Why do people use the wrong fuel???

[Lito]

In Sydney, 7-11 = Mobil. Good fuel usually

well that's what i thought here as well but i guess not in queensland. As soon as i filled the rest of the tank with BP ultimate she ran fine

[pologti18t]

I agree...europe and Japan have high octane fuels and cars that are designed to run on it...and we get crappy detuned cars due to our rubbish fuel ...amazes me....we produce most of our own fuel too...havent times moved on since the days of local kingswoods etc...?

We have access to 95RON and 98RON in most locations. They are they two main fuel categories in Europe.

The USA gets the same spread as us (but measured differently - pump octane) equivalent to 91, 95, 98 RON.

So, how exactly are we getting **** fuel? Especially as any of the tuners can get obscene figures out of local engines using pump fuel?

If the euros were smart (like Mazda etc) they would tune their engines to at least accept 91RON. Any loss in economy is easily made up by the huge difference in price of 91 vs 95RON. And to the customer its all about perceptions. They can't measure their economy for ****, but they know the $$$ figure that comes up on the pump.

I wonder if Skoda would have been smarter to use the drivetrain from the India/China small cars (based on polo chassis) - 1.6L normally aspirated petrol with a 6 speed normal auto in the basic Fabias here. In one swoop it would have removed any of the "perceived" issues with the turbo/dsg combo.

[Mysticality]

I wonder if Skoda would have been smarter to use the drivetrain from the India/China small cars (based on polo chassis) - 1.6L normally aspirated petrol with a 6 speed normal auto in the basic Fabias here. In one swoop it would have removed any of the "perceived" issues with the turbo/dsg combo.

But then you wouldn't have a turbo or DSG!

On the subject of fuel quality...
When I had my Kia Sorento, I twice filled it up at United fuel outlets.
The first time, at the United servo in Tahmoor NSW (in about October 2010) after driving for 70k's, the fuel filter light came on and the engine went into limp home mode. Took it to the dealership and they swapped out the fuel filter at no charge.

The second time was around June 2011. I filled the tank somewhere in Sydney, in maybe the Blacktown or Parramatta areas (I can't remember exactly)
Again, after about 40k's of in-city driving, the fuel filter light came on and the engine went into limp mode.
Not so fun when you're trying to overtake a truck going along George St, Sydney... And the Semi is going quicker than you off a set of lights!!
Again, the dealership replaced the fuel filter... Cost me $40 or something for parts + labour this time, which was fair enough IMO.

Never again shall I *EVER* touch a United servo.

Also - I tried Vortex Premium Diesel in the Octy the other day - got 100km less mileage and less engine power. I think I'll stick to regular diesel.

[Tigger]

I guess fuel is a bit of a perception thing really...

I know I reckon that I get better economy and a smoother run with BP Ultimate 98 rather than any other brand, yet I know in all honesty that all our fuel comes from only a few refineries...

So perhaps marketing, or branding affects my point of view?

[pologti18t]

But then you wouldn't have a turbo or DSG!

Also - I tried Vortex Premium Diesel in the Octy the other day - got 100km less mileage and less engine power. I think I'll stick to regular diesel.

I do have a turbo... and its got a stage 1 reflash... 155kw/330Nm from the 1.8T Have run it on all 98RON fuels and even 100RON Liberty/United fuels with no issues (over 6 yrs)

What you are talking about is less about fuel quality and more about the actual service station facilities. Otherwise you would be looking at ALL users of Liberty diesel being affected.

The other point is there are only limited onshore refineries. This means that in certain locations the fuel from competing retailers comes from the same source!

I find people buying in to the premium diesel argument even funnier

Not sure how you got such a huge reduction in range and power from a product than can be replaced with chip oil.

[K1W1]

I find people buying in to the premium diesel argument even funnier

Premium diesel is designed for high performance diesel engines and is cleaner. Using premium diesel "should" improve the long term reliability of the engine and reduce the incidence of seized injectors (new cylinder head and FI time on some vehicles). Premium diesel is not about getting away from the lights quicker or even better economy.

Having said that there is only very limited premium Caltex in Vic and I now buy standard BP diesel from one of two local stations and see no reason to change. I did buy discount diesel for a while and it cost me $1500 for a new fuel pump so it wasn't really much of a discount.