In my short ownership of the X5 diesel, I've been to the gas station three times to put some diesel in. It's been an interesting exercise, as the first gas station (Exxon) I went to that sold diesel, only sold ULSD with 20% biodiesel (B20). Almost made a huge mistake of putting in the wrong diesel on my first fueling attempt. Found a Shell station a few exits down with the right diesel.
On my next fueling attempt, I could only find LSD (500 ppm) diesel pumps at the exit I took. Thankfully I was paying extra attention and did not put in wrong diesel. Again, found a Shell station with right type of diesel a few exits up on I-40.
Third time, I went straight to a Shell station and had no problems.
So my question to you diesel owners that have more experience: How do you find a diesel station with the right type of fuel when you are traveling out of your local area? Is there a web site that you can visit prior to the trip? Which gas stations have you found to have the correct diesel all the time (Shell, anybody else)?
By the way, I've had to use the nozzle adapter that came with the vehicle two out of the three times so far, so it appears there is no widespread standard nozzle size...
In my short ownership of the X5 diesel, I've been to the gas station three times to put some diesel in. It's been an interesting exercise, as the first gas station (Exxon) I went to that sold diesel, only sold ULSD with 20% biodiesel (B20). Almost made a huge mistake of putting in the wrong diesel on my first fueling attempt. Found a Shell station a few exits down with the right diesel.
On my next fueling attempt, I could only find LSD (500 ppm) diesel pumps at the exit I took. Thankfully I was paying extra attention and did not put in wrong diesel. Again, found a Shell station with right type of diesel a few exits up on I-75.
Third time, I went straight to a Shell station and had no problems.
So my question to you diesel owners that have more experience: How do you find a diesel station with the right type of fuel when you are traveling out of your local area? Is there a web site that you can visit prior to the trip? Which gas stations have you found to have the correct diesel all the time (Shell, anybody else)?
By the way, I've had to use the nozzle adapter that came with the vehicle two out of the three times so far, so it appears there is no widespread standard nozzle size...
I have been very lucky I guess because I have never had to use my adaptor and have had no problem finding diesel. I have fueled up several times around Atlanta...I-75@Windy Hill, I-75@Jonesboro Rd, I-75@Barrett Pkwy on Hwy 41, and diesel has been everywhere. Shell, BP and Exxon are good bets as well as Quick Trip.
Look for exit ramp signs that say Auto Diesel. Stay away from truck stops if you can...their nozzle will likely be the wrong size.
Almost all diesel sold for use in cars and trucks is ULSD, just make sure it isn't B20. I think maybe a lot of stations just don't have updated stickers....the only cetane rating stickers I have ever seen only say 40 min.
Good to know about Windy Hill and Barrett Parkway exits, we live close to both, thanks! My first two attempts were in TN, once in Newport (exit 432 on I-40) and the second one in Knoxville (exit 398 on I-40).
My experience on I-40 around Knoxville has been good too. Exit 72 south of Knoxville (closest exit to the Tail of the Dragon) has several stations with diesel. Exit 407, north of Knoxville by the Bass Pro Shop has diesel, Newport Exit 435 has diesel....if you run Hwy 25/70 over to I-26 there is diesel on the exit there also.
Hope this helps.
Illinois is very bad specially around Chicago. Most of the Diesel stations offer B11 or more (B20). D2 and B5 are hard to find, since any Diesel with the contend of 10% of bio has tax brake (lobbyist farmers and politicians - go figure).
I found a map http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...1.947234,-88.140564&spn=0.992798,1.667175&z=9 through TDI forum which is very helpful to locate diesel with less than 5% of bio.
Apart from cetane rating, has anyone checked the % bio-diesel content at the pump they fill up? Any such map for Southern California? I'd be very reluctant to use >B5 for an extended period of time. The build up on the valves is not a pretty sight. Saw a 76 station pump with a sticker saying "contains up to 10% ethanol". As usual, the station managers have no idea.
I've had no problems in Southern California finding diesel stations, and I've only encountered one that didn't have the right sized nozzle. I've pretty much stayed exclusive to the 76 stations, and I've been pretty happy with the results so far.
I'm asking this question as a potential 335D owner - does anyone with NAV know if it has an option to locate diesel-carrying fuel stations? Sure would be a nice feature!
Finding diesel in the DC area isn't so bad, finding PREMIUM diesel is a bigger challenge. I guess I don't know what the impact would be of not using PREMIUM, I have been lucky to find 4 stations around home and work that I can use...mostly Shell, one Chevron and one BP/Amoco...
We have had to use the filler tube three times. Once in Cottage Grove in Oregon (Chevron). Once on I-40 in Oklahoma (Shell). Once in Lynnwood WA (Shell). There is a bib (for lack of another name) that hangs down from the filler tube when filling and rolls back up into fuel filler space. I won't address the practicability - just passing the information.
Stopped at a Chevron station - and they had a sticker on the diesel nozzle section that stated up to 10% ethanol added. At the time, I didn't think that they add ethanol to diesel, but I chose not to fill, just in case.
And I thought that all stations that handle diesel will be required to sell ULSD by Dec of this year. Was that changed ?
I just always go to Shell stations but my drive is pretty static so I am not searching for them. The signs on most of the Shell stations here say they are selling premium diesel but I have yet to see something that defines what that means for the fuel at those specific stations.
One thing I have been annoyed with is every pump but two that I have tried with this car, has pumped painfully slow. I know it is not the pumps because on the other two cars they are speedy. Even on the two that pump at okay rates and still not normal rates, I routinely am dealing with big spills onto the car. I try to watch and time the pumping to avoid the spills bit still not perfected it for this car. I have been wondering lately if the fill neck is the same on the non US cars and if not then if te diameter on those would work with stateside pumps because I am to the point of willingness to try swapping that out.
