PETROL STATION MYTH BUSTING - IS SUPERMARKET FUEL SAFE, and other questions answered!

[@JayEmmOnCars]

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[@davemonday5381]

Alex mentioned bio going off like yogurt. It goes off more like milk. 1 to 3 months and there’s the gunked up carbs varnishing rotten hoses and seals water in steel petrol tanks sinks to the bottom of the petrol tank and rots it’s way through the bottom go on any classic car / bike forums ask what they think of modern shockingly bad pump fuels I’m not sure they’ll agree with Alex never believe the guy selling you something buyer be-where. Why isn’t there a E zero/ ethanol free fuel for classic cars / bikes at the petrol stations ⛽️ is it because they want to ruin classic vehicles to get them off the road it certainly looks that way. If you get Alex on again ask some relevant questions like exactly how long does E fuel really last. Why does it perform 20% less than leaded. And it cost at least 20% more for 20 % less with 20 % less performance. He’s a good salesman but he’s a salesman just the same. I work on a lot of engines so I’m real world . Not willy wonka land. But he was interesting but next time connect him up to a lie detector machine. Just saying. I have to take the ethanol out the fuel replace it with octane buster with the detergents and other things to make it safer for my engines. Hey what do I know. Only been racing 40 years.

[@UcanDoit-kl2rn]

Shame on you for promoting CarVertical. The biggest scam there is 😡

[@martinmcgoldrick1357]

The man looks positively cold.

[@devd6373]

i like the interrogation technique of putting him in the shed with no heating. really get to the truth 10/10 journalism

[@chalky55]

Brilliant!

[@adogmcdizzle]

Hilarious

[@ntq1ty]

The only trouble was his E10 fuelled car wouldn't start after the below -20C interrogation and he's still there

[@stevipop]

I'm watching the video, thinking exactly that, paused it, scrolled down two comments and spat my bear all over the monitor. Cheers!

[@-YELDAH]

inventing a condensation based lie detector

[@TheSaabClinicUK]

Engine Tuner here. I do around 30,000 development miles per year, every year. As part of this i also test fuels for my various remaps, but in general mostly SuperUnleaded grades here in the UK. I data log each journey and can measure Brake Specific Torque and knock detection counts. The worst of all is BP Super, its pants. Then Esso Super not far behind. Tesco99 comes in at No.2 and No.1 always is Shell Vpower99 as the best performing fuel. I also find that in economy tests, Shell regular 95 E10 gives the best MPG. Thats my findings anyway, with over 100,000 miles logged ECU testing.

[@ButterWaffen]

Whats the performance difference between BP super and vpower usually? is the difference noticeable on stock engines or does a tuned one show more of a difference?

[@PaulB-q3d]

My 350z wanted RON 95 if memory serves and she’ll V Power (based on my research at the time) was the only fuel in the UK that met that standard. Their prices plus 22mpg was punishing but I loved that car.

[@oliverlanchester2632]

Used v power for years, tried all the other and always found it performed the best.

[@DominicLeung87]

@@ButterWaffen Just succeptibility to knock. When you buy 98 or 95 or whatever, it's not EXACT. There's some margin of error that is acceptable. so 95 could be 95 +/- 1 or something. But certain companies CONSTANTLY operate on one end of that range. Furthermore, octane ratings are measured (either AKI, MON, RON, doesn't matter) in a scenario that is VERY different to what actual engines operate at. RON tends to be "less stressful" than MON and BOTH fall wildly short of where actual engines operate at. Both RON and MON standards use a test engine at a fixed RPM and vary compression ratio to determine knock resistance (MON adds variable ignition timing as well). They do this at like 600 and 900rpm respectively though which clearly isn't where automotive engines operate. The test is standardized but if the testing condition isn't well matched to the use case, the test results may not be very useful in determining performance in actual use. It's quite possible for a sample to test relatively well against some reference in labratory conditions but not as well in real world conditions.

[@benpenagonzales6014]

I feel like shell v power is better than the others. Even the X5 gets a tank of it twice a year and the 996 NEEDS it.

[@darrylwebb3625]

So much fascination watching an enthusiastic and knowledgeable man share his knowledge from a shoddy chair in a chilly garage.

[@-YELDAH]

the right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world.

[@lptomtom]

"Shoddy" is an understatement, the man owns Ferraris and yet uses this sorry excuse for a chair?

[@OneFatStatue]

Pistonheads - Mumsnet but with cars. Ooof! 😆

[@AlexRoebuck]

The usual quote is that Mumsnet is Pistonheads for women.

[@frankraw9991]

I know there's an infinite supply of babies, but is fuel oil infinite? Where does it come from? Is it a mineral which the planet is geologically generating? Or was everyone brainwashed by the Rockerfellers who said it was from fossilised plants? Scientists like Australian Ian Plimmer and Canadian Patrick Moore, and many other uncorrupted scientists say that there is NO Climate Emergency anyway and that we are being scammed.

[@0tispunkm3y3r]

Fighting words! But not far off true 😂

[@The-Sea-Dragon-1977]

Reader’s cars is the safe haven. Lots of the site in inhibited by pub bores who like arguing more than they like cars. I avoid those bits. (PH user since 2010).

[@ZZDavidJRZZ]

PH is an absolute toilet of a website.

