MOT Passed

[macabethiel]

Supermarket Fuel vs Branded ?

People always get confused with the supermarket fuel myth. Truth is it all comes from the same place the only difference is the additives that are put in the fuel by the "wagon drivers i may add" when they collect it from the refinery. It all has to conform to the same british standard as it has to be able to be mixed with each other, In all fairness there is probably not much in it.

Not sure what you are implying here are you saying that the additives are added in the Petrol Tanker Delivery Vehicle prior to delivery or in storage tanks held at at each brand distribution depot ?

I agree with you that Petrol & Diesel must start from a base fuel common to all fuel brands at the refinery stage and meet various standards. I have no personal knowledge at what point a fuel becomes a distinct brand blended with it's personalised level of purity & additives but it seems too simplistic to say they are all pretty much the same.

If we follow that reasoning then there is no difference between the different brands of fully synthetic oils and as we know it is the additives that sorts the Wheat from the Chaff.

If you have personal knowledge of how the Brands become distinct between Refinery and Pump I would find that information very interesting indeed.

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

Except in an emergency I have not used supermarket fuel for the last 20 years or so. I put Super Unleaded in the BMW and the Shell V power or Ultimated Diesel in the Jeep. I also use Esso & Texaco as it is a well engineered fuel. Trouble with Supermarket fuel is it can be such a mixed bag depending on what's selling cheap on the wholesale market.

I have worked on the basis that the cleaner the fuel the less crud ends up in the engine and in the Cat.
I will be interested to see what tankers pull up at the CostCo Filling Station in Derby when it opens in a couple of months time. The Yanks are so conscious of being taken to court I suspect it will be a decent brand at a good price.

I have not managed to see a tanker at our Costco yet... Nice cheap fuel though.

Only problem is, they only let you fill up either a 5l plastic, or 10L metal fuel container, where as all our local garages will let you fill a 20L metal can. For us, it's only economically viable, to fill up if we are going that way for other things, as not only is it a 30mile round journey, but 2 Dartford crossing tolls as well. what we tend to do, as I run my car on a mix of Veg and diesel, we take Suz's car, fill it up, and bring back a top up for mine in a fuel can. When we did it at our local cheap garage (not Costco cheap) 20L of diesel goes nicely with 20l of veg, plus whatevers left in the tank, so I only have to take mine to a fuel station every 4 or 5 weeks.

 

[luke1987]

I have a friend who is a tanker driver for Shell who told me that when he collects the base fuel from the refinery before they leave to deliver they have a dissolvable bag that they drop into each compartment in the tanker that will change the base fuel to whichever blend is required. Our local refinery in the north west is stanlow which is owned by essar (it used to be shell) if you ever go past you will see all brands of petrol stations filling up their tankers there. Its the same with the oil you buy as well each manufacturer doesnt have their own refinery in fact eurocarparts own oil is actually shell just in a different bottle and cheaper. It goes much deeper these days in the motor industry for example if I go to Vauxhall for a timing chain kit for a 1.2 corsa they will charge me £156, But if I order a FEBI kit from my local motor factors for £46 it is excactly the same kit with the OE number ground off. As FEBI make the kits for General Motors. You really only have a few major companies these days that actually make the product which is then rebranded and sold by someone else.

 

[terranosaurusdoug]

I have a friend who is a tanker driver for Shell who told me that when he collects the base fuel from the refinery before they leave to deliver they have a dissolvable bag that they drop into each compartment in the tanker that will change the base fuel to whichever blend is required. Our local refinery in the north west is stanlow which is owned by essar (it used to be shell) if you ever go past you will see all brands of petrol stations filling up their tankers there. Its the same with the oil you buy as well each manufacturer doesnt have their own refinery in fact eurocarparts own oil is actually shell just in a different bottle and cheaper. It goes much deeper these days in the motor industry for example if I go to Vauxhall for a timing chain kit for a 1.2 corsa they will charge me £156, But if I order a FEBI kit from my local motor factors for £46 it is excactly the same kit with the OE number ground off. As FEBI make the kits for General Motors. You really only have a few major companies these days that actually make the product which is then rebranded and sold by someone else.

That is a great post Luke :thumb2

 

[macabethiel]

I have a friend who is a tanker driver for Shell who told me that when he collects the base fuel from the refinery before they leave to deliver they have a dissolvable bag that they drop into each compartment in the tanker that will change the base fuel to whichever blend is required. Our local refinery in the north west is stanlow which is owned by essar (it used to be shell) if you ever go past you will see all brands of petrol stations filling up their tankers there. Its the same with the oil you buy as well each manufacturer doesnt have their own refinery in fact eurocarparts own oil is actually shell just in a different bottle and cheaper. It goes much deeper these days in the motor industry for example if I go to Vauxhall for a timing chain kit for a 1.2 corsa they will charge me £156, But if I order a FEBI kit from my local motor factors for £46 it is excactly the same kit with the OE number ground off. As FEBI make the kits for General Motors. You really only have a few major companies these days that actually make the product which is then rebranded and sold by someone else.

Wow that's dynamite information.
Out of interest if a Mercedes Engine has a major fail under warranty they will not credit the dealer until a compulsory oil sample has been taken and analysed in Germany. That said they are probably just looking for water content in cases of hydraulic damage rather than if it's geuine MB oil that has been used.

 

[don simon]

Not doubting Luke in anyway. How far from Stanlow are you? (I'm in Chester). But there can still be different grades of petrol/oil coming out of the same factory/refinery, depending on what recipe (or whatever it's called) is used.
Although different, but also the same, when I was making cheese we would manufacture for M&S down to Asda and including the sweepings that would go to Kraft for their Singles. All from the same creamery, made by the same people.
I know that own brand motor factor kit came from OE manufacturers, but they weren't necessarily the same quality (ex-Brown Brothers employee here).