Other than the “service” difference at the gas stations, is there really a significant difference between Arco’s gas and the other major gasoline vendors - Exxon, Mobil, Chevron, Shell et al, especially given that Arco is now owned by BP?
I ask because I want to know if Arco’s gas is Ok to use in a Mercedes?
Any brand of gas should be fine, provided that you use the octane specified by the car’s manufacturer.
That being said, a few manufacturers do specify that “Top Tier” gas should be used in their vehicles in order to reduce the incidence of dirty valves and clogged fuel injectors. The brands of gas that qualify for Top Tier designation are those that use levels of detergent that are higher than the level required by the US Govt.
The car manufacturers who recommend the use of Top Tier gas are:
GM
BMW
Toyota
Honda
VW
Audi
The brands of gas that are in the Top Tier group include Shell and Chevron. For a complete list of gas brands, go to www.toptiergas.com.
why not use the best fuel possible?surely your mercedes deserves it!the cost diffrence is very little.i always use shell or b.p.
You can safely use any brand of fuel that meets the car manufacturer’s recommendation. Look in the owner’s manual. Don’t expect the dealer to get it right.
In most areas there is only one or two supplies of fuel. They supply all the stations no matter what name is on the sign. They may be slight differences in the additives and in the car the station takes of the fuel, but the differences are very small.
Note: there are some cars that call for “Top Tier” fuel. Do follow that advice. Fuel marked as such had additives that may not be found in other fuels that are needed for those cars. “Top Tier” fuel is not likely to provide any advantage to the majority of cars. Personally I would avoid any car that requires such special products that may prove difficult to find or be more expensive.
I guess that would be something else to ask the dealer the next time I’m car shopping. I remember getting burned on my first car – it was an '81 Subaru. Econobox: takes regular, right? Nope. The first fillup was a shock – it needed premium! And now I have to remember to ask about “Top Tier” gas? Arrgh!
I purchase all my gas from Kwik Trip. Why? Because they sell Top Tier gasoline. The Marathon gas station across the street doesn’t sell Top Tier gasoline. The price is the same. So for the same price I know I’m using a fuel that has the extra additives over the minimum requirements set by the EPA to prevent problems related to carbon deposits forming on valves and pistons.
Tester
That’s the same reason why I use Shell gas exclusively. In my part of the country, the only Top Tier brand is Shell. Luckily, there is a Shell station fairly close to my house that is the absolute cheapest of all the name brand gas stations in the county, so like Tester, I am getting a fuel with extra detergent additives for a bargain price–if any gas nowadays could be considered a bargain (Ha!).
I used to search for less expensive gas and found the cheaper brands about.10c less tan Exxon. But I would only get 24 MPG compared to 27 for Exxon,in a 10 gallon tank were only talking about a $1 saved, so now I use the good stuff only. The Venezuelan owned Citco, is down to $3.39 here in NJ compared to $3.49 Exxon
I always believed that Brilliant Bronze gasoline was superior to all the others. When our local stations were closing 30 years ago, I bought 5 gallons. I put 1 cc in each fillup so that at least my vehicles get a taste of good gasoline. My supply of Brilliant Bronze is now getting low, so I may have to go to .5 ml per fillup.
For the rest of the gasoline in the tank, I buy where ever I get the best price. My vehicles run just as well on one brand as another. Of course, the 1 cc of Brilliant Bronze may be making the difference.
There are two reasons why the ARCO gas is significantly cheaper. First off, it’s been 10% ethanol for years, which most other stations weren’t, although now it’s much more common. But the big reason why ARCO is cheaper is because they don’t take credit cards, so they don’t spread the cost of the credit card transaction to all of their customers like the rest of the stations do. Since this is a percentage-based fee, I’ve noticed that even though ARCO was only a couple cents cheaper when I was growing up in Seattle and gas was about a buck a gallon, the last time I went back there it was almost a 50-cent difference from the place across the street. Sounds like it’s a bargain these days! Also notice that when you fill up with your debit card there they charge you a service fee which is around .50 cents or so IIRC.
If you’re somewhere that you can get the gas without the 10% ethanol, you’d be better off with it but if all the gas in your neighborhood has it, ARCO is as good as the rest.
But the big reason why ARCO is cheaper is because they don’t take credit cards, so they don’t spread the cost of the credit card transaction to all of their customers like the rest of the stations do.
They use to. This something new?? Acro moved out of Upstate NY about 10 years ago. AM/PM Mini Marts used Arco gas exclusively. Maybe in was just the AM/PM mini marts that accepted the credit cards. But when Arco was there they accepted credit cards.
I haven’t seen Arco in years. I remember when it was Atlantic Richfield.
I think, and it’s been a while, that if there was an AM/PM you could use a card if you went in and bought something else, but they wouldn’t let you use a credit card to just buy gas. They also usually have this machine that lets you pay at the pump with cash.