[@laser-sj]

Get a heater in that garage 😂

[@linkin543210]

Or just leave the car on and save money?

[@psmithard]

Savings the environment. One electric bar at a time.

[@gameandmodsreview2447]

​@@linkin543210 you mean in the garage? I would highly advise against it. Generally, it might be ok, but if you forget and/or are drunk, the CO build up may kill you. There were cases like this around the world, so be careful

[@riggs1590]

If you can't sleep, listen to this.

[@linkin543210]

@ you're fun at parties..

[@brianiswrong]

I tried the drinking game with " essentially " passed out and died after 8 mins

[@linkin543210]

Should’ve drank v-power

[@jamesf8864]

Haha I had to end the video, essentially. Couldn't take it anymore!

[@stevemason4753]

Try it again with "what happens is" 😂

[@johnniek72]

@@jamesf8864 same here so irritating.

[@Plectognath]

I’m just trying to get through the last 10mins and you’ve shattered my concentration.

[@brendonoleary519]

More like this please, James. Great to see you drive things but longer chats with interesting guests are also welcome.

[@hpterrick]

The comment that left me so stunned that I was unable to focus on rest was that the UK has virtually no refining capacity. So that means if there is a problem in Rotterdam (fire, flood, pestilence or war) we will have less than a week of stored capacity. So now as well as not producing our own steel, not growing enough food, not having enough medical capacity etc we can add a lack of fuel in a crisis. Call me a Cassandra but has no one heard of 'strategic supply chains'?

[@michaelyounes29]

Great Britain from an industrial perspective is on it's arse.

[@adrianneill5014]

If we fall out with France, the lights go off too... Industrial revolution to eff all in four generations...

[@adrianneill5014]

"the private sector has got this"... So no forward investment since 1979... Why should they when shareholders can skim off the top..

[@N13CRM]

Bullshit the UK has 5 refineries still operating

[@paulhayes5793]

@@N13CRM agreed. And many Uk trading estates and factories / workshops / farms cracking on as always and proud of our country. Can’t say the same for labour and conservative 😂

[@obi-wankenobi7160]

It must be cold in that room, you can see his breath

[@MasterofNRG]

The force is strong with this one.

[@ignacehelsen7609]

Well how strong? ​@@MasterofNRG

[@lnomgaudas1307]

Dude just breathes fire!

[@samwiseknows]

Looks like it's the garage...

[@MIK23458]

The cooling fan in place makes me chuckle. 😂

[@Hali88]

Summary of what he said: most fuel is the same so the cheapest will generally be the best value i.e. supermarket. Shell VPower is the only premium fuel that's made in a different way to normal fuel. E10 fuel may go bad if you leave it for years.

[@chrisogrady28]

Basically essentially

[@Bob.martens]

@ E10 fuel goes 'bad' in months.

[@volt8684]

Months

[@sugerbear586]

I knew a fuel tanker driver and that is basically what he said. Shell vpower vs the rest.

[@dougalmacguire9749]

i think youre missing the point.... we're importing fuel and he says our fuel is coming from other countries. we are bound to their fuel prices. a lot of nonsense by bypassing the fact we no longer allowed to use our own resources beneath us to off set this net zero crap!!

[@ollycollie]

Very enlightening. And surprisingly, what he said confirmed that when I worked in a petrol station almost forty years ago, the tanker driver who told me about how the supply system worked wasn't bullshitting me, it was pretty much precisely the same.

[@sheldonlamey7010]

That's the happiest oil Guy I've ever seen.

[@thomasjohns13]

That was really good. Other than the bits with you in that you clearly filmed after he left 😆

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Shhhhh

[@thomasjohns13]

@@JayEmmOnCars😆❤

[@SiggiTh]

This has to be some of the most interesting and informative bit of content that I've seen recently. Very well done, kudos!

[@TheChrysler56]

Being an ex fuel tanker driver for 38 years I can say, hand on heart it’s only the different additives different oil companies use. The refinery I used to load out of is called Lindsey Oil Refinery (LOR) In Killingholme near Grimsby N.E. Lincolnshire. Esso, shell, BP, Gulf use this refinery also along most of the Supermarket brands and even some unbranded companies, Certas Energy, Turners, West Cumberland Farmers (WCF) Oil Max etc etc. We all load from the same loading arms on the same gantry, most oil companies have an additive key they insert before they start loading which injects measured amounts of additive into the fuel as it’s being pumped into the tankers. We had two keys, an additive key and a non additive key. That was 5 years ago now so things may have moved on from those days. Edited……forgot about poor service station management and maintenance. The underground tanks have been known to contain water and rust particles that will contaminate your vehicles engines.

[@robsmith1a]

I don't think I'd ever put cheap supermarket electricity in an EV

[@EleanorPeterson]

If you run it on solar-generated electricity, be sure only to use the right kind of Sun. The English stuff is pretty lame, so make sure you use sunshine from Kakamega in Kenya or Alice Springs in Australia; it's much more wholesome. Don't use Norwegian midnight sunshine, and avoid the tabloid Sun like the plague.

[@xyz-md2mv]

​@@EleanorPeterson🙂

[@xyz-md2mv]

😊

[@julianthompson9824]

You need some of those gold plated plugs the audio clowns use 😂

[@dlevi67]

Don't worry, in the UK there is no such thing as cheap public electricity. Even at the supermarkets, charges are well above 40p/kWh

[@drumpaul1347]

The 'Essentially' drinking game. Absssssolutely pickled. Thanks.

