Is Costco gasoline good? (2012, biggest, regular gasoline, Cadillac)

[hmp10]

Yes, I am aware of the sponsorship deal that exists between Audi and Shell, and I know the baggage that comes with cross-selling tactics, as I worked for a large corporation for many years that had a very aggressive consumer finance division.

However, I do take seriously the admonition to use only a Top Tier fuel in the R8. And it just happened that Shell stations were the most convenient ones to me where I lived in Chicago (except for one BP station that routinely charged the highest prices in all of Chicago). So I formed the habit of using Shell whenever I could . . . and was admittedly made more comfortable by the fact that Audi specifically endorsed Shell as a good fuel for the car.

Regarding pricing, while the average price of a major brand will almost certainly be higher in an area than the average price of the discount brands, there is considerable variation from station to station of the same brand in the same town. In both Chicago and Florida, I have found price gaps as wide as 7 cents a gallon between Shell stations that are a few miles apart. And the price of a discount brand near an interstate interchange was often inside that gap.

Where I now live in Florida, the most convenient station to me is a Mobil station, which I had been avoiding because Mobil was not on the Top Tier list when I moved down here about a year ago.

As it happened, this thread caused me to look up the Top Tier list for the first time in more than a year, and guess what? Mobil is now on the list. So I'm going to start filling up there as well as at Shell stations (of which there are considerably more in our area for some reason).

But a question for you, Cali . . . .

Do you, too, hold the view that all gas at the point of final sale is identical, regardless of brand, or that when one buys gas at a Shell station one may or may not be getting the detergent additives Shell advertises depending on which fuel was cheaper from the distributor the day the station put in the order?

[Woof]

Originally Posted by Cali BassMan

Wow lots of differing information here.
I have worked for a Bay Area Oil refinery for over 30 years now, in this area we have 5 oil refineries. Including 3 majors Shell, Chevron, and Conoco-Phillips and 2 independents, Valero and Tesoro.
We all use the Kinder-Morgan pipeline to ship various fuels to different terminals through out the west.
In California all the fuel recipes including diesel are governed by CARB (CAlifornia Air Resources Board).
Additives must be added and meet minimum standards and they are added at the rack.
Some of us have some really great marketing deptartments though...
oh and contracts with say Audi to recommend our fuels in thier cars for products and or cash......

Yeah, there are some things like ethanol and deposit control that are governed by that Board, but that's in addition to the proprietary cleaners that the different brands have. I think it amounts to being a little stricter than the federal standards, but still the premium gasolines would probably have more than the basic requirements. That's just a guess though, I haven't gone through this site yet: Enforcement of Gasoline Deposit Control Additives

I'm often using a higher octane gas than the regular my old van was designed for, since it lurches or knocks when going uphill on highways sometimes. It seems to help a bit to use a higher octane gas. So I get the middle grade at Chevron - I figure that if I pay 10 cents more per gallon, that's equivalent to a $1.50 octane booster like one of the STP products per 15 gallons . Seems like a good deal.

[PDD]

Originally Posted by Botev1912

It is 20-30 cents cheaper than Shell and Chevron. How is the gas there?

That gasoline is no good it is made in backyard stills just like moonshine. At least that's what I have heard people say. But they could be wrong.

[Cali BassMan]

Originally Posted by hmp10

But a question for you, Cali . . . .

Do you, too, hold the view that all gas at the point of final sale is identical, regardless of brand, or that when one buys gas at a Shell station one may or may not be getting the detergent additives Shell advertises depending on which fuel was cheaper from the distributor the day the station put in the order?

Do you, too, hold the view that all gas at the point of final sale is identical, regardless of brand No, but it is suppose to within a certain vapor pressure, and you don't know who made it, because we all use the same pipeline, and in that pipeline we ship all grades including diesel.
when one buys gas at a Shell station one may or may not be getting the detergent additives Shell advertises You most certailey should be getting the additives as they are added at the terminal.

The refineries routinely trade gas among themselves and or feedstocks as supply and demand dictates, if one is down for maintenance others will cover for them.

[hmp10]

Thanks.

[SVTRay]

Originally Posted by hmp10

I'm not sure what you mean by "the company would buy whatever was the cheapest fuel that day".

All brands use a common baseline gasoline that is pretty much the same no matter what the refinery. That's why gasoline from different refineries is commonly commingled in distributors' storage tanks and why a Shell refinery might sell gas to a distributor that adds Mobil additives and sends it off to a Mobil station . . . or vice versa.

So if you're saying your distributor buys whatever fuel is the cheapest on a given day, that would make perfect sense. No reason to do otherwise.

However, if you're saying that a Shell retailer takes whatever fuel is cheapest on a given day, whether or not it has the Shell additives, then that is a BIG problem, as they're charging the public for something they're not actually selling, and it is a violation of law.

Are you actually making that charge against retailers?

No additives provide meaningful increases in energy content of gasoline. When one selects a brand specifically for its additives, it is usually for its detergent or emissions qualities. (An example of the latter would be diesel car drivers who want the new ultra low sulfur fuel that is not yet available at all retailers.)

They don't have a tank of Shell fuel with additives sitting around waiting on a buyer or whom ever. The additives are added at the rack by you in the computer room at the refinery.

Anyhow, I got that post all screwed up. It's not that a company would buy cheaper, it's that a no independent company was/is allowed to buy major brands additives.

