Bad gas, station bias?

[Bg8780]

I've heard multiple times that our cars are very sensitive to crappy gas. Are there any gas stations you guys tend to stick to or have noticed differences station from station?

[Areddi]

You're gonna get chirping no matter what you do, but reputable stations do tend to have higher quality gas(sometimes lower ethanol content). I typically go to BP cause it is convenient, but I would steer toward them, Exxon, or Shell to get good gas.

Places like BJ's use mixed together whatever from wherever, so I'll put that in my Fiance's Focus, but not in my engine. Just like oil, using a high quality synthetic for the entire life of the car is going to pay off over Wal-Mart sludge oil. Using better gas will mean less crap in the gas tank, better running injectors, and all around better longevity.

If I were on a road trip and all there was was some off-brand stuff would it be a big deal? Not really, but I try to stick to higher quality fuel when I can.

[Hardrock4445]

I tend to notice the "crickets" more with Gas from Hess.

[whaap]

When home I buy gas at Costco. When I'm on the road I buy gas at what ever station is next when I become concerned. I've got over 9,000 miles. I've had no chirping, crickets or performance problems of any kind.

[eikond]

I've done Costco gas the last two tanks and I think the chirping has gotten worse and I feel like power is down a bit.

I'm going to switch over to name brand for the next couple tanks and see if I notice a change.


A friend of mine has a direct injection Chevy Traverse and said that they specifically warn him in the owner's manual and at the service department to use name brand gas because they have better detergents. I guess the Costco and other "lower quality" gas doesn't use as much in that area. Apparently DI engines are more likely to have buildups of carbon and other residue, so using high quality gas is more important.

Just something to think about.

[HunterGreene]

As a general rule of thumb, I usually avoid family owned/non name-brand stations, including Cosco or Sam's Club. Price is usually nearly the same, but there was a study done years ago that showed that a lot of the time, in order to save a few bucks, the family-owned stations will actually pump regular gas out of the premium pumps.

There was one Shell station that they found had done it, but apparently it was a one-time mistake--without even telling the owners, the investigation crew went back a few days later and it was premium again.

Sorry, I can't find the link right now.

Originally Posted by eikond

A friend of mine has a direct injection Chevy Traverse and said that they specifically warn him in the owner's manual and at the service department to use name brand gas because they have better detergents. I guess the Costco and other "lower quality" gas doesn't use as much in that area. Apparently DI engines are more likely to have buildups of carbon and other residue, so using high quality gas is more important.

Just something to think about.

Detergents are a bit of a "snake oil." There may be some benefit, but not enough to justify filling up with "detergent-added" gasoline every time. There's a chain attached to Giant Eagle out here that I have had satisfactory results with. Add to that that I can get "Fuelperks" ($0.10 off/gal for every $50 I spend in store) and I will go off of the major oil companies every so often.

[StormTrooper]

I've used Costco shell Sinclair and Chevron... Never noticed anything. Don't have chirps either.

There are stories about certain places like maverick and other budget stations.

[Wes B.]

I usually stick to Kwik Trips or Mobils. No problems thus far.

[so26]

If you have a ecutek tune you can determine whether the gas in your tank is "bad" by looking at the ignition advance multiplier (IAM). If the gas is bad knocking will occur and the ecu will retard the timing i.e. reduce the IAM. The maximum value is 1 for the twins. I try to only fill up at a BP by my house or an Exxon by work. The is another BP by my house that I used to go to however I received some bad gas from them once so I stopped going there.

[Ingen]

I have had the very best luck with Sunoco, followed closely by Marathon. The sunoco stuff is awesome though.

[frslee]

I have different opinion about these gas stations.

I usually put gas from Shell or Sunoco, but I use Sunoco more often. The reason is because I see some nameless gas truck filling the Shell gas station while I see official Sunoco gas truck at Sunoco. I'm sure there is government and some gasoline association that regulate the quality of gas, but I bet some owners try to go with cheaper vendors that meet the minimum requirement.

So... if I see official company truck, then I'm relieved.

Please correct me if I'm wrong about these nameless trucks.

[Freetime]

Originally Posted by frslee

I have different opinion about these gas stations.

I usually put gas from Shell or Sunoco, but I use Sunoco more often. The reason is because I see some nameless gas truck filling the Shell gas station while I see official Sunoco gas truck at Sunoco. I'm sure there is government and some gasoline association that regulate the quality of gas, but I bet some owners try to go with cheaper vendors that meet the minimum requirement.

So... if I see official company truck, then I'm relieved.

Please correct me if I'm wrong about these nameless trucks.

You would be wrong. My dad hauled fuel for years. All those trucks pick up their fuel at the same locations. They are just mixed differently when it is put into the truck.

The name on the truck just shows who owns the truck that made the delivery. Nothing more, nothing less.

[frslee]

Alrighty, thanks for the clarification.

[King Tut]

Buying gas based on chirps. I love this forum.