"Don't use Ethanol in your german SAV engine"..... said the dude that fixes my lawn mower :rofl::rofl::rofl:

Sorry mate, don't mean to offend just thought that was pretty funny :)

In all seriousness guys - is it the fear of the unknown?

Just put Avgas 115 in it :).

I know you are joking, but for those that may take your suggestion seriously in a misguided attempt to obtain a higher AKI rating....

Never use Avgas. It has a high octane/AKI rating, granted. It also has lead. And it doesn't have the deposit control additives which are necessary to keep the combustion chamber clean (reference Top Tier). It was formulated in the 1940's, and hasn't changed since then. It doesn't belong in any modern vehicle fuel system.

Seeing as BMW did not design the M62 in my X to run ethanol I always add 10oz of Lucas or StaBil ethanol fuel conditioner at each fill up. Been doing it for the past 15 yrs with all my BMWs, Vettes and Vipers, NEVER had any fuel system/cat con issues in that time.

That seems very excessive.

I havent had any ethanol issues with my cars. Boats and lawnmowers are a different story. The ethanol eats away at anything rubber so I went through 1 boat and a riding mower and the mechanics both said the issues were caused by the ethanol. I fill both up at a local independent station that does not have ethanol in the gas and have had 0 issues since then.

Any benefits to filling up the X5 there? I just bought the car last week so I am a newbie.

Another factor with that particular station is that the fuel is about $.40 per gallon more since it doesnt have ethanol.

Just like mikeinmn I also use only non-oxygenated fuel when available, and see similar gas mileage gains which offset the price. Especially useful in winter to keep moisture down in the fuel lines. It's funny, because if they branded it ethanol-free I'm sure more people would use it, but as it is now no one I talk to seems to know what non-oxygenated is, means, does, or that it's even available unless they own a Model T.

and I've been not doing that and never had any issues either :D