I would be very surprised at the above statement as here in central Scotland just about every petrol station is supplied by the Ineos refinery and as such the lorries from the big petrol companies and the supermarkets lorries get the same fuel from the same tanks.

Not being contrary or difficult, purely out of interest – how do you know this as a fact? I've heard loads of people say things like this but when you question them they seem to be basing it on something a friend from the pub said, who happens to have a friend who's a delivery driver for bob who knows someone who's a petrol delivery chap.

I know for a fact that even within a single manufacturer they have different "tanks" from which they deliver, with their own blends, so why is it so different in central scotland that all the companies share and share alike. Do they whisk things like the v-power diesel away to a secret bat cave and re-blend it before taking it to stations?

I work at said refinery and only one despatch tank is generally on to the road loading terminal (for each product).
regards V power I do not know if that is an additive that (Shell?)adds once the tanker has been filled
The reason all the companies use the same refinery is that it makes no commercial sense for say Shell to run a tanker from Liverpool to Glasgow when there is a nearer refinery for the lorries to run from i.e bp fills shell lorries at one depot and vice versa at the other depot

Mark – v-power D, I believe, is actually created from a couple of other refinery products rather than "refined" AFAIK – I'll try to find the details. But if what you are saying is true, surely unless all makers add stuff at the tanker (which is possible, I've no idea) then they're all selling the same product, otherwise special claims of their performance/cleanliness/difference from others would be false advertising? You must see them arrive, I presume you could have a chat to them about it?…. 😀 please?

wetgrassagain, either you are well off or you don't do 600 miles/week otherwise you would be a little concerned about your mpg

Quite right, I am not particularly well off but only drive on average 10,000 miles a year – I work from home so am not really bothered about mpg.

But I feel better for coming out – I ride bikes AND drive a BMW. I know many of you are BMWphobic on here and your remarks about driving skills sometimes bring a tear to my eye, but dammit it is time to stand up and be up front about my dirty secret, my parents know and whilst disappointed they understand – they said I was always a little different, perhaps less sensitive than the average and too keen to push to the front of queues but hey, I can live with that.

I know many of you on here like Skodas and diesel cars but surely a little variety is OK in today's cosmopolitan society?

All the normal diesel and petrol is the same across the board that goes out from Grangemouth. The special stuff I honestly do not know they get that (maybe that stuff is brought up special because they do not sell a lot of it compared to the normal fuels). or maybe it is an additive that they blend in the tanker so as to speak. The next time I speak to one of the tankfarm boys I will try and find out.

finally, i understand why so many people think STW is ridiculous…

a little variety is OK in today's cosmopolitan societ

When there's a carbon police, I want to be chief inspector. Then there'll be a big scandal when they find out how much air travel I am responsible for 🙁

51 out of my Passat TDI 130, but in the winter on a long slow drive drafting lorries on the motorway I got 62. Well chuffed, but haven't been able to repeat it. 🙂

I run a 130 diesel mondeo too and get 50mpg give or take a bit
fortunately the closest petrol staion is also the cheapest in the area and a shell one at that

wife's 'family car' cmax eco whatever petrol 1.8 does 30mpg on average

my mk5 golf gti does 30mpg on average…..

similar journeys….

wtf ?????

i just put petrol in my car when it runs low i have no idea what mpg i get and to be honest i dont care tho i only really use it to go biking

does this make me a bad person

Ford Model T got up to 21mpg… hasn't been much in the way of progress has there 😆

Best I've had recently from my 110ps Octavia 1.9 TDi on a motorway run from North Wilts to South Mimms, around 122 miles, was 63.8, according to the dash computer. Just filled up, and my last tankfull gave me 501 miles. My lamented Puma, on the other hand used to deliver 330/tank, or 270 with the Thule roofbars on. Love diesels.

I hope Brant wasn't joking.

Solo.

Mind you, you have a Landy (albeit a Disco), so you get some karma back.

Nowt wrong with Discovery still made by the Green Gods of LANDROVER , N WON'T PART WITH MY V8 FOR NO ONE,RUNS ON LPG TOO ,SO ECO WARRIORS CAN SNIFF ME EXHAUST ANY TIME.!!!!!!!!

Driving style does have a lot to do with it. Twenty years ago when i was doing 50k miles/pa, my boss actually called me in to his office just to ask me how i was averaging 43mpg in the Petrol 1.9L Peugeot 405 they'd given me. I used to drive at 80mph plus on motorways ans fastish on rural A roads (60 plus). The difference between me and others is i drive smooth! Jerking gears, foot down at all times and stamping on brakes kills your fuel economy, brakes, tyres and your health.

It never ceases to amaze me how slow drivers can waste so much fuel. Their non-fluid driving style creates conjestion and generally screws up my drive. For this reason i always opt to drive when the roads are at their clearest these days.

My 2001 1.9L 130bhp Audi A6 is supposed to achieve 65mpg on a run. It can easily achieve this so long as you drive smooth. Speed doesn't seem to make a massive diiference.

The trip computer is lame. Sometimes i can get it showing in excess of 80 mpg when driving sedately, but the figures is always seem to calculate around 62~63mpg (approx. 70% long runs 30% short semi rural runs).

Can't imagine any other large estate bettering that!

Yachts are my ideal mode of transport however;
MPG = Zero
Number of people impeding your progress = zero
Numbers of speed cameras = zero
Agressive idiots = zero
Alcohol limit = unlimited
Officious rule enforcers in open waters = zero

im doing 24000 miles a year at the moment.

had to sell my passat as it was only doing an average of 32mpg (onboard computer saying 39mpg??)

got a diesel cmax now and its getting between 48mpg(nailing it) and 62 mpg sitting at 55-60 mph!!

Current overall average on my 130 tdi Passat is 48.3, consisting of mainly short (14 mile) runs to work. 173K on the clock.
My next car WILL be a Passat.

Kin'ell

😯

I do bucket loads of miles and get 32mpg according to both the computer and the measuring and calculating method. Not good 🙁 I also seem to be eating tyres at the moment too… had the car 18 months and am about to get my second set of rears (the fronts got changed at the same time when the car was 9 months old, mainly as I didn't like them, but I think I will get another 9 months before they need changed).

Even my old 220bhp Saab didn't eat tyres like this 120bhp Suzuki Vitara!

I will be running out of warranty soon, so hopefully will be allowed to change it in another 18 months! So long as the company accounts are looking healthy! Not sure what to go for though – I use the 4×4 bits and bobs and like the additional ground clearance for farm tracks and fields. Just can't reconcile myself with the environmental disaster zone that the vehicle is! Perhaps I should get a second hand, private, estate car or something. Alternative is the Hybrid Pug 3007 that is being talked about for launch in around the right time frame (and with 68mpg that would be very, very tempting indeed!)

a rather aggrevated, quick paced to parked on the m25 charge from mid wales to essex this weekend and back for a wedding function earned 52.5mpg out the mondeo for some pretty unsmooth grumpy driving

still enough fuel in the tank for driving to work all week 🙂