[@MuscleBandit]

Haha !!

[@chrisogrady28]

Basically

[@ComeJesusChrist]

I ran an old, non-turbo 108D Vito van on vegetable oil/diesel mix to keep viscosity acceptable around fifteen years ago, when vegetable oil was half the price of diesel. It was all legal, we had to keep a register of what we used and in the end, I sold the van, so I didn’t have long experience, but the van ran well. Diesel was originally developed to run on peanut oil as I remember, so I’m sure that we are kept from many affordable ways to run our engines.

[@HenOnWheels]

Never before have I heard what a smile sounds like, until Alex began talking!

[@gregcym]

Wow - A person on the internet who comes across as honest, trustworthy and knowledgable! Really interesting video James and Alex seemed like a good bloke!

[@johndrake3731]

Oh Vey !

[@Rocketed12]

Tesco 99. Always used it in a broad range of sports cars I've owned the past several years.

[@davidlongman2341]

Hats off to the guest for appearing to remain cheerful despite being forced to endure about 2c degrees in garage. Hope you gave him a nice hot drink after.

[@conradpurcell3164]

Entirely anecdotal but my 15 year old diesel Range Rover was in all kinds of trouble until I switched to BP/Shell premium diesel (what they sell locally) and the engine is totally cleared out - injectors cleared and it’s as sweet as a nut

[@jezpayne3245]

I always use BP ultimate in my 17 year old diesel Discovery 3 and it runs beautifully. If I use Tesco diesel, the engine sounds a lot rougher, feels sluggish in comparison & does about 2mpg less. Weird if it’s all the same stuff!

[@T_Perkins]

Modern VW 2l here - the idle at cold is night and day just between regular Esso and the 'orange supermarket' (I like the latters food. Good for an all round shop but the car fuel is not as good as the human fuel)

[@MDendura]

I had the same with my old 125d. Using supermarket fuel totally gunked it up but the premium Shell diesel cleaned it out nicely and kept it that way

[@graham197103010]

Yep my E39 530d M57 `mapped` only takes v-power or injectors start carboning up losing 1 cylinder at a time!😊

[@lolmeercatz10]

I'm the same, had an MR2 that was a bit chokey on startup and I switched to Vpower and it went away on that fill up, never looked back and put it in all my cars.

[@theodricaethelfrith]

I wasn't gonna watch it, but then I did, and I'm glad I did. Bravo

[@snoopy10411]

I was a very early member of the piston heads forums many years ago and I remember my mum being concerned that I was spending time on a website called 'pissed on heads' 😂

[@trevorclarey3336]

I drove private hire cars for 13 years , from day one I kept a note of my mpg & what garage I bought my fuel Petrol & diesel from , also my friends did the same & I can tell you 100% some fuel you get better mph & we were finding some rough garages you had running problems after filling up there it was " always " the same garages , when you are doing up to 1,000 miles a week it stands out more than somebody who just uses their car for work etc .

[@blow0me]

I used to do a couple of thousand miles a week. Supermarket fuel almost always seen around 10-15% more fuel usage for a given range. On branded fuel usually 450 miles a tank, often supermarket would just about hit 400.

[@davidhouston5577]

Been in the fuel business for the last 38 years. The simple way to understand the difference between branded fuel (ie Esso, Shell, BP) and supermarket fuel is to think of a gin and tonic. The gins the same, but the supermarkets use their own branded tonic whereas the majors (your Esso’s Shell’s and BP’s) use the higher end stuff, fever tree etc.

[@paul1978g]

Always nice to have an actual experienced insight on these things, Thanks for taking the time Alex, and you for arranging it James! See you down the pub on Sunday.

[@brendanpells912]

A former colleague who used to drive petrol tankers said the only difference between fuels is the additives added at the filling station. He carried around plastic sachets of additives that he had to slit open and add to the bulk fuel before pumping it out. I almost always use supermarket diesel and not had any issues with it.

[@mdbaewy]

Someone give the man 50p for the meter.

[@oojimmyflip]

I think it is so cold judging by the steam coming from his breath, he will probably need to spend it on a pee😂

[@hungrysurfer9471]

20 odd years ago a litre of asda value cooking veggy oil was just 38p per litre if you bought a 5 litre container. I ran an old Saxo 1.5d on a blend of 70% veggy oil and 30% diesel for over 100,000 miles without any trouble. I added an oil pre heater inbetween the tank and fuel pump that cost £50 on ebay. It used some hot water from a pipe before the radiator to pre heat the oil/diesel and a 12v electric heater when water was too cold in the first few mins. Car exhaust smelt like a fish and chips shop. Engine had more mid range punch with veggy oil.

[@MrReese]

This guy was put on ice, the cold air coming out of his mouth as a dramatic effect was amazing :D.

