Fuel at local station

[Pit Bull]

Been getting my fuel at a new independent station off the highway. They sell a lot but since they are independent they can buy from anyone. So I'm concerned about quality. I have an old Conoco about 5 miles from the house that the owner and one of his employees both drive Dodge CTD's and fill up there. A lot of the local farmers use them and they say they sell a lot of diesel and never have had a problem since they opened (many years). What do you guys think? They buy all fuel from Conoco and they are CTD owners, should I take a chance on them?

 

[athompson]

I fill up at an independant truck stop, too. The quality does fluctuate. Sometimes, it is better (quieter) than the name brands stuff. Sometimes, it isn't. But, usually, it is about the same.



For 12 cents a gallon, I drive the extra 6 miles for the independant stuff. If I'm in a hurry, I'll pay the extra at Unocal or Mobil.



If the price difference is not significant, I'd get the name brand fuel. But for me, even when I don't get the best mileage from the independant fuel, it still costs me less per mile.

 

[Pit Bull]

Guess I will go with Conoco local guy, since the price is alway within 1 to 2 cents with the Conoco sometimes being the lower cost by 1 or 2 cents.

 

[illflem]

Friend of mine drives a fuel tanker, I went on a run to the Seattle area main fuel depot with him once. The depot was about 15 lanes wide with every different fuel brand you can imagine written on the sides of the trucks, all filling up on the exact same gasoline and diesel. After filling some trucks pull into their brand's smaller depot where different additives are added in very small quantities, most trucks just pull straight out without any additive. My friend only had anti-gel added to his load of diesel and said that if it wasn't winter his load of "Shell" fuel wouldn't get anything. He also told me that the only distributor in Washington that didn't use the same fuel as everyone else was Cenex...

 

[Pit Bull]

Thanks Bill. I guess your showing me that I am making to much of this fuel purchasing thing.

 

[Sticks]

There are only a couple of fuel stations that have dedicated fuel. Chevron and one other. They have their own refinery and shipping company. Everyone else's fuels comes into Texas via tanker, gets refined, then it all gets pumped through the same pipe (gas, diesel, heating oil and so on) to the different distribution depots across the country. There is a spacer fluid between the different flavors going up the pipe. That is where illflem's buddy was filling up. Even the additives are pretty much the same with the different companies.



This still fails to explain to me why every time I fill a vehicle up a Conoco, that vehicle runs like crap until the next fill up (at a different station). It doesn't matter where I am at, if it is a Conoco, it's been no good. I haven't been in one for three years.



I watch the history channel and PBS, and I am not ashamed to admit it.

 

[Pit Bull]

Originally posted by sticks



This still fails to explain to me why every time I fill a vehicle up a Conoco, that vehicle runs like crap until the next fill up (at a different station). It doesn't matter where I am at, if it is a Conoco, it's been no good. I haven't been in one for three years.



I watch the history channel and PBS, and I am not ashamed to admit it.

Thanks for the input sounds like I should stick with the independent since it all comes from the same pipe. The Conoco is an old station with just one diesel pump, but he is a local guy that I thought I would support if it did not hurt anything. Looks like based on your experience that might not be a wise choice.

 

[QRTRHRS]

I don't know about Conoco but for the most part, your two big concerns not necessarily in order are thus: You want to buy where they pump a lot of fuel and you want the best price.

 

[Sticks]

Pit Bull

I can't speak for thier diesel, only their gas in CO, UT, KS, WY, NE, NM, AZ, and SD. I kept hoping for an isolate incident, but no luck. I am all for supporting the small local guy, but the first time I get a bad batch of fuel from one of them, I'm down the road to the next station.



I drained a fuel tank on a gasser a couple of weeks ago that filled up at a 7-11. His car died at the pumps, and could not get it started. After the fuel settled in the semi clear can, it was 85% water. This guy and 18 others stranded in the lot or on the street within a block. I'm sure it was an isolated incident, but I will NEVER fill up there. Unless they drop a midget with a sponge in the tank to soak up every last drop of water, they will never pump clean fuel.



IMHO

 

[merryman]

Its been a loooonnnngggg time now, but when I was doing some graduate work in economics, I "did a paper" on the distribution of auto fuel in L. A. greater area.

There were at that time 128 brands of gasoline, comming from 16 distributors; all of whom got their fuel from 3 refineries.



Vaughn

 

[HBarlow]

Other than considerations of cleanliness it has long been my understanding that gasoline, diesel, propane, etc. are a basic commodity like flour or sugar. They are all very similar if not nearly identical.



I assume there are minor variations between refineries, batches, time of the year, and other considerations but diesel fuel is likely to be very similar at any station. Retailers use advertising to differentiate their brands creating mostly imaginary reasons to purchase the brand they offer.



Harvey

 

[bighammer]

Originally posted by illflem

Friend of mine drives a fuel tanker, I went on a run to the Seattle area main fuel depot with him once. The depot was about 15 lanes wide with every different fuel brand you can imagine written on the sides of the trucks, all filling up on the exact same gasoline and diesel.

Sure, they are filling up at the same place, but are they really drawing from the same tank?

 

[Champane Flight]

Stuff

All of your fuel comes from a few refinery's. The quality of fuel from the refinery's is consistent with manufacturing base and quality controls in place at terminals/refinery's.



