As I`ve described on other threads I`ve had a few, minor, gltches with my FL 105 Fabia. Its been running as rough as chuff and lumpy, especially when cold and the fuel consumption has not been good, to say the least. Been discussing it with a Ford Trained Mechanic of my aquaintance and decided to take his advice. I have to confess i`ve been running it on `anything` fuel, often from supermarkets, although I previously ran my Renault diesel only on Shell, to good effect. So I filled it with Shell V Power and took it for a long run, A roads etc then some just about town stuff and the difference was remarkable..

The `rough as chuff` syndrome has vanished. Sure the turbo lag is still there but not as pronounced as it was and the fuel consumption has improved dramatically The power is delivered a lot smoother than before and the car is a delight to drive now.

Sure many people, with good reason I`m sure, will disagree that just a change of fuel has made such a difference, but it really has worked for me. Interesting that my friend said that these new technology engines, such as the TSI, will run on the cheapest fuels, that true, but its the manner in how they run. New engines like this need to be coupled to the newer and more advance fuels in order to get the very best out of them..Sure the manufacturers wont admit this in case it affects sales.

Has anyone else experienced the same or similar?????.....do tell

Edited 4 September, 201015 yr by paully

Well I don't know about the lower tuned TSi engines, but mine insists I fuel it on 98RON or above. It is written on the inside of the fuel cap.

Have tended to avoid supermarket and budget branded fuel for some time now, only filling up at Tesco on the odd occasion if I get one of those 5p off vouchers. My regular fuel stop is a Total station close to work and I'm fairly convinced that their fuel is superior in quality based on my wifes current Corsa 1.3 CDTI which appears to particularly dislike Tesco diesel (with similar results to your TSI).

Regards,

TP

I find vpower gives a rough idle and poor mpg myself

Hi Paully, yes...you are quite right about the fuel thing. It's not in your head...the improvement thing. Supermarket petrol is inferior using only secondary cleaners in it, and fewer 'sniffers' which may cause some cars to run rougher and carbon up more quickly. It's fairly common knowledge in the trade, has been reported on by the motoring press many times, and has been an issue for quite a few years now. But it is begining to become even more important with cars like the TSI's and many many more.

The thing to remember is this...when you change fuel, perhaps to experiment with mpg or engine smoothness, performance etc, make sure you don't make any judgements about the fuel until you have allowed your car to consume at least two tankfuls of the new fuel. YES, TWO TANKFULS! The reason for this is that modern cars have a 'LEARNING ECU'. It detects differences in fuel being used especially the octane rating. It does this using the closed loop system to analyse the exhaust gases and the information from the knock sensors. However, it will not change the engine settings to allow the car to optimally run on the new fuel until two tanks of the stuff have been consumed. Then bingo, it'll either run like a turbine or be as crappy as hell!

If you vehicle has been running on supermarket fuel for a while, putting in Shell, which is much superior to anything else pretty much, will often make you engine run badly for the duration of the first tank. This happens because the extra powerful cleaners (1st & 2nd grade cleaners) start to remove the carbon and gum build up inside the fuel system and engine. This just makes the car run rougher. But the second tank will start to make it run not just ok, but better than ever. Many people think the roughness is being actually caused by the new higher quality fuel and don't buy it again, going back to the poorer quality supermarket petrol. Shame, if only they persisted, the reward would be well worth it.

Doesn't surprise me at all. Especially with a forced induction petrol engine. FWIW, I found Tesco 99RON ran well with the Octy vRS TFSi when I had it.

Steve

Do you think at the refineries they have special tanks ets for supermarket fuel and say shell fuel. Imagine the cost and manpower involved to start seperating and altering additives to what would be same fuel. Dont get me wrong I'm no refinery expert it just seems unfeesable. I'm not including the likes of v power (the higher ron stuff) just the basic petrol or diesel.