"If you load at the Chevron rack....you could put the Chevron blend into two or three of your tank compartments and a "plain" unbranded product in other compartments. The Independent service station could buy their gas/fuel from Chevron, but not use the Chevron blend. The same with the other "major brands"."

So you can only get brand x's additives from a brand x station. Independents are going to sell you plain unbranded products. Costco is probably considered an independent along with a lot of other chain stores. This is probably why places like Walmart and HEB is offering fuel additives at the pumps but I could be wrong.

[us66]

I've never seen a Wal*Mart branded pump. I've seen Sam's, though. Every Wal*Mart gas station I've ever seen has been a Murphy USA, which is a different company.

[SVTRay]

Originally Posted by us66

I've never seen a Wal*Mart branded pump. I've seen Sam's, though. Every Wal*Mart gas station I've ever seen has been a Murphy USA, which is a different company.

Yes, Murphy USA primarily owns the pumps found at Walmart...not sure about Sam's Club. Murphy USA is an independent which doesn't add fuel additives at the fuel rack but instead offers them at the pump. Personally I'm with AAA on this one, I think you're better off putting the cost of fuel additives on something else. I ran a Supercharged Truck on a mix of fuel additive Gasoline and basic gasoline for years and never had an issue. I had over a 100k when I sold the truck and it still looked and ran like new. My current truck is no different, although naturally aspirated, it's got more power than my last truck and I run what ever I find.

[Hoss427]

According to the American Patrolium Institute all fuels must meet federal standards at the refinery. The MOST inportant of these standards is the amount of detergent that is put in the fuel at the refinery. That is the same will all Brands according to them. As mentioned before Refinerys sell to each other and what makes Chevron, Chevron and so on is the Additive package at the Rack when it is loaded into a tanker. I mention chevron because I have a freind who owns a Chevron wholesale distributor in two cities and delivers fruel troughout Eastern Washington to chevron stations and others. He tells me there is NO difference in fuel at the refinery level witch backs up what
API says.

NOW....as far as Costco gas is concerned here in Eastern Washington they get their fuel at the Present time from Tersoro. I ask the store manager for this info and He gladly told me.

In last months costco flyer to Executive members there was an add for Costco gas. It said Costco is NOW putting 5 times more detergent in their fuel than is reguired. If you are going to have a problem with fuel it usually (almost always) manifests itself in rough running , ie malfuctioning fuel injecters that get dirty and clogged. I have used Costco gas off and on...MOSTLY on for 6 years now. I did have two issues with fuel injectors and had to replace them??? of course I cannot say and nobody will say what was wrong. The car just started running rough and 2 injectors were replaced at different times that fixed the problem.

That being said I can TELL THE DIFFERENCE in how my vehicle runs and responds on different brands of fuel. I have three personal vehicle the cover the gamit of fuel needs. The most noticible is my 32 year old pickup. It loves Chevron or Shell and pings on Costco...or used to till I started putting costco premium in it. Now it loves costco.

I also have a 2011 Pickup that is made for Regular fuel but the manual says PREMIUM will improve performance....and wow does it. The first couple of tanks was chevron Premium....the last 1600 miles was with Costco Premium....I actually hate to admit this....but it runs better on Costco Premium than on Chevron Premium and the fuel mileage increased .9 mpg on Costco. I also find my mid 90s car fuel mileage increased but 1.5 mpg with Costco premium over Chevron.

Costco is usually averages 20 cents per gallon less the Major Brands. And executive members get 3% rebate on fuel in addition.

ONE more interesting fact:....ALL MAJOR US MANUFACTURES test their cars With CHEVRON fuel to meet emmission standards and have since the early 80's.

I have used Chevron for over 40 years and NEVER had an issue. I used costco for 5 and had an issue twice with clogged fuel injectors??? AND I wonder why Costco would all the sudden put in print they are adding 5 times the detergent NOW???? Just the facts.....I HOPE>

[hmp10]

Originally Posted by Hoss427

According to the American Patrolium Institute all fuels must meet federal standards at the refinery. The MOST inportant of these standards is the amount of detergent that is put in the fuel at the refinery. That is the same will all Brands according to them.

Your first two sentences are true. The government does impose minimum standards for detergent additives that all gasoline sold in the U.S. must contain.

Those standards were first established in 1995 at a level below what some brands were adding to their gasolines. While some brands were required to increase their additives to comply with the new regulation, some brands actually took the new regulation as air cover to reduce their detergent levels, as they could now advertise their brands as detergent gasolines that were proven effective "in government testing" in keeping engine components cleaner.

The net effect of the new regulation was that companies could ramp up the hype of their advertising while actually reducing the additives to their gasoline. And some did so.

But some did not. Those are the gasolines that are today certified as "Top Tier" gasolines that are recommended for cars with direct fuel injection systems.

However, I find your post somewhat confusing. You say your sources tell you there is no difference in gasoline brands, yet you relate anecdotes about your fuel systems' seeming to perform differently as the detergent levels of the gasolines you use change.

You also claim an almost 1 mpg difference between the high octane versions of two different brands. Yet every independent study done by testing labs using properly controlled variables has failed to find any differences in acceleration or mileage between brands. What differences there are seem to be confined to the cleansing properties of the gasolines.