If you own a diesel SUV, van or 4WD, then we hope you’re sitting down right now because what we’re going to say will come as a big shock. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that there’s a risk that every single tank of fuel you put into your vehicle carries with it the risk of water contamination which can destroy an entire fuel system and even an engine in kilometers! Doesn’t matter if you only fill up from name-brand servos, or don’t go out into the bush much – every vehicle is at risk. That’s why it’s so vital that you fit a Diesel Care Fuel Filter kit to your 4WD as soon as possible.

So where does the potential for damage come from, and why should you fit a 4WD fuel filter kit to your vehicle? The problem is two-fold. First, there is an increasing number of fuel system failures being attributed to water in diesel thanks to service station tanks around the country aging and rusting. Most of the time, the gunk in the bottom of a service station fuel tank stays down the bottom of the tank, but when the fuel truck’s there filling up, it all gets stirred up. Then you rock up to buy a tank of fuel and inadvertently grab a batch of watery diesel and 100km down the road your pride and joy shudders to a stop because you haven’t fitted an aftermarket fuel filter. Yikes!

The other problem is that modern 4WDs that run common-rail fuel systems are so much more susceptible to fuel system damage thanks to increasingly tight tolerances in the fuel system. Where the case might have been 20 years ago that your old GQ Patrol could almost swallow a tankful of watery diesel and come out the other side okay, it’s just about a death warrant now for most common-rail diesels. Then when you consider it could cost anywhere up to $10,000 to completely rebuild a fuel system including high-pressure common-rail pump and injectors, you see why fitting a 4WD secondary fuel filter is such a good idea.

So why can’t you rely on your factory fuel filter, especially if it has a warning light to tell you when it fills up with water? The problem is by the time the warning light comes on, it’s often too late. By that stage, there’s a good chance that water has already made it past your factory fuel filter. By the time you pull up on the side of the road to investigate, it may well have been too late and the damage might already be done.

Here at 4WD Supacentre we sell a wide range of Diesel Care Fuel Filter Kits for the most popular 4WDs on Aussie tracks today. What we love about the Diesel Care Fuel Filter Kits is they aren’t just a fuel filter – they’re a genuine bolt-in kit with all the bracketry and mounting hardware supplied. Diesel Care have done the hard yards to produce model-specific kits that fit into your engine bay in a way they should. All the required screw-in fuel lines are supplied as well as comprehensive fitting instructions so that any typical DIY-type vehicle owner can install one in an hour or two.

In many cases you can choose between a 30 micron pre-filter which runs before your factory fuel filter, and a 2, 3 or 5 micron post-filter which runs after your factory fuel filter. It’s your choice as to which one you run. Some prefer to fit it before the factory filter and let the 30 micron fuel filter pick up the majority of gunk to protect the factory fuel filter and extend its life. Others prefer to run a post-filter which acts like an additional safe-guard in case something gets past the factory fuel filter. Both ways are equally valid and it’s up to you as to which you feel most comfortable with.

Wanna know the really scary part? Poor quality fuel is often attributed to outback and remote top end roadhouses but that couldn’t be further from the truth. There’s just as much, if not more, chance of you picking up bad quality fuel from a local no-name servo down the road from home that might sell its fuel for a couple of cents a litre cheaper. When and where bad fuel will strike is not apparent, but thankfully the answer is clear. Fit a Diesel Care Fuel Filter Kit to your 4WD for piece of mind!