Bad fuel??

[DM4Doc]

So this a new one I have yet to encounter:

I took a recent 300-mile road trip in my 1 year-old F82 ZCP, filled up with fuel about 1/2 way through using my typical Shell 93 octane "V-Power" ethanol-free fuel (as BMW recommends). I filled up twice on the road "in the middle of nowhere" using these Shell stations.

After the road trip was done, I get a check engine light. I went to the dealer, they say I filled up with bad gas. They actually were able to run a report on how good the gas I used to fill up was for the past 6 or so fill-ups, and it turns out that the last 2 fill ups were shitty gas rated 0 out of 3 (3 is the best, 0 is non-grade-able). Fuel was so shitty it caused misfiring of piston #6.

BMW said this is not covered under warranty, so they used a fuel treatment in the tank and made me pay $170 for the diagnostic fee/fuel stablizer/treatment/oil change service they did. Whatever, paid it no problem.

My problem is this: what happens if/when you get a MAJOR engine failure due to shitty gas, from a station that BMW recommends? I get that some gas stations may mess around with their fuel mixtures, but a known entity like Shell, who BMW expressly recommends ON THE GAS TANK? I have receipts to prove that EVERY fill up was with Shell V-Power 93 octane fuel.

Thankfully disaster has been averted, but I think this is a MAJOR issue that needs to be addressed, especially if BMW expressly recommends "Shell V-Power".

[G-Ram]

Sadly, buying from a Shell station, doesn't mean you are getting fuel from a Shell refinery. For instance, where I grew up, a Husky (Canadian company) refinery basically supplied all the stations in our town. that includes Chevron, Shell, Esso, of course their own Husky..

If memory serves, the only stations in town that got their own brand of refined fuel, was Petro Can (my roommate was thew head refiner, so lest anyone think that's impossible.. he blended it, and shipped it out)

So short story long, DM4, your Shell fuel could have come from almost anywhere. Failing that, it could have been shipped in a tanker that's barely used, and condensation etc accumulates...

Moral of story is, plan your fuel stops so you get fuel at the busiest station you can find. Ensures steady turnover of fuel in the underground tanks, best shot at eliminating contaminants.

[Whatcoloristhat]

I got a CEL from V-power shell 93 gas less than a mile after filling up. it was codes relating to exhaust

[hoppes-no9]

Even though it's a Shell station, you're at the mercy of the guy ordering the fuel and the guy pumping from the truck into the underground tank to get it right. I'm not at all surprised you got screwed. I suspect it happens all the time.

Even though BMW recommends Shell, I think your complaint would be best directed at Shell rather than BMW

[DM4Doc]

Lesson learned! Even the “good” Shell station in my town is at most a grade 2 of 3 in terms of quality. Definitely going to do due diligence going forward. Apparently there’s a Sunoco close by that offers 93 octane E0.

What fuel do you all use?

[agentrnge]

I have had no issues with Costco 93 in north NJ for ~15 years for 95% of my fill ups. Its been like 20 years since I really recall issues of people getting "bad gas". One issue I recall was people getting a tank of "winterized" gas in the sumer causing issues. This is like a teenage memory going by what my dad told me. Recall a summer ( not super hot, like overheating cars hot ) and dozens of cars stopped on the side of the highway in a 2-3 mile stretch. Sorry to ramble lol.

[numbers201788]

Originally Posted by DM4Doc

Lesson learned! Even the “good” Shell station in my town is at most a grade 2 of 3 in terms of quality. Definitely going to do due diligence going forward. Apparently there’s a Sunoco close by that offers 93 octane E0.

What fuel do you all use?

How does one do due diligence on a gas station?

[DM4Doc]

https://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=TX

Found this website, I’ll try to use this as a base and call the stations to see?