioned, and any disputes are likely to be related to the amount of the sanction imposed or the formal misconduct of the supervisory authority.
Source: tz, edited editorially
