| MrGrin |
I have a weird question. I usually fill gas at BP Amoco. The MO has performed fine. Yesterday, I filled my '06 MO with gas from Shell Oil. I felt that the engine is running a little rough. It is relatively smooth but not as smooth as when I use Amoco gas. I used the same grade - regular - at both gas stations.
Am I just "seeing" things or is there a rational explanation.:confused: |
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| Eric L. |
Most fuels are identical, save for the small amount of proprietary detergents the sponsoring companies put in. Its possible your car runs better with one type of detergent than another, but I find it unlikely. If you like BP, keep using BP.
Shell has a pretty good reputation, but I remember many years ago Toyota dealers in Northern California were telling their customers in a letter to not use Shell (in Norcal Shell doesn't have a refinery so they get their gas from the same supplier for Arco, known as "el-cheapo" gas in the Bay Area). Not saying Shell is bad, but I expect people to reply here "but I use Shell and don't have any problems." |
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| Kris |
| I use BP, Shell, Chevron, QT, Texaco, Racetrack and others. never really notice any difference. And I am quite sensitive to any change in my car "feel"... |
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| hfelknor |
Shell is a member of the Top Tier gasoline group.
BP is not.
The Top Tier group is recommended by BMW, Honda, Toyota and GM.
They put in a specified amount of injector cleaner.
Among others, BP does not.
Read about it here.
www.toptiergas.com/index.html
It is possible that the cleaner is doing it's thing and is cleaning your injectors.
Run the whole tank through and see how it does.
I only use Top Tier.
Homer |
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| UncaDanno |
I used to use BP religiously. Until it, like may others, began smelling like old turpentine. I looked around until I found a brand that did not have the rancid paint "bouquet".
Shell and Sunoco.
That nasty turpentine gas has done a dam-dam on everything I have, like the tiller, a one of the garden tractors, and the Mule, that can sit for a couple of months. You talk about some hard-core varnish! Gumout carb cleaner just softens it, for a minute or two. Then it hardens back.
I ended up soaking the Mule's carb in Marvel Mystery Oil for a few inutes. That brought the varnish right out. I still need to replace the fuel filter (it MELTED) and possibly the fuel tank because the fuel pickup "filter" is nearly completely blocked.
I also started treating all gasoline with MMO. The garden tractors, truck, MO, and the Boss Lady's PT Cruiser all run better now.
I just LOOVE those high-dollar (and FOUL) solvents they are putting in gasoline this year. |
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| njjoe |
Old turpentine smell? I have to admit I have not experienced that in quite a long time. All gas will go "bad" if not used in a normal amount of time. What's normal you ask? Some people say a month, some say a season. I find it hard to believe that gasoline obtained from your local station is not "fresh". Unless it is sitting in your tank for months it should not pose any problems to your MO.
-njjoe |
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| mgthe3 |
| I hear ya Homer, I have used top tier since you mentioned it. |
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| Eric L. |
| If I had a choice I'd use Top Tier all the time as well. Unfortunately where I live the main vendors are Exxon-Mobil, BP, and Marathon (dozens of them). Maybe one or two conoco-phillips around, but I have to believe they get their gas from Marathon, like all the vendors here (special in my case, it depends on the refiner in your area). |
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| UncaDanno |
Believe me, Joe. Most of the gas around here, right out of the pump, smells like it has been sitting in a can in the shed for a couple of years.
I kid not. |
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| hfelknor |
Eric I don't know about Marathon.
Of course, I also don't know too much about your location since you, like many, didn't fill out your profile.
But I believe you are somewhere in California?
Here are the Refineries in CA
(A little tough to read but the forum doesn't retain formatting.)This will give you some idea of who your refiner is.
