your mechanic is either lying or doesn’t know better. He’s wrong.
Hey Alex - where’s your proven scientific data that all the fuels are the same? The independent shops buy gas from wherever they can get it at the lowest prices. Yes they meet the federal standards for additives, but what’s the standard for sulfur content? The standard for heat content? I buy gas at the cheapest places I can find and I have gotten the occasional tank that stinks of sulfur and the occasional tank that just gave lower MPG. And that was before the era of ethanol
thats in another country so ignore it.
Costco is not just any grocery store. All products they sell, private brands or national, are top quality. In England there may have been some incidences of bad gas, but even Natiomal Oil Companies have that problem from time to time. Stephen, your statement that national brands have additives is just as MISLEADING as Shell’s latest advertising bliz comaparing their gas to “inferior brands” and showing a dirty engine after extended HIGHWAY driving. To repeat, ALL gas sold in the US has to have a minimum amount of additives to meet emission requirements, and this level is enough to keep the engine clean!!!
The gas we recommend against is from small low volume stations (Joe’s Bait & Tackle) that could have tank contamination and have off-season gas because of the low turnover.
have a look at www.used car expert petrol.
Here’s what a Mazda TSB says about sulfur smell:
"On some vehicles, a sulfur smell or ‘rotten egg’ odor may be noticed coming from the exhaust system. The odor is usually noticed after a cold start, fast idle, extended periods of idling and full throttle acceleration. Sulfur smell is not an indication of an engine concern and will not cause reduced driveability or durability of the engine or any of its emission components. The sulfur smell or ‘rotten egg’ odor is caused by high amounts of sulfur in the gasoline being used in the vehicle. Sulfur is normally eliminated during the refining process, but the EPA regulation of sulfur in gasoline differs from state to state. Vehicles using fuel containing high amounts of sulfur will most likely emit sulfur smell from
the exhaust system. When high sulfur fuel is burned, there is a chemical reaction in the catalytic converter causing the sulfur to oxidize. As the vehicle is driven, the oxidizing reaction odor in the converter will decrease with mileage and age.
CAUTION: Replacing the catalytic converter will not eliminate sulfur smell and replacement will just extend the period of time needed for the converter to ‘age’ allowing it to reduce sulfur smell to an acceptable level.
- Switch to a different brand of fuel and drive the vehicle for at least 100 miles. Monitor the decrease or increase in sulfur smell.
- Do not add any type of ‘fuel additive’ as this could add sulfur to the fuel and cause/increase the odor.
- Try to avoid extended periods of short trip driving or aggressive acceleration.
- Request information from your local fuel dealers on the amounts of sulfur in their gasoline. Try to use fuel containing the lowest amounts of sulfur."
Nothing said here indicates a serious problem to me, and is in line with other info I have read about this years ago. Can’t say that sulfur is synonymous with a “cheaper” refining process.
Has any REAL MECHANIC who posts on this board EVER torn down an engine and found it damaged by the gasoline it burned??? I’m not talking about CONTAMINATED gasoline, an act of vandalism, but just normal operation. This would INCLUDE damage caused by using gasoline with too low an octane rating. Lets keep this to vehicles less than 20 years old.