Supermarket fuel and dpf issues

[mark]

Shell don't even own a refinery in the UK - they buy their fuel just like the supermarkets ..!

This thing about supermarket fuel being somehow inferior is just a urban myth - all fuels comply with the same standards.

It all gets pumped out from the same tanks, its just the colour of the delivery tanker thats different !!!

Theirs only 6 refinery's in the UK-

Essar Stanlow Refinery
ExxonMobil Refinery Fawley
PetroIneos Grangemouth Refinery
Phillips 66 Humber Refinery
Total Lindsey Oil Refinery
Valero Pembroke Refinery

No matter where you filled up , the fuel came from one of the above ( although we do import some mainly from Russia) and the process is continuous - you can't make a batch for asda one day and a different one for tesco the next. Even the premium diesel is still 95% standard fuel with additives added after.

Anyone living in the south is more than likely filling up with fuel from Fawley, no matter where you filled up- 11 million gallons of petrol, diesel produced every day.

 

[Blu-Tack]

Well, i find it hard to believe a post on Facebook to be of questionable legitimacy!

(no offence meant Dieseldonkey)

 

[Dieseldonkey]

None taken. Thats why I stated "apparently" from PP. Was more interested in the regen process and how it works to be honest. If this explanation is indeed accurate.

For what its worth, I've run a 1.9 Tdi Toledo, 1.9 TDi PD Altea, 1.6 CR TDi Altea and a 1.5 dci Qashqai (Euro6) over the last 15 years or so. All on diesel mostly from Asda/Tesco. Never had an engine management or emission issue with any of them.

However, appreciate the 2.0 litre TDi in the T6 has more emission technology going on down below than my previous camels.

 

[Loz]

Shell don't even own a refinery in the UK - they buy their fuel just like the supermarkets ..!

This thing about supermarket fuel being somehow inferior is just a urban myth - all fuels comply with the same standards.
.

...and a couple more...
Totally agree an urban myth spread my marketing people.

Most refineries are rented for short periods by the different suppliers, although their blends are very slightly, they all conform to British standards, what tends to differ is the amount of cetane in the fuel, expensive "Power" fuels contain more and you can also add your own to supermarket fuel in the for of Millers etc.
Remember the silicone scandal a few years back, well that was caused by Harvest fuels leaving silicone in the tanks and when the next company came along to blend their fuel it caused the contamination and all the problems that followed.

The issues raised with the sophisticated euro6+ engines are mainly caused by low running temperatures and short journeys.
Even with your power fuel you will create more soot so in theory if you use expensive fuel with more cetane you will get more soot..

 

[Dieseldonkey]

Maybe I'm thinking too deep into it, but wonder whats best for a short journey? Driving with a heavier right foot to get the engine temp up more quickly and burn off any soot. Or driving gently, in the hope of producing as little soot as possible over the course of the journey.

 

[Ed Webb]

Or take a longer route?

 

[Chrisfraser05]

Or have a little 1 lt petrol for the show short journeys

 

[Roadrunner]

My journey to work is around 10 miles so by the time I get there the van has just warmed up, I rarely use it for work and tend to take it one a 20 mile or more trip once a week to make sure the battery is charged (had the last one go down a couple of time when it was not used for a few weeks over the winter). Most of my trips ten to be a 150 mile run down to Wales

 

[Stigofthedub]

Its awful to think we spend so much money on our pride and joy only to have to consider how we drive it, short runs, long runs, hard, gentle, just in case we bugger up the dpf or injectors. Not to mention where we get our fuel from in case it's not right for the complexities of modern engines.
Fortunately for me I use my t6 for towing a caravan usually long journeys. Me and the missus both have mk4 golf gttdi's. Hers with 145 k and mine with 78k, no issues, short journeys long journeys whatever. And if you covered up the dash you couldn't tell which has the higher mileage. To much technology for very little gain I think.

 

[Nickdaw]

This thing about supermarket fuel being somehow inferior is just a urban myth - all fuels comply with the same standards.

It all gets pumped out from the same tanks, its just the colour of the delivery tanker thats different !!!

Yes they all have to be a standard, but there is an upper and lower limit to the standard. We have no reason to dis-believe our tanker drivers what goes on (had the same ones for the last 15 Years and good friends)
We have an independent fuel station, and it is down to the additives each brand put in it. (or not in the cheaper brands) this is where the extra costs come in, we have the additive in.
We have quite a few taxis who use us, as they say, there motor runs better and further on a tank full of our fuel.
this is our observation.

