Has anybody decided that paying extra for a branded fuel is saving money in spite of the extra cost?

I’m finding this a very interesting thread and to be honest I’m not sure which way to go on this?

Posts from @Mixersmate @Kevwkevw @Daffy in particular with their experience and knowledge of the fuel supply industry is much appreciated.

Since owning my T6 I’ve pretty much always filled up with Shell V Power and don’t mind paying the extra for a premium fuel with extra additives. However some of the previous posts on this thread have got me thinking that I’m wasting my time and money, as all diesel comes from the same refinery with just a very small and insignificant amount of additive?

Daffy said:
I have worked very closely with the fuel supply industry for over 20 years at a technical level and its true that the fuel in any area of the country probably comes from the same supply tank, what is different is the additive packs and this is what makes the difference, personally I wouldn’t use supermarket diesel and stick to Shell if I can.
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@Daffy does this mean that you use the regular Shell diesel or the V Power?
 
This is the way I see it -

Most vehicles on the road are run on supermarket fuel as its cheaper, therefore most vehicles with problems which could be attributed to fuel will have been run on supermarket fuel.

All fuel is produced to a defined standard and all vehicles will be designed to run on fuel which has been produced to that standard.

In my opinion most problems will be down to a mix of bad luck, driving conditions and driving style not where the fuel came from.
 
Gavinda said:
This is the way I see it -

Most vehicles on the road are run on supermarket fuel as its cheaper, therefore most vehicles with problems which could be attributed to fuel will have been run on supermarket fuel.

All fuel is produced to a defined standard and all vehicles will be designed to run on fuel which has been produced to that standard.

In my opinion most problems will be down to a mix of bad luck, driving conditions and driving style not where the fuel came from.
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I largely agree, (although I still use Millers even if it might be snake oil, it's not expensive) and would add that frequency of servicing using quality filters and premium oil is a big factor in my non expert opinion, if anybody wants to trust long life oils and 20K mile intervals you can but my van will never go more than 10K miles between oil and filter changes.
I'm totally unqualified in this field but I've had several cars which I've sold on with well over 200K on the clock in good working order having had no work except servicing.
 
DaveD said:
I largely agree, (although I still use Millers even if it might be snake oil, it's not expensive) and would add that frequency of servicing using quality filters and premium oil is a big factor in my non expert opinion, if anybody wants to trust long life oils and 20K mile intervals you can but my van will never go more than 10K miles between oil and filter changes.
I'm totally unqualified in this field but I've had several cars which I've sold on with well over 200K on the clock in good working order having had no work except servicing.
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Nothing wrong with long life synthetic oils as they’ve been in use in the marine power industry for decades. The main differences being 3 monthly detailed oil analysis, offline oil centrifuges, filters with differential pressure monitoring and huge quantities of oil ($$$) involved.
While our vans might seem precious to us they are glorified milk floats in comparison, like you say change the 7L oil, put the juice in and hope each stays the correct side of the piston rings.
 
DXX said:
The way I look at it is those brand additives cost peanuts to add to the fuel, if they made a difference supermarkets would add them and charge the same as Shell and BP.
Chanel or Lynx? It all does the same job.
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The “Impulse” body spray of the 80s is the Lynx of today! (Just a different sent and packaging!)
 
DXX said:
Nothing wrong with long life synthetic oils as they’ve been in use in the marine power industry for decades. The main differences being 3 monthly detailed oil analysis, offline oil centrifuges, filters with differential pressure monitoring and huge quantities of oil ($$$) involved.
While our vans might seem precious to us they are glorified milk floats in comparison, like you say change the 7L oil, put the juice in and hope each stays the correct side of the piston rings.
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Yes, a three monthly oil analysis is going to give you an early warning of anything amiss, hopefully, in an engine that probably costs a vast amount.
As I say I'm happy for others to change their oil at 20K intervals or whenever they choose, I prefer to do mine more often, it costs about the same as a tank of fuel and it's a tactic that has served me well over the years.
 
T6ARF said:
I’m finding this a very interesting thread and to be honest I’m not sure which way to go on this?

Posts from @Mixersmate @Kevwkevw @Daffy in particular with their experience and knowledge of the fuel supply industry is much appreciated.

Since owning my T6 I’ve pretty much always filled up with Shell V Power and don’t mind paying the extra for a premium fuel with extra additives. However some of the previous posts on this thread have got me thinking that I’m wasting my time and money, as all diesel comes from the same refinery with just a very small and insignificant amount of additive?




@Daffy does this mean that you use the regular Shell diesel or the V Power?
Click to expand...
Personally I use shell regular diesel with the occasional tank of V power, I don’t use the V power all the time simply because it’s expensive.

My take on this thread is that there are lots of different opinions all of which are relevant to their owners, that being said if you feel happy that you are doing the right thing then keep on doing it (I will).

This applies to all that have contributed here, as they say ‘you pay your money and take your chances’.
 
everyone might be using v-power in their lawnmowers next month if the mowers don't get on with the new 10% biofuel gasoline that will become mandatory!
 
Paynewright said:
I hadn’t thought if that!!
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Minor problem on a 4 stroke, just run the tank and carb dry before storing the mower. Good practice regardless of fuel type.
Not sure about 2 stroke pre-mix though.
 
Have used supermarket fuels since the early 80's, diesel only since 1990 in many vehicles. Have never had an issue with any vehicle engine. Other than putting too much oil in a VW minibus about 1992, engine ran and ran, burnt the cam shaft bearing out.
For information, my local Wilkinson Store is selling STP additives at half price i.e. £3 and £5 for EGR and Particle Cleaner.
So my thoughts run with driver style, I'm gentle on the pedal and have never touched the red line ever. Best consumption over a bet, 100 miles, I was in an Octavia TDI, and achieved 81.1 MPG, standard supermarket juice.
 
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