RE: Supermarket fuel: is it good enough?
Discussion
Tony220 said:
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!!!!!
Totally agree, same at our garage and have been asking this question for years with the same answer.Simple question to them requiring a simple answer.Is their fuel bought of the Russian spot market cheaply and pumped full of Sh1t to meet minimun requirments. 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!!!!!
Dunno if anyone has made this point yet but in some areas it's actually difficult to buy petrol from anything but a supermarket. When the supermarkets started opening up petrol stations with prices to undercut their branded 'main st' rivals the other stations started to close one by one, certainly around where I live anyway and I'm sure its happened around the country.
Given the bad press over Tesco I will probably try and fill up elsewhere if possible (whether it's a media scare or not, better safe than sorry), however can't see myself, or the masses, making a journey out of my way and paying more just to fill up twice a week.
Given the bad press over Tesco I will probably try and fill up elsewhere if possible (whether it's a media scare or not, better safe than sorry), however can't see myself, or the masses, making a journey out of my way and paying more just to fill up twice a week.
yellowbentines said:
Dunno if anyone has made this point yet but in some areas it's actually difficult to buy petrol from anything but a supermarket. When the supermarkets started opening up petrol stations with prices to undercut their branded 'main st' rivals the other stations started to close one by one, certainly around where I live anyway and I'm sure its happened around the country.
There isn't a Shell or an Esso anywhere near me (both 20-min drive across town). The Texaco nearby has those f-awful black rubber pointy speedhumps, and I refuse to use BP on principle (namely they charge the earth, market these high-performance fuels, which don't actually deliver). Which leaves me with Asda or Tesco as the only two options. Asda don't do Super...
I used to work for a major chemicals company and was involved in part with the buying and selling of fuel to supermarkets and basicaly they will buy from which ever supplier is the cheapest. Quality was never an issue, now maybe 10years ago they could get away with batch mixing substandard petrol, but i fear now with todays complex sensors it aint gonna work.
The other favorite trick was to buy petrol below the correct Ron eg 94 not 95. cos during fractional distillation ya get more yeild on a lower RON.
Colected my new RX8 PZ yesterday woooooooohooooooo!!
The other favorite trick was to buy petrol below the correct Ron eg 94 not 95. cos during fractional distillation ya get more yeild on a lower RON.
Colected my new RX8 PZ yesterday woooooooohooooooo!!
bleesh said:
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.
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.
Steve
Me too. Always use Tesco 99, including this week - and I live in the 'affected areas'. No problems in my Boxster S
Has anone else had a problem with fuel from Sainsbury's?
On 5th Feb, I filled my Griff at Sainsburys Pepper Hill branch near Bluewater in Kent. 20 miles later it was misfiring badly and needed two lambda sensors.
Does anyone know where Sainsburys get their fuel?
On 5th Feb, I filled my Griff at Sainsburys Pepper Hill branch near Bluewater in Kent. 20 miles later it was misfiring badly and needed two lambda sensors.
Does anyone know where Sainsburys get their fuel?
Edited by Uncle Fester on Friday 2nd March 11:59
havoc said:
yellowbentines said:
Dunno if anyone has made this point yet but in some areas it's actually difficult to buy petrol from anything but a supermarket. When the supermarkets started opening up petrol stations with prices to undercut their branded 'main st' rivals the other stations started to close one by one, certainly around where I live anyway and I'm sure its happened around the country.
There isn't a Shell or an Esso anywhere near me (both 20-min drive across town). The Texaco nearby has those f-awful black rubber pointy speedhumps, and I refuse to use BP on principle (namely they charge the earth, market these high-performance fuels, which don't actually deliver). Which leaves me with Asda or Tesco as the only two options. Asda don't do Super...
I live in Birmingham (for better or worse but hardly a backwater) and within about 5 miles of where I live the options are BP (4), Morrisons (1), Sainsbury's (1), Tesco who run what was previously an Esso forecourt with a Tesco Express (1).
Esso and Shell - can't remember the last time I saw one in the City.
Uncle Fester said:
Has anone else had a problem with fuel from Sainsbury's?
On 5th Feb, I filled my Griff at Sainsburys Pepper Hill branch near Bluewater in Kent. 20 miles later it was misfiring badly and needed two lambda sensors.
