All makes and models - Possibly the end of the fuel debate?

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Sun 19 Mar 2017 12:50
All makes and models - Possibly the end of the fuel debate? - TopScot

Afternoon all - last week i picked up a tanker driver from the grangemouth refinary where he collects fuel for shell and formally BP.

I thought he would be the perfect man to talk to about different fuels and indeed he was! We spent the entire taxi journey taking about the fuels and I asked him if the truth about supermarket fuels is true, his answer was simply what do I think I'm the one doing 50k a year. I told him I don't touch them and run my car exclusively on shell v power and the only result I care about is the improved MPG .

He said the only difference is the addititves. The main players use a much higher dose and a better quality one than the supermarkets. He said if I were to use a supermarket fuel tesco is the one to use. He said tesco get theres from BP out the exact same station using the exact same dose and ingredients as BP! Morrisons he said is the one to stay away from as it's base diesel and nothing more. Asda is middle of the road diesel, but he said any modern diesel car should stay away from supermarket fuels apart from tesco and use either BP ultimate or Shell v power or equivalent as they need the extra dose.

Was a very interesting conversation, I wont bore you all with the rest but perhaps one step closer in the debate.

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Sun 19 Mar 2017 14:53
All makes and models - Possibly the end of the fuel debate? - SLO76
Handy to know and explains why I had bother with my Renault Kangoo van when using 90% Morrisons fuel. The difference switching to BP/Shell was remarkable. I've never had any engine related issues since.. touch wood.
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Sun 19 Mar 2017 16:42
All makes and models - Possibly the end of the fuel debate? - Wackyracer

I had a conversation many years ago with a tanker driver who was delivering our diesel at work and one thing that stuck in my mind was that they use the same tanker for petrol and diesel. So in effect there is always minor contamination.

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Sun 19 Mar 2017 17:55
All makes and models - Possibly the end of the fuel debate? - Railroad.

This is perfectly true. My brother is a Process Operator at a large UK oil refinery (not Grangemouth), and he told me years ago that the base stock is the same regardless of where you buy your fuel from. For example Esso 95RON petrol is the same as that sold at supermarkets. The difference is the additives which are added by each company after it leaves the refinery. This is what sets them apart. Like me, he is convinced that the branded end product is superior to the cheaper product sold at the supermarket.

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Sun 19 Mar 2017 18:55
All makes and models - Possibly the end of the fuel debate? - RT

Ironically, my diesels run better on Morrisons than Asda - but since Asda is cheaper, that's what they usually get.

Until the brands publish full details of their additive packages, it's all snake oil and spin to me!

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Sun 19 Mar 2017 19:44
All makes and models - Possibly the end of the fuel debate? - focussed

The supermarkets buy their petrol on the spot markets, where the big players sell off their old stock fuel when it is close to the minimum required octane due to evaparation, so a little bird told me once.

That's why sometimes supermarket fuel doesn't feel good in your engine.

Edited by focussed on 19/03/2017 at 19:45

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Mon 20 Mar 2017 00:38
All makes and models - Possibly the end of the fuel debate? - edlithgow

The supermarkets buy their petrol on the spot markets, where the big players sell off their old stock fuel when it is close to the minimum required octane due to evaparation, so a little bird told me once.

That's why sometimes supermarket fuel doesn't feel good in your engine.

I don't KNOW this is myth, but it does sound unlikely.

You'd have to be an implausably incompetent "big player" to regularly get stuck with "old stock fuel", since thier market is fairly predictable.

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Mon 20 Mar 2017 08:37
All makes and models - Possibly the end of the fuel debate? - Peter.N.

I have used supermarket fuel ever since its been available, mostly Tesco's, I was doing 30k miles a year at one time and have never had a problem, I did once accidentally fill up with expensive diesel but didn't really notice any difference, if it does give improved mpg it must be compensated for by the higher cost.

I can confirm the earier post about additives, my wife's uncle used to work on Shell tankers and he said that the basic fuel was all the same but it did have different additives.

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Mon 20 Mar 2017 09:30
All makes and models - Possibly the end of the fuel debate? - Manatee

he said any modern diesel car should stay away from supermarket fuels apart from tesco and use either BP ultimate or Shell v power or equivalent as they need the extra dose.

Even if Tesco is exactly the same as BP, it's still not BP Ultimate is it? I don't quite follow that.

Presumably Tesco's supply arrangements may also vary from time to time or from region to region. The point of Tesco using its own brand is that it can source the fuel from anywhere it wants.

Anybody remember the 2007 incident of bad petrol from Tesco and Morrisons damaging lamda sensors, when hundreds of customers were compensated? I quote myself from a post on this site in 2011:

"The problem was caused during shipment of fuel in a tanker between the Vopak tank farm in Rotterdam and the UK. Anti-foaming compound intended for diesel fuel was added to the wrong tank. When the organic silicone compound was burnt in a petrol engine, a layer of silicon dioxide (glass) formed over the Lambda sensor preventing it working and causing the engine to go into limp home mode."

I had that information from a friend who was a fuel chemist working in Rotterdam. It's actually not an anti-supermarket story, the point being it could have happened to fuel destined for Shell, BP or anybody else.

FWIW I use Shell V Power petrol and diesel. The same fuel chemist told me they were better, especially the diesel - he used Shell super-diesel and considered it worth the difference. Sadly he is no longer with us so I cannot ask him for current insights.

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