Do you think at the refineries they have special tanks ets for supermarket fuel and say shell fuel. Imagine the cost and manpower involved to start seperating and altering additives to what would be same fuel. Dont get me wrong I'm no refinery expert it just seems unfeesable. I'm not including the likes of v power (the higher ron stuff) just the basic petrol or diesel.

Hi thirty3, yeah...sounds a bit funny eh. What happens is this, firstly all petrol is the same when it flows from the refinery tanks into the delivery tankers. When the drivers have loaded there new fuel for delivery the worksheet will tell them who it's for and what chemicals to add. It's these chemicals that make the difference. Supermarket fuel, because it's cheap, gets one type of chemical containing minimal cleaning and sniffer agents. Whilst Total, Esso and the other brand leaders get other chemicals, each of course to their own spec. It used to be that the drivers themselves added the chemicals by dropping self dissolving sealed bags of the stuff into each tank onboard the tankers after taking on the load. I'm not sure if that's still completely the case but the principle is not doubt still the same for most of the companies. I used to visit the Canvy island terminals regularly on business and would see the drivers doing just this. Had it all explained to me.

Edited 6 September, 201015 yr by Estate Man

If this is correct then i'm surprised that Total, Esso, Shell etc. don't make the facts available otherwise it can seem like hearsay.

If this is correct then i'm surprised that Total, Esso, Shell etc. don't make the facts available otherwise it can seem like hearsay.

It's a bit like Kellogs cornflakes - they're very keen to advertise that they don't make cereals for anyone else.

I have heard the same thing as regard to all fuel being the same. its just the additive pack thats different.

There is a minimum standard for fuel quality. Mind you there is barely meeting the standard and then there is providing a decent quality product.

I happen to have an ESSO garage on my regular route so always use that. Never had a problem. The only time I had a running problem was with my old 1.2 petrol HTP Fabia. Filled it from a 'Jet' garage and it ran like a pig until it was all gone and I refilled from an alternative garage.

The fact remains that you changed the fuel you used and the problem went away, be it placebo or otherwise.

I dont use supermarket fuel because I am a snob and hate queuing

Doesn't surprise me at all. Especially with a forced induction petrol engine. FWIW, I found Tesco 99RON ran well with the Octy vRS TFSi when I had it.

Steve

Tesco 99 is my fuel of choice currently use it on my 105 tsi fabia and it runs like silk.

Worst petrol I ever used was a tank of esso which took weeks to correct when I was running my old 1.6 16v.

Tesco 99 is my fuel of choice currently use it on my 105 tsi fabia and it runs like silk.

Worst petrol I ever used was a tank of esso which took weeks to correct when I was running my old 1.6 16v.

I run my fabia tsi on morrisons 95ron. Seems to be ok but i might have to try a few tanks of Total now to see if theres a difference.

Many thanks guys for your comments....feel a bit releived that so many agree with me. I`ve seen these sorts of debates on other forums where to say they all fall out is an understatement :p ...much more knowledgeable people on here

Re the Tesco 99 Ron have seen some very impresssive test reports into this fuel and might give this a try for me next tank and see how that goes....after all every little helps

Anyway just nice to have got rid of the tractor effect

Edited 5 September, 201015 yr by paully

Only thing with the tesco 99 is that it uses more bio addatives to achieve the rating where as v-power just uses different chemicals. May not cause any difference to the engine but i just wouldnt like to risk using the tesco stuff. Planning to run my tsi on either v-power or 3 tanks of shell 95 then one of 99. Have run the htp on v power for about 10,000 miles and just switched to the new shell fuel save fuel which actually seems better probably percieved but i know that the 1.2 isnt very sophisticated still if it keeps the engine clean.

If this is correct then i'm surprised that Total, Esso, Shell etc. don't make the facts available otherwise it can seem like hearsay.

