quantumjohn
Member Since: 16 Sep 2008
Location: London
Posts: 345
  
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I have a friend who drives tankers for Shell and has also driven for BP.
Shell is the only company to use different tanks for it's different fuels i.e. the V power versions of petrol and diesel come out of different tanks.
BP put the same fuels in their ordinary pumps as those used for ultimate.
BP supply Sainsburys fuel stations.
Tesco trucks have BP cards.
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 17th Jan 2009 1:32 am |
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Jimbob Squarepants
Member Since: 27 Oct 2007
Location: Miles Away from Home
Posts: 1063
 
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I filled up with Total Excellium when in France and noticed an improvement in engine performance (nothing tangible it just seemed smoother and better) and MPG.
I have filled up twice with it in Brtain - the first time it was good, the second time it was just the same as 'normal' fuel.
I stopped using Shell after being insulted by their customer relations people. Too much intellectual firepower can damage your common sense.
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| 17th Jan 2009 2:13 am |
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crews control
Member Since: 18 Mar 2007
Location: Dorset
Posts: 5011
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Quote:BP put the same fuels in their ordinary pumps as those used for ultimate.
Wow - can anyone confirm that? - it would be a major story of national interest if true... 2005 D3 HSE
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| 17th Jan 2009 3:40 pm |
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Roel
Member Since: 16 Aug 2008
Location: home
Posts: 1215
 
