DIY Diesel: How One Australian Man is Turning Cooking Oil into Fuel Amid Rising Gas Prices

A man fed up with high fuel prices is drawing attention after making his own diesel and running it in his car.

On April 1 (local time), the New York Post reported that Bruce Dunn, a contestant on Australia’s reality show Big Brother and an HVAC technician, posted a video on his social media showing how he converted used cooking oil into vehicle fuel using a drum and filters.

In the video, he called fuel priced at $3.15 per liter (about 3,299 KRW (about $2.47)) “legal robbery,” saying it’s no different from having money stolen on the street in broad daylight. He added that he’d rather make his own diesel than pay such outrageous prices.

Dunn collected used cooking oil from nearby shops, refined it, mixed it 50/50 with conventional diesel, and filled his car’s tank. He said paying roughly $500 (about 520,000 KRW (about $390)) for a single fill-up is abnormal and predicted people in his circle would soon try the same approach.

Readers in South Korea who saw the post reacted with concern, posting comments such as, “That’ll wreck the engine,” “Try that and your engine will blow,” and “What must it be like to drive someone to this? Ordinary people everywhere are just trying to survive — it’s a sad reality.”

Automotive expert David McCowan warned that modern vehicles’ precision emissions-control systems can be damaged by fuels that don’t meet specifications, potentially leading to engine failure.

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