ATTENTION!!!!! ATTENTION!!!!!!! Please watch for the high % of ethanol in your gas. It will kill you engine and BMW will not do anything about it!
http://www.bp.com/genericsection.do?categoryId=6761&contentId=7023409 Why is Amoco Ultimate® premium fuel at BP rated #1 in quality ? For over 16 years, Amoco fuels have been rated #1 in quality by a national survey of drivers in America. In 2006, the survey was conducted by The NPD Group, Inc. How does Amoco Ultimate fuel help the environment? By preventing engine deposits or cleaning them up, Amoco Ultimate helps engines run cleaner. Cleaner engines create fewer tailpipe emissions due to ozone forming pollutants and help keep the air cleaner. What is cleaner about Amoco Ultimate fuel? For maximum cleaning power, look to our Amoco Ultimate product. Amoco Ultimate fuel is formulated with an enhanced cleaning formula which with continuous use over time, helps prevent performance robbing deposit build up on critical engine parts. How does Amoco Ultimate fuel improve performance? With continuous use, Amoco Ultimate fuel helps cars regain performance lost due to intake valve deposit build up, resulting in smoother acceleration and overall improved performance. Does Amoco Ultimate premium fuel meet the automakers' "Top Tier" standard? Amoco Ultimate premium fuels exceed Top Tier requirements with respect to its detergent additive treatment. BP believes that consumer interests are best served when the automotive and oil industries work cooperatively to determine the optimal mix of vehicle hardware and fuel standards. How does continuous use of Amoco Ultimate fuel improve mileage over time? In a new car, Amoco Ultimate fuel will help it maintain peak performance and fuel economy of a clean engine. It may also prevent the vehicle from losing fuel economy over time that is caused by a dirty engine. In an older car, as Amoco Ultimate cleans up critical engine parts such as intake valves, the motorist may experience mileage improvement. Who makes the detergent additives in Amoco Ultimate? A specialized chemical manufacturer makes the proprietary cleaning formula for BP. Why are you making the improvements to your products? BP and Amoco have a long tradition of continually improving their fuels and products in response to consumer demand and a host of other factors. Do all cars need premium? No, but many cars can benefit from a premium gasoline. Motorists should use the fuel that they believe is right for their vehicle. BP provides a choice of fuels for the variety of cars on the road today - and many motorists may choose a fuel that offers enhanced engine cleaning performance, maintaining and restoring drivability and reduced emissions of ozone-forming pollutants. What is the guarantee? BP guarantees all its gasoline products. In the unlikely event you experience fuel-system trouble from the use of Amoco Ultimate, Silver®, or Regular fuel, BP will quickly review your claim and, if it verifies that the problem is related to the use of an Amoco fuel, any Amoco gasoline-related repairs will be reimbursed to you. What about your other gasoline products All three grades of BP's Amoco® fuels give customers a choice for the variety of vehicles on the road today and exceed legal minimum detergency. For cars that can benefit from premium fuel, Amoco Ultimate fuel is our premium fuel grade that offers more power, and all our gasolines are guaranteed in writing too! Can I use Amoco Ultimate® fuel even if my car does not require premium? Yes, not all cars require the higher octane of premium gasoline but many cars can receive a benefit from a higher-octane fuel that offers enhanced engine cleaning. If you have a new car that you want to maintain at peak performance - or an older car that you wish to restore to its previous performance level - Amoco Ultimate fuel from BP may be the right choice.
[FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']Sorry Dude! Your analysis was a good read but that fuel station you mentioned is not recommended by BMW... After my own research of the topic please read below:[/FONT] TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline Retailers Gasoline retailers must meet the high TOP TIER standards with all grades of gasoline to be approved by the automakers as providing TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline. In addition, all gasoline outlets carrying the brand of the approved retailer must meet the TOP TIER standards. Additional gasoline retailers are added to the TOP TIER list as they meet the standards. The retailers known to be on the TOP TIER list are shown below. TOP TIER Gasoline Retailers: QuikTrip Chevron Texaco MFA Oil Co. Conoco Phillips 66 76 Entec Stations Shell The Somerset Refinery, Inc. Kwik Trip / Kwik Star Aloha Petroleum Tri-Par Oil Co. Turkey Hill Minit Markets Mileage Stations Chevron Canada Shell Canada Petro-Canada Sunoco Canada http://www.circlebmw.com/service/faq/beyondoctane.htm
so? it's not on the list. are they lying then? by the way, what made you post the warning? something terrible going on with your e90?
