Interesting Experience.....

[Deano 1]

i hate reading this stuff, i have never put anything but Bp in my car, all from the same servo, (at the end of my street) never had to fill it up anywhere eles. Would haet for this too happen to me, Feel for ya Duncan, Stick it right to em mate!!

[God_speed]

haven't got a response yet but I won't let it slide long, and will keep everyone updated.

God_speed....same here, the workshop bill is $500ish as per above. glad it was a fuel problem - but in my case I was literally driving home from the workshop tuning it so there was no question about taking it straight back.

Thanks mate I've bookmarked this thread. They say you shouldn't fill up when the tanker is at the servo filling up the bowsers as the sediment gets all stirred up. Problem is you never know when you pull into an empty servo forecourt if a tanker has just left 60 sec ago.

Can't believe they put the wrong fuel in the wrong bowser though if that's the case. Imagine if it was diesel...

[Owens]

Does anyone think Vortex 98 would be better than BP Ultimate? I use 98 all time and rarely get pings.

[Kujotk]

Does anyone think Vortex 98 would be better than BP Ultimate? I use 98 all time and rarely get pings.

in my car yes, I find Caltex and Mobil work best for me, with United (ethanol ron98) and Bp 2nd best. Shell for my car is like pouring honey in it, and it doesn't matter which station it is.

but in previous threads we have come to the conclusion that it depends where in the state and what petrol station you use can have an impact of fuel quality and ron rating. EG: a petrol station with high turnover is more likely to have fresher fuel with a better ron rating than a quiet petrol station.

And some cars just behave differently to different brand fuel, even though there are only 2 or 3 oil refinereies in Australia.

From other threads, Generally people don't notice much difference between caltex, mobil, united, bp fuel here in sydney in their skylines. but a stock or mildly tuned skyline turbo tends to not run as well with shell ron 98 (but not always). I paid close attention to the other threads because I could easily feel a big difference between shell fuel and other fuels in my particular skyline and wanted to know if anyone had noticed it in their cars aswell.

[Duncan]

FWIW I run 98 octane in 4 different cars including the race car, and I have never found any variation between any brand. If there is a difference it is the sort of 1% that you would never notice or feel unless your tune was too aggresive in the first place.

This thread is about a genuinely rubbish batch of fuel, not a comment on one brand v another

[Kujotk]

FWIW I run 98 octane in 4 different cars including the race car, and I have never found any variation between any brand. If there is a difference it is the sort of 1% that you would never notice or feel unless your tune was too aggresive in the first place.

This thread is about a genuinely rubbish batch of fuel, not a comment on one brand v another

Threads always evolve Duncan and I wasn't replying to your thread I was replying to Owens, i'm sure he finds it interesting that someone else can notice different fuel in his car, I can easily tell if Shell fuel is in my car, even if somebody else has taken my car and put Shell fuel in it without me knowing. Anyway thats your experience with race cars, I only get the problem in the skyline out of any car I have ever filled up and used (that I can notice), some skylines react worse than others with shell, no body has worked out why but I am far from the only person who has noticed this issue and it happens in both series 1 and 2 rb25det's. and usually it's when a standard ECU is being used. That's all i've worked out from info in other threads.

[God_speed]

Does anyone think Vortex 98 would be better than BP Ultimate? I use 98 all time and rarely get pings.

FWIW I run 98 octane in 4 different cars including the race car, and I have never found any variation between any brand. If there is a difference it is the sort of 1% that you would never notice or feel unless your tune was too aggresive in the first place.

This thread is about a genuinely rubbish batch of fuel, not a comment on one brand v another

Hey Owens, if you do a quick search you will find lots of stuff on the subject of fuel brands and tuning; plenty of good info

Duncan, I've found the receipt from last Thursday night's fill up, so I'll be hanging onto that in anticipation for next Monday. I'm a bit worried though that by next Monday it will have been 1 1/2 weeks since filling up though; might not help my chances when confronting the servo if it's their fault.

[Duncan]

spoke to them today, "waiting on the results of shell's investigation"

[God_speed]

Any updates from Shell corp Duncan?

My car's been with the mechanic now for a week. They've noticed some misfiring but don't think it's bad fuel; couldn't find any fault codes and they're getting the sparky in now (charges /hr of course).