[@gzk6nk]

Fascinating! I always use V Power and have for many years in my cars and bikes. Nice to know your fuel expert does the same! It would have been good to hear more about hydrogen; blue hydrogen is a fossil fuel (which may be why the oil companies like it - they can make it from natural gas) and green hydrogen isn't polluting but costs an arm and a leg to produce (by highly inefficient electrolysis), and with the immense pressures and super low temperatures required to store and distribute it leakage and boil-off losses are high. But - very well done for finding such a interesting fuel expert who presents comprehensively and so well for your video. More like this please! Vince C

[@iancoggin6126]

Never been here before and this is the best KZbin content I have seen in ages. Listening to a man that has such a passion and in depth knowledge of his world is a joy. But yep get a diesel heater..

[@stephendavies6949]

More of this sort of content, please James. I learned a great deal from both your guest and some of the informed comments. Garage setting is much improved.

[@Mickulty]

Brilliant non-answer on the matter of fuel companies caring about the environment. Absolutely textbook. Long and fluffy way of saying "no, they care about money, but oil will run out at some point and they would quite like to keep doing business". Bravo.

[@intenzityd3181]

Carbon isn't a pollutant or greenhouse gas, this is clear and people in the know understand this and get frustrated with clueless grifters using pseudo science to promote batteries which ARE bad for the environment. ESG is morally bankrupt too, it's bewildering that anyone defends it given the damage it has done to nations and economies. But hey guardian readers can't be helped.

[@RichardHarrold1991]

We're still a very long way from ever running out of oil. There are even some scientists who claim the earth is generating more oil through abiogenesis. And the simple reality is that, even if markets like the EU go 100% BEV for passenger cars and short-range delivery vans, we will STILL need diesel for commercial and industrial applications. And we are nowhere near even a majority of passenger cars going BEV. Only 4% are.

[@alexgoalby9485]

@@Mickulty Yeah my thoughts exactly.

[@gavinearls2935]

It's a non answer but it's the most honest answer he could have given while being, within probably his contract and pr boundaries, so at least he was honest

[@thegreenkeeper2537]

Oil won't run out. The earth creates it.

[@codemonkey181]

What a straight talking guy, brilliant. Well done for organising this James!

[@SM321-k6i]

I’ve been driving in London for more than 30 years and have had a lot of 3 litre diesel cars either BMW or Mercedes. I always used cheaper supermarket fuel thinking how can it be any different? I switched to main brands for a couple of months just as an experiment. No exaggeration the engine was smoother at idle and just felt tighter. The economy slightly improved too and since that day I have NEVER fuelled up at a supermarket. I use V Power in my BMW motorcycle and regularly achieve better MPG on tour with my mates who persist with supermarket fuel.

[@douglasreid699]

its cost vs gain. the big names in fuel will have a better quality fuel because they cant lie about it to the consumer, it needs to be better than the basic standard for the UK. but how much more does it cost you vs what you gain from it? you should get slightly better economy from the premium fuel but if you are spending 20p per litre more but only getting 5p per litre extra range, thats rather expensive overall when compared to less range from supermarket fuel but its cheaper, the ratio is likely to be a better cost vs gain for the supermarket fuel. i bought a motorbike in 2021 because of e10 fuel and the uncertaintys of it, it can run on both fuels. where i can i put e5 in it as it can sit for long stints without running like during winter as e5 is less likely to go off than e10, i do enjoy the extra range when going somewhere i dont know so i have the back up miles from the extra mpg, and it does run smoother, but its 15p to 20p more expensive than e10 and i know its a higher cost for less gain overall, but i do it because i want the fuel to last longer and not gum up the fuel system. the other thing on mpg is your riding style and how you use the throttle compared to your mates, difference in motorbikes and the maintenance of each motorbike. the premium fuel should see you get more mpg over the supermarket fuel, but if your riding style is more eco than the other guys then that too will give you better mpg as well. end of the day, its your money, you spend it how you like, but everyone has a different cost vs gain, and your mates possibly see its too much of a cost for its gain to use Vpower.

[@clinteastwood8222]

@@douglasreid699and engine protection. I find my car regenerates a lot less on v power diesel

[@douglasreid699]

@@clinteastwood8222 if you want engine protection, change your engine oil every 6000 miles. My mum had a company car new vw Passat, she would put 120k miles in 3 to 4 years on it, followed the 20k service intervals and by 80kmiles it sounded like a bag of bolts. At around the same time i bought a second hand vauxhall combo with 45k miles in 2009 to 2015, i changed the oil ever 6k miles, and it had 145k miles on it when i sold it, the engine was still sweet on the thing. I also only used morrisons fuel in that van, maybe an odd once a year to shell or bp for their standard fuel if not able to use morrisons. V power diesel has a bit of a cleaning agent in it to help less carbon build up, but i find regular oil changes are far better for engine protection than expensive fuel, possibly cheaper long term but i do my own oil changes when i can to save money. My 2 mk7 transits have made it to 125k and 135k miles with 6k mile oil changes but they were both written off at around those milages. The turbo did blow on the 135k one around the 130k plus mark, but it was a higher hp engine and the last oil change i left it closer to 10k miles as i had changed house and didnt have the space or time to make the oil change myself, but it could just be the age of the turbo. Spend your money how you like, i know what i prefer to choose.

[@brianliggett9087]

yes only drivers that as long as wheels are turning cant tell the difference between market rubbish and the best premium fuels .

[@sirengalot6039]

You coud have put the heating on for the poor man 😂

[@patricklight9601]

What an interesting interview. I hate wasting time refuelling, and always go to the nearest petrol station when I am running on fumes, and hope the first set of pumps I reach dispenses “super” which I hope delays my return by a few extra miles.

