Which premium diesel fuels are the best for which types of driving?
I have been reading with interest your advice on diesels having just taken delivery of my new company car a Mercedes-Benz E350 CDI. Like all diesels, it gets really upset if all I do is drive 1.5 miles to the station and back. It’s far happier after 200 miles-plus at 130kph on the French Autoroute. You recommend BP and Shell premium diesel and, from my limited experience, the fuels needed are as follows.
Station runs only: Shell or BP Premium; Shell is okay, just. Autoroute (as the injectors and valves get up to full temperature): Shell non-premium is all that is necessary. French supermarket fuel/ Esso ordinary etc can be used, but only on pure Autoroute driving, otherwise there's more risk of upset injectors and carbon fouling of valves. I am just back from a long weekend in France having driven 600 miles on mainly Autoroute and my car is running sweetly on Shell ordinary fuel.
Station runs only: Shell or BP Premium; Shell is okay, just. Autoroute (as the injectors and valves get up to full temperature): Shell non-premium is all that is necessary. French supermarket fuel/ Esso ordinary etc can be used, but only on pure Autoroute driving, otherwise there's more risk of upset injectors and carbon fouling of valves. I am just back from a long weekend in France having driven 600 miles on mainly Autoroute and my car is running sweetly on Shell ordinary fuel.
Asked on 2 February 2013 by PP, via email
Answered by
Honest John
Actually, I'm guilty of running my F30 E320dED on Shell Fuelsave, too. I gave it a couple of tankfuls of V-Power when the stuff was on offer. But it seems to be happy on Fuelsave. Most of its running is distance, often 300 miles non-stop. But recently I had two early morning runs to the airport and two late night runs back at well below zero temperatures. It actually regenerated on the last of those runs at 40mph and 1,000rpm. Unmistakable smell of burning. Average 64mpg over 6,000 miles.
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