I have approx. 330 miles on the car with 50-60 more until I needed gas. Out of the blue, my teenage son put gas in the car. We never had the talk about premium gas and he has never put gas in any of the cars except maybe once. He said he could have put premium but I really doubt it. What should I do, if anything. Am I over reacting. I live in California and he probably put in 89 octane. Any advice. Thanks

 

As long as it wasn't diesel... you'll be fine.

It might not run as smooth through the tank, but it won't blow-up, either.

If you're really worried, go buy a small container of off-the-shelf octane booster and put it in the tank. It'll be fine either way, though.

 

Yes you're overreacting. I know some people that put 87 in the MCS's here in California--they shall remain nameless.

I put 91, though I put 104 today for amazing results--but can't afford that super premium stuff--so back to 91 at the end of the week. There's another thread here called Premium Gas and Dr. Obnoxs talks about how the computer adapts to the octane to keep things within spec, so although it's recommended to use Premium, unless you're hearing knocking noises. 89 should be fine.

Richard

 

Yeah, no worries. The ECU will adjust the timing to prevent the engine from knocking with the lower octane fuel. You'll lose power and fuel efficiancy, but no damage will be done.

 

Thank your son, anyway. That's a good kid that will put gas in without being asked.
He might have boo-boo'ed a little, but his heart was in the right place.
The MINI should be fine.

 

Agreed! When they buy a gallon of milk, or a few gallons of gas, it's a milestone in their development and maturation. Hail him!

 

I distractedly filled the entire tank with regular once. It ran terribly (no knocking, though). It was such a long and painful week that it's never happened since!

 

No big deal, but give that kid a pat on the back. If I ever screw this one up I will make sure to get some of that octane booster, we don't pump our own in oregon so we have to keep a watchful eye on what the attendant is doing. btw octane guy where do you find that super high octane stuff

 

There are lists around the net. Here in SoCal we have

http://www.dchoe.net/wordpress/

Unocal 76 stations are the most common ones selling race fuel--usually in affluent areas.

Using high octane racing fuel doesn't offer any benefits on the MINI though--I did it to troubleshoot some detonation issues I'm having. 6 gallons cost me $55.

Richard

 

Did someone call me?