Cheap supermarket diesel is being blamed for a surge in problems with vehicles’ on-board diagnostic systems during the cold snap.

A Peugeot dealership in Kent has been getting calls every day from customers saying their EOBD (European On-Board Diagnostics) warning lights have come on. Staff have been warning them that if they have filled up with diesel from a supermarket, then they will have to pay for any corrective work. They are advising customers to fill up at BP or Esso service stations.

The main dealer staff believe that supermarkets have been selling fuel which does not have the right additives for winter driving. The result is the diesel ‘waxing’ up in the fuel filter, which then triggers the EOBD light.

As a result drivers could face an £80-90 bill for flushing through the system and a replacement fuel filter.