RE: Supermarket fuel: is it good enough?
Discussion
Has anybody affected had the fuel analysed? If so what was the result? That will surely end the speculation as to what caused the problem. If it is a faulty batch of petrol then are the vendors not liable for the damage under normal consumer protection laws? Proof of purchase of the petrol will be proved by receipt, bank, charge card or debit card statement. If none of those are available most garages have cctv cameras to record vehicles. Under the freedom of information act, is that material not available?
There does seem to be the issue of (lack of) accepting responsibility, but it seems to me this could just as easily be BP, Shell, or any other petrol retailer, but because it's Tesco's many people assume they're cost cutting by selling shit fuel.
Have to admit I always use V-Power but there isn't a Tesco near me that sells the 99 RON stuff, and even if there were I would probably stick to V-Power for some irrational reason, but it does seem if the problem's been caused by a bit of equipment failing or someone cocking up it's basically sheer bad luck that it's someone who is considered as selling "budget" fuel.
Have to admit I always use V-Power but there isn't a Tesco near me that sells the 99 RON stuff, and even if there were I would probably stick to V-Power for some irrational reason, but it does seem if the problem's been caused by a bit of equipment failing or someone cocking up it's basically sheer bad luck that it's someone who is considered as selling "budget" fuel.
Well i have a nice slow plodding Oil Burner.. she's a beast and nothing can stop her!
Not even turnip in the fuel, although supermarket fuel has alway been shit. Put it in a MX5 and it wouldnt run properly.
Wonder if you can get club card point from the garge if it is Tescos petrol that busted your engine....??
Not even turnip in the fuel, although supermarket fuel has alway been shit. Put it in a MX5 and it wouldnt run properly.
Wonder if you can get club card point from the garge if it is Tescos petrol that busted your engine....??
BBC radio news have just said that the AA have found traces of Silicon in samples of fuel taken. This seems to tie up with the report on Anglia TV news. They also said that there should be no traces of Silicon in petrol. Maybe someone had a leaky pipe and decided to use a bit of Silicon goo to mend it. It does dissolve in petrol (says the man who used it many years ago to repair a leaking fuel pump, only to have the goo dissolve and make the leak worse!).
Last year my wife had an EM warning light come on the dash of her Mondeo. She took it to our local garage who said that, according to the fault code it was telling him that she had probs with the valves and they would need replacing. He asked my wife what petrol she used. "Tesco's" she replied. He told her that was the problem, cheap Supermarket petrol was causing sensor problems and thus creating false EM codes. He reset the EM light, and advised her to use premium petrols for a couple of tankfuls, and then revert to a branded petrol, but never to use Supermarket petrol.
She did this and the problem never came back. not only that but there was a marked improvement in the car's performance
He told us that he'd had examples of serious engine damage to relatively new cars that had been run solely on Supermarket petrols, and he was advising all his customers not to use it.
By the way, this was purely a repair station and did not sell petrol or have any links with a petrol station, branded or otherwise
Dave
She did this and the problem never came back. not only that but there was a marked improvement in the car's performance
He told us that he'd had examples of serious engine damage to relatively new cars that had been run solely on Supermarket petrols, and he was advising all his customers not to use it.
By the way, this was purely a repair station and did not sell petrol or have any links with a petrol station, branded or otherwise
Dave
Edited by slipperywhenvett on Thursday 1st March 19:36
If this silicon contamination thing is true, then it isn't just bad news for O2 sensors, it is also bad news for catalytic converters. If not knackered as fast as the sensor, then they have likely had their lifetime shortened considerably, which will be nigh on impossible to claim for at some later date. Cats are also several times more expensive than your typical O2 sensor.
Not good news that..
P,
Not good news that..
P,
Hi I am new on here but here comes the bit that most of you seem to have missed in this discussion.
I live in Scotland and most people will therefore assume that my Petrol probably all comes from the ex-BP facility at Grangemouth.
Wrong.
If you go to a BP or Shell or other main line petrol station then it most certainly does.
Round the back you can see then all filling up.
The oil majors have supply agreements with each others local refinery.
So the question is simple.
Do you all really think that the oil majors are going to be giving the supermarkets a discount on petrol so that they can undercut them?
Or ask yourself as most supermarkets don't make you buy anything to get their cheaper petrol why do they offer you cheaper petrol if it costs the same at the point of supply.
The answer is really simple.
Supermarkets do not buy directly from the major oil companies.
It has nothing to do with some supermarkets putting in different additives after they buy it
It starts out as cheaper feed stock which equals cheaper petrol!
Supermarkets don't make there own fuel but there are only a couple of companies who supply them.
Not sure if I am allowed to name them on here or not so I won't.
Anyhow what happens is that Petrol as we all know is a hydrocarbon made up of various feed stocks blended together.
The stuff from supermarkets is basically blended from whatever cheap feed stocks they can buy from around the world, not from your local refinery, alot of this is blended in a tank farm on the banks of the Thames but also in tanks in some of the other areas having problems.
The cheaper supplies come from war torn regions, Latvia, Russia etc
The petrol from the likes of Grangemouth refinery is all made on site.
Of course there are standards to be met but they do make sure that they just meet them!!
You also cannot QC every gallon that leaves the depot.
The initial QC you get in the above places of the feed stocks happens before a long boat or train journey or both.
The chances of contamination the way the feed stocks are transported are also significantly increased!
Trust me I know about these things and would never put it in one of my hot engines.
You can make up your own mind if you want to put it in yours.
Dodger
I live in Scotland and most people will therefore assume that my Petrol probably all comes from the ex-BP facility at Grangemouth.
Wrong.
If you go to a BP or Shell or other main line petrol station then it most certainly does.
Round the back you can see then all filling up.
The oil majors have supply agreements with each others local refinery.
