# Shelf Life

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/shelf-life/41>\
**Category:** The Show\
**Created:** [May 15, 2007, 11:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/shelf-life/41 "2007-05-15T11:21:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![cartalklackey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@cartalklackey](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cartalklackey)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 11:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/shelf-life/41/1 "2007-05-15T11:21:33Z")

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Is it not true that gasoline in any form will NOT deteriorate in storage as long as it’s stored in a completely air-tight container? I thought the only reason that gasoline will ‘get old’ is if it’s allowed to let it’s more volatile components evaporate out of it. No?  
  
  
  
 -John  
  
  
  
  
  
 This post has been moved to the new Car Talk Discussion Area, by a Car Talk Lackey. The original poster is JohnJackson.

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**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 9:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/shelf-life/41/2 "2007-05-15T21:04:23Z")

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Gasoline begins to degrade in 6 months time and can get really nasty after about a year. Todays gasoline has been “cat-cracked”, it’s not a straight-run distillate anymore so it’s unstable. Also, it has been “reformulated”, blended with alcohol and co-solvents that are just waiting to phase-separate, sealed container or not…

Sealed container, completely dry, cool location, “Stabil” added, maybe you could store it for 2 years max…

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**Author:** ![pleasedodgevan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/51bf81/32.png) [@pleasedodgevan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pleasedodgevan)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 3:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/shelf-life/41/3 "2007-05-16T03:47:58Z")

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And put Sta-Bil in it before two weeks go by if you know you are going to store it for a while.

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**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:** [May 17, 2007, 1:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/shelf-life/41/4 "2007-05-17T13:33:38Z")

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Not really. There are chemical reactions that take place even in a totally sealed tank.