If you’ve been to the fuel pumps lately, and if you visit this website it’s most likely that you do, you would have noticed that some fuel pumps have two different nozzles for diesel. Other than the typical black nozzle, there is an additional blue nozzle. The blue nozzle is Euro 5 B7 diesel.
Wait, so does this mean the black nozzle is not Euro 5? This is a common misconception that the blue nozzle means Euro 5. This is not true – all diesel is now Euro 5 in Malaysia. The difference is the black nozzle is Euro 5 B10 diesel.
B7 simply means biodiesel with 7% palm oil-based blend, while B10 means biodiesel with 10% palm oil-based blend. This means normal petroleum-based diesel is mixed with either 5% or 7% of palm-oil based diesel. Malaysia did not always sell biodiesel. It started switching to a 5% blend (B5) in July 2014. Eventually B7 was introduced, then B10. Currently, blends of up to B20 is available in certain areas.
Reasons given for adopting biodiesel are typically environmental concerns – countries moved to B10 to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and to cut greenhouse gas emissions, but it’s worth noting that Malaysia is a palm oil producer.
At time of publishing, the black B10 diesel is priced at RM2.15 per litre while the B7 diesel is priced at RM2.35 a liter, which is a premium of 20 sen.
B10 is the default diesel and is alot more widely available, but you should check your diesel car’s owners manual to see if it can take B10. Some vehicles specifically ask you to use a maximum biodiesel blend of B7 in the owner’s manual. Using B10 might void your warranty.
The issue with using B7 here I feel is not so much the cost, but availability. Blue nozzle diesel just not as widely available as black nozzle.
Previously, BMW Malaysia said in 2015 that testing the use of B10 revealed that fatty-acid methyl ester (FAME), which boils at high temperatures, will move into the motor oil, causing it to thin and possibly leading to oil sludge. This reduces lubricity and increases the risk of engine damage. Other issues cited include formation of injector deposits, injection invariance, reduced idling cycle stability and higher levels of water in the fuel, the latter causing component corrosion.
BMW Malaysia used to sell many BMW diesel models such as the 320d, 520d, 730Ld, X1 20d, X3 20d and X5 30d, but has since stopped offering them.
If you’re wondering about the recently launched Ford Ranger Raptor diesel, SDAC Ford has a statement on their website stating that all Ford vehicles equipped with the 2.0 litre single and bi-turbo diesel engine can take diesel of up to B20 blend.