Have filled up (new to me) 2014 countryman mini S at costco 2 times already, today is the first time I drove it a tad crazy (full throttle &#128515 and got "engine malfunction/ reduced power" message, I was blasting the music so couldn't hear anything in the engine nor really felt anything, just reduced my speed and pulled into a neighborhood so I could shut down then re-start my car. Message went away after a few seconds of driving after this re-start, got home (was just a short ride) and shut the car off for the night anxiously waiting to re-start it in the AM to see if message comes back.
My question is, has anybody had any problems with costco 93 octane? I hear they add some kind of detergents to their fuel?

TIA!!

 

------taking it to bmw tomorrow to get codes pulled and address whatever issues there may be, carmax is paying for everything under their 90 day full coverage warranty -------

 

First stop using Costco fuel. Only use major brand gas station fuel.. Shell, BP, Mobile. When you use mom and pop off brand fuel you never know the source and most do not have additives such as PEA that helps your engine run more efficiently and cleaner.

You need to have your vehicle scanned. Scanners are fairly cheap or you can go to most parts brick and mortar and they will scan it for you. See what codes are being thrown. Go from there.

 

I only use shell gas, painfully at 4.09. Gallon. I’d be curious what your problem is as I was just thinking of moving to another vendor, but may not if this is gas related. I had read on the forum that winter fuel is different and to only use high test and to not let the car use the bottom of the fuel tank due to issues with the fuel pump. It’s always something, eh?

 

Seriously, cheap gas is just that, cheap gas. Do some research on “top tier gasoline”

My Clubman loves it when I give her Sunoco, but we have a Mobil near home, so that’s what she gets most often.

 

Not all 93 octane fuel is the same. It is cheaper because they lack many fuel additives that promote engine efficiency. One additive Polyetheramine, or PEA, for example, is a top-shelf cleaning additive for your fuel injectors. Major brand fuel that contains the most PEA are Chevron, Shell, and BP. if you decide to use lower quality fuel I recommend that you use Techron or Redline complete fuel system cleaner they contain high levels of PEA. These additives are not cheep. There are many other important additives in top brand fuel that aid in keeping your engine running at top performance and efficiency. You can pay a bit more for major brand fuel now or spend a lot more later for repairs.

 

Thank you guys for your input, I did a bit of research before getting the costco 93 octane gas and found out that it is part of the TOP TIER GAS providers here:
https://www.toptiergas.com/licensed-brands/

So it shows to be up there with the name brand ones.... I am at bmw now checking the issue, I'll update

 

Costco sells a shitton of gas. Their goal is value not simply price. Few people drive a MINI in the spirited fashion intended by her designer, thus that may be the first time anyone ever put the spurs to her. Small wonder it set codes.
it ain't the gas.

 

No way of knowing really. All the requirements (EPA minimum and Top Tier) are really only for efficacy and don't require any particular detergent chemistry. The primary use of PEA is as a curing agent for epoxies. So just because it is considered "Top Tier" does not indicate that there are any additives that clean your fuel injectors or do anything to promote a healthy engine. It just meets requirements by the EPA. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. They my be fine for your every day sedan or SUV. Minis are performance vehicles and require a high level fuel with detergents to get every horsepower out of it. I would not put 90% of these so called top tier fuel in my 2012 R58 JCW. I have 60,000 miles on it never had any trouble lights come on ok one the tpms and that was because the battery in one of the sensors went bad. I had them all replaced with upgraded sensors.

It is your car not trying to convince you just make you more informed. Cosco and places like this get their fuel from the cheapest providers. It is cheap because of that and lack of additives.

 

oh ok! When I was a mini owner back in the day (1st gen) I was stationed in Germany and only filled up at the ESSO station, dont really remember which gas I used but never had problems with my mini, then traded for a 3 series. Over a decade later I am back at Mini and am realizing a few things like this one with the gas. I was thinking of going with BP 87 Octane? What gas do you use?

