Bad Stations?

[killerdjk]

I notice that my car runs rougher with shell, but I always fill from the same one, which is cheapest, it looks like it gets business though.. when I fill with chevron the car runs smoother. This happened again after the shell nitro+ announcement.

Wondering if maybe its just this shell station? Going to keep filling with this station for another tank. Then change to another shell station. Is is possible the cheaper locations are usually the least traveled, and thus have the most stale gas?

Its funny too because when I had my car custom tuned it was on shell gas, but she just seems to like chevron.. unless its a station effect...


Anyone else have this happen?

 

[wallyuwl]

Never had it happen. Usually the less expensive stations get more business, at least every where I've ever lived.

 

[turtlevette]

I find that a few stations cause my chev 5.3 to P0300. And one of them is a shell. I think its more due to older tanks having ground water intrusion.

 

[killerdjk]

hmm I see. Well I'll definitely report back. I am not getting any codes but the roughness is enough that I can objectively tell. Especially when I first start the car and put it into reverse from any other gear, the RPM dips rather low, and that just doesn't happen with a tank full from that chevron. I'll try a different shell to see if the issue remains after this tank gets to 1/4 to 1/3.

Though it doesn't even take much, if I have a tank full of that chevron, all is ok. I let it get down to 2/3 and toss 1/3 of the shell in, I can tell its rougher.

also I'm already tuned for 93, so there's no higher I can go to, and there are no ethanol free stations near, its all E15 I think here.

 

[Cardenio327]

I always try to use different stations and different brands.

Maybe the station you use has rusty or dirty tanks.

If it is a franchise maybe the owner puts in less additive, or the wrong additive, or no additive at all to save money.

Often there is a choice of refineries in an area, maybe your station gets their raw gasoline from one with lower quality standards or purchases a lower grade.

Stations never let the regular run low and always order a full tanker. If they don't have enough space they dump the extra regular in the midgrade tank. If it is full they dump it in the premium tank. Maybe your station does this more often than usual.

Sometimes diesel gets dumped in the gasoline. When they figure it out they stop and fill it to the top with more gasoline, then sell it.

The above reasons are why I hop from brand to brand and station to station. I check mpg 2 out of 3 fill ups so I can identify which stations have bad gasoline at the moment.

 

[Bandito440]

There's a Sunoco station nearby that will drop my average summer MPG from 28 to 24 every time. I can't explain that, but I fill up at a particular busy Mobil station almost exclusively now.

 

[killerdjk]

Originally Posted By: Cardenio327
I always try to use different stations and different brands.

Maybe the station you use has rusty or dirty tanks.

If it is a franchise maybe the owner puts in less additive, or the wrong additive, or no additive at all to save money.

Often there is a choice of refineries in an area, maybe your station gets their raw gasoline from one with lower quality standards or purchases a lower grade.

Stations never let the regular run low and always order a full tanker. If they don't have enough space they dump the extra regular in the midgrade tank. If it is full they dump it in the premium tank. Maybe your station does this more often than usual.

Sometimes diesel gets dumped in the gasoline. When they figure it out they stop and fill it to the top with more gasoline, then sell it.

The above reasons are why I hop from brand to brand and station to station. I check mpg 2 out of 3 fill ups so I can identify which stations have bad gasoline at the moment.



I had no idea stations had that much control over their gas, I thought they just bought what their brand sold, and middle-man it over to the final consumer at the station, like a fast food franchise.

This shell is about 20 cents cheaper than the rest in the area, and its all in the city, it all felt very too good to be true. I shall see.

 

[killerdjk]

Originally Posted By: Bandito440
There's a Sunoco station nearby that will drop my average summer MPG from 28 to 24 every time. I can't explain that, but I fill up at a particular busy Mobil station almost exclusively now.


After I confirm it is the station rather than the brand (though I could hit two bad shells in a row I guess), I will try QT, they are still "top tier", and there's a station here that I always see super busy.

 

[OneEyeJack]

I try to never stop at the small stations that appear to get very little business. Most often I go to the local Costco station. Cheap prices, good gasoline and they tank up 4 to 6 times every day. I'm hoping that the contamination if any gets diluted over a very large volume. And the guys that work there say they change the inline filters much more often than anyone else does. This caution may amount to nothing but I feel better about doing the best I can for my 2 vehicles.

 

[qdeezie]

My Focus and Elantra run best off Valero and Exxon/Mobil.

