# I feel like I killed my car!!!



## Patman (May 7, 2011)

Thursday I filled up my tank with gas from Kroger(a grocery store that has to sell everything including crappy gas). Today I am now into using the Kroger gas and I feel like I need to get out and push my car! It has no power even with the tune. Before this tank, I was using Shell no power problems. I thought I would save some money 20 cnts a gal. and go with the Kroger gas. Kinda as bad as using Sam's gas! Next time I will just spend the extra $ and get the good stuff!!!!! A lesson learned! Hopefully it burns fast!


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Throw some Gumout Regane or Chevron Techron Concentrate into the tank. Might as well clean the fuel system while it's burning off...


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## Eiolon (Feb 29, 2012)

I am using Kroger (Fry's) brand gas and do not notice a difference. Then again, I am only on my second tank (first tank was dealer filled) and I drive my car like its going to break.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

Who knows what brand of gasoline is in a Kroger tank. I'd bet it is different for every town Kroger is in. I can't recall what was on the truck that was filling the Kroger station near me, but I didn't recognize the name on the trailer.


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...'*dregs*' from whatever tanker has something left-over to sell at lowest price to Kroger.


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## steve333 (Oct 23, 2010)

Always use Top Tier gas-Shell, Chevron, 76, Texaco.
Never use Mobil, Exxon or no names


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## danimal (Oct 4, 2011)

I use Kroger all the time and have been just fine. Averaging 40+ mpg every tank...


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## rbtec (Feb 3, 2012)

steve333 said:


> Always use Top Tier gas-Shell, Chevron, 76, Texaco.
> Never use Mobil, Exxon or no names


Why not Mobile? It is Top Tier.


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## ErikBEggs (Aug 20, 2011)

Exxon-Mobil sucks. Every time I give it a try Sunoco or Shell outperform the **** out of it.


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## EcoTec (Mar 9, 2012)

Use your kroger card number at shell and you get 10c off a gallon.


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## steve333 (Oct 23, 2010)

rbtec said:


> Why not Mobile? It is Top Tier.
> 
> 
> Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app


Mobil and Exxon are not top tier. No detergents at all. I once put in a tank of Mobil and my car smacked me upside my head


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## thekevin (Feb 21, 2012)

What about Phillips 66, I filled with their premium today at $4.11 a gallon.

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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

thekevin said:


> What about Phillips 66, I filled with their premium today at $4.11 a gallon.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using AutoGuide.com App


Phillips 66 is top tier fuel. Good stuff from what I hear. 

X2 on top tier fuels. There are a few exceptions, Sunoco being one of them, but if its a lot cheaper, ask yourself why. 

I run 93 octane Shell from the exact same station every time I pump gas. Car runs excellently, and believe me, I notice every slight change in the way my car responds.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Don't mention ethanol, can be a bad mix, and mix it is, alcohol and gas does not mix, so end up with a very low octane gas causing detonation, running with spark fully retarded, poor performance, and positively poor economy. Even with a proper mix, still very poor fuel economy.

But why bring your problem here, file a complaint to the source.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

NickD said:


> Don't mention ethanol, can be a bad mix, and mix it is, alcohol and gas does not mix, so end up with a very low octane gas causing detonation, running with spark fully retarded, poor performance, and positively poor economy. Even with a proper mix, still very poor fuel economy.
> 
> But why bring your problem here, file a complaint to the source.


Must be why the tuners hate E85 so much. 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, after all. 

Around me and in the Milwaukee metro area, all that's available is E10. My cars have always run fine on it.


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## rbtec (Feb 3, 2012)

steve333 said:


> Mobil and Exxon are not top tier. No detergents at all. I once put in a tank of Mobil and my car smacked me upside my head


According to the Top Tier website, they are. 


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## JoeyBones (Oct 22, 2011)

I often use my Giant Supermarket club card points to buy their 93 octane (93 is all I put in my Eco).

While I never noticed any ill effects from the cheap gas, I also tend to try and not run more than a half tank of it at a time (I stock up on the Giant brand gas in 5 gal. jugs b/c I usually end up getting it for about $1.00 or more off per gallon, up to 30 gallons at a clip).