[@catkin1671]

As a learner driver, I really appreciate this. The test and learning experience are set up to get you through the bare minimum but I want to treat my cars well and keep them on the road for as long as possible and when you have no idea what you're doing, it's easier to find utter gumption than actually useful information like this

[@douglasreid699]

some advice if you want it, learn to change the oil in your car by yourself and change it every 6000 miles, 10,000miles at the most. my step dad is ex RAF, he taught me to do oil changes, told me that oil only lasts 6000 miles before its broken down so much and its only any additives in the oil going through the engine. i have had several vans since 2009 where i changed the oil regularly and all those vans got to 120k to 145k miles before i either sold the van or it was written off in an accident or collision. buying fuel, its about cost vs gain. supermarket fuel is cheap and simple, if you change engine oil regularly the fuel is fine, i use supermarket fuel all the time, not had a problem i remember of. i did work to renovate an office area for a company called Nustar, they store the fuel for the supermarkets, it comes in on big ships, they fill the tanks, lorrys fill up and deliver it to the stations. the guys that work there take samples and make sure the fuel is not contaminated as thats a lot of money it would cost them if their tank was contaminated. bp and shell premium fuel will give you a gain, some clean the engine, they burn better so less carbon build up in the engine, but its expensive to purchase, thats where cost vs gain comes in. is it to your worth it to have premium fuel over supermarket fuel? i aim to use the fancy fuel once a month in my current van because its a 21 plate, with less than 40k miles, most vans i bought in the past had 80k plus miles on them. but from my experience oil changes are more important than what fuel you put in. with regular oil changes you will most likely find other parts of the car will start to fail before the engine, thats where cost to gain comes in again if you spend the money to keep the old car going. my previous van i spent £1500 on getting the turbo rebuilt and 2 brand new tyres for a month later someone to run into the side of it and write the van off. at least the insurance gave me a chunk of money for the van. i have know people to spend lots of money fixing an engine then for the car to fail badly for rust to the chassis. regular maintenance is the key to make it last long and at some point after passing your test, take some advanced driving lessons and se the bad drivers before they get you.

[@RavenTeamCharlie]

The rawness of this video is a 10/10. Just jumped in the garage and started filming 👍👍

[@ajdulai8057]

Food just came out the oven, perfect timing

[@ComeJesusChrist]

How many pots, what fuel did you use and how did you do the timing? Was it fast? Instructions unclear…

[@lookinin123]

Super informative, Jay. Keep it up - my wife watched the entire thing with me and she found your guest's knowledge of fuels and the perceptions of the industry very thought provoking.

[@delmilligan4584]

I am a qualified aircraft refueller previously with Airbp,,,, all fuel is the same till the tankers leave the refinery, but ie shell , Bp, put the additives in their own tankers before they leave , so premium is actually better

[@davidellis279]

I only ever buy diesel from my local Tesco and have done for many years,I have been criticised on many occasions by people who only buy from one of the main suppliers,it’s their choice like it’s mine to choose Tesco. Years ago I had a motorbike and was convinced by the blurb about Cleveland Discol and wouldn’t use anything else going miles out of my way to buy it,I grown up now being nearly 80 and are quite happy to purchase fuel and at my local Supermarket because usually they are cheaper than the big name filling stations.

[@sw793]

@@davidellis279 and big supermarkets generally maintain their equipment better than other places.

[@megapangolin1093]

Excellent interview, James. I have learnt more about the industry in half and hour, and this gentleman is truly a star, talking straight, no dodging, no obvious politics. If only the Guardian and all the naysayers would watch things like this. More like this please.

[@UnknownUser-rb9pd]

Many years ago, with a relatively modest powered (150bhp) petrol family hatch back I tried a couple of tanks of premium petrol over supermarket petrol and found that my fuel consumption got worse. Similarly, when I next had a 183 bhp diesel hatchback, I tried the same exercise again with premium diesel fuel and had the same results where my fuel consumption got a little worse. I've only used supermarket fuel since then (apart from a handful of times when travelling) with the caveat that I've never owned a performance car.

[@brianliggett9087]

you probably used the extra performance you get from premium furl , hence bit lower mpg .

[@JustAGameShow]

I have two cars, a 1.6 DCi MK4 Megane Signature, and a 1.8T MK4 Megane RS280. Both are regularly filled with their Shell VPower alternatives. I've had both cars from new. The DCi is a higher milage car at 138k as it's a daily driver to/from work Mon-Fri but with VPower it's smooth and there is definitely a difference compared to standard Shell Fuel save.. I actually do get better performance and MPG on the Vpower. The RS has always had VPower in it, It's cleaner fuel and does what it says on the tin. A friend of mine has a late 2005 Megane RenaultSport 225, it's had nothing but VPower in since he bought it.. He swears by it, in fact his car is still running the original exhaust/cat with how clean it runs in his.

[@kyaldiston7686]

Interesting watch for anyone curious about real world tests, "officially gassed" has a 20 minute video on his channel testing all the different fuels on a calibrated dyno machine, checks the power output of each fuel and each cylinder temp and knock for each fuel. Very in-depth video. I now only use Tesco momentum or vpower thanks yo that video.

