duncanh
Active Member
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2005
- Messages
- 242
- Location
- Wiltshire
- Car
- BMW 520d SE F10, formerly c220cdi estate (for 12.5 years and 345k miles), before that w124 and w210
As my car is getting closer to 100,000 miles (it will get there by the end of the month), I have been reflecting on the fact that I have fed it mainly supermarket diesel since it was new.
It has been mainly Safeway, then Tesco and more recently Sainsburys. (I have avoided Asda, mainly because I never seem to pass one). I did occasionally fill it up with Esso or Shell. Most of the mileage has been commuting, largely motorway, usually about 120 - 150 miles per day (apart from a gap in the middle when I worked in London and travelled by train). The choice of Supermarket has been dictated by my commute, there is usually one along the way.
There appears to have been very few problems over the years. It has hardly seen the inside of a garage, apart from dealer servicing for the first 3 years when the car was under warranty. There has been no emission problems at the last two MOT tests.
Replacement parts have been
The big question is - what damage am I likely to have caused by using cheap fuel?
I am now worried that my injectors will not last long, and what about the effect on the catalytic convertors? Are there any other parts that may have suffered?
I have just done the sums, 100,000 miles is approximately 10,000 litres of fuel. Assuming a saving of 2p per litre, I have saved about £200 over the 100,000 miles. A new cat would eat up double the saving. With that wonderful gift of hindsight I can now see the potential benefit of spending a little more and getting better fuel.
Or is it all a myth, maybe supermarket fuel is not much different to the big name brands?
Is it too late to reverse any damage? Would injector cleaner help? Or would it create so much dirt and soot that it could block the cat and exhaust?
Maybe I should just get rid of it while it is still OK. However it has already lost most of its value, so depreciation over the next two or three years would be minimal. I would like to keep it for another 100,000 miles, but what are my chances of relatively trouble-free motoring?
I would like to hear about other peoples experiences (good or bad) with supermarket diesel.
I am now using Shell for most fills.
It has been mainly Safeway, then Tesco and more recently Sainsburys. (I have avoided Asda, mainly because I never seem to pass one). I did occasionally fill it up with Esso or Shell. Most of the mileage has been commuting, largely motorway, usually about 120 - 150 miles per day (apart from a gap in the middle when I worked in London and travelled by train). The choice of Supermarket has been dictated by my commute, there is usually one along the way.
There appears to have been very few problems over the years. It has hardly seen the inside of a garage, apart from dealer servicing for the first 3 years when the car was under warranty. There has been no emission problems at the last two MOT tests.
Replacement parts have been
- 4 new injectors (warranty repair, before it was a month old)
- 2 rear shock absorbers (under warranty, 40,000 miles)
- front brake pads (40,000 and 75,000)
- rear brake pads (60,000)
- front discs (75,000)
- front anti-roll bar bushes and drop links (90,000)
The big question is - what damage am I likely to have caused by using cheap fuel?
I am now worried that my injectors will not last long, and what about the effect on the catalytic convertors? Are there any other parts that may have suffered?
I have just done the sums, 100,000 miles is approximately 10,000 litres of fuel. Assuming a saving of 2p per litre, I have saved about £200 over the 100,000 miles. A new cat would eat up double the saving. With that wonderful gift of hindsight I can now see the potential benefit of spending a little more and getting better fuel.
Or is it all a myth, maybe supermarket fuel is not much different to the big name brands?
Is it too late to reverse any damage? Would injector cleaner help? Or would it create so much dirt and soot that it could block the cat and exhaust?
Maybe I should just get rid of it while it is still OK. However it has already lost most of its value, so depreciation over the next two or three years would be minimal. I would like to keep it for another 100,000 miles, but what are my chances of relatively trouble-free motoring?
I would like to hear about other peoples experiences (good or bad) with supermarket diesel.
I am now using Shell for most fills.