So at any given time, my car has a mixture of probably 2/3 tank 93 octane from either BP or Shell, as well as 1/3 tank of the "no-name" Giant brand 93 octane...

My car's engine has performed nicely thus far. I agree that you should file a complaint w/ the place you got the gasoline.

Regards,

Bones


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

EcoTec said:


> Use your kroger card number at shell and you get 10c off a gallon.


I used Kroger 93 octane so that was not it. I had 200+ points 20c off a gallon at Kroger (only reason I used) other wise it would have bought Shell(one of the higher priced in Cincinnati) for the 10c off. I did research Kroger gas and it is who ever the lowest bidder is. "Minivan moms" don't care about performance where I notice every little change. It could have been a couple of things actually: stop and go traffic on Saturday with a bunch of people that ("take the car out") on weekends the AC was on and I was kind of upset(I think my shorts were too tight) LOL. Not to worry my Cruze will "Cruze on" Sorry if I offended any "Minivan moms" or weekend drivers out there.


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## Eiolon (Feb 29, 2012)

Anyone know if QuickTrip or Valero gas sucks?


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Sunoco must have cleaned up their act in the past couple of decades. The last time I filled with Sunoco I had to have my fuel system cleaned out before the car would drive decently again.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Eiolon said:


> Anyone know if QuickTrip or Valero gas sucks?


Gas?? Diesel is good. QuickTrip and Valero are in most truck stops in northern Colorado and Wyoming.


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## SeanM402 (Aug 8, 2011)

70AARCUDA said:


> ...'*dregs*' from whatever tanker has something left-over to sell at lowest price to Kroger.


My dad is a retired tanker truck driver and and my in-laws used to own two gas stations and I can tell you this is not how it works. First off fuel is delivered after it is ordered. The delivery company might be remotely monitoring the stations tanks. Gas is basically the same. It all comes down the pipeline to the terminal and is stored in tanks. You will have several different petroleum companies with their own storage tanks at the terminal. The gas stored in the tanks is pure gas with no additives. The delivery company will load at the company with the best price at that time. When the driver loads his truck they will enter a code for the particular brand of gas station they are delivering to. This will mix the additives in as the truck is loaded. The tanker trailer has 4-5 bulkheads in it and the only way they are going to make multiple deliveries is if they split loads between each bulkhead. Also depending on the size of the deliveries it is going to be difficult to make more than two because you have to take into account the size of each bulkhead, distribution of the load, road weight limits and expansion as the temperature rises. As for sediment, I am sure it is possible to have some show up with a delivery. I am also sure that when they top off the station it is possible they could stir up some already in the tank. That is why each pump and your car have a fuel filter.



Jim Frye said:


> Who knows what brand of gasoline is in a Kroger tank. I'd bet it is different for every town Kroger is in. I can't recall what was on the truck that was filling the Kroger station near me, but I didn't recognize the name on the trailer.


I am sure it is not a national brand of gas as it would then be displayed at the station. It is likely a local petroleum company's additives and that company might even own the delivery company. The company that is delivering the gas to the station is just a random trucking company. My dad used to drive for US Oil Co Inc which is now Kleem Tank Lines. Just to name a few in my area: Title Town Oil, Riiser Energy and Wagner Oil. Also we have Kwik Trip Stations and they deliver to themselves.



Patman said:


> Kinda as bad as using Sam's gas! Next time I will just spend the extra $ and get the good stuff!!!!! A lesson learned! Hopefully it burns fast!


I use Sam's Club gas somewhat regularly with no perceivable difference and it tends to be 10 cents cheaper.


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## steve333 (Oct 23, 2010)

rbtec said:


> According to the Top Tier website, they are.
> 
> 
> Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app


Then something must have changed because previously they weren't. I'm sticking to Shell anyway. Chevron is also good but they tend to be more expensive in my area than Shell


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## Johnny M. (Feb 24, 2012)

Top Tier Gasoline

this is a list of top tier gas retailers


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...the major Texas-to-California gasoline 'pipeline' goes through (actually just south of town) Tucson, AZ, and before I write things, I actually visited the local *Shell* terminal and "asked" them: (a) *how* things were done here, as well as, (b) exactly *how much* *ethanol* they were putting into the gasoline they were delivering to Tucson stations.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

I use shell 91 and every month I add lucus fuel treatment

h3llion


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

This is some of the damage E10 has done to a couple of my vehicles.

