VW fuel additive

[IN2VWS]

Has anyone else noticed that VW is now selling diesel additive? ...............yet the owners manual's tell us not to use any additives.

[Transporter]

They have to say that, because there are many additives that you could buy, some of them have no positive effect at all. I've always used fuel additives, and never had a fuel related issue.

How much did you pay for it?

[IN2VWS]

$19.50 per bottle. It's a one bottle per full tank mixture........but they don't say how often it should be used. I did read on a Skoda site to use it at least once a year, or at each service.

There is also the Liqi Moly additive for DPF's now.

[ope126]

I wonder if they do an additive for petrol engines?
I might try and contact the VW Parts tomorrow.

[Wardy]

I use the Liquid Moly DPF additive every 2,000 - 5,000 km usually at the lower end as I do a lot of short journeys. Too soon to say if it is having a beneficial effect.

[Umai Naa!!]

Yeah, there's a petrol one as well.

I've been using Liqui-Moly Clean and Boost in the diesels. One can goes a long way.

[Sunny43.5]

So could VW be trying to tell us that if we DON'T use it something nasty might happen ?

[IN2VWS]

Talking to the service guy at the local dealer today......We were talking about the EGR valve problems. (That is how I found about about the additive). Apparently it is not just VW having problems with EGR valves........but the problem does not exist in Europe. The cause of the problem, is the crappy fuel we have in Australia.

[Transporter]

Talking to the service guy at the local dealer today......We were talking about the EGR valve problems. (That is how I found about about the additive). Apparently it is not just VW having problems with EGR valves........but the problem does not exist in Europe. The cause of the problem, is the crappy fuel we have in Australia.

I couldn't agree more.

[Sunny43.5]

But what about all these adds we see with fuel companies claiming that "their " diesel is "premium" with all sorts of qualities additives added . Sounds like a con job doesn't it fuel companies using goobly gook to rip us off and charge us more for standard fuel anyway .

[Diesel_vert]

It is normal practice (and very important) for the petroleum industry to supply automotive fuels which are suitably and sufficiently additised in order to keep engines performing acceptably throughout their lifetime.

Volkswagen generally does not recommend using additional additives if the fuel already meets European standards (EN228 for petrol & EN590 for diesel).

The correct engine oil (i.e. low-SAPS or mid-SAPS oils) is also said to play a role in keeping emissions devices functioning as intended.

However, in some countries or regions where fuel standards are less stringent or less developed, the use of carefully chosen fuel additives may prove useful.

Australian diesel has essentially been sulphur-free (defined as less than 10 ppm) since early/mid-2009, which is the current level in Europe. This should be reflected though much reduced deposit build-up rates (as observed by our American friends at TDIClub forums, when they started the switch over to 15 ppm ULSD), but of course this does little for vehicles that have already accumulated excessive build-up. However, I would expect newer vehicles, which haven't been as exposed to >10 ppm fuels, to experience less performance degradation over time.

In regards to Volkswagen-labelled petrol additives, they sell them under part number G 001 770 A2 (for all petrol vehicles except CNG and E85, 90 ml) and G 001 780 M3 (for all petrol engines, 200 ml).

Ensure that any fuel additive is free of any metallic compounds, which can damage or clog catalytic converters and particulate filters (as well as the engine itself in some cases).




Note: this should not be confused with Volkswagen's stance on engine oil additives, which they absolutely forbid (like most manufacturers).

[Transporter]

Talking about the fuel standards; The one thing is, if our fuel meets or maybe just meets the specified standard, and another one is, whether it is still up to that standard once transferred into the underground tanks.
Not every brand of the diesel fuel meets the required CN 51.

[Diesel_vert]

There are two common methods for measuring cetane rating in diesel fuel:

The cetane number is measured using a specific test engine, and will give the best approximation as to how it will perform in the real world.

The cetane index is a calculation based on the fuel's properties, which is an estimate of the cetane number. This method can't take into account the various additives used in the final product, so the CI will be a few points lower than the true CN.



Australian automotive diesel specifies a CI of 46 (as does EN590). This will naturally mean a CN range of 48-52, so even if Australia doesn't specify a CN of 51, I would expect in most cases that the final product should have a CN of 49-51 when it reaches the service station, so IMO that in itself is not enough of a concern.

In any case, the significant reduction of sulphur content in fuel will have had by far the biggest effect on smoke and particulate matter reduction, rather than any change in CN.

As far as the product leaving the refinery is concerned, our diesel standard is closely aligned with Europe, as nearly every parameter is identical to EN590 (although depending on the region or circumstance, there may be case for using fuel additives as the product moves down the supply chain).

My main message is that there's nothing wrong with using fuel additives, but just remain vigilant (and use common sense) about what one pours in the vehicle's fuel tank.

[ope126]

It is normal practice (and very important) for the petroleum industry to supply automotive fuels which are suitably and sufficiently additised in order to keep engines performing acceptably throughout their lifetime.

Volkswagen generally does not recommend using additional additives if the fuel already meets European standards (EN228 for petrol & EN590 for diesel).

The correct engine oil (i.e. low-SAPS or mid-SAPS oils) is also said to play a role in keeping emissions devices functioning as intended.

However, in some countries or regions where fuel standards are less stringent or less developed, the use of carefully chosen fuel additives may prove useful.

Australian diesel has essentially been sulphur-free (defined as less than 10 ppm) since early/mid-2009, which is the current level in Europe. This should be reflected though much reduced deposit build-up rates (as observed by our American friends at TDIClub forums, when they started the switch over to 15 ppm ULSD), but of course this does little for vehicles that have already accumulated excessive build-up. However, I would expect newer vehicles, which haven't been as exposed to >10 ppm fuels, to experience less performance degradation over time.

In regards to Volkswagen-labelled petrol additives, they sell them under part number G 001 770 A2 (for all petrol vehicles except CNG and E85, 90 ml) and G 001 780 M3 (for all petrol engines, 200 ml).

Ensure that any fuel additive is free of any metallic compounds, which can damage or clog catalytic converters and particulate filters (as well as the engine itself in some cases).




Note: this should not be confused with Volkswagen's stance on engine oil additives, which they absolutely forbid (like most manufacturers).

Thanks for the part number for the petrol additives...

[Sunny43.5]

Thanks for the informative write up , that does make sense ie EGR DPF etc. What bothers me is that I was told by an industry insider that not many of Australia's fuel distributors do any sort of quality control . I do agree with his explanation as I have noticed differences in the RON value in petrol many times , I can fill up with say 91 -95 Ron and the van will be fine then all of a sudden I fill from a different brand fuel same Ron and it will trigger an engine fault light which goes out again on the next refill depending again on whose fuel I use . I read recently that someone with a Golf whose TSI engine had been replaced under warranty after failing , then had the new engine fail again VW tried to deny his warranty because they claimed he was using the lower rated fuel . They had egg on their face after he produced detailed refueling dockets with premium fuel every time with matching mileage . Now fuel rating problem or VW engine problem , I would be pointing fingers at the fuel companies but good luck with that one . So additives for diesel would make sense but again look what happened a few years ago when the sulphur content thing happened there were many claims for huge repair bills because the changes cause serious damage to seals and like .