What do Tesco do to their fuel??

Paradigm

Just for comparison, here's a link to a Greenergy (who supply Tesco) data sheet from July this year... http://www.greenergy.com/Products_services/test_results/diesel/ulsd_2013.07.pdf

There is very little difference & what differences there are could simply be down to the fuel being from different refineries.

Ultrasonic

Paradigm wrote: »

Just for comparison, here's a link to a Greenergy (who supply Tesco) data sheet from July this year... http://www.greenergy.com/Products_services/test_results/diesel/ulsd_2013.07.pdf

It's interesting to see the Cetane number is 53.3, so significantly above the required minimum of 51.

Paradigm

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

I don't know that much detail about the distribution side. But I presume what you say is pretty much right.

Right, I was just trying to get my head round how you think it works.

If you think about it sensibly, to have seperate loading points for each brand would also mean seperate storage bunkers for each brand.
Count up the number of fuel retailers, including the smaller independents & you'll see that it's just not feasable, there isn't the room!
Also remember that we're only talking about diesel, the same would have to apply to petrol.

Having delivered to Stanlow refinery in Cheshire I can tell you that all tankers load from the same points, the base fuel is the same for everyone & it complies to the relevent standard. This is borne out by the two data sheets in the posts above.

The only differences are the additives used by each company, these may or may not improve the running/economy of an engine.
One things for certain, refineries don't produce "crap" fuel just for supermarkets.

bigjl

The data is only a small window of what is produced.

Though this would indicate that the difference felt by some isn't related to the cetane number.

I would love to know what the issue is but where we have just moved to there is a Tesco that sells Esso for 1p more than the Tesco and also a Murco that is 1p dearer than Tesco so I can just avoid it.

Did put some 2stroke in the Wife's car the other day after she put diesel in at Tesco fuel and the injectors sound a little quieter, this car has fairly loud injectors, a sort of metallic rattle, was never like that when we bought it, but it has been misfuelled over the years and has also done nearly 80k in our hands most of which on Tesco diesel.

Make of that what you will.

My mk3 Mondeo did over 100k in my hands whilst avoiding all supermarket fuel as much as practicable Nd the injectors sounded the same when I sold it, the same goes for my V50, sounds like it did when I bought it nearly 60k ago.

I am happy with my position and won't try and get anybody to come round to my opinion as long as they grant me the same courtesy.

I will just post up my findings and observations, make of them what you will they are posted with good intentions.

Though I will admit I did think cetane levels might have been part of the issue, but never having added cetane improver to Tesco diesel to see ah to effect it had it was only a thought.

Might just do that next week on the wife's car.

Ultrasonic

bigjl wrote: »

Though this would indicate that the difference felt by some isn't related to the cetane number.

Shell themselves would say that Cetane certainly isn't the whole story. Their old V-Power Diesel had a lower cetane number than Fuelsave but I'm pretty sure they still claimed it gave better economy:

http://www.epc.shell.com/Docs/GPCDOC_X_cbe_26724_key_140003767522_201012221018.pdf

I don't know about the current (stupidly named) Shell V-Power Nitro+ diesel.

aliasojo

Paradigm wrote: »

Ok.
So does each branded retailer have it's own loading point I.E One for Shell, one for BP etc?
As above, does each supermarket have it's own loading point?

No, this isn't right.

You could have a tanker for Tesco, Shell, BP and whoever else all sitting in the same queue waiting to load from exactly the same source. The only difference is their additives which are added at the same time but differently.

Paradigm

bigjl wrote: »

The data is only a small window of what is produced.

This I will agree with but, to me, the data proves that the base fuel is the same.
What is delivered to the pumps is a different story... extra detergents, octane/cetane improvers etc etc may make one fuel better than another, I don't know.

What irks me is when we have Main dealers telling customers that it's "supermarket fuel wot done it guv" when clearly it isn't.

Paradigm

aliasojo wrote: »

No, this isn't right.

You could have a tanker for Tesco, Shell, BP and whoever else all sitting in the same queue waiting to load from exactly the same source. The only difference is their additives which are added at the same time but differently.

Yep, see my post above

aliasojo

Paradigm wrote: »

.... extra detergents, octane/cetane improvers etc etc may make one fuel better than another, I don't know.

What irks me is when we have Main dealers telling customers that it's "supermarket fuel wot done it guv" when clearly it isn't.

The additives do make fuel more/less efficient in your car.

Shampoo is shampoo so you'd think, it's a base soap that cleans with things added depending on brand.

All shampoo will clean your hair but some will make it softer/shinier and others will make it heavy and lank looking despite being clean.

Fuel additives work in a similar way. They are not all equal therefore the fuel will be differently affected as will your car engine.

Ultrasonic

Paradigm wrote: »

What irks me is when we have Main dealers telling customers that it's "supermarket fuel wot done it guv" when clearly it isn't.

Absolutely. Unless cars are sold with manuals that explicitly state that supermarket fuel should not be used (which would obviously never happen) then this comes back to the engine not being fit for purpose argument above. (Or dealers just making up excuses for something totally unrelated .)