we have ford focus 2008 1.6 tdci

which is the best diesel to buy from ?

Shell V Power :)

Have a read at the following thread, people have various views -

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/73974-premium-fuel-vs-standard/page-2#entry520037

i stick to the top brands, shell, BP, esso. theyre all good. Shell V-Power is the best out of the three on premium fuels (for me), however its abit of a waste using that all the time, i only use it once in awhile because of its cleaning agents

Tescos makes the car sound even more like a tractor, sainsburys is a bit hit and miss i tend to go for Shell with 200ml of 2 stroke each tank, then at least once a month go for v power and usually 100miles before the MOT i go all out with vpower and some diesel injector cleaner.

With the oil i think i lose a little kick, but it evens out and is nice and relitively smooth, certainly quieter.

interestingly ive noticed that at the end of the tank in hte last 100 miles or so it gets noisy regardless of what fuel i use, starting to wonder if the tank is needing cleaned out

Archoil 6400D or Atomex are high quality diesel additives I use & would recommend - whether use you use premium fuel or not

Beware of adding 2 stroke to an engine with a dpf - it must be extremely low ash content - there are many debates regarding the pro's & cons of adding 2 stroke to diesel which have been raging since around 1945 !

In a modern diesel it is only effective at adding extra lubricity - which may or may not be essential

I found Tesco Diesel started causing me problems - only used two tankfuls and was very noticeable - was cheaper but did less miles from it.

Sainsburys seems to be ok BUT creates more soot, this was noted in my old car (decatted before new MOT regs) by the amount of 'coal' on the bootlid. I'm convinced I get more regens happen when using it in the Focus as well which would make sense.

Shell points are pointless(excuse the pun!) and I didn't see any benefits so I gave up with shell.

Morrisons has a high veg (bio) content so flushes the system which blocks injectors and breaks stuff, one to avoid for any modern diesel!

So I tend to use BP, nothing special but doesn't cause me issues and seems to cause less soot than sainsburys, reasonably priced locally as well, and get Nectar points haha.

I am tempted to try a 'premium' diesel, but there seems to be debate over which is best and with the big price difference I'd want to see a good enough increase in mileage from the tank which I can't see being possible.

Premium fuel is not all about better mpg - there are other benefits ( allegedly ) :)

I use BP ultimate every time. Get good mpg and she seems to pull and get up to spend plenty quick. Have tried cheaper fuels car didn't like it and younger what you pay for.

Hmmm interesting what you say about Sainsbury's. That is all I have ever used mostly. Now you mention it, I do get a lot of soot out of the pipe at times. Giving it the boot past 3k revs it is a black contrail rather than a cloud.

I'll have to give BP a bit more of a try.

I found Tesco Diesel started causing me problems - only used two tankfuls and was very noticeable - was cheaper but did less miles from it.

Sainsburys seems to be ok BUT creates more soot, this was noted in my old car (decatted before new MOT regs) by the amount of 'coal' on the bootlid. I'm convinced I get more regens happen when using it in the Focus as well which would make sense.

Shell points are pointless(excuse the pun!) and I didn't see any benefits so I gave up with shell.

Morrisons has a high veg (bio) content so flushes the system which blocks injectors and breaks stuff, one to avoid for any modern diesel!

So I tend to use BP, nothing special but doesn't cause me issues and seems to cause less soot than sainsburys, reasonably priced locally as well, and get Nectar points haha.


I am tempted to try a 'premium' diesel, but there seems to be debate over which is best and with the big price difference I'd want to see a good enough increase in mileage from the tank which I can't see being possible.

Premium fuel is not all about better mpg - there are other benefits ( allegedly ) :)

Very true, but the sole reason for me owning a diesel is running costs, so unless there was a noticeable improvement to MPG as well, it's just not worth it for me.

even better now as diesel is cheaper then petrol, so that cost vs mpg argument has stalled... for now

What about the health of your engine Tom ?

Is there a price on that ?

It's not a new car...someone has probably been filling it with the cheapest ASDA diesel they could find for the first 46,000 miles of it's life. I don't keep cars long enough to worry about longevity anyway, a year is usually my limit though I am aiming to keep this another year tbf...

It's not a new car...someone has probably been filling it with the cheapest ASDA diesel they could find for the first 46,000 miles of it's life. I don't keep cars long enough to worry about longevity anyway, a year is usually my limit though I am aiming to keep this another year tbf...

Don't worry. I've had my Focus from new and I'd say that 98% of the diesel that has gone in it since new has been Tescos. The car is currently on 150k miles and it hasn't missed a beat

The oil companies just love it when they get us to spend more on a "premium product".

Aye, low ash 2 stroke mineral oil is sensibe, as you say, the arguments for the use of oil in diesel is as old as time its self.

Still, i have no DPF problem, and she runs a lot smoother using the stuff than not. im not aware of any long term studies using it but the main reason for adding lube to low sulphur diesel makes sense.

It should be noted that sulphur itself it not a lubricant - it reacts with nickels in alloys within engines to create lubricity - & of course all fuel suppliers have long since introduced synthetic lubricating additives to diesel to compensate for the reduced levels of sulphur

There is no doubt adding two stroke to diesel will enhance further lubricity - resulting in less clatter ! :)

I tend to use the closest place when I remember, which is now Asda.... Texaco is the other place when I forget about Asda...