View attachment 4226
View attachment 4227


Fuel sender and an fuel pump armature. Really got teed of and sent an email to Jim Doyle with these photos. Since then, several gas stations in north central Wisconsin are now selling top tier ethanol free gasoline. I know about Milwaukee and their E10 rule. That's where my problems started.

Ethanol also took it toll on the RV business, definitely can't use ethanol in those products, that was a quiet correction. Wisconsin is an RV state.

Nine of our ethanol plants are breaking every rule from the federal EPA, that is also kept quiet. When you design a vehicle, first question you ask is what kind of fuel is going to be used. Then design it accordingly, ethanol kind of sneaked in. 04 Cavalier says can use it, but very sparingly, whatever in the **** that means. Cruze is suppose to be more E-10 friendly. I will pay an extra 20-25 cents per gallon not to use it and make darn sure I have enough gas to leave Milwaukee and other cities in that neck of the woods.

Gas also use to be 120,000 BTU's of heat energy, today its anywhere from 96,000 to 106,000 BTU's. Filled up this morning after a trip yesterday with a fillup yesterday morning, gas went up another nickel a gallon since yesterday.

With lower BTU ratings, not really paying $4.15 a gallon, more like $5.20 per gallon. Wonder what kind of gas Lordstown, put in my tank. Got 44.3 mpg, with the crap we are buying here, lucky to get 38.


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...hopefully, those pictures were from your *Cavalier* and not from your *Cruze*...already.


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## rbtec (Feb 3, 2012)

steve333 said:


> Then something must have changed because previously they weren't. I'm sticking to Shell anyway. Chevron is also good but they tend to be more expensive in my area than Shell


I can choose either for the same price. Maybe I wil go with Shell.....


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## rbtec (Feb 3, 2012)

NickD said:


> This is some of the damage E10 has done to a couple of my vehicles.
> 
> View attachment 4226
> View attachment 4227
> ...


Wish I could find E0 gas, but is my area it just isn't readily available.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

rbtec said:


> Wish I could find E0 gas, but is my area it just isn't readily available.





Son lives in New Berlin, tells me the same thing, has to drive some odd 30 miles west on I-94 to get ethanol free gas and gets much better mileage with it. But the extra time and the waste of gas to drive an extra 60 miles isn't worth it. I usually fill up at Kwik Trip in Fond du Lac when driving down there, on US 41 and Johnson Road. But don't think I have to do that with the Cruze. That Kwik Trip is one super busy gas station.

Two sources of buying gas in town is Fleet Farm or Kwik Trip, Kwik seems to be the most consistent, Fleet can either be good or not so good, never know what you are buying. With Baltus running this town, all gas prices are the same. Ha, Fleet gives a 4 cent per gallon discount coupon, but doesn't make that much difference when paying over four bucks a gallon. Got some really bad gas from BP, must be from what they scraped off the gulf.

Have a good friend that swears by Shell, also forget to ask him where he fills up, always got poor mileage with Shell. Now they are advertising adding nitrogen to their gas. 80% of our atmosphere is nitrogen, do you really have to pay 4 bucks a gallon for that stuff?

My boat has a sign on it, do not use ethanol nor methane, some have, and are having major problems. Land' O Lakes is getting rich from corn with their illegal run farms, feel they are running this state, but can get into deep trouble if you make an issue out of this. Wisconsin use to be the best state in the union, what happened? Would move in a second if I didn't have a dozen grand kids here.


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## Beaker (Mar 21, 2012)

steve333 said:


> Always use Top Tier gas-Shell, Chevron, 76, Texaco.
> Never use Mobil, Exxon or no names


Chevron and 76 are hardly what I call top tier. Shell and Texaco sure. Exxon Mobil is fine. Not once have I ever had an issue.

The OP likely got bad gas. It happens. But part of why I don't shop at "discount" gas places. Where I live you might save 2 cents a gallon so I'd rather spend more at a Shell or Sunoco. If 20-30 cents breaks your budget, you're doing it wrong.


