As my local Shell garage is closed for 28 weeks for refurb I have been using Sainsburys for fuel. I have had my Fiesta 1.4 TCDI for a week now and because of the miles I do and the thumbnails worth of fuel in her when I picked her up, I have put £30 worth in twice now. FIrst was at a new budget station in St Austell and the second at Sainsburys as it is on my way home from work in Truro.

The budget garages' fuel (137.7p) was getting me around 58mpg I was impressed and couldn't wait to get to Sainsburys thinking that it was the better fuel (141.9p same price as Texico) and i was very mistaken. After 150 miles I am only getting 50mpg!

I know that 8mpg isn't much but my main shock it that a budget station has a better quality fuel that a major supermarket?

Has anyone else had come across this or do i chalk this one up to watered down supermarket fuel?

Dan

Supermarket fuel tends to be slightly poorer quality I believe which is how they can often offer it cheaper than many other garages

This is why I avoid Asda and Tesco, their fuel has been known to cause problems to your engine. Sainsburys fuel is the same price as the main stations and my old man told me that they get their fuel from BP so put these facts together and made the assumption that it was a quality product.

Personally I always try to go to bp (there's no shell anywhere near me) just a better quality fuel all round to be honest

I use supermarket fuel all the time and have never had any problems. The octane rating of fuel is the same at all outlets as far as I know so shouldn't be that much difference. They certainly can't water it down, water and petrol/diesel don't mix.

I am averaging nearly 39mpg on this "cheap" supermarket fuel and am happy enough with that. Sounds like you might just have a bad batch, I would persevere a little and see if it settles down.

I swear by Shell but another member on here (mikester) uses Sainsburys and gets 75+mpg

Nothing but problems from supermarket city diesel in my experience. My dad had to have a new fuel pump due to the high water content corroding it from the inside. The mechanic told us to stay clear of it.

I only ever stick in regular diesel from Esso, Texaco, Shell or BP.

I use tescos cheap crap all the time. I get clubcard points and the occasional 5p a litre off when I do my shopping. So far (touch wood0 I havent had any problems with it.

I may not get as many mpg than premium fuel, but for the sake of the extra price, and the extra distance I would have to travel to get it, the few miles extra premium fuel may or may not give, it probably wouldnt make that much difference.

The base fuel is all the same - it's the additives that differ.

Personally, I've found Shell and Sainsbury's to deliver very similar returns. Morrisons tends to be quite poor - often leaving the car feeling quite lifeless and thirsty. Asda has been hit and miss.

I get 70's off Esso and Tesco :P

Off to Southampton tomorrow 198 miles to cover so I think I'll get as much as I can out of the cheap crap and fill up at a Shell station on the way.

I have only put a few tanks of fuel into the car so far and just been using Shell Vpower seems to be working well about 60mpg around town

Shell is decent stuff, just out of the way for me when not at Uni >.<

I've found better performance in fuel with Esso, Texaco, and BP. Tesco fuel & sainsbury's i just feel the car isn't right with it. All opinion though.

Like I say I've actually not tried anything else. I always try to put the best fuel through any car I can, always seen to get considerably better mileage out of it anyway.......also wrongly or rightly like to think its helping to clean the car from the inside out.

Especially with the fiesta where it's costing me £50.00 at most to fill up with expensive stuff, against the £80 it cost me to fill my old Zafira when I used cheap petrol.....+ the fact I do more miles on a tank of diesel in my fiesta than in my Zafira. Seems silly not too.

Hi All Have put in nothing but Esso in for the last 3000 miles as the garage i use is close to Sainsburys so same price plus Tesco points .when i used Sainsburys got 3 to 5 miles less MPG.Think the car runs better.

I use to fill up at my local Morrisons but once I visited my local Esso as they price mach the morrisons garage, I have not gone back not only do I get an extra 4mpg but the car is so much more responsive. :)