Proud recipient of the CRAPPY gas, courtesy of gas station attendant :-(

[StanF18]

Well, I knew it was only a matter of time here in NJ before I briefly looked the other way, and some numb-skull gas station genius would pour 87 octane into my poor X...

I have RELIGIOUSLY used Shell V-Power and I tend to watch these guys like hawks, because even when you spell it out for them, they seem to magically gravitate towards the '87' button. I also understand that these gas station attendants are not Ivy League grads. But at the same time, I am very confident I could train a guinea pig to push the 'V-Power' button much more consistently than these guys do. In any event, I told the guy very clearly what I wanted, and then I got distracted by my cell phone ringing. Sure enough, he f%^ed it up...

Anyway, I am now the proud recipient of a tank-full of 87-Octane gasoline. I obviously chewed the guy out verbally. But there was not much more I could do, short of assaulting him and breaking his jaw, which would have landed me in more trouble than the 87 Octane. Probably not worth spending time in jail over it...

Which leads me to my next question. What should I do now? I have seen a lot of these octane discussions on here, and some folks say it's not that big of a deal. But I always err on the side of caution and go with the best grade available. I figure if I take care of what I put into my X, it will take better care of me. Am I going to get engine codes now? Also, should I burn off this tank before I put the Chevron Techron additive in? Or should I add some Techron now to play it safe?

[vinuneuro]

You should sell the car bc you WILL need a new engine after this.

[ncx]

Sorry...
Make sure you tow it to the dealer. Don't drive it like that.

[motordavid]

Stan,
Imo, Drive the sumbitch...if you didn't "know", I don't think you
would know.

These aren't top fuel drag cars.
GL,mD

PS: Vig, you crack me up!

[JCL]

You should add absolutely nothing to your gas tank. You should drive as usual, and burn off half a tank. There will be no damage. When you are down to a half tank, top it off with 92 or 94 or whatever you can find. It averages out, and a 50/50 blend of 87/91 produces an effective 89 AKI. You should not see any error codes, unless it is crappy fuel (and 87 is not by definition crappy fuel, crappy refers to ethanol over 10%, water, fuel that is a couple points lower that what the pump label says, etc).

Personally, I would use up the full tank before bothering to buy more fuel, but as it is obviously causing you distress, follow the above steps. And quit worrying already. OCD never helped anyone live longer.

[Max Gunner]

Originally Posted by StanF18

Which leads me to my next question. What should I do now? I have seen a lot of these octane discussions on here, and some folks say it's not that big of a deal. But I always err on the side of caution and go with the best grade available. I figure if I take care of what I put into my X, it will take better care of me. Am I going to get engine codes now? Also, should I burn off this tank before I put the Chevron Techron additive in? Or should I add some Techron now to play it safe?

Techron isn't really necessary since you already have Shell's additive package which is the same for all grades of their gas, just like Techron is in all of Chevron/Texaco's grades. There could be a slight decrease in performance with the 87 octane, but no long-term performance issues and certainly no damage.


MG

[LeMansX5]

You are not the first. Have read this before on this forum.
Not the end of world. Go with JCL's suggestion.

Vig and ncx.

[FSETH]

Originally Posted by JCL

You should add absolutely nothing to your gas tank. You should drive as usual, and burn off half a tank. There will be no damage. When you are down to a half tank, top it off with 92 or 94 or whatever you can find. It averages out, and a 50/50 blend of 87/91 produces an effective 89 AKI. You should not see any error codes, unless it is crappy fuel (and 87 is not by definition crappy fuel, crappy refers to ethanol over 10%, water, fuel that is a couple points lower that what the pump label says, etc).

Personally, I would use up the full tank before bothering to buy more fuel, but as it is obviously causing you distress, follow the above steps. And quit worrying already. OCD never helped anyone live longer.

Could you imagine if BMW's shut down or blew up every time someone put 87 in the tank? You would see them on the side of the road daily.

You will be fine. Don't sweat it.

[FSETH]

Originally Posted by LeMansX5

You are not the first. Have read this before on this forum.
Not the end of world. Go with JCL's suggestion.

Vig and ncx.

I actually read Vig's response before the OP and thought something really crazy happened.

[gianvito16]

what makes you think your getting 91 when you pay for it any ways? just because you payed for 91 doesnt mean your getting it. i have talked to the guys who work at the gas stations all the time about the gas in the tanks under ground. most of the time the guy with the trailer just pull up and pours gas into a tank. he dont know what tank he's filling up all he know is its getting filled. and thats all that matters to him. and its not just one place. thats how they make thier money. i know a place that was mixing diesel with thier gas and had "GAS SALE" all summer long when gas was at outrageous prices. a friend of mine needed to get her tank drained and a new fuel filter on her brand new nissan murano. the guy at the gas station payed for the damage and got rid of the "GAS SALE"

i wouldnt worry about it to much if i were you. like they say "what you dont know wont hurt you"