Things to look for in stations and jobbers. Do they turn over a lot of fuel? A station with a lot of business will have a fresher base. How old are the tanks and are they checked for water on a regular basis? They should be stuck everyday for tank level and water. All tanks will have a small amount of water in them, but it should be pumped out if the level gets above pickups. Do not fuel up if you see a tanker unloading at the station! This stirs up any water in the bottoms and sends it directly to your truck at the pumps. Let the fuel settle out for a couple of hours before getting it. Look at the quality of employees/employers at stations and jobbers, most likely if the employees are lax in there duty's or on the swallow end of the gene pool they will have mixes and mistakes to lower quality of fuel. Employers on the other hand sometimes buy old fuel from other jobbers and try to mix it in with newer fuel to save a buck. Some misguided jobbers will blend fuels far into the summer to use up any over supply of #1 they have. They will even blend when not needed in the winter. These are things out of the control of major supplier, unless they are caught.



I am not saying that all fuel distributors such as Conoco or other major companies are without mistakes. I am saying that they are usually caught 99% of the time before they get to the consumer. Quality is checked at refining stage, initial shipping stage, storage stage, secondary shipping stage (pipeline), and on down the line several times before getting to the jobber. The difference between brands will be very little.

 

[Pit Bull]

Thanks CF, so here are my choices, give me your assessment of which one you would use?



1. Small truck stop price is $1. 36, the station is dirty the pumps are old and you have to wash your hands after you use them because of the oil/diesel. The storage tanks are large and above ground, it is a Texaco station and they do have one or two large trucks filling up every time I go by there (employees are at the lower end of the food chain). This is also where my Dodge dealer fills up your truck for the first time.



2. Across the street from the small truck stop price is $1. 32, the station is a brand new Bulleye discount station, with 2 diesel pumps that are fairly busy (tanks are under ground). They buy their fuel I am sure from the cheapest source they can find (employees don't know anything it is a 7/11 type environment)



3. Local Conoco close to my house, old station one diesel pump price $1. 32 (tanks are under ground and have been a long time). Owner drives a CTD and also one of the employees, see someone at the diesel pump filling up farm trucks and delivery trucks quite a bit. Told by employees they sell a lot of diesel and they have never had a problem (in many many years). (employees are a positive for this station and the owner is there everyday)



CF which one would you fill up at?



Thanks PB

 

[Murr]

You want to fuel at a place that moves a lot of fuel and I don't like fuel stops that have in-ground tanks. The underground tanks tend to draw moisture. Independent fuel stops sometimes if there fuel is cheaper than the others they are buying fuel that the oil co. have had a bad production batch or something of that nature. So they might have 10,000 gallons they have to get rid of so they take bids on it. This makes for bad loads or not quite up to specs fuel at some independent gas stations. They also have to take all of it at once so the independent has to store it somewhere, which causes it to get stale and draw moisture.

A friend of mine owns a Conoco Oil co. and I went with him once to the pipe line. When we got there to fill up he pulled out a billfold for credit cards and he had a card for just about any brand of gas you could imagine. He just swipped the card for who he was hualing for that day and the additives where atomatically added as it was loaded, it only took about 20 min. to load the whole truck.

 

[illflem]

I strongly disagree about underground tanks drawing moisture, it's the opposite. Unless the tank has a leak the only way for moisture to get in is from condensation from air in the tank caused by temperature swings. In a underground tank the temperature is very constant.

 

[Murr]

Well that is true about temp. changes, but past experience is what I based my opinion on. I have had more problems with water in my fuel from underground tanks some 5 to 1 than I have ever had with aboveground tanks.

You can buy your fuel where ever you want but make sure you always carry extra fuel filters and if you question the quality of the fuel change your filter more often.

 

[Champane Flight]

Which one?

To answer Pitbull, I would fuel at the Conoco. But, I would not be afraid to fuel at any of the above, as long as they were not receiving fuel via truck at the same time.



As far as independents buying discount fuel, it does not happen, they will buy at the lowest spot price. This does not mean they are getting below quality fuel, it just means that some marketing directer from a major oil company has dropped their price to move inventory. One or two cents per gallon can pay for your shipping cost over a hundred Mile radius. It costs the large oil company's to keep product in storage past a certain time frame (screwy tax laws). You are also not paying for an expensive additive package.



Underground tanks will have less moisture at average. The age of underground storage has a lot to do with moisture content. This is why a water paste should be used daily/weekly to verify water level in tanks. You can always pump the bottoms out from time to time. Moisture content usually comes from condensation, but can also come from outside sources. I have seen tankers come in with water left in them from hydro-tests being performed on trailers. You can imagine the mess this will make of a fuel delivery.



In above ground tank the pump draws are usually four to six inches above bottom of tanks, preventing any water up to that point from being pulled. The bottoms of these tanks should be pulled on a regular basis also.



A good indicator of moisture in diesel is a haze test. Take a clear mason jar, fill it with diesel and hold it in front on a black and white printed page. If there is no haze to deter reading of the page, you have a #1 haze rating. If you have any haze level above that, let the fuel settle out for a half hour or better. You will most likely see a slight amount of water separate from your higher haze fuels. This is a simple test.

 

[JSmith]

I worked for an Oil Co. for 16 years. There are local refineries in town. On any given day you could see every brand of fuel truck leaving and entering the refinery. The difference is the additive, OH, I forgot, there is also that brand name on the truck and the pump. The bigger the name the more you pay. My wife would buy T or S gas, says it made here car run better. When she would ask me to fill the car I would go to Arco A/M P/M and fill it up. She said the gas was cheep. I topped it off one day and she asked where I got the gas,cause the car had more zip. A/M P/M I said. She topps off at A/M P/M now. I go to the big truck stop with the best price There are only 2 close by and the main one I can check the price as I go down the hiway.

 

[Chipstien]

In my 27 years I have never seen a above ground tank at a gas station unless it was propane. Is this mainly done in the midwest?