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I have heard that before. Small petrl station that don't have enough different tanks. They can get away with it if they sell the premium stuff also for the normal price. They cannot do it they other way around. Roel
1997 Camel Trophy Disco ex-P101JWK (traded it for a Britains 42101)
1984 90 TD5
2005 G4 Disco 3 BN55WPT
Also member of club MTR
and Club Faultmate
Interested in my 4x4 history see my website: www.mudmachine.webklik.nl
Sorry it's in Dutch and with google translator it gets funny.
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| 17th Jan 2009 4:56 pm |
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ChemicalJasper
Member Since: 19 Jun 2008
Location: Lincolnshire
Posts: 48
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There are only a handfull of Refineries in the UK and a limited Distilate pool from which Diesel is drawn (the UK is a net importer of Diesel).
Diesel is a blend of distilates, usually at minimum cost to meet the minimum specification. Diesel will change from blend to blend (batch to batch) and with season e.g. cloud point (water content) which is higher during the summer.
Generally as a 'comodity' all the companies use the local depot to fill up (ESSO, BP, Shell, Jet, Rix, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons etc etc), all taking the same basic diesel, coming out of the same product tank, the only difference being the customer spcific additives.
I'm fairly sure BP would not be illeagally mis-selling fuel, though concievably it could be done how Roel sugests, but with such small margins at the pumps I would have thought it unlikely they would sell a premium fuel at standard prices and would have just offered a single diesel product pump. Don't worry..... it only seems Kinky the first time you do it!
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| 24th Jan 2009 12:08 am |
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quantumjohn
Member Since: 16 Sep 2008
Location: London
Posts: 345
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crews control wrote:Quote:BP put the same fuels in their ordinary pumps as those used for ultimate.
Wow - can anyone confirm that? - it would be a major story of national interest if true...
Yes, I can confirm this in an unofficial, word of mouth capacity.
However, I know that over time petrol deteriates in quality - it's RON rating decreases. So although the tankers could be filled from the same giant refining tank depending on when they add it to the respective pump at the forecourt the claim of different RON's could be correct.
I was purely talking about the refinery tanks that the tankers are filled up from - not the tanks in the forecourt as Roel mentioned.
John
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| 26th Jan 2009 2:51 pm |
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crews control
Member Since: 18 Mar 2007
Location: Dorset
Posts: 5011
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Sorry, I've read this a few times now and have become confused...
So it's the fuel going into the refinery tanks that's the same, prior to blending or adding additives? I presume the fuel going to forecourts is actually different then - otherwise we'd still have a major story here...
 2005 D3 HSE
2011 D4 Landmark
2016 D4 HSE Lux
2017 Ford Tourneo VR46
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| 26th Jan 2009 6:03 pm |
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ChemicalJasper
Member Since: 19 Jun 2008
Location: Lincolnshire
Posts: 48
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....the local refinery collects the various distillate run down streams into various distillate tanks. The distillate tanks are then blended into an export tank or distribution tank for onward movements - rail, road etc
As various customers draw diesel from the final large tank(s) into say road tankers, additives are then blended into the stock Diesel, for example many of the 'added power' diesels have Cetane added as this helps the Cetane number (a measure of a fuel's ignition delay), the higher cetane in the fuel, the shorter ignition delay  are you still awake? along with various other things, brand specific 'detergents' etc, to meet the specification of the individual brands. Don't worry..... it only seems Kinky the first time you do it!
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| 27th Jan 2009 2:30 pm |
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B16 KJR
Member Since: 10 Jul 2006
Location: Rosyth, Fife
Posts: 3005
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Watched Fifth Gear last night and they concluded that Shell V Power and BP Ultimate produced 6bhp more from the Renault test car than from standard supermarket diesel.
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| 27th Jan 2009 2:54 pm |
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ChemicalJasper
Member Since: 19 Jun 2008
Location: Lincolnshire
Posts: 48
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That will be the added Cetane! Don't worry..... it only seems Kinky the first time you do it!
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| 27th Jan 2009 10:17 pm |
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crews control
Member Since: 18 Mar 2007
Location: Dorset
Posts: 5011
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Thanks ChemicalJasper, far from bored, now I get it.
 2005 D3 HSE
2011 D4 Landmark
2016 D4 HSE Lux
2017 Ford Tourneo VR46
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| 28th Jan 2009 12:40 am |
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AndrewW
Member Since: 06 Aug 2007
Location: Saddleworth
Posts: 2302
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The cetane bit is why I use Miller's Sport 4 with similar benefits (posted elsewhere).
Now buying it at half price in 5L tubs at
http://www.wilcodirect.co.uk/index.php?mai...ts_id=3394
despite the piccie being the 500ml dispenser.
5 litres treats 5000 litres of diesel = 25-30k miles
(No connection other than as a customer...) 2006 D3 finally swapped for a 2016 D4 Graphite in Graphite grey. No mods
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| 28th Jan 2009 1:26 am |
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John Fair
Member Since: 03 Jan 2008
Location: Horning Norfolk UK
Posts: 178
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I used to work for a major oil company driving tankers and can confirm that additives are metered in on the loading gantrys to the formula of your own company. It is partly true that sometimes you will get V power for example at the normal derv pump but that is because of production/supply problems and the company is happy to put it in rather than let the forecourts run dry until the production/supply problem is overcome. I can assure you you will never get it the other way around ie cheaper fuel put in dearer tanks as it is against the law and major companys will not run the risk agains there good name. That is not to say that some cowboys are not topping up there own tanks with any form of rubbish eg kerro but im afraid that cowboys are in all forms of business. You will find that in some areas of the country better fuels are available due to logistics but thats the luck of the draw. There are so many urban myths about fuel it is unreal. This is fact.
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| 28th Feb 2009 10:55 pm |
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BLFarrar
Member Since: 02 Aug 2006
Location: Deepest, Dankest, Darkest, Dingiest......Le Halifax, West Yorkshire...with strong links to Ireland
Posts: 6222
 
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I've tried V Power in all the vehicles I drive
Disco 3 - maybe a bit bit more oomph from 30 to 50 - no better litres/km (sorry mpg) in around town running - but on the Motor way at 70 ish ++ there is far more oomph
On SWMBO's Jag S type - V power makes a whole bunch of difference - at all speeds especially at quick overtakes & on a longish journey W.York's to Weymouth the whole performance improved.....consumption about the same
VW Golf + with DSG - (which the Coy pay for fuel) V power makes a difference mainly when about town driving - the whole thing is mega zippy & nippy - others who drive this car have commented that "its driving well"
Whether V Power gets into Sainsbury's tanks doesn't seem logical as when I have filled any of these vehicle up I haven't noticed a change or the change when having bought at Shell stations BREXIT - done properly.
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| 28th Feb 2009 11:24 pm |
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