[@davidhart2979]

Excellent interview, really interesting, we need more stuff like this, well done James.

[@hungrysurfer9471]

Does anyone know which are the best diesel fuels for longterm engine longevity and also which is best for fuel economy. I found in the past Shell V power diesel added 80km of tank range compared with cheap fuel in a car with an 80 litre tank.

[@simonelliott5956]

Fascinating video, this is so relevant to what’s happening now and the changes that will come in the near future. Absolutely more of this sort of tech video James! Many thanks

[@joedevlin9493]

So the UK is dependent on importing fuel through Europe. Meanwhile Ineos (In receipt of £600 million of Government underwriting to open a plastic factory in Europe) are shutting down Scotland's sole Refinery.

[@BEGGARWOOD1]

Taking back control 😂

[@douglasreid699]

the government dont want to invest in fuels, probably because they want to go eco friendly with batteries. my step dad is a contractor at Ineos Grangemouth, has been for 20 years, he said they have been using the threat to shut for decades so the government kept stepping in to pay and keep the refinery open, keep the people in jobs, this time the goverment said no so its actually shutting down. my step dad is ex raf too, he thinks its silly to let it shut down, the potential for war is high and if you let the staff go, the skills to start the refinery are gone when it is needed most if the country is at war. without fuel the country would likely fall.

[@wonky-World-Wideos]

That was an incredibly interesting talk from someone who obviously understands the business and the environment (pun not intended) within which they work in. I came for the discussion on petrol station fuels and left with a much better understanding of not only the stated topic, but also the overall direction of the energy industry. Thank you.

[@karlos72]

Brilliant video. Thanks for doing this.

[@Chester-UK]

Can’t wait to see how your garage evolves James. More random artefacts needed! But actually this is the best video by far on your channel from the garage, and essentially the best information on the topic I’ve heard. Awesome job. More cold victims please!

[@slow_nick]

Fascinating video. Thanks for uploading it. I watched it until 2 minutes from the end when "AI" was mentioned.... "How AI is going to solve big oil production".... WHAT?

[@tombrehony6277]

You've done well to get this Man on you're Show. Highly informative and easy to understand

[@ColinCarFan]

Interesting chat. Especially the point that the E5/E10 ethanol percentages are limits and the percentage changes dependent on petrol/ethanol prices, so all those tests I've seen with an aim to minimise ethanol and the resultant water take-up are invalid.

[@macphersontube]

That’s not quite true, Esso 99 is guaranteed zero ethanol (the only one in the uk). Legislation requires it to be labelled E5 but they don’t add any ethanol at all.

[@acadiaarchitecture3170]

Thank you. The most informative on the subject I've heard. And confirms many things I started to understand. Wonderful service to us all.

[@Ben-qq6jq]

HVO is 'Hydrotreated' vegetable oil, not Hydrated. You wouldn't want your fuel to be hydrated..

[@sweeney125]

What a great episode - so good to hear an expert view on the internet!

[@Robbo.h00]

The Runway he mentioned where they achieved over 200 miles per hour is Bruntingthorpe Airfield, Leicestershire. It's the longest Runway in UK at over 2 miles long!

[@cajadaj]

Bruntingthorpe longest runway is officially 3000m = 1.86 miles. Heathrow longest is 3900m.

[@jimrichards3916]

Sooooooo nice to see an intelligent person very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about his subject. Contrast Alex against an MP!

[@DjDolHaus86]

He speaks very much like a politician, talks a lot but doesn't actually say much.

[@Andy-xs3ld]

"Essentially" seems to be the key word in the fuel story

[@jonchilds1637]

@@Andy-xs3ld and in France, petrol is ‘L’essence’!!

[@daszieher]

I absolutely love this subject! I'll lean out the window and say, while most diesel fuels are very similar - at least from a regular customer's perspective - I will always take BP/Aral Diesel Ultra. It is hugely different.

[@brianiswrong]

Fuel your own car, pay for the best you can. Fuel a company car and get a telling off for not going to a supermarket Fuel station 😊

[@clinteastwood8222]

I use shell v power diesel. I find my car now regenerates a-lot less and because my engine is cleaner, I find I’m getting better MPG’s. Big fan of shell v power diesel ❤

[@OneFatStatue]

Through trial and error, spending a lot of money in a lot of different fuel stations, I find Esso Synergy Supreme 99+ unleaded the best for my Mercedes SL320 and Porsche Panamera V8. Now, that could be because it's better fuel, or my cars happen to run on it better, or I've subconsciously fallen for some sort of marketing. I will actively seek out an Esso station if I can. And, no, I don't work for Esso!

[@macphersontube]

@@OneFatStatue Esso is the only high octane in the UK guaranteed zero ethanol. It’s the best 👍

[@stanleyleopard6799]

From Esso website: "We currently supply an ethanol-free Synergy Supreme * 99 unleaded in some parts of the UK"

[@ChrisFEJackson]

Love these sideline interviews discussing the wider aspects of all that is motoring. Alex gave a great enthusiastic overview and came across obviously knowledgeable about the fuels etc from his experience. Nice one Jay!

[@KeithJD]

We have sticky label nonsense here in Ireland. The more expensive Petrol and Diesels are marketed as having cleaning and fuel saving properties. They're usually €0.10 dearer per litre.