Wouldn't it be the done thing to drain the tank and put in fresh fuel as part of eliminating the cheapest problems first? I'm just going to have to go along with their expertise...

[Duncan]

Yes I do have an update!

Shell's insurers/lawyers sent a letter saying ".....we have investigated your claim and conclude there was no defect in the quality of the fuel.....we are not able to reimburse you for the cost of the repairs".

So I have now lodged a claim with the NSW Dept of Fair Trading. No doubt it will be slow progress from here but I am not willing to let it go.

Interestingly, the lawyers responded immediately that I told them a claim had been lodged, all very aggressive.

[ezy_09s]

Good luck with the Dept of fair trading Duncan..

All too often the little guy gets screwed by these companies who could care less what fuel or fuel quality is in the bowser..only to give you the bullsh1t excuses that you also received (nothing wrong with the fuel quality).

This really pisses me off & we usually walk away and cop it on the chin..and these companies know that.

I hope the dept of fair trading can actually live up to their name.

Keep us updated.

[TiTAN]

Thought about investing in WMI? setup propperly in theory you could run your stag on 91 without much trouble. though i doubt anyone has actually put it to the test as most people dont buy it as a safety net, they use it for more power.

[GTR-N1]

I've kept a small sample of fuel in a clean container but have 60l of the stuff sitting around the mechanic's

This, my friend, is the evidence ^^^ that the fuel company or service station will be most afraid of ! ! ! ! !

By the time the legal process makes a determination, would it be best to already have the above sample analysed, with date attached, so that the fuel company or servo cannot rebutt on the basis of time causing fuel degradation Duncan?

If you need a J.P. to sign a statutory declaration at the 30/5/10 general business meeting, I'll be happy to witness it for you.

[Duncan]

yeah good point...I had been holding on to in the hope things would be simple, I guess it is time to pass that on too.

[Kujotk]

Good luck Duncan, don't hold your breath with the DFT getting off their asses though...

[N1GTR]

How about sending some of the 60L to an independant fuel checking place and having it tested?

No one would be shocked to hear shell tested a shell product and said it was fine

How exactly did the lawyers/insurers respond when the claim was lodged?

[GoldZilla]

I agree with Steve-O, see if there's someone independent who can test it.

[The Bogan]

This, my friend, is the evidence ^^^ that the fuel company or service station will be most afraid of ! ! ! ! !

Sadly mate, evidence it is not, you would need to sample the fuel with the seller present, seal it in front of them, label-sign and seal with a tamper proof seal which is recorded on the paper work then send it for testing with people signing for it along the way.

Ive had a fair bit of training on the collection of evidence, its extremely painful to collect evidence that will hold up legally.

Its like they say in defense, is your arse isn't covered, its gonna get screwed.

[GTR-N1]

Hehe...

I never said that the sample once tested would be complete and irrefutable Mark.

If you read my post again, I said that this evidence, once tested, is what the fuel company or servo would be most afraid of!

What is corroborating evidence, would be any record of CCTV on that day (which can be subpoenaed if available)!

What can underpin that evidence or support that evidence would be a signed & countersigned statutory declaration (which I did also mention).

Such a declaration by Duncan would state that the furnished fuel sample which has been tested, is the very same fuel that was bowsered into his tank.

The declaration would then state that his car after the fill-up, behaved quite uncharacteristically (describing symptoms).

The declaration would then state that the offending fuel once removed, had been stored on the premises of a qualified MTA technician.

A separate statutory declaration can be made and then obtained from the mechanic to state that the offending fuel from Duncan's car is the same fuel that has been analysed and then furnished as evidence.

All jigsaw-puzzle pieces should dovetail - not forgettinging date - and time!

Cheers

[Swiper the Fox]

Yeah same thing happened up here...mobil warners bay. Manager even admitted that the guy filled the tank with regular unleaded. My next question was why he was still advertising and selling it as premium.

It was in Dave's car, manager refunded him and also invited him back for a full tank of fuel when the Synergy 8000 returned.

He left driveway got to the top of the hill and.....ping ping ping !!!

Dave is a bit of a pushover...i may have not been so understanding.

Edited May 19, 2010 by Swiper the Fox