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## Beaker (Mar 21, 2012)

sciphi said:


> Must be why the tuners hate E85 so much. 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, after all.


Performance guys and tuners love E85. You can run up to 2-3 points higher compression and get a lot more power. Just your fuel economy will suffer. But the higher the compression, the more efficient the motor becomes. Supercharged and turbo guys love E85 since the ethanol also has a cooling effect.


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## Calintz (Jul 21, 2011)

steve333 said:


> Always use Top Tier gas-Shell, Chevron, 76, Texaco.
> Never use Mobil, Exxon or no names


What about BP? I don't see it on the Top Tier list but I been using it and no problems. Or should just stick with shell or chevron?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Beaker said:


> Chevron and 76 are hardly what I call top tier. Shell and Texaco sure. Exxon Mobil is fine. Not once have I ever had an issue.
> 
> The OP likely got bad gas. It happens. But part of why I don't shop at "discount" gas places. Where I live you might save 2 cents a gallon so I'd rather spend more at a Shell or Sunoco. If 20-30 cents breaks your budget, you're doing it wrong.


76 is a Conoco-Phillips gas station, which is on the Top Tier list. 

I've had a few bad experiences with Exxon Mobil. 



Calintz said:


> What about BP? I don't see it on the Top Tier list but I been using it and no problems. Or should just stick with shell or chevron?


I have a bit of experience with BP and it seems to be decent fuel. I can't complain when I do use it, but it is more expensive. I fill up at the Shell I pass to work every day because its cheaper and it's consistently good gas.


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## ErikBEggs (Aug 20, 2011)

BP and Sunoco are both reputable gas retailers not on the US top-tier list. Coughscamcough. Sunoco wouldn't be the official fuel of NASCAR if they made sh*t gas. Plus, all the turnpikes in the NE carry... SUNOCO at their service stations.


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## cornbreesha (Apr 29, 2012)

I wouldn't buy gas from BP just because of how the Gulf situation was handled, but none are near my area anyways. Out of the list of Top Tier in my city, the only one I have heard of is Mobil. Sunoco is also acceptable? they are closer lol. I have been buying from a car wash in the area that has super cheap gas (cheapest guaranteed for 2 miles), but upon reading this thread I recall seeing an ethanol 10% sign... so that place is out for sure from now on!


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Every time I've filled my tank with Sunoco I've had to get my fuel system cleaned out. I'd rather go with a no-name than Sunoco. As for BP, I wonder if GM didn't list them in the US because they aren't a US company. Are they listed in Europe as a "top tier" gasoline?


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## ErikBEggs (Aug 20, 2011)

cornbreesha said:


> I I have been buying from a car wash in the area that has super cheap gas (cheapest guaranteed for 2 miles), but upon reading this thread I recall seeing an ethanol 10% sign... so that place is out for sure from now on!


Delta Sonic? Please say its not them, LOL. They're fuel is HORRIBLE.



obermd said:


> Every time I've filled my tank with Sunoco I've had to get my fuel system cleaned out. I'd rather go with a no-name than Sunoco. As for BP, I wonder if GM didn't list them in the US because they aren't a US company. Are they listed in Europe as a "top tier" gasoline?


Can't say I've had that problem. Sunoco outperforms Exxon for me. Shell is pretty good, but Sunoco I can get 91 for about $.15 / gal cheaper than Shell V-Power. Exxon blows serious dick though; every time I use it my car loses about 4 MPG


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

I've been using Phillips 66 and can't complain.

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## Skilz10179 (Mar 22, 2011)

ErikBEggs said:


> BP and Sunoco are both reputable gas retailers not on the US top-tier list. Coughscamcough. Sunoco wouldn't be the official fuel of NASCAR if they made sh*t gas. Plus, all the turnpikes in the NE carry... SUNOCO at their service stations.


Just because Sunoco sponsors Nascar doesn't make it good lol! Also, those cars aren't running on pump gas anyway. 

Nothing against Sunoco, just thought your post was funny.


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## Beaker (Mar 21, 2012)

This is why I don't buy gas from places where I don't know where its from. Never know what crap you're going to get. Saving money doesn't always save you money.


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