Supermarket diesel

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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

  • 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.
 
Not a fuel expert by any means - but here's my tupenny:

I've heard all sorts of things - good and bad - about all different types of fuel. To be honest I'm not convinced that supermarket fuel will result in any more problems than having used a premium brand - afterall, the quality of fuel in the UK is probably up there with the best of them compared to many countries, even US and Europe.

It seems that the base fuel is common to many brands, it's the additive pack that's added before it's pumped into the petrol station that differentiates it, eg Esso, Shell, Tesco, etc each use their own additives. Not sure how true that is.

I personally use exclusively Shell V-Power (UL) in the C32, and usually Shell Diesel in the ML - although I have used Tesco and other premium brand diesels as and when the need arised. Or when Mrs Dazzler has the 5p discount vouchers from Tesco to be precise!! :D

I have to say that I sometimes wonder whether even using the expensive stuff all the time is a good idea from an engine life perspective. I recall a few years ago Shell had some problems with their cutting-edge fuel of the time, causing damage to engines. I also remember reading that Optimax caused the inside of the cylinder and injectors to turn red/orange with some sort of deposit.

Possibly the safest approach is to spread your bets, and get fuel from a range of stations and brands!!
 
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There is a Sainsbury's petrol station right opposite my office and its frequently a Esso tanker that refills it.
 
I stopped getting my fuel from supermarkets because the trollies leak so found it very expensive....
 
I always use the cheapest supermarket fuel I can find but I do add Redex injector cleaner with every fill up (this works out at just under an additional 3p per litre).

This is my second diesel. My old Peugeot 405 did 170,000 miles (until I sold it)and my current Merc has 172,000 on the clock and neither has had a single replacement injector.

I have tried stopping using it but after a couple of tankfulls the car feels far more sluggish.

I can't recommend it highly enough.
 
I prefer Asda,s own brand chip fat oil as it is a lot cheaper than from any other lol pump:rock:

Pete
 
I also use Shell fuel wherever possible (V-Power in the SL, and ordinary unleaded in the Sharan). If there's a tiny improvement in MPG (resulting from the additives) that would partially offset the slight extra cost anyway.
 
My understanding is that all the fuels supplied to whatever garage are supplied from their nearest refinery, this is a generic fuel. It then has added the additive of that company post refining.
 
I understand that the base product is probably the same. I guess the big question is whether the lack of additives in supermarket fuel makes any real difference over a long period of time. I am thinking more about cleansing and wear reducing additives.
 
I would suggest that the lack of additives in super market diesels would not do a great deal of harm other than probably increase wear rates.

To take this to an extreme example. I have in the last few years run Land Crusiers on JP8 which is a kerosene used in military aircraft and vehicles( US Army ones). The reason they use it in all vehicles is to reduce the supply chain of different types of fuels. Anyway the lack of lubricants in this fuel compared to diesel, and the higher temps it burns at - kills an engine in around 30,000kms. THe rings go, the fuel pumps give up. True you can do around 180kph using JP8 as opposed to around 160.
 
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