Homer
Information as of March 2006
Refinery Name Barrels
Per Day CARB Diesel CARB Gasoline
BP West Coast Products LLC, Carson Refinery 260,000 Yes Yes
Chevron U.S.A. Inc., El Segundo Refinery 260,000 Yes Yes
Chevron U.S.A. Inc., Richmond Refinery 242,901 Yes Yes
Tesoro Refining & Marketing Company, Golden Eagle (Avon/Rodeo) Refinery 166,000 Yes Yes
Shell Oil Products US, Martinez Refinery 154,900 Yes Yes
ExxonMobil Refining & Supply Company, Torrance Refinery 149,000 Yes Yes
Valero Benicia Refinery 144,000 Yes Yes
ConocoPhillips, Wilmington Refinery 133,100 Yes Yes
Shell Oil Products US, Wilmington Refinery 98,500 Yes Yes
Valero (Ultramar) Wilmington Refinery 80,887 Yes Yes
ConocoPhillips, Rodeo San Francisco Refinery 73,200 Yes Yes
Big West of California LLC, Bakersfield Refinery 66,000 Yes Yes
Paramount Petroleum Corporation, Paramount Refinery 50,000 Yes Yes
ConocoPhillips, Santa Maria Refinery 41,800 No No
Edgington Oil Company, Long Beach Refinery 26,000 No No
Kern Oil & Refining Company, Bakersfield Refinery 25,000 Yes Yes
San Joaquin Refining Company Inc., Bakersfield Refinery 24,300 Yes No
Greka Energy, Santa Maria Refinery 9,500 No No
Lunday Thagard, South Gate Refinery 8,500 No No
Valero Wilmington Asphalt Refinery 5,900 No No
Tenby Inc., Oxnard Refinery 2,800 No No
Note: Data on this table represents total crude oil capacity not gasoline, distillate production, diesel fuel production or production of other products. Production potential varies depending on time of year and status of the refinery. A rule of thumb is that roughly 55 percent of total capacity is gasoline production (about 1.1 - 1.2 million barrels of gasoline - 46 to 50 million gallons - is produced per day).
Source: California Energy Commission Fuels Office Staff. |
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| Kris |
Homer,
Eric used to live in the Bay Area.......I believe he said sometime ago that he moved to Illinois... |
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| hfelknor |
Well, that wouldn't surprise me either.
I don't understand the reluctance to give a general, if not specific, location.
Like this from Uncledanno;
"Most of the gas around here..."
Well, I don't doubt him unless his loc is my loc. And I have no way of knowing where "around here" is. ;)
Homer |
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| Kris |
Ye,
I used to not pay attention to gas stations. After reading about top tear gasoline suppliers I started using only Chevron (really nice gas station on my way from work with nice view of Lake.. ;) ) and QT. I would be hard press to see any difference. But maybe in this area gas in general is good...I do not know. Then again I did travel a bit....and didn't see any difference..........maybe I was just lucky... |
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| Eric L. |
quote:
Originally posted by Kris
Homer,
Eric used to live in the Bay Area.......I believe he said sometime ago that he moved to Illinois...
Correct. Never bothered to put it in my profile, but I think I did mention that I'm originally from the SF Bay Area, and moved to Illinois a few years ago.
If anyone wanted to know, they could have always asked me. :)
Very interesting list, thanks for posting it. The distribution of refineries explains why there are so very few Exxon-Mobils in Northern California. In the Bay Area I would use Chevron exclusively anyways (if only because their additive, Techron, is so heavily advertised and endorsed by actual mechanics). |
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| njjoe |
quote:
Originally posted by hfelknor
I don't understand the reluctance to give a general, if not specific, location.
Homer
Good point! I can not understand this need for secrecy. Do they think that if they list their state we will all be showing up at their door? And while we are at it, at least list the year and model of your MO in the signature.
I love when someone is shopping for new tires and asks what are the best tires for a MO, and you have no idea if they are living in Florida or Alaska. Or their battery is failing and you can't tell if they are driving a 2003 or 2006.
-njjoe |
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| mgthe3 |
They have cheap beer too!
:D
Unca danno is from Charlotte, one of my past state residences.
I rebuilt many a Q-jet there, I am unsure if it was the gas that did it.
I am unsure why some folks don't put where they are from; different strokes. Of course, I know that Kris is living north of me on the lake because I know Lanier, skied it many many times.
I did miss that Eric lived anywhere, and have always wondered.
It does make since to at least give a state of residence in your profile as it has many variable inputs to gauge things like tires, road conditions (down south, most of the freeways are as smooth as glass....well, except alabama) and temps encountered for things like batteries and fuel peculiarities.