 

[Dieseldonkey]

Or have a little 1 lt petrol for the show short journeys

Yeah Chris. Having spent these last two weeks abroad on holiday, with me and the wife running about on 150cc Honda PCX scooters, I'm seriously thinking of getting one for back in the UK for the shorter runs and rare warmer weather commutes, I sometimes have to do. Just twist and go. Takes off from the lights like a wippet on whizz, 100 mpg, narrow enough to filter through traffic congestion and light enough to fit on a motorcycle rack on the back of a T6 for camping trips away.

 

[Dieseldonkey]

On a similar note and for those with an interest in future city emission charges for diesels, this from the Beeb...

Old banger v diesel: Which is the most toxic? - Old banger v diesel: Which is the most toxic?

 

[Pauly]

An interesting read (although a little drawn out)
Seems to be some problems with the Equa Index website i was eager to look up a few stats for some models 'real world' figures but large parts of it are unavailable ?

 

[Loz]

If you need to reduce the emissions in Cities by say 10% you just ban all non electric vehicles for 1 day in every 10, folk will soon get used to it...

 

[RattyMcClelland]

Fuels come from the same place but then get refined further with additives depending on company.
It's these additives that make the difference.

 

[andys]

This comes up every year or so on every auto forum I’ve been on for decades. I use whatever is nearest or cheapest and never had any problems and I know I never will. Life’s too short to care about this, but I am grateful to all those who refuse to ever use anything except Shell “V Power” as the extra tax you pay lightens the load on the rest of us

 

[Scruffy]

A couple of years ago my brother -in-law worked for a fuel haulage company who supplied both supermarkets and "proper" filling stations. The fuel came out of the same big tanks, but......at some point in the process additives are put into the branded fuel but not the supermarket fuel. He also told me never to fill up when when the tanker is making a delivery as is stirs up the tanks and picks up the sludge.

Now to be honest I didn't pay much attention and continued to use whatever was convenient, that was until we serviced my wifes car earlier this year. It was all fine but the mechanic said they found metal particles in the fuel filter which had been changed. When I asked what this meant, he said not to worry too much, but the fuel pump was probably failing and that they would change the filter every time now to keep an eye on it. Reason being.....supermarket fuel, and its lack of additives. He said fill up every now and then with the good stuff and or use an additive, which I now do in all vehicles.

 

[Pauly]

100% agree on the not filling up when a tanker is delivering, i have seen inside the underground tanks at a filling station (that was being decommissioned) and you would be amazed to see how much crap is floating around in there when they are opened, especially the older ones.

 

[Mooncat]

Now to be honest I didn't pay much attention and continued to use whatever was convenient, that was until we serviced my wifes car earlier this year. It was all fine but the mechanic said they found metal particles in the fuel filter which had been changed. When I asked what this meant, he said not to worry too much, but the fuel pump was probably failing and that they would change the filter every time now to keep an eye on it. Reason being.....supermarket fuel, and its lack of additives. He said fill up every now and then with the good stuff and or use an additive, which I now do in all vehicles.

Is your mechanic the bionic man? Have you any idea how small the wear particles are from a fuel pump? If there is visible debris it's probably entered the tank during filling. Also with Catalysts, DPFs and SCR, I'd recommend against modifying the fuel. It is blended differently now (just like our oil) to be compatible with our after-treatment systems. A lot of Mechanics/Fitters are not current with what actually happens inside modern exhaust systems.

 

[Scruffy]

Is your mechanic the bionic man? Have you any idea how small the wear particles are from a fuel pump? If there is visible debris it's probably entered the tank during filling. Also with Catalysts, DPFs and SCR, I'd recommend against modifying the fuel. It is blended differently now (just like our oil) to be compatible with our after-treatment systems. A lot of Mechanics/Fitters are not current with what actually happens inside modern exhaust systems.

I saw the pieces myself, and yes they were small. He's a mechanic I've used and trusted for years, and he wasn't trying to pull a fast one. If he was, he'd have shown me the fuel filter and said "look at theses bits,the fuel pump is buggered", but he didn't. He recommended keeping an eye on it.