Sunoco 94 octane has betrayed me...

[y5choi]

Hi folks,

if you are in Ontario, i assume you know what Sunoco is- it turns out that they put a lot of ethanol (10%) in their gas. I've beeen pumping in their 94 grade for a couple of tanks and I have the check engine light on. When I start the engine, it would crank but would not start and that happened a couple of times. I'm guessing it's a cylinder misfire code.

I'll be bring it to the dealer soon to get it checked. I've switched back to Petro Canada now and it seems to be running mighty fine.

I've had a misstart with Shell 91 before as well so I'm sticking with Petro-canada gas and so far, it's so good.

Did anybody else have this problem? I'm thinking not all gas is created equal (at least the additives anyway)

[M6X]

strange. i've been using shell 91 from the beginning. now i have 2800kms on the odo. and everything runs great (touch wood).

[chris609]

I've used Shell91 since day one and at a little over 10k kms no problems at all....

[FSETH]

I would stay away from Sunoco if possible. Here, again is a list of Top Tier gas stations recommended by BMW. Nothing wrong with Petro-Canada, but Shell is good as well.

http://http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html

[King]

I don't go anywhere near a Shell gas station! A few years ago, Shell faced a huge class action lawsuit in Canada because they were putting something in their gas that caused damage to a lot of vehicles. I guess they claimed it was an anti-freeze additive of some sort which actually coated the inside of the gas tank among other engine components with a gel like substance. It also coated the fuel tank sensor - which showed the vehicle as 'empty' even though the tank was full. Chrysler among other manufacturers paid for repairs and replacement of fuel tank sensors, fuel filters, etc. to hundreds of affected vehicles - which they in turn sued Shell for. We had two vehicles in the family that were affected (not BMW's) and I have stayed away from Shell ever since!

[y5choi]

Originally Posted by FSETH

I would stay away from Sunoco if possible. Here, again is a list of Top Tier gas stations recommended by BMW. Nothing wrong with Petro-Canada, but Shell is good as well.

http://http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html

sunoco is part of the "toptier gas" retailers and that's why I pumped that in but it turns out that being top tier does not necessarily mean they don't mix in more than 5% ethanol (BMW recommends no less than 95% mix i believe.)

[FSETH]

Originally Posted by King

I don't go anywhere near a Shell gas station! A few years ago, Shell faced a huge class action law suite in Canada because they were putting something in their gas that caused damage to a lot of vehicles. I guess they claimed it was an anti-freeze additive of some sort which actually coated the inside of the gas tank among other engine components with a gel like substance. It also coated the fuel tank sensor - which showed the vehicle as 'empty' even though the tank was full. Chrysler among other manufacturers paid for repairs and replacement of fuel tank sensors, fuel filters, etc. to hundreds of affected vehicles - which they in turn sued Shell for. We had two vehicles in the family that were affected (not BMW's) and I have stayed away from Shell ever since!

Never heard of that. A lot of people here in the States swear by Shell or Chevron. This is the first bad thing I have heard about Shell so far.

[M6X]

could be that particular station OP goes to. OP stop going to that station and see if things improve.

[FSETH]

Originally Posted by y5choi

sunoco is part of the "toptier gas" retailers and that's why I pumped that in but it turns out that being top tier does not necessarily mean they don't mix in more than 5% ethanol (BMW recommends no less than 95% mix i believe.)

Yeah, Top Tier is just one aspect of good gas, but it is hard to tell who has the freshest gas with the leat amount of ethanol. Top Tier brands are a good guide to go by if you can't determine the other aspects of good gas. Overall, I would feel better getting Top Tier gas than other gas that I have no clue about.

I was under the impression that the ethanol content can vary regionally and some people really might not have a choice as to how much they get?

I know in my area it can be as much as 10% according to the stickers on the pumps and I am pretty sure BMW recommends 10% or less.

[M6X]

at shell stations here in toronto there's a sign saying oct 91 gas has zero ethanol.