[Skinflint]

My diesel XE will (allegedly - fingers and legs crossed) be delivered to the dealer on Friday, so my thoughts are turning to the practicalities.
My current car had issues with its EGR and on someone's suggestion, I started using premium fuel (V-power etc). After that, the only time the problem returned was when I put in a tank of supermarket cheapo because I had no choice. The issue was resolved on the next tankful of V-power. This may have all been coincidence, but the premium fuels seem to give better MPG, so don't really cost any more.
In starting out with a new engine, it would be good to treat it well. Initially, I had thought I'd just keep on with the premium stuff but I wonder if there's a down side to this, if an engine is designed to take 'normal' diesel.
Just wondering whether anyone here has an informed view on this.

 

[tobes]

V power petrol killed my cat convertor early in a 3 series. I was told avoid unless it's an M engine.

Since converting to diesel 8 years ago I've never had an issue with cheapo or standard premium fuels.

 

[DMT66]

I tended not to use supermarket diesel on my XFS as like you, I found better MPG with the premium fuel, not a huge difference but enough for me to stick with it where possible.
I know when Shell had the lego offer on with V Power I used to fill up there and I did notice a slight difference but not enough to warrant the extra cost of V Power.
I think that some of the supermarket diesel has a higher % of bio ethanol?? Or such like...the XFS was only suitable for diesel with 'x' amount of additives so I tended to avoid it.

 

[pcramman]

Guys its all a myth. between forecourt owners and the petrol they sell.

If you follow the tanker back to source they all fill up from the same main holding tanks. the only difference is the additive that some say they put in. this is questionable as well.

i have worked on many production facility's and forecourts. a Tesco, Asda tanker fills up from the same storage tank and wait in line to do so behind shell or BP tankers.

what can and does happen is the storage tanks in the forecourt or at source start to corrode and leak, with potential for contaminants getting into them and then into your car. This can and does happen at all the forecourts, Shell.BP,ESSO, Asda. Tesco's ect.

if you can prove that your car was damaged by particulates, and its has come from forecourt or storage you can claim and many have done. i have seen 100k's spent recovering fuel that has been shipped that has had particulates in. once found, all fuel from that tank or storage is removed from any forecourt that its sent to. if you google there has been a few.

i would be worried about the age of the garage not who runs it.

yes the difference between normal and V/POWER or premium at other sites has a difference.

 

[gsb1970]

What do you recommend then?

 

[Spud211]

pcramman is bang on - and the same is true for both Petrol and Diesel.

In the right (lab) conditions, the "premium" fuels can indeed provide slightly better MPG (in the 1-2% region), which works out as *maybe* 10-20 miles..again in lab conditions. In reality, you won't see any noticeable difference in performance or MPG, all factors being equal.

We are all very good at tricking ourselves into believing things that we want (or are told!) to believe - so we often think that it makes a difference compared to a previous tank, but conveniently forget that the driving conditions/routes/traffic etc were all very different

Best thing to do in my experience is to fill up at busy/popular petrol stations - where the tanks of often going to be cleaned out/changed. In 20 years of driving though I have *never* had a problem with dodgy fuel..and as has been mentioned, if you ever do - you can claim for the damage.

 

[gsb1970]

I never thought about old storage tanks.
Great advice tho...from now on ill be able to blag my Mrs head ...just that little bit more

 

[ianbruce]

Many years ago, at work, I had a clear view of one of ICI's (remember them ??) tanker filling terminals, where tankers from almost every known fuel supplier filled up at the same place, day in, day out. Having said that, there is in some quarters a conviction that the more expensive fuels, both petrol and diesel are kinder to the engine, have reduced fuel consumption, and are generally "good". The only times I fill up with these superfuels is when I'm in a hurry and all the cheapo pumps are occupied or, more likely, pull up the wrong pump by accident. I can't say I've noticed any subsequent difference, but that's hardly a scientific proof, and I have no way of peering into the innards of the engine. There is, of course, the feeling of superiority that one gets from watching the poor plebs filling up with common muck, and it's easy to imagine them rushing home and telling their family that they've just seen someone rich enough to buy the best quality fuel. Then reality returns... )

 

[XEFTW]

23kon my brand new XF S n supermarket fuel and runs like a dream

 

[Snapper5]

I did 180,000 miles in my old Nissan XTrail, almost exclusively using the cheapest supermarket diesel I could find and never had a problem. (One New Year's resolution about five years ago was to *never* fill up at a motorway filling station again and that's what started the supermarket fuel searching). When I picked my XE 180 up from the dealer I was warned to *only* use branded premium diesel in the new Ingenium engine as it wasn't built too take the higher (10%) biofuel content of the standard diesel. I was told the higher percentage of biofuel produces more gunk which blocks things up. It even says as much in the XE manual. So, at the moment I'm being good! In 2500 miles I've averaged 53.3mpg on the stuff.

 

[Axel]

My Volvo dealer once told me that the important thing was to refill at pumps where a lot of people were going, so there's less chance of any sediment in the station's tank (as that could damage parts of the engine). He concluded : "better have cheap fuel from a station where there are lots of vehicules filling up than expensive, high quality fuel from stations where nobody goes".

 

[Skinflint]

I did 180,000 miles in my old Nissan XTrail, almost exclusively using the cheapest supermarket diesel I could find and never had a problem. (One New Year's resolution about five years ago was to *never* fill up at a motorway filling station again and that's what started the supermarket fuel searching). When I picked my XE 180 up from the dealer I was warned to *only* use branded premium diesel in the new Ingenium engine as it wasn't built too take the higher (10%) biofuel content of the standard diesel. I was told the higher percentage of biofuel produces more gunk which blocks things up. It even says as much in the XE manual. So, at the moment I'm being good! In 2500 miles I've averaged 53.3mpg on the stuff.

Thanks you - that would seem to be the answer. To be honest, it's the opposite of what I might have expected as I thought a modern engine would have been built around modern 'normal' fuel and my concern was that using the premium could have bad effects.
I must say I'm rarely inclined to take much notice of what a dealer tells me, as these guys don't really know how to say 'I don't know', so can give almost random responses. But if it says so in the manual, that would seem definitive.

 

[DMT66]

As I thought, Jaguars are still sensitive to too large a % of Biofuel

 

[boothy0910]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but is the consensus that BP/Shell diesel is 'better' than Tesco, etc? I've got a R-Sport 180, and my first refuel is fast approaching.

 

[gmh]

It's gonna depend on who you speak to. The manual says premium diesel. I've spoken with a neighbour who says he fills 1 tank in 3 with premium fuel ( he has a Mercedes). So I'm going with the 1 tank of branded premium in 3 but I only use branded fuel anyway never supermarket. I'll let you know if the 21st century engine copes with this.