Shell and other top tiers are ok but not as good as Valero and Exxon/Mobil......

Hess gas, Willie Earl's Gas, or otherwise the engine literally vibrates back through the steering wheel and my Focus will occasionally stumble at idle.

My truck does not care what you put in it.

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: Cardenio327


Maybe the station you use has rusty or dirty tanks.


This, or have water in them. I once filled up at a station, after which the car ran for 2 minutes then quit and wouldn't restart. 2 cans of Drigas and it started a couple days later. 3-4 weeks after this, they were digging up the tanks for replacement.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: turtlevette
I find that a few stations cause my chev 5.3 to P0300. And one of them is a shell. I think its more due to older tanks having ground water intrusion.



I think the EPA forced tank replacement years ago for leaking tanks or single wall tanks. I doubt there are more than a few tanks in the whole country now with water intrusion problems.

They all have expensive monitoring systems or stick the tank daily. If they had more or less gas than they should, they will know it within one day (or less). They get inspected and if there log books are not 100% complete, they get fined.

 

[mattwithcats]

Maybe a litte 87 in the 93 tank at the station?

Or more than a little?

 

[killerdjk]

I will say this phenomenon with this single shell station has been for a while now, I just revisited it recently due to the nitro+ news because what the heck, but the issue I had maybe months ago when I last tried it out.

So its either a long standing dislike my car has for it, or some long standing issue that station has at this point.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
I try to never stop at the small stations that appear to get very little business. Most often I go to the local Costco station. Cheap prices, good gasoline and they tank up 4 to 6 times every day. I'm hoping that the contamination if any gets diluted over a very large volume. And the guys that work there say they change the inline filters much more often than anyone else does. This caution may amount to nothing but I feel better about doing the best I can for my 2 vehicles.

I don't know how many times a day the local Costco stations have their tanks filled, but all 16 pumps at each station are used all day, there are at least 2-3 cars waiting in each lane.

Lately I only fill up my cars at Costco, their gas are top tier and cheaper by about 15-20 cents a gallon or more. Also, paying with American Express gives me back 3%.

 

[Merkava_4]

All the good gasoline is over at Costco. It's like buying Union 76 at 10 cents less per gallon.

 

[bvance554]

I do not believe in bad stations, water, and rusty tanks. All tanks have water in them from condensation. Thats why gas is pumped from the top. There is no physical way for you to pump water in your tank. Rust? There is at least one filter in every pump, plus another on your vehicle so I doubt you're running rust through the injectors. Stations do not pick and choose where their gas comes from. If it is a Shell station, Shell ships the gas. If there is more than one refinery in the area, Shell still decides where the stations gas comes from. I wouldn't suspect any one refinery supplied inferior fuel when compared to another. So many myths and beliefs on here rather than knowledge. I can't expain why you feel your car runs differently on a particular stations gas, but if you feel one is better than the other then just keep using that one.

 

[OneEyeJack]

I hit our local Costco when they open in the morning and that is the only time you don't have to wait in line.

I paid $3.34 when the cheapest other station an AM/PM was $3.60.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

Individual stations can have bad tanks. Also never fill when the tanker is in the yard or for a few hours after; filling stirs up sediments. Maybe this station gets the tanker a bit before your typical fill in the morning, etc.

Shell is top quality gasoline, so maybe choose another shell location or just switch to the Chevron (which is also top quality gas).

 

[Cardenio327]

Originally Posted By: bvance554
Stations do not pick and choose where their gas comes from. If it is a Shell station, Shell ships the gas. If there is more than one refinery in the area, Shell still decides where the stations gas comes from.


I had a good friend who was a gasoline tanker driver.

He said the only gasoline brand and refinery that had a dedicated fleet and didn't use gasoline from wherever was Atlantic Richfield with their Arco/AMPM stations. Incidentally they are usually the lowest quality gasoline, yielding the worst mileage.

All of the others use the refinery that has the product they need for the right price. Corporate stations will usually use gasoline from their own refinery because vertical integration will reduce their costs. Even if the gasoline comes in a Shell branded tanker it is not Shell gasoline until the driver or station attendant dumps in the Shell additive while the underground tanks are being filled [this may be done while the tanker is being filled at the refinery too]. Because of production problems whatever refinery may be down for hours, days or weeks. Gasoline is purchased from a competitor's refinery until production resumes. That is why you see so many unbranded gasoline and diesel tankers on the highways, they are delivering product to a station that uses a different brand name.