I picked up my new 05 CG/Ebony/Non Navi TSX last week. My dealer told me to avoid BP Ultimate fuel (93 Octane). This fuel is available in midwest.What are your thoughts and recommendations on this .

 

they sell BP on the east coast too, a lot of these stations used to be Amoco until they were acquired by BP a few years ago. I've being using BP(Amoco) ultimate ever since I had my prelude 5 years ago and also my TSX recently, never had any problems with it.

why did your dealer tell you to avoid them?

 

Amoco is not BP in this area and it even says they use Amoco fuel. I used 93 octane in my 2002 Miata, 2004 G35 Coupe, and I have 1 tank full in my TSX and I haven't noticed any problems.

What did he say the reason for not using BP is?

 

Sounds like more dealer BS to me.

Gasoline is all the same its is the additive that makes the difference, just because it is a BP station doesn't mean they have to "serve" bp products. There is "generic" additives. I used to work with PLC logic controllers for Mobil that mixed gas and the additive. The tanker trucks pull up to a station just like you do only much bigger and selects what they want just like you do, then unless it is under contract that they sell a certian % of the "feature" product you will never know what you are getting.

 

Maybe they forgot to screw on his gascap once, and now he's taking revenge one customer at a time.

BP = Amoco here. I use them most of the time. $0.05 off on premium on Tuesdays

 

What's wrong with BP? And if the problem is with 93, I don't have any, I mostly fill up with 93 from either Gulf, Sunoco or Citgo and never did I experience any problems.

sauceman, who got away pretty nicely last week with 87 in -25°C weather.

 

The only gas stations you should stay away from are budget stations. Gas stations that are hardly known and aren't well maintained.

 

It's funny you ask, I've heard this myself from a couple different sources over a course of several years. Honda dealer(s?) in the past have told me, along with other people. No one ever gave me a convincing reason. My dad doesn't buy BP either. I don't buy it, maybe somewhat because of this legend, but mostly because there are other stations readily available that I prefer to patronize.

Recently someone gave me a $25 BP gas card for helping them move, and now my stupid superstition had a dollar value on it. Prior to this, it was never an issue at all, because there were always many other otions. I know of people who won't eat at Jack in the Box (not a problem in Ohio because we don't have any that I know of anyway) because three people got e. coli from eating at one out west like 20 years ago. That's really a stupid reason not to eat at Jack in the Box. Figured if BP gas was really bad, it would be more universally avoided.

So I bought $25 worth of gas there. Didn't notice any problems; once or twice I thought my car smelled hot, oil level and temp were alright, but maybe I was just overly sensitive and looking for problems that weren't there.

The closest I think I ever got to an explanation was several years back about BP using some additive in its fuel that causes problems in Hondas, maybe fuel injectors or something, it was a pretty vague explanation. My beef with them, and Shell too, is they've renamed their 93 octane from premium to vpower or ultimate so now it's worth $.02 more per gallon than it used to be? I typically buy Sunoco because I've not heard any negative old wives' tales and the one by me has plus and premium on sale every weekend. I believe some of the Canadians on the site prefer Sunoco due to the presence or absence of some chemical in the gas that they feel is good or bad; think the BP thing may be similar among those who believe it.

 

not=now...hope that didn't screw anyone up!

 

BP/Amoco is the only gas that I buy, unless I can't help it. Have been using BP/Amoco Ultimate for the last 8 years and never experienced any problems (my 92 accord and the TSX). The TSX has almost 18k miles since last April and still no problems and averaging about 28mpg mixed driving in NYC traffic.

I think its just more dealer BS. to the dealer

 

Dealer sponsered by Shell or something...

 

I had wondered why the 93 octane no longer follows the $.10 increment rule & now costs $.12 more. I use Shell only bc there is 1 near my home that is always cheaper than any other gas station in town & I have a Shell MC that gives me 5% back on gas there. Previously, I used BP (had a BP card that gave me 3% back) in my Honda & never noticed anything wrong.

 

I use BP/Amoco 93 octane almost exclusively. Reason: have a BP/Bank One Visa which gives a 3% rebate on gas/1% on everything else. Have 14,000 miles on my TSX and no problems except for one time when my engine started pinging in the high rev range - suspect it was water, after using drygas it was fine.

What is the reason the dealer gave???

 

I use Amoco Ultimate and nothing else... over 18K miles and not a single issue

 

WTF! I'm beginning to wonder if there is some truth to this BP 93 octane thread.

My engine is pinging again above 4000 rpm. I drive 90% in auto mode, and use my sport-shift mode usually when merging onto freeways - this is when I notice it. Since I use BP 93 octane almost exclusively, I may try swiching to another premium "brand".

Does anyone else have this issue???

 

No pinging whatsoever for me...

 

I use BP gasoline a lot and I think its great, no problems for me whatsoever.

