# Premium Gas or not **URL:** \ **Category:** Power/Fuel\ **Tags:** gasoline\ **Created:** [June 30, 2008, 4:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-or-not/16059 "2008-06-30T16:59:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mercmaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@mercmaid](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mercmaid)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 4:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-or-not/16059/1 "2008-06-30T16:59:25Z")
I have a '97 Mercedes E320 and have been told that I should only use premium, high quality (meaning very expensive) gas because of the additive that will protect against a future valve job. Are there any cheap gas brands that have that additive? Also, what if I use a lower grade Chevron (always, or every other time I fill up)? Does that also have the additive protection? ---
**Author:** ![Kendahl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Kendahl](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Kendahl)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 5:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-or-not/16059/2 "2008-06-30T17:10:31Z")
Any reasonable brand of gas contains all of the additives your car needs. This is true whether it is regular or premium. There is no need to buy premium unless your car needs the higher octane. Your owner’s manual should tell you which grade to buy. You could also ask a Mercedes dealer’s service department. ---
**Author:** ![SteveF](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/stevef/32/2_2.png) [@SteveF](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SteveF)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-or-not/16059/3 "2008-06-30T17:48:05Z")
Maybe you misheard. It is not the additive you need, it is the octane. All brands of premium will provide proper fueling for your engine. Avoid lower grades of octane, Chevron or anyone else’s. When your car requires premium grade, get it and don’t cheap out. ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 7:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-or-not/16059/4 "2008-06-30T19:28:54Z")
Let’s make sure we understand. If you have been told to use premium\* and you have any question about that, you need to check the owner’s manual to determine if your car has an engine requiring high octane fuel If it does not say you need high octane fuel, then there is nothing to be gained by using Premium\*. - Premium is a very poor name for this stuff. It is nothing more than a marketing trick to get people to think it might be better quality when in fact the only thing premium about it is the cost. Premium does not indicate quality, only the octane rating. Using premium when a car does not need it will not help you at all. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 7:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-or-not/16059/5 "2008-06-30T19:34:00Z")
Your owner’s manual will tell you what your fuel requirements are. Follow that with confidence. ---
**Author:** ![FoDaddy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/fodaddy/32/717_2.png) [@FoDaddy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/FoDaddy)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 8:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-or-not/16059/6 "2008-06-30T20:58:18Z")
You bought a high end car. Expect to use high end gas.