[@Celica555]

I know quite a few people who live near our border and will definitely drive into Northern Ireland to fuel up their performance cars with Shell V-Power, and even bring some jerry cans back too!!!

[@KeithJD]

@@Celica555 I'd imagine that happens quite a bit. Tuned cars do much better on Shell V Power. Our unleaded isn't particularly good apparently.

[@Celica555]

@@KeithJD No mate, our 95ron isn't too kind to 80's and 90's turbo cars that are tuned to run on 97ron super unleaded, especially if they're from Japan. I put CVL Turbo additive in my Sierra Cosworth everytime I fill up, that's one bottle per 20ish litres, thankfully she hasn't blown up. Interestingly, when Maxol and Applegreen introduced E5 first, it's octane rating was 99ron!!!!! but this was decreased down to 95ron around 2015/16!. CheeRS.

[@Mr330d]

@@Celica555No Shell stations in Ireland or NI

[@Celica555]

@Mr330d Apologies, I should have stated that they "used to" drive into N..I. for their V-power, it's been nearly 10years since I was heavily involved with the Irish RSOC and when travelling to events around the border many drivers would fill up before, during and after shows or drives in and around N.I., especially if you had Cosworth's. CheeRS!

[@aviobrain]

Well, Alex was a brilliant guest! I knew about the industry from my time at BP. He did enthusiastically put the information across, the only thing missed was that a smaller company tends to have a fractionally higher Octane rating in their fuel than the bigger companies because the bigger companies can control their levels more accurately. Now how about a video on oils for lubrication? Mobil One is far to good for most engines!

[@goodfest007]

Need a heater in your garage if your inviting guests - looks freezing 😊

[@546268]

I’ve always said that a range of solutions that suits the end user is the way forward. Great to hear from someone in the industry rather than bob down the pub

[@damindra]

Great Interview!!

[@davelee212]

That was a really interesting video. So all our fuel comes from Rotterdam and is the same where ever you get it from, other than Shell V-Power. Somewhat concerning that northern Europe is so reliant on Rotterdam though! Many years ago, I had months of repeated power issues and months of repeated visits to the main stealer. They eventually replaced the fuel lines, filters and fuel rail (at a pretty significant cost) and told me I should stop buying diesel at Sainsburys. The problem continued, so gave up with the dealer and had it looked at an independent. High pressure pump was diagnosed as the problem within an hour. Nothing to do with "supermarket fuel". Two lessons learnt... Supermarket fuel is fine. Main dealers are only good for basic servicing.

[@Taylor40667]

Should of asked the number 1 questions What does he think will happen to petrol usage in 20 years?

[@TheHitmann069]

I've tried them all. Shell V power is the preferred fuel of my cars. However, after talking to the local garage manager, it seems that for whatever reason, the local Shell Station never have a great deal delivered and sometimes I have to top up at the local Tesco, which has noticeable, negative effects on performance and fuel economy.

[@kennyg4744]

Got a 750cc motorbike I use for my daily commute. Same journey ever day. If buy fuel from Tesco, I get more mpg than fuel from ASDA. When I first discovered this, I did a fuller test. I did 5 consecutive tanks with Tesco and monitored the mpg. I then did the same with 5 consecutive tanks from ASDA. And my test concurred. Better mpg from Tesco fuel. Makes no sense.

[@Hali88]

If Asda and Tesco aren't in the same place, it makes perfect sense, different routes will give different efficiency

[@kennyg4744]

@@Hali88 They are in the same place. Less than quarter mile apart.

[@billmoore7137]

​@@kennyg4744how many more mpg?

[@JonathanGillbanks-r4r]

Great video James - truly informed and informative. FWIW, I remember when I bought my Aston Martin Vantage , the salesman (Rob at Mcgurks) told me to only use V Power. Interestingly, he said that because he was a biker and had noticed that Vpower was the only fuel where his bike exhausts didn’t blacken so he was convinced it burned more cleanly than other fuels.

[@LiquidPinky]

Had a friend who was an aircraft mechanic, they used to sneak some Avgas into their cars. Started first time in winter with no choke (back in the day when you had a choke lever) and the max was the old Shakelton bomber or maritime patrol Shakelton which ran 125 octane. BTW, very interesting episode.

[@AnagramAutoclassics]

Yep, used to do this myself back in the day, as long as refuelers or bowser drivers weren't watching. It was amazing how a drip test used to have a Jerry can to catch it😂

[@daszieher]

AVGAS is heavily leaded! Even the LL (low-lead) version for private aircraft has triple the amount of lead that "leaded premium" would have in the 70's and 80's.

[@rosh_producers]

An avid fan of your channel. Would just like to compliment you on your video production but also, as a sound tech, I just wanted to say how incredible the sound quality is! Credit to you, sir.

[@ianmulley2013]

Very interesting would like to see more videos like this 👍🏻

[@demonkey123]

I used to have motorcycle fuelling issues every time I filled up at a Morrisons here on the north east coast. The fuel was cheap but contained a quantity of salt water. I don’t fuel at that superstore any more. 😉

[@grahammearns5492]

What a great speaker! Answered every question. Engaging manner. Knows his stuff. Brilliant.

[@regiondeltas]

This video is why i try and reserve JayEmm videos for the big TV. What a great watch and another excellent long form video in a sea of ao much low attention crap nowadays

[@VisorView]

Essentially I found this guy almost literate.