The overfill problem I had when trying to use the adapter with a nozzle that didn't need it. Since not inappropriately using the nozzle, I've yet to have an overfill.
Every single pump I have used in the 7k+ miles I have put on the car, has had an overfill issue bu only with this car because I have tried the other two with the same pumps. It has become quite annoying, more so the slowness to fill up than the overfill. It can take sometimes a good 10 minutes to fill it up and not fun when a baby is in the car screaming bloody murder.
I experienced the 'filler nozzle lock-out' for the first time. The flap wouldn't open to accommodate the nozzle. This was a ULSD pump - so I was surprised that the nozzle was the wrong size at the Shell station.
The nozzle adapter worked fine, with the exception of the overflow issue. I think that I am going to start carrying a spray bottle of cleaner to wash off the side of the car.
I'll need to try different cleaners to see what works best.
I'll definitely be increasing the treatment of the surface - perhaps with a paint sealant.
At least it isn't carbon fiber or fiberglass surface.
I carry around a micro fiber rag/towel to wipe up the spill with and then swap that out with a clean one when I get home. I have some free detail/wash spray I got awhile back from Autogeeks and been meaning to put that along with the rag in a sealed container within my trunk and just for the spill issues.
I have some microfiber - I'll add that to the kit. Going to visit Griot's store tomorrow for some one on one detailing tips. I'll see what they have for the clean-up vs. preventative applications.
My very first fill up overflowed! After that I always wait till its almost filled then start listening for the sound change right before its filled to shut it off without it overflowing! If the range per tank wasn't so great it would be really annoying! I no longer trust the automatic stop on the pumps! Its like the nozzle should go further in to the filler opening like with gas pumps.
My other diesel vehicles the nozzle goes all the way in. Actually this is the first diesel vehicle I have owned that the nozzle does not go all the way in. I think this is the cause of my crummy fillup experiences and why I wonde if the non US cars have a different neck since would be willing to probably pay the price for that to try and see if it resolved my issues. I fill up twice a week when I am driving that car, that is enough for it to drive me nuts.
In Canada, there is a VW Diesel Locator app for iPhone and Blackberry (just search for "VW Diesel Locator"). It uses your internal GPS on the phone and doesn't matter what kind of car you have
In USA and Canada, you may also be able to find local gas stations with diesel fuel through http://gasbuddy.com. None of these will tell you what kind of diesel but it might be useful just the same.
In SoCal, I've only filled at Chevron. Reasons for choosing them: they confirmed a minimum cetane of 49, <5% bio-diesel, there is one 1/2 a block from where I work, it's the 2nd cheapest place around, nozzle fits and auto-shutoff works, it's clean.
I researched diesel fuel long before I got my D and while CARB (California Air Resource Board) standards are much higher than the rest of the country, I still went to different stations to find out the cetane content (they thought I was speaking greek). The Chevron lady managed to contact the right person for me and gave me the cetane numbers (min 49, typical 51). Could not get a definite answer from Mobil.
Stugots: you say that you fill at 76, any idea of their bio-diesel content? The pump close to my place said that it MAY contain up to 10% bio-diesel. Naturally I stay away from them.
Stugots: you say that you fill at 76, any idea of their bio-diesel content? The pump close to my place said that it MAY contain up to 10% bio-diesel. Naturally I stay away from them.
Reports from several 76 stations showed cetane levels between 47 & 53, and it's historically been the best value for the gallon here (one by my house just went up to 3.059/gallon, but I filled up closer to the office @ 2.999/gallon on Wednesday).
I've not grilled either station to find out the bio-diesel content, however.
I have found some nozzles are a little "shallow" but none have overflowed on my 2010 335d. Any chance the tank opening is different between 2009 and 2010?
@ lsupoppa - At risk of showing my newbie creds, I need to ask, what is the difference between premium diesel and regular diesel? All of the stations around me that carry diesel sell ULSD. Is premium diesel above and beyond that?
So, I am a newbie myself...I have been reading a lot about the diesel choices, additives, biodiesel content, etc...
As far as I know, the only thing that I can see that qualifies a diesel product as "premium" is the cetane rating. I am sure that every manufacturer adds their own blends of additives but I can't find out which ones add what or how much.
I believe virtually all stations will sell ULSD now according to regulations set forth by EPA. The part that I am trying to learn is what can we as consumers expect from the biodiesel products. I like the idea of using the 5% biodiesel (B5) blends in my car, but who knows what dino diesel is being used as the 95% -- biodiesel in of itself is naturally very high in cetane ratings, but it is blended with dino diesel which may only be 40 cetane.
This then begs the question of additives to boost cetane, BMW doesn't recommend the use of additives, but we know diesel manufacturers use them to boost cetane. BMW allows up to 5% biodiesel to be run on our cars, so do we go lower cetane and get better lubricity or do we run higher cetane and risk the long term effects of "dry" diesel in our fuel injectors?
I just want to do the right thing, but there are clearly incongruities in the direction from BMW and what the diesel industry says and does.
There are some othe factors like how much lubricant is in it. There is no real standard that means if try say premium thn you definitely are getting all of the things that can be I premium diesel. But chances are you will be getting the cetane at the very least.
As to hurting, as long as the diesel / additive blend remains under 15ppm sulfur, shouldn't hurt may or may not help. How much sulphur is in a given additive :dunno:
Ask my wife about bad diesel fuel (I'm sure she still remembers walking in -15* weather, because of a bad tank of fuel in my 93 Dodge cummins powered P/U), find a brand and station your car likes and stick with it.
You provided lot of good diesel information. That would be useful in a bimmerfest Diesel wiki. Looks like I will have a lot of reading to do.
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