Fuel system treatments?

[glastoveteran]

Hi all,

I've probably been guilty of running my M on normal unleaded more than I should (and no idea what the previous owner used).

Are fuel system treatments worth bothering with