I just had my first oil change today and the SA told me that they only recommend Chevron gas in Minis. They have seen a difference in deposits on the valves in cars that used Chevron Premium vs Shell etc. I thought any top tier gas was comparable? He said that the problem is that Chevron makes sure that the % of ethanol is no higher than 10% where some stations end up with levels that approach 15%. Any one have the facts to confirm or deny this?

 

That type of info should be on their online site. It would be nice to know?

 

That's a load. Ask him what those of us without Chevron stations should do?

 

Then they should chat it up with my local dealer. They have made Shell their *official* gas station.

 

It used to be a real problem with the gas delivery companies as the drivers would be responsible for mixing in the ethanol at the delivery station. But all of the major gas suppliers are now using premixed formulas so the drivers no longer have to mix in the ethanol. I have used Chevron, Shell and Texaco with no problems at all.

 

Yep, me too. I mean religiously, except when I was in East Coast, Sunoco 94 octane.

 

The Techron additive in Chevron is a great detergent, but as far as being superior to any other top tier - Nope!

 

www.pure-gas.org

 

dMine tried the same crap when 2 of my spark plugs came up broken. I drive the car fairly conservative but get into it every once in awhile. He said that they "could" not warranty it due to "bad gas". I laughed at them and said to prove it. They fixed it. Now I shop exclusively at the exact Shell station they fill all their MINI's/BMW's at and keep a gas journal with all receipts. Its nice to live a mile from the dealership. If they ever try that crap, I'm going to start off with "Have you had problem with any of your cars with bad gas? Well here are some receipts...."

 

Lots of Chevrons here....... The MINI has 6,000 miles and counting on Chevron supreme....... Techron works from what I have been told........

When we bought a new 1998 Dodge Caravan the dealership actually offered a maintenance talk with the head mechanic, he said engines he has torn down that ran Chevron gas were clean inside, compared to engines he had torn down that did not. Pretty good recommendation coming from him in my book.

That Dodge ran and ran from grocery getting to being overloaded with camping gear, towing the largest tent trailer, 2 adults, 3 kids and a dog. Only let it go after getting my 2007 diesel truck. Now we are never over loaded.

 

 

The engine was clean because of being worked hard with heavy loads and trailering, not because of some BS brand-marketing of gasoline.

 

There's probably nothing wrong with the SA recommending a name brand gas that has a top tier rating. However, it would be interesting to see if he would be foolish enough to give you, in writing, a list of the those brands that are not recommended.

You could have some fun with that.

 

I too use(d) Chevron, Texaco and Shell religiously until all of the Chevron/Texaco stations left the Virginia area. Now all I use is Shell. My wife is a chemist at a fuel and oil additives company and she tells me that using anything other than the brand name gasolines (Shell, BP, Exxon, etc.) is a huge mistake. All of the off brand (Wawa, Sheetz, and others) use the least amount of additives that they can to be covered by the state government. I hear many people tell me that "oh, the fuel truck puts the same gas into the tanks from station to station". That is true, however the driver has to code in the amount of additives for each station they go to and the branded gasolines have a strict recipe that they adhere to.

 

Just filled up at Chevron ($4.19) and I looked around for print regarding ethanol percentage but found none. I asked the attendant about the percentage of ethanol, but he did not have a clue what I was asking, he thought I wanted Menthol cigarettes. I left a note for manager, so we'll verify at least in NorCal.

 

Just saw the 2 Chevrons near the Dragon are both ethanol free so I know where I'll be filling up!
Annette

 

You and me both, sister!!!

 

Gas question here. Ever since getting my MCS in November I've only filled up at two stations, 1 Shell, 1 BP.. I've carefully tracked my milage and its pretty consistent, With Shell I get 31+ MPG, BP 29. I assume its due to different ethanol content ???????

 

In CA, all Chevrons use 10%, spoke to the dude delivering the gas.

 

Weird... my MA told me to put in shell gas only... they started blaming my chevron gas for re-starting problems I was having. I ignored him, and the problem went away with an Alta accessport tune.

 

With my previous cars I could fill up anywhere. The Mini is much more sensitive. I recently had to fill up up at an Arco and was amazed in the drop of mileage and response. I normally use Chevron or 76. Won't stray from top tier again.

 

I only get Chevron 94, because it doesn't have any ethanol.