 

That is what I am thinking, on the way up to the dealer it drove like a champ, started up this morning like a champ and there are no lights on nor messages when checking the "vehicle status" section so..... just waiting on dealer to come back with their verdict

 

I own since new a 2012 Mini Cooper R58 JCW. I run nothing but BP 93 octane. In a pinch I will use Shell 93 octane. The amount of money you will save in using 87 octane or less will never pay for the potential damage caused by running anything less than 93 octane. My Mini has 60,000 miles on it I have never had a warning light come on. Except for one tpms light and that was because a battery in the sensor failed. My Mini gets between 35 to 38mpg. The Mini is a performance car and requires high performance/octane fuel.

 

tyty!

 

I was also stationed in Germany. I owned a BMW. The fuel used in Germany is produced for high performance vehicles. I do not recall but I seam to remember that there were two grades of gasoline. What would be considered US mid grade and then premium grade. The reason is that they all drive BMW, Mercedes, Porsche. All high performance vehicles. Even the taxi's were Mercedes or BMW.

If you run less than 93 octane in your Mini what happens is that your cars ecu will recognize less bang in the combustion chamber. The ecu will retard the timing to compensate. You will notice reduces in horsepower. It will lead to premature spark plug and ignition failures and premature damage to the timing chain. When that occurs you could be looking at engine replacement or rebuild. Not worth saving a few dollars at the pump. 93 octane always.

 

Nice! Yes, it's insane how all of their taxis are Mercedes!!
Thank you for your input, makes complete sense to spend a bit more at the pump than having to deal with the other scenario

 

Just heard from bmw that I had a misfire on cyl.1, haven't gotten the code # yet, they are saying they will be replacing the spark plugs since these look pretty old but that is all they are doing, we will see 🧐

 

Just read through all this and have one 90 degree suggestion to throw in. About every 5 or 6 months throw in a can of BG-44K. Your MINI will love it... you'll need a funnel and a short hose or get the new long neck bottle.

 

Thank you for the suggestion, will def. look into this

 

Do you put the whole can / bottle in the tank then fill it up?

 

I add a bottle of Redline complete fuel system cleaner every 3,000 miles high amount of PEA. Probably not necessary I use 93 octane BP fuel.

 

The whole can. Check out the BG online catalog for other stuff. A can of MOA goes in with each oil change.

 

will do, ty!

 

[QUOTE=Mad Max;4603734
If you run less than 93 octane in your Mini what happens is that your cars ecu will recognize less bang in the combustion chamber. The ecu will retard the timing to compensate. You will notice reduces in horsepower. It will lead to premature spark plug and ignition failures and premature damage to the timing chain. When that occurs you could be looking at engine replacement or rebuild. Not worth saving a few dollars at the pump. 93 octane always.[/QUOTE]

Oh, I hesitate, but, can't resist. That's not how Octane-rating works. Higher Octane ratings do NOT equate to more "bang" in the combustion chamber. Higher Octane-rating ONLY refers to the RESISTANCE TO PREMATURE IGNITION. That's all. Octane rating is NOT a definition of BTU's (nor other values referring to power), nor quality (you can have high quality or low quality High-Octane rated fuels), nor how much power your car will produce. If you really want to understand Octane ratings, read this, skip to the last paragraph for the short story if you don't want to take the time to learn the entire lesson: https://www.innovatemotorsports.com/resources/myths.php

Additional info: Ethanol has an Octane rating of about 109, but, only contains about 80,000 BTU. Compare this to "regular unleaded" that has 119,000 BTU per gallon. Ethanol can raise Octane while decreasing the available energy per gallon.

Apparently, the Marketing departments of gasoline sellers have done a great job misleading the public to the facts about Octane rating. That's why they call the highest Octane-rated mixture "Premium"...it makes it sound better. It's not necessarily better. It depends upon many other factors.

 

I run Costco 93 octane gasoline in my Jaguar, Mercedes and MINI. I've never had an issue with it. And, here in Texas believe it or not, it's 70c/gallon less than my nearest Shell station. That makes a HUGE difference when filling up 26 gallons in the Merc.

 

That is great to know, thank you!!