We have a lawn business which requires several pieces of equipment which are powered by small gasoline motors.

Ethanol is known for eating up plastic, rubber, and fibre glass. Our problem is with plastic, as there are plastic filters and plastic floats on the fuel lines. Then to there is the fact that we were carrying our gas around in plastic gasoline cans, our good heavy metal ones having been stolen. Now we learn that gasoline with Ethanol as an additive sitting in plastic cans can cause damage to your motors, as can any plastic or rubber which comes in contact with it.

Ethanol in known to bind with water, and therefore it also ruins your valves and other parts, carburetors, etc.

What are we do when we live where only gasoline with Ethanol will be available? Will we need to shut down our business?

We have already had damage done to several pieces of equipment by Ethanol, some repairable, but at a price, and other items have been ruined to the point where it is cheaper to buy new than to pay for parts and the repairs.

Will there be recalls? Will we, (and others) be compensated for our losses? Will equipment be replaced with metal parts haven taken the place of plastic, rubber and fiberglass?

We hadn’t known of this, however, thinking back on how the fellow selling us a new motor acted, we know he knew. Yet he didn’t inform us, nor did he tell us that there might be stations around that still do have Ethanol free gasoline, and that they will have until Sept. 15, 2008. Had he been above board, we could have at least avoided this problem until then.

Small airports have Ethanol free gasoline, however it sells for over $7.00 a gallon, and is higher in octane than the 87% Octane small motors are designed to run on, yet that’s less expensive than paying for all of the equipment loss and repairs. It won’t harm the motors they are telling us, but they will (strangly) lose power. We will also have to sign a paper promising not to use it for anything but off road.

If it is illegal to use Ethanol in airplanes due to it’s inherent problems. Then why not cars?

Is driving down a crowded rush hour freeway any safer? What would happen to a family in a stalled out or on fire car (It is know to cause fires.)? Say, during rush hour traffic? Like when you’re approaching and along side LAX on a Friday night? I mean to tell you, it could be the worst scenario possible.

If illegal in airplanes, is it any safer in cars? Without a car length ahead of you or behind you and you stall out when in high speed, and terribly crowded conditions?

Already class action lawsuits have been filed, one by a fellow who incurred over $35,000.00 repairing his boat. Fibre glass gas tanks were part of his problem.

Do you have an ATV, a snow mobile, a wave runner, or any other small motor piece of equipment? If so, you need to think about what you can do to remedy what is going to happen to your pocket book, whether or not it is happening due to small time damage or, as in our case, lost income plus unexpected and uncalled for expenses. We see no solution, it will take some quick and big time changes to prevent everyone from being hit by this, and hit by this, and hit by this.

Good luck to us all,

Saundra