It is a question that often arises: is the fuel of lower quality at large distribution stations? An idea that is maintained in the fact that we often find gasoline and diesel there at a better price than at other stations (as shown by our list of prices by brand) and that, therefore, these fuels would be less efficient for the engines.
Good quality fuels in all cases.
“The fuel, whether distributed in supermarkets or at traditional stations, maintains the same quality when it leaves the refinery,” explains Pierre-Olivier Marie, Caradisiac journalist.
In reality, the difference will come down to the additives, since each brand has its own “blend”:
“Each distributor will decide which additives to add to their product. In general, in supermarkets we add fewer additives, such as antifoam or antifreeze, with a slightly better quality in oil tankers. But for engines, the quality remains the same, “There is no longer any risk to the engine.”
A complete “additive” from time to time, why not?
Therefore, the difference in fuel quality between Totalenergies or BP type stations and mass distribution would not be worth the difference in prices between these stations. With a simple tip, you can justify adding a little more additives from time to time:
“In a diesel engine, an engine that is technically a little more fragile than a gasoline engine, I would advise refueling with a slightly premium diesel, which contains a little more additives, every 4 or 5 refuelings, for example. the rest of the time you can go to the supermarket,” says Pierre-Olivier Marie.
Along the same lines, for models that run on gasoline, “to clean the engine”, it may be useful to add 98 unleaded gasoline from time to time, octane as in unleaded 95-E10 and 95.
“A high-octane gasoline will not ignite (or only slightly) in the combustion chamber until the spark plug produces a spark. Therefore, it preserves engine performance and longevity by delaying the onset of engine knock, which is refers to an abnormal combustion that causes a resonance of the explosion in the walls of the piston and in the combustion chamber,” explains a dedicated page on the Totalenergies website.
Wait a while after filling the tanks.
There is also often talk of less periodic cleaning of fuel tanks at mass distribution stations, which would generate more impurities that are harmful to the engine. An element that is difficult to verify in reality, the Caradisiac journalist especially advises not to refuel immediately after refueling:
“If you arrive when a truck arrives to fill the tanks, there is a risk that it will stir up the impurities at the bottom of the tank and that these impurities will rise to the surface and end up in your engine. So wait and see.” come back later, an hour after the tank passes,” recommends Pierre-Olivier Marie.
Source: BFM TV
