Mate, I reckon when the E53 came out there was diesel and there was diesel.

I keep a packet of surgeons gloves in the door pocket for the wife to use , they dont cost much for a box and then throw the glove in the garbage at the fuel station after you have filled up.

I fill up at Caltex service stations and the diesel pumps are kept in good condition and the handles of the bowsers dont seem to leak. We fill up our Ford transit van used for deliverys every 2 days and go to alot of different service stations and our driver has said that 90% have good clean diesel bowsers.

Perth doesn't seem to have dirty bowsers.
I've filled up at quite a few places over the years and never come across one yet. :D

I also think that BP Ultimate does make a difference.
Can't really comment from an X5 point of view yet, as I haven't had it that long and so far only used BP Ultimate.

However, in a previous Land Rover, it made quite a difference.
The engine was substantially smoother and less rattly, also with a bit more power.
It would hold the gears much longer and not have to change down as often with the bit of extra go.
I think it was noticeable in this car as it was much lower powered compared to the X5, so smaller changes were more obvious.

Just my 2 cents. :cool:

Thanks for the info re the BP Ultimate, we havent had our X5 for very long and i have put Caltex Vortex diesel in it since we purchased it 2 months ago. If and when the BP Ultimate comes to Melbourne i will give it a try. We use BP Ultimate 98 unleaded in our other car and our boat and have found it to be very good so hope the Diesel is as well.

here in the states, a lubricity additive popular with Ford diesel truck enthusiasts is Opti-Lube XPD. As I recall, there were some fairly sophisticated technical tests/comparisons done. I used it, seemed to smooth performance and increase mpg a little.

With regard to the diesel grades, here in South Africa we still get 500 ppm which sells for less than petrol, and then there is the 50 ppm variety which is the most expensive fuel at the pumps by a fair margin. While I agree in principal that diesel is diesel, with modern diesel vehicles now coming equipped with DPFs for emissions regulations for example, you might find the 500 ppm diesel clogging up the works more frequently? That's nothing more than speculation however. What is a fact though is that the higher sulphur count diesel will acidify your engine oil faster and therefore require a shorter interval between oil changes. But as for performance that the average man in the street can discern between one brand and the next, be it regular or low sulphur diesel...I agree with the OP. Snake oil...

I've run using pretty much any old diesel since my car was new, guided usually by price and supermarket discounts. My car is probably doing a couple of miles per gallon less than when it was two or three years old, but that might just be that I'm not doing so many motorway miles.
One thing I always do is change the oil and filter between the stated service intervals. Even with 7.5 litre capacity, it doesn't strike me as sensible to run for the 24,000 miles that the green lights suggest.
The car doesn't use engine oil and performs solidly. 121,500 miles up.