I always go by top tier list! That only leaves me on brand in my area but I'm okay with that since I shouldn't have to add fuel additives all the time! Your ethanol warning is correct watch the percentage. Also don't believe these guys saying you can run a lower octane either! Sorry just my two cents!
Another +1 If BMW is calling for premium in your bimmer/beemer for heavens sake spend the extra 20 or 30 cents. Your engine will be better for it, it will run better, have more power, better fuel mileage, etc. Now if you motor only requires 87 octane, then don't waste your money. Top Tier fuels have the same detergents in all grades of fuel.
For any car that is not a flex fuel vehicle stay away from anything over 10%. However even this can be too high for some components in the car, like rubber seals and hoses. That is why older cars start having issues, because the ethanol starts to speed up the breakdown of the already aged rubber.
FWIW, my 23-year-old eta runs just fine and it's been on gas using 10% ethanol since it made its way into gas. I don't know when it was, but there is no such thing as a no-ethanol gas station around here, at least not that I know of. I personally don't see what the big deal is... And I always fill up @ Shell, and even they have 10% ethanol content.
Well the big deal is that ethanol is a product of Big Ag lobbing for their inferior products. Ethanol has less energy per volume. When running gasoline with ethanol in your car you will get less power and less mpg. This country produces ethanol from corn which takes a lot of energy to produce. Corn by the way is a food product and should used for feeding people and animals not cars! But big Ag can make more money turning it into fuel compared to cattle feed. Other countries produce ethanol from waste products, like the left over fibers and stalks from sugar cane after the sugar has been extracted. A much more efficient way to produce ethanol because it is a waste product AND producing Ethanol from sugar cane is much less energy intensive.
I had some serious vibrations, stalls, and sputters once before. The BMW Dealership tested my fuel and I had 18% of ethanol in my tank. So I am thinking yeah, If I filled up from empty and the gas I used had 10% ethanol, then filled up again at half-tank and the gas I used had 10% ethanol, Then I figured yeah 18% is about right! So they say,"don't drive your gas down to the last drop." Well, it almost feels like, if you don't, you just keep adding more ethanol to your engine. Go Figure! Anyway that's the low-down!
If you read tech talk in Roundel, Mike Miller thinks many stations have higher ethanol content than the 10% listed on the pump. Another reason to avoid no/off brand gasoline retailers. I pretty much always go to Shell Gas stations. Sometimes I will go to other Top Tier Fuel sellers if I am on a trip. I have never had any issues when using Shell gasoline.
Sorry, but your 'figuring' is simply wrong. Two half tanks of 10% ethanol will still be 10% ethanol. Somebody put a lot higher dose of ethanol in there. Three half-tank fills of 10% after one half tank fill of E85 (85% EtOH) comes pretty close, though. If I had to speculate, I'd say somebody didn't read the pump very well.
I've been going to the 76 by my house after I saw 10% Ethanol sticker on the pump at Shell...joke. Both Bimmers are running great. I also add a bottle of Chevron Techron or Red Line SI1 Fuel System Cleaner every 2500 to 3000...really helps. What are these guys trying to do kill our engines? Top Tier and you still have to watch out
I have seen the same warning in regard to the fuel possibly contatining up to 10% ethanol @ my local Shell station. Needless to say I have not been there ever since. Like said above just because its a top teir station, you still may want to read the labels on the pump before filling up.
If Shell is starting to put ethanol in your gas, you can bet all the other stations will probably follow suit soon. It is probably a result of coming legislation. Here in Eastern PA ALL gas stations have ethanol in their gasoline. State Law. No way around it.
Shell FTW! I used to use Sunoco but recently we've been seeing a ton of cars with misfire issues and fuel that's over 20% ethonol! It always seems to come from Sunoco according to what client's are telling me. When I was with Volvo/Jag/Aston Martin we used to have problems with BP fuels.
Scr(*&d by the Green Gov't Anyone else notice that you lose 10% of the gas milage when you get 10% ethanol? It's like paying for 10% air. I've looked around and even consumer reports says you lose at least 10% milage and up to 30%. To me it's fraud. Of course, the gov't is mandating it and it drives up fuel and food costs so it's good all around right?