So the question is simple.
Do you all really think that the oil majors are going to be giving the supermarkets a discount on petrol so that they can undercut them?
Or ask yourself as most supermarkets don't make you buy anything to get their cheaper petrol why do they offer you cheaper petrol if it costs the same at the point of supply.
The answer is really simple.
Supermarkets do not buy directly from the major oil companies.
It has nothing to do with some supermarkets putting in different additives after they buy it
It starts out as cheaper feed stock which equals cheaper petrol!
Supermarkets don't make there own fuel but there are only a couple of companies who supply them.
Not sure if I am allowed to name them on here or not so I won't.
Anyhow what happens is that Petrol as we all know is a hydrocarbon made up of various feed stocks blended together.
The stuff from supermarkets is basically blended from whatever cheap feed stocks they can buy from around the world, not from your local refinery, alot of this is blended in a tank farm on the banks of the Thames but also in tanks in some of the other areas having problems.
The cheaper supplies come from war torn regions, Latvia, Russia etc
The petrol from the likes of Grangemouth refinery is all made on site.
Of course there are standards to be met but they do make sure that they just meet them!!
You also cannot QC every gallon that leaves the depot.
The initial QC you get in the above places of the feed stocks happens before a long boat or train journey or both.
The chances of contamination the way the feed stocks are transported are also significantly increased!
Trust me I know about these things and would never put it in one of my hot engines.
You can make up your own mind if you want to put it in yours.
Dodger
iluvmercs said:
ITV Anglia News has just reported that there are unconfirmed reports of Silicon being found in petrol samples.
To be honest I wish the press would 
off and leave the speculating to us and not come back until they know something. They can't seem to be arsed to wait for confirmation got through investigative journalism and simply wrap any half baked crap up in quotes or stick 'unconfirmed reports suggest' or 'allegedly' in front of it and have the nerve to suggest it's news. They're like a bunch of old women. Edited by dern on Thursday 1st March 20:18
I've used Optimax on the Evo previously but I moved over to
Tesco 99 when that came out and have had no problems at all
since then.
Generally use that all the time now unless I can't find it,
in which case I will use V-Power.
The Tesco 99 is supplied by Greenergy and their web site
www.greenergy.co.uk/products/99_octane.html says this about the 99 fuel..
"Tesco 99 Octane also contains low levels of olefinic compounds, typically less than 5%, compared with up to 18% in standard petrols. These compounds can lead to the creation of engine deposits. To ensure Tesco 99 Octane remains ‘cleaner’ petrol, an additive package is included with twice the protective power of typical 95 octane fuel. It removes existing deposits and helps the engine to run more smoothly.
We also typically include 5% bioethanol – a clean and pure ultra high-octane component which is also renewable to help cut greenhouse gas emissions".
Steve
Tesco 99 when that came out and have had no problems at all
since then.
Generally use that all the time now unless I can't find it,
in which case I will use V-Power.
The Tesco 99 is supplied by Greenergy and their web site
www.greenergy.co.uk/products/99_octane.html says this about the 99 fuel..
"Tesco 99 Octane also contains low levels of olefinic compounds, typically less than 5%, compared with up to 18% in standard petrols. These compounds can lead to the creation of engine deposits. To ensure Tesco 99 Octane remains ‘cleaner’ petrol, an additive package is included with twice the protective power of typical 95 octane fuel. It removes existing deposits and helps the engine to run more smoothly.
We also typically include 5% bioethanol – a clean and pure ultra high-octane component which is also renewable to help cut greenhouse gas emissions".
Steve
Well, at least I won't have to queue up at the supermarket to fill up the 740 now...No catalytic convertor, no lambda probe, and mechanical fuel injection controlled by a metal flap in the air inlet - excellent.
Filled up the 480 with Esso 97ron a couple days ago, so that should be fine.
Filled up the 480 with Esso 97ron a couple days ago, so that should be fine.
I am a motor engineer and have run my business for the last 40 years. During the last couple of years we have had numerous customers bring their vehicles to us with strange and expensive engine problems. These have varied from oxygen sensor faults, burnt valves, catalytic converter faults and many other engine management problems. All faults have been repaired at considerable expense to the vehicle owners.
When they come to collect their cars and part with their hard earned money i ask them one question Where do you purchase your fuel from?
95% say Tesco 5% say other supermarkets. Conclusion supermarket Fuel is causing the problems and this has been occuring long before this latest fiasco ever came to light.
We very rarely have and major problems with top quality fuels and can only conclude that supermarket fuels are CRAP!!!!!
When they come to collect their cars and part with their hard earned money i ask them one question Where do you purchase your fuel from?
95% say Tesco 5% say other supermarkets. Conclusion supermarket Fuel is causing the problems and this has been occuring long before this latest fiasco ever came to light.
We very rarely have and major problems with top quality fuels and can only conclude that supermarket fuels are CRAP!!!!!
Supermarkets will happily sell certain products at a loss as they make their money back on others.
You've just done the weekly shop and fill your car, they're not that arsed if they're not making as much on the fuel as they're already minted from the stuff you've bought in the store.
M@
You've just done the weekly shop and fill your car, they're not that arsed if they're not making as much on the fuel as they're already minted from the stuff you've bought in the store.
M@
We have had in excess of 100 cars brought in this week with this problem.On asking customers where they got their fuel 99% of them have said it was a supermarket with a T in it.I also understand from tanker drivers that I know that this particualar supermarket stores it's fuel seperatly from other supplies as it is bought on the spot market,they do not draw down from the same supplies(tanks) as all other garages.For them to claim that all fuel that comes from a depot would effect all garages is total BOTOX,how on earth would Shell/Bp/Total be what it is if it came outy of the same tanks.Quality fuel gives better mpg and better running,you get what you pay for.
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