Don't know what the deal with Shell gasoline is....I've had problems with Shell gas in both my cars, lower fuel economy, engine pinging, and its more expensive than other stations....I don't like Shell!

 

in aus our BP ultimate is 98 octane... its weird.. we both have the k24 engine and but the tsx makes 10 more horsepower with a fuel octane which is 5 lower.... Where did our 200hp go?

 

Yeah, the Euro K24 is specced differently, and yours makes 190hp. It doesn't have to do with fuel in your case, or very little.

BTW, the octane rating method in Australia is different than in North America, so there might not really be a 5 point difference between the two fuels.

I know there exists RON and DIN measures, I just don't know which is which.

 

I believe the "don't buy BP" cry stems from a test of gasoline called the BMW Unlimited Miles Gasoline Test. BMW conducted the test in 1989 which was reported on in Consumer Reports in 1990. It measured deposits formed in engines using different brands of gasoline. Here is a link with the chart:

http://www.geocities.com/bmw535i86/text/FAQ/FAQ.11.html

Note that this test is very, very old (1989) and gas formulations have probably changed for each of these brands 100 times. However I still will never buy Sunoco or Citgo (two cut rate gasonlines found in San Diego at 7-11's and such). I wish BMW would do the test again to calm our nerves on this topic.

Personally I stick with Chevron Techron and Shell V-Power for my TSX. Partly because I believe they make great gasoline and I like their business practices (especially how they treat their employees). I'll pay a cent or two extra per gallon for that. EXXON/Mobil has discriminatory HR policies that prevents me from buying their gas. But that's another forum.

Note also that one tank of low-rated gasoline (say on a long trip where you can't find another station) isn't going to hurt your engine. It's using a bad gasoline over an extended period of time that will do it harm.

 

Always amazes me how perceptions vary across the country. In many locations these are considered premium brands and the convenience stores are using labels that we see out here all the time.

Of course, neither Sunoco nor Citgo have a refinery within 1000 miles of Southern California, so clearly those outlets are just using the name and probably selling generic gasoline. (Here and there you find distributors who have some historic right to use a brand name, regardless of the fact that the company has no real presence in the area.)

Incidentally, ARCO is also part of BP.

 

Research Octane Number (RON)

and

Motor Octane Number (MON)

The two don't measure the same thing. It is possible to formulate gasoline to increase one while not increasing the other, for example.

What we use here in the US is an average of the two, known as R+M/2. Most countries specify RON on the pumps, but there is also a legal requirement for a minimum MON (usually set at 85). All of which means that 98 in most countries is roughly the same as 91 here.

For more than you ever want to know about gasoline: http://www.repairfaq.org/filipg/AUTO/F_Gasoline.html

 

I have always used BP/Amoco because that is where my dad's corporate account is at. I would put 93 in the Touareg and didn't have one problem. I have put 93 in the TSX and I haven't had a problem...granted I haven't even had it a week yet.

I don't know if this happened over the summer to anyone else, but here in the Southeast the news told everyone to avoid Shell Gas for the summer. Something happened at one of the refinery plants and high levels of sulfer were allowed into the gas. It ended up causing a mess. If I am correct his only affected Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and the Florida panhandle. Now I am sure everything is fine but I will never buy Shell because of that.

 

There isn't a refinery in the world that hasn't had that kind of problem at some point.

I remember a few years ago when Chevron accidentally mixed a bit of jet fuel in with a large batch of high-octane (100LL) aviation fuel. Ooops. Then it turned out that a large batch of that fuel had been delivered to Watsonville airport, just before the big annual airshow that attracts hundreds of small planes. Chevron ended up paying for a complete overhaul of every engine on every piston airplane that had purchased fuel there...

 

ah yeap, i remember bout the different fuel ratings now... but still itd be interesting to know what internals or ecu settings are different in the euro as apposed to the tsx... i wouldnt mind taking my k24 to tsx spec

 

I agree. When I lived in Michigan, Sunoco was a budget brand, with their prices much lower than Amoco or Mobil. However, now that I live in Pennsylvania, I see Sunoco stations everywhere and they are perceived as being a premium brand.

 

This is really irritating - my pinging is back...only happens when I'm in the rev range above 4k. I'm due for an oil change - so I'm gonna beat up my service manager at Jeffrey Acura. I ALWAYS use 93 or 92 octane - mostly BP.

WTF!!!!

 

The 2005 manual says on pg 152,

in areas where it is available, the use of gasoline that does NOT contain maganese-based fuel additives such as MMT.

So unless they post their additives.. you really dont know whats in there...

 

What is MMT? Does BP/Amoco use this? I'm pretty sure the Honda guide only warns against the use of ethanol mixtures -- which I DO NOT USE.

 

I use Mobil and Exxon 93... nobody mentioned those yet.. bad or good?