Does anyone know where Sainsburys get their fuel?
On 5th Feb, I filled my Griff at Sainsburys Pepper Hill branch near Bluewater in Kent. 20 miles later it was misfiring badly and needed two lambda sensors.
Does anyone know where Sainsburys get their fuel?
Edited by Uncle Fester on Friday 2nd March 11:59
I have always believed (although may be wrong) that it is the same as BP - at least the 97 Super stuff anyway - which I guess is what you use. At my local Sainsbury (see post above) they have four pumps for 97 and at the best of times only 2/4 are operational and often none at all. Perhaps this is because it is not supplied via their usual 95 channels but comes in via some sort of alternative/special delivery.
Always use Shell Optimax, my local Shells price match the supermarkets anyway. Wherever you are why risk your cylinder head for the sake of 1-2p per litre?
I say again, oxygen sensor failure is just the symptom. The permanent damage is unquantifiable and may not appear for some time.
Clearing a MIL light fault and changing the sensor is tantamount to just replacing a fuse that keeps blowing. You are not fixing the root cause issue and not investigating any potential damage correctly. At best the fix will be to change the fuel in the tank and hopefully you've got away with no damage.
I say again, oxygen sensor failure is just the symptom. The permanent damage is unquantifiable and may not appear for some time.
Clearing a MIL light fault and changing the sensor is tantamount to just replacing a fuse that keeps blowing. You are not fixing the root cause issue and not investigating any potential damage correctly. At best the fix will be to change the fuel in the tank and hopefully you've got away with no damage.
baSkey said:
havoc said:
baSkey said:
i though the normal 95 was 'generic nearest refinery to you'....???
Which is why it's more than one Supermarket chain and only in the South East...
...so why is it *only* supermarkets and not normal pertorl stations..?
It's not, I filled up on Wednesday at my local Total and the car immeditely started violently backfiring and running like a dog.
well my focus has come back with an error code saying the emmissions are out of spec, sensors are fine.
i asked what the ecu would do if the car was filled with high ethanol fuel. the reply was it would go from closed loop control to a fixed map and the emmisions would be higher. next step is to see if the cat is dead.
on the other hand it could be unrelated and the cat has died through old age.
i asked what the ecu would do if the car was filled with high ethanol fuel. the reply was it would go from closed loop control to a fixed map and the emmisions would be higher. next step is to see if the cat is dead.
on the other hand it could be unrelated and the cat has died through old age.
burman said:
Just to be contrary I have used Tesco 99 super in my mk5 GTI and If anything I have found it just as good as Vmax if anything slightly better on perfomance and MPG and of course cheaper.Filled up on sunday at Tesco at Stortford.
Some say that the Tesco 99 stuff isnt' affected. Just the regular stuff.. I'd like to see that confirmed of course though..
But Tesco 99 has always been just fine for my motors.
While im here.. Morrisons have stoped flogging it at a large number of their stores.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6413357
P,
Edited by PJR on Friday 2nd March 20:21
over_the_hill said:
Uncle Fester said:
Has anone else had a problem with fuel from Sainsbury's?
On 5th Feb, I filled my Griff at Sainsburys Pepper Hill branch near Bluewater in Kent. 20 miles later it was misfiring badly and needed two lambda sensors.
Does anyone know where Sainsburys get their fuel?
On 5th Feb, I filled my Griff at Sainsburys Pepper Hill branch near Bluewater in Kent. 20 miles later it was misfiring badly and needed two lambda sensors.
Does anyone know where Sainsburys get their fuel?
Edited by Uncle Fester on Friday 2nd March 11:59
I have always believed (although may be wrong) that it is the same as BP - at least the 97 Super stuff anyway - which I guess is what you use. At my local Sainsbury (see post above) they have four pumps for 97 and at the best of times only 2/4 are operational and often none at all. Perhaps this is because it is not supplied via their usual 95 channels but comes in via some sort of alternative/special delivery.
I always found Sainsburys super the best stuff around!
Certain improvement over anyones 95 and on par with other "branded" supers, but the cost is only 2p or so above normal 95!
Good stuff and never had any trouble with it...
Dave
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff