MINI2 - MINI Forum - View Single Post - What brand of gasoline are you putting in your MINI?

cooper4us · Oct 1st, 2002, 01:17 PM

Page #8 "For your own Safety" section, in the MINI Owner's Manual, states the following on the subject of fuel quality:

"Use unleaded gasoline only. Fuels containing up to and including 10% Ethanol or other oxygenates with up to 2.8% oxygen by weight (i.e. 15% MTBE or 3% methanol plus an equivalent amount of co-solvent) will not void applicable warranties with respect to defects in materials or workmanship.

Field experience has indicated significant differences in fuel quality (volatility, composition, additives, others) among gasolines offered for sale in the United States and Canada. The use of poor quality fuels may result in driveability, starting and stalling problems especially under certain environmental conditions, such as high ambient temperature and high altitude.

Should you encounter driveability problems which you suspect could be related to the fuel you are using, we recommend that you respond by switching to a recognized high quality brand.

Failure to comply with these recommendations may result in unscheduled maintenance.

Obey pertinent safety rules when you are handling gasoline."

So it appears to be that the MINI's engine is pretty sensitive to different gasoline qualities.

My dealer recommends Mobil gasolines. In fact they say that BMW/MINI recommends Florida owners to use Mobil because they have their own distributors and generally have very strict gasoline handling and quality control standards from refinery to station pump.

In order of preference, they issued the following gasoline brand recommendation:

1) Mobil (I guess Exxon falls in this category as it is owned by Mobil, but my near by Exxon station appears to be selling gas of dubious quality as I don't think they properly maintain their underground storage tanks (Water filtration).
2) Chevron (Never had problems with them before)
3) Amoco

They told me to stay away from Shell (Usually very expensive), Texaco, Citgo, Marathon and other less known brands.

I primarily use Mobil and Chevron only. What does everyone else is using and why?

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Oct 1st, 2002, 01:17 PM	#1
cooper4us MINI2 Master Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Florida Local Time: 08:19 PM Posts: 1,423 Offline	What brand of gasoline are you putting in your MINI? Page #8 "For your own Safety" section, in the MINI Owner's Manual, states the following on the subject of fuel quality: "Use unleaded gasoline only. Fuels containing up to and including 10% Ethanol or other oxygenates with up to 2.8% oxygen by weight (i.e. 15% MTBE or 3% methanol plus an equivalent amount of co-solvent) will not void applicable warranties with respect to defects in materials or workmanship. Field experience has indicated significant differences in fuel quality (volatility, composition, additives, others) among gasolines offered for sale in the United States and Canada. The use of poor quality fuels may result in driveability, starting and stalling problems especially under certain environmental conditions, such as high ambient temperature and high altitude. Should you encounter driveability problems which you suspect could be related to the fuel you are using, we recommend that you respond by switching to a recognized high quality brand. Failure to comply with these recommendations may result in unscheduled maintenance. Obey pertinent safety rules when you are handling gasoline." So it appears to be that the MINI's engine is pretty sensitive to different gasoline qualities. My dealer recommends Mobil gasolines. In fact they say that BMW/MINI recommends Florida owners to use Mobil because they have their own distributors and generally have very strict gasoline handling and quality control standards from refinery to station pump. In order of preference, they issued the following gasoline brand recommendation: 1) Mobil (I guess Exxon falls in this category as it is owned by Mobil, but my near by Exxon station appears to be selling gas of dubious quality as I don't think they properly maintain their underground storage tanks (Water filtration). 2) Chevron (Never had problems with them before) 3) Amoco They told me to stay away from Shell (Usually very expensive), Texaco, Citgo, Marathon and other less known brands. I primarily use Mobil and Chevron only. What does everyone else is using and why? __________________ '02 MINI Cooper CVT On Order: 2004 MCS (Est production date: 9/5/03)