[@rogerbyrne9040]

Very interesting. My late father who worked with BP told me what your guest said that the petrol and diesel comes from same storage depots basically for all filling stations. In those days they had Regular and Premium on the petrol. Much of what this guy says has been the case for decades and agree maintenance of filling station tanks etc is key to quality. There is very low profit in petrol/diesel in filling stations who make a lot of their profit on the shop/facilities in it. I was brought up on oil and we had a very good living from it.

[@brendanmccabe8769]

If I hear the word “Essentially” one more time today I think my head will explode

[@SpiritedSundayDrives]

It was, essentially, the only issue with the video.

[@brendanmccabe8769]

@@SpiritedSundayDrives Oh no, my head just exploded ;-)

[@andrewbullman5206]

You will get nused to it.

[@ApothecaryTerry]

Personal thoughts below aside, once this video got off the regular car topics, I think it got really interesting. Good nerdery. Alex is a great guest to have on! Would love to see more, varied, guests in this format (I know this is far from the first!). Still on the fence about the garage studio though, I find having daylight behind a subject an odd way to frame a shot - it's easier for your eyes to focus on the brightest thing in an image, according to my non-expert understanding. I've used Costco 97 and Tesco 99 for years - especially now due to ethanol content - my car gets used every 5 days or so, making ethanol relevant. My Cayman needed new coil packs, because it's a VAG product so of course it did, but I've had no other engine issues since I owned a Fiat in 2008. My current Pug runs well enough to annoy Golf R drivers very consistently, so the fuel is getting me enough power that I'm happy. I've tried VPower and noticed no difference - not entirely surprising, I'm sure it's better, but I don't feel like there's any reason why I would pay the extra for it. Sample size of 1, purely anecdotal evidence, 0 scientific value for a large scale. Commenting due to a combination of algorithm for JayEmm and procrastination for me 😁 Nonetheless, if I can run a 2.5 bar (36 PSI) turbo on a Prince engine, dead-heat a Mk 7.5 Golf R in a straight line (30-100...er, 70 officer) and do that weekly with no issues, I'd say the fuel is doing the job nicely. Not that I swapped a Porsche for a light, LSD-equipped hot hatch to drag race anyone, I'm stupid but not *that* stupid

[@martinburnley1678]

Clever guy.. bu t needs to find get a thesaurus and look up "essentially" 🙂

[@MuscleBandit]

There wasn't one instance whereby he needed to say it yet just as I thought he'd stopped out came another, and another...Essentially.

[@chrisogrady28]

I don't think he's clever, this gave the impression of a below average intelligence person trying really hard to find their words and filling sentences with essentially basically voice filled pauses

[@garethbell22]

Him saying 'Nused' instead of 'Used' made me want to punch the TV! 😂

[@LittleTrader968]

You wouldnt want to argue (discuss) with Alex about fuel - very interesting.

[@simonhemphill9110]

Essentially

[@Skiddins]

I recall, around 25yrs ago when 3 of us were running 4stroke karts for a bit of fun at weekends, we would fill up a Jerry can and the small tanks on the karts themselves. When we went to refill during the day we found several small pieces of wood floating around in the tanks that could only have come from the pumps at the filling stations. It certainly made me very wary of ensuring the fuel filters were replaced regularly on my real cars.

[@XtremeKremaTor]

Shell shares went even more up

[@grumpy2.0]

@@XtremeKremaTor but he essentially said he didn't have that much and or a pension in that company.

[@ISO-guys]

Brilliant video. Refreshing to listen to someone who knows what they are talking about and isn’t pushing a single agenda.

[@Dogsd1ck]

I deliver fuel it’s all from the same tanks in the refinery however we get different additive codes for different customers

[@chriscarbaugh3936]

Additive pack is important

[@gdr38515]

I worked for Shell in the diesel innovation division and this bloke is clearly scientifically illiterate and demonstrates that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. HVO, for example, is hydrogenated vegetable oil or 'hydrotreated' heat-treated with hydrogen and a catalyst because vegetable oils are often highly unsaturated so you hydrogenate all those double bonds to give you an ideally saturated alkane moieties. I could pick the rest apart but I can't be arsed.

[@LawrenceTimme]

Well he's a director not an engineer, so even tho James has said he's an expert, he's an expert at making deals, managing people and being incredibly posh. Not an expert in fuels 😂

[@floriskuipers4925]

Yeah who knew that E10 had "bio" and "organisms" in it and that that causes problems instead of the hygroscopic properties of ethanol leading to higher water content in the fuel -_-

[@johnvigolo4972]

In addition, anyone who knows anything about vegetable oil knows that it is not made or comes from VEGETABLES! It is basically a highly refined/processed cooking oil that is recommended to avoid consuming by all health professionals.

[@martinlaver007]

It would have been interesting to hear a view on the E5 position as well in terms of ethanol content. This is particularly relevant to performance and classic cars My understanding is that there is a significant variance, as a general rule, between E5 in the various manufacturers in terms of content and some even have zero ethanol regularly (regardless of the market price of ethanol). There is also a difference based on geographic location as well, which I’ve never really understood.

[@intenzityd3181]

It still tickles me that so many people were psyoped into thinking vegetable oils are foods