After reading the papers and seeing interviews on the TV about the fire at the Buncefield fuel depot, it was said that tankers from Tesco, BP and Total were all lined up for filling along side each other to fill up from the same fuel line.
This suggests to me that the petrol quality from supermarkets is the same as those from major suppliers, as they seem to get the fuel from exactly the same source.
Is the idea of petrol from supermarkets being of a lower quality, really a valid point?
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The petrol itself is the same as it all comes from the same refinery and is to a British Standard, but different brands put different volumes and quality of additives which are only mixed with the fuel as it is pumped out at the petrol station, so for example a tanker may deliver to a supermarket and a Shell station on the same run, but each drop will use different quality of additives.
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The sole source of information on supermarket petrol quality I have seen is an article in Evo (issue 44) where 3 vehicles (Honda, BMW, Jaguar) were examined internally before and after running on a diet of Optimax. The Honda had been fuelled largely with supermarket 95 octane and showed quite heavy deposits on the valves, initially. After using Optimax for 1500 miles these deposits were largely removed. Ergo: the recipe for some petrols is better than others, and even though EN/BS may be met by supermarket fuel, that does not mean that it is state of the art.
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Is the idea of petrol from supermarkets being of a lower quality, really a valid point?
Been discussed many times, but the following post answers your question.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=67...5
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Where I used to work (at a smiliar depot also next to two others)
Fuel was blended with additive automatically as it was loaded into the 8 compartments on the tanker. Very small storage tanks were on the site for different fuel company's additives. Some fuels just had twice as much of the same additive.
Tankers were compartmented into 8 compartments, these were filled automatically with the correct quantities of products, premium unleaded, superunleaded and diesel and delievred to the filling station. A filling station would take a whole tanker full or part thereof, they don't drop a bit of here and there, that's why small stations with small tanks all use expensive independant middle men nowadays, as the big fuel companies aren't geared for small deliveries.
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This is one of the most talked-about topics on car bulletin boards of all types, but the response shown above is the nearest I have seen anyone explain the situation yet, ie even if you see, for example, a Shell liveried tanker delivering to Tesco's, it doesn't mean that the fuel delivered will have the same additive-pack as that delivered to a Shell garage.
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So whose fuel do tanker drivers prefer for their own cars?
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So whose fuel do tanker drivers prefer for their own cars?
Diesel - from the refinery/depot tank;)
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There was a recent comparive test of different fuels run by Fifth Gear and the results can be found here:
fifthgear.five.tv/jsp/5gmain.jsp?lnk=601&featureid...3
They tested power output and the outcome was that you will get more power from a high performance car by using premium fuels. But no difference from standard cars. The test was only short term so they were unable to test for engine longevity.
The test concurs entirely which HJ in that the performance car they used was a Subaru Impreza WRX STI and it produced another 15 BHP.
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Slightly different take to this discussion.
Since being made redundant from the supermarket I worked in, I have filled the car up in various petrol stations where previously I always used our own.
Forgetting the quality of the fuel issue, every non-supermarket station I have went to has been a disgrace (in my opinion) with regards to cleanliness, spillages etc compared to the supermarket ones.
Have I just been unlucky or has anyone else noticed this? I know that my previous company rules was there there must always be 2 people on site at any time, so quite often the second person would be dealing with hygiene issues, topping up the paper towels, emptying bins etc. Maybe the nationals don't have this rule or they don't have managers checking up on their staff like we did?
Just my observation!
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I know that my previous company rules was there there must always be 2 people on site at any time...
Interesting. My local Asda has an unstaffed petrol station. It's pay-at-the-pump only with an intercom in case of emergencies.
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The main difference, with Optimax, or Shell unleaded & Shell diesel, compared with Asda fuels, is simple...
Asda have some for sale & the Shell sites don't (for many hours in the day) in Luton, anyway!!
VB
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The main difference, with Optimax, or Shell unleaded & Shell diesel, compared with Asda fuels, is simple... Asda have some for sale & the Shell sites don't (for many hours in the day) in Luton, anyway!! VB
Funny that - theres a shell near me in Bristol which is often shut due to running out of fuel, however its very cheap and is often a little cheaper that the supermarket around the corner
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