Actually, they do! Esso and Shell particularly make big play of how good their fuel is, advertising it on tv from time to time. And it is...continually winning all the awards for best fuel etc in all the mags. They spend millions each year researching and refining the chemicals that make their fuels so good. This includes extensive testing in all the latest cars. Supermarket fuel usually comes out bottom. Tesco 99ron may be a bit different, I haven't seen it tested yet. The main problem with all the supermarket fuel is it's inability to keep the engine internals clean and free from the brown sticky goo that sticks to the end of your injectors and builds up on the valve heads and piston crowns. Fuel lines also become contaminated with this brown gunge. This all significantly reduces performance over time. This effect has been well documented and is causing great concern to manufacturers as they cannot engineer it out of the equation. They have to rely on customers using good fuel to maintain the engine parameters.

Edited 6 September, 201015 yr by Estate Man

Just my two penneth gent's, but I have been running my company estate on a well known supermarket brand of fuel for about 7 months. SWMBO insisted that seeing as my boss was paying for the fuel, we should have a bash at collecting clubcard points for the family christmas fund. Up until about 6 weeks ago said company estate had been running rougher and rougher (I currently do around a thousand miles a week). It coughed and splutered and generally ran as rough as heck. However, my clubcard points have been amassing quickly.

Company estate got that bad that it kept giving me water in the fuel warnings and made me wonder if I could complete an overtake safely without kangarooing like a probationer. Quick trip to the firms favoured mechanic, a filter, a slap on the wrist for using supermarket fuel and a promise made that I would never fill up on said fuel again and company estate is as good as new. I've been running shell and the occasional v power (boss frowns, he's paying) it's like I've got a different motor. Honest!

Perhaps it's because I'm covering so many miles daily that I can tell a huge difference!

Hasten to add missus is well peeved (but I have offered her the vouchers with shell drivers club) IMO a fair exchange is no robbery!

see ya!

I normally use Tesco diesel because its convenient and to get club card points! And my Octavia normally does between 55 and 57mpg on a gallon of DERV. However I must admit if I put in a named brand of diesel in, such as Shell or Esso, the car does seem to run smoother and quieter with a better fuel comsumption. But that only seems to happen when I am away from home with no Tescos around!

On the other hand, my partner, she has a Ford Fusion 1.4 Duratec and that runs like **** on Tesco petrol to the point that it once broke down! The Man in the Yellow Van said it was down to fuel contamination........

Regards

Grahame

Edited 7 September, 201015 yr by threadbear

I normally use Tesco diesel because its convenient and to get club card points!

Regards

Grahame

threadbear...be careful with supermarket diesel as it is inferior regarding not just the engine cleaners, but the amount of lubricity it offers your fuel pump. PD engines are not as affected by the lubricity thing, but obviously...the cleaner issue thingy affects all engines. It's so bad that some manufacturers are starting to put warnings in the owners handbooks about supermarket diesel and the poor lubricating properties it has. Common Rail diesels are the most affected and those pumps can run into thousands of pounds each! In fairness to supermarkets, I understand that they are looking at ways to improve their diesel but it will cost more.

I am finding exactly the same as the OP just now, as the last two fills have had to be at Tesco instead of Shell. The car is a bit p*ssed-off about it.

Next fill-up WILL be at Shell to get things back to normal.

We use Sainsburys unleaded with no issues in the Octy, and I use it where possible in the works Mondeo. Otherwise it's BP (for the points )

The only fuel BOTH cars hate, is Shell!

We use Sainsburys unleaded with no issues in the Octy, and I use it where possible in the works Mondeo. Otherwise it's BP (for the points )

The only fuel BOTH cars hate, is Shell!

petrol........ so overated!

Having read the comments, when my Fabia arrives I will get into the habit of using a good quality fuel.......I dont want to bugger up a brand new common rail diesel engine with crap fuel and Im not likely to get the 68MPG average either after the thing is run in.....

Regards

Grahame

Right i need a full tank of petrol tonight or tomorrow, these are my options so opinions please:

Total 95

Total Super

Morrisons 95

Tesco 95

Tesco 99

BP 95

BP Super

Jet 95

Thats my choice without driving miles in the wrong direction.

I'd go for Tesco-99 from that. I also found Total Super to be OK as well.