Cough it up folks!
:D |
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| hfelknor |
Kris, you won't see any difference between Top Tier and NON Top Tier...........for several thousands of miles.
The difference is in the amount of Techron (Or whatever others are using) in the gas.
Over a long period of time, the Fuel System in the Murano should run cleaner, and the MPG should be higher, on the Top Tier gas.
Eric, I missed your move to Illinois.
So if you are going to tell people you are in the Bay Area, then moved to Illinois......what's so hard about putting it in your profile? :confused:
Anyway, now I understand the mention of Marathon......
Here are the Refineries in Illinois:
Lemont Refinery (Citgo), Lemont, Illinois 160,000 bpd
Joliet Refinery (ExxonMobil), Joliet, Illinois 238,000 bpd
Robinson Refinery (Marathon Petroleum Company), Robinson, Illinois 192,000 bpd
Wood River Refinery (ConocoPhillips/EnCana), Roxana, Illinois 306,000 bpd
Yes joe, it is a bit of an irritant to me when I can't seem to define the year and model number of the posters Murano. Or there Loc when they talk about Tires and AWD......
But we are ranting in the wind.
Too many people do not play by the rules.......
Homer |
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| Eric L. |
Homer for your edification I updated my profile. But please, don't go accusing people of not playing by the rules - all you had to do was ask. We're all here to help each other out, after all.
Getting back on topic - for those who live in areas where Top Tier might not be available, you can buy a bottle of Chevron Techron Concentrate (note "concentrate", not the progard) and pour it in your tank every few thousand miles to clean things up. And if you subscribe to the advertising, you can pick up BG-44K off ebay. |
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| Kris |
Homer,
maybe I did not notice any difference as mostly I refill at QT and Chevron. Also a few months ago I purchased Techron concentrate and used it with full tank of fuel on both the Murano and FX. Again, did not see any difference. But maybe because I almost always use top tier gasolines so the buildup is not expected... |
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| UncaDanno |
Duly chided....
I have updated my profile. Specifically, -80.47902lon, 35.24105lat (look it up in TerraServer or GlobeXplorer).
What I have noticed in Charlotte (it isn't as bad out here) is what folks call jobbers delivering gas to a lot of the stations. Here is the scenario: jobber goes to station 1, makes a delivery, then goes to station 2 (another brand) and makes a delivery, then goes to station 3 (yet another brand) and makes a delivery.
Seems the name of the game in the QC is "pay the least and charge the most".
As far as prices, in the University area (NE Charlotte), reg is 2.26. On the south side, about the same. Where I live, it's 2.14. About 20 miles farther east (Kellie Pickler's home town), it's 2.09.
Overall quality seems to be better here than in Charlotte, and even better out in Albemarle (where the prices are lowest). |
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| mgthe3 |
Ahhhhh Albemarle, God's country. Cross a hill, there's a lake. Cross the next hill, there is a river--and on and on. Have a long lost bud from there. He was married to a Kelly look alike. Daw-gonest accents there I have ever heard. Their child was named Jeremy. When Eddie's wife called him she would say "Gerrrrmy". lol
I have often wondered about the jobbers, the no name tankers makes you go hmmmmm. |
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| bob1 |
Only use high test and it happens to be Phillips 66. I see that made Homers Top Tier list. I once tried mid grade, maybe more than once and both the wife and I noticed something was not right. She heard some pings and what-not. OK, the octane thing is a different thread, I'll back off on that. I did notice a gas station when once driving to Savannah, I had to laugh, it was named El-Cheapo and there were several stations with that name. It did not inspire confidence so I passed it by for a name brand.
:runaway: |
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| GripperDon |
quote:
Originally posted by MrGrin
I have a weird question. I usually fill gas at BP Amoco. The MO has performed fine. Yesterday, I filled my '06 MO with gas from Shell Oil. I felt that the engine is running a little rough. It is relatively smooth but not as smooth as when I use Amoco gas. I used the same grade - regular - at both gas stations.
Am I just "seeing" things or is there a rational explanation.:confused:
More than one of the guys on the VW Phaeton forum say their W12's run poorly on Shell it's the only brand that we have negative comments. Except I would not buy Citgo for free. |
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