CONTAMINATED FUEL ???

[DSM10000]

Diesel fuel is often described as "heavy oil".
There is a reason for this.
Even now, the British Standards allow for a significant degree of variation in the chemical composition of the fuels ..... as long as the cetain or octane requirement is complied with.

Heavy oil is more usually used to describe the dense and highly viscous oils from which other fractions may or have been be obtained, it is often used in marine engines and needs heating to aid flow before injection etc.

 

[Justintyme]

Diesel bug is very common in the boating world, and has been said caused through water contamination.
When we had our boat we added an inhibitor at every fill up, and luckily never had any problems; you don't want your engine cutting out on a free flowing river.
It can be very troublesome to cure completely, there are specialist companies who "polish" the fuel and thoroughly clean the system.
I may be a bit fussy, but thats why I don't use supermarket fuel, and always use premium fuel in the car - but's thats me.

When fuel is stored in cans / drums, it has a shelf life of max 6 mths. This is because it becomes contaminated with bacteria, which seems unbelievable, but it's true. For fuel stations, over time ( and lack of storage tank cleaning) this fuel can become contaminated too, condensation, dirty tank makes for dirty fuel. I would NEVER buy fuel which is few cents a litre /gallon cheaper, and I always use the same filing station ( I know that this is not possible for everyone ) but I would stick with the same brand in any case.

 

[400ixl]

If you're talking about the big silicon contamination incident just over 10 years ago then that's not correct - only supermarket forecourts (specifically Tesco, Morrisons and Asda) were affected:

2007 United Kingdom petrol contamination - Wikipedia

Nope, as in East Anglia, BP, Texaco, Tesco all had stations affected. It was not just a supermarket issue, but a refinery issue. Widely reported as such on the news etc. Several people I know were affected and had to have extensive car repairs. Very good friend was affected from the Texaco garage.

So either different incident, or Wikipedia and its selective editing strikes again (far from the first time).

 

[BTB 500]

Nope, as in East Anglia, BP, Texaco, Tesco all had stations affected. It was not just a supermarket issue, but a refinery issue. Widely reported as such on the news etc. Several people I know were affected and had to have extensive car repairs. Very good friend was affected from the Texaco garage.

So either different incident, or Wikipedia and its selective editing strikes again (far from the first time).

East Anglia was badly affected by the silicon contamination issue in 2007, but only Supermarkets supplied from the tank storage at West Thurrock shared by Harvest Energy (Asda) and Greenergy (Tesco & Morrisons). There are plenty of links on this that aren't related to Wikipedia e.g.

BBC NEWS | UK | Fuel depot probes 'contamination'
Supermarkets' pledge on contaminated fuel
Tesco pays out £8m over fuel problems

That's the biggest issue I know of in recent times, and it's a matter of record that no oil major branded forecourts were involved.

I don't recall an incident affecting both BP and Texaco and couldn't find anything obvious online, so if you have any details on that do please post them.

 

[DSM10000]

East Anglia was badly affected by the silicon contamination issue in 2007, but only Supermarkets supplied from the tank storage at West Thurrock shared by Harvest Energy (Asda) and Greenergy (Tesco & Morrisons). There are plenty of links on this that aren't related to Wikipedia e.g.

BBC NEWS | UK | Fuel depot probes 'contamination'
Supermarkets' pledge on contaminated fuel
Tesco pays out £8m over fuel problems

That's the biggest issue I know of in recent times, and it's a matter of record that no oil major branded forecourts were involved.

I don't recall an incident affecting both BP and Texaco and couldn't find anything obvious online, so if you have any details on that do please post them.

That is still not evidence that Supermarkets take less care over fuel storage nor that they sell sub-standard fuel/ They were supplied from a shared refinery tank.

 

[geraldrobins]

Maybe the reason supermarket fuel is cheaper is because they have a large turnover and can operate at a smaller margin than other outlets, and not because they sell an inferior product. I have never experienced any issues with any fuels fortunately but I have predominantly used supermarket fuels over the past 15 years.

 

[BTB 500]

That is still not evidence that Supermarkets take less care over fuel storage nor that they sell sub-standard fuel/ They were supplied from a shared refinery tank.

IIRC it was a storage facility (not a refinery), shared only by Harvest Energy (who just supply independent retailers and supermarkets) and Greenergy who are (or were?) partly owned by Tesco and AFAIK supply all their fuel. Which is presumably why none of the oil majors were affected. If you Google for contamination incidents you'll get many hits (on reputable sites like BBC news) relating to confirmed & admitted problems at Tesco, Morrisons etc. ... typically water contamination, or cross-contamination betweeen mogas and diesel. Which would - anecdotally - suggest that perhaps their handling and storage procedures could be better. Incidents with oil majors are rare, as they are for some other supermarkets (Sainsburys seems to be a notable example).

 

[johnsco]

Supermarkets tend to offer cheaper fuel as a loss-leader to get you into the place to spend your money.
Cheaper doesn't necessarily mean inferior quality.
I do high mileage and have always used supermarket fuel whenever possible

 

[artyman]

I've used supermarket fuel for years and have never had a problem, I've also used branded when on longer journeys on motorways, I've noticed no difference in performance or consumption

 

[markjay]

I think the term 'supermarket fuel' is misleading.

In effect it should mean 'standard fuel', i.e. as opposed to premium fuels - regardless of the logo on the forecourt where it was purchased.

And 'crap fuel' is usually the result of some form of contamination or human error that can happen at any garage or fuel brand.

The only difference a motorist might feel when regularity using premium fuels is the long-term effect of having a cleaner engine.

Otherwise there will be a small gradual decline in mpg and bhp over the years, and a greater chance of fuel supply related faults (injectors etc).

But again this is a gradual change resulting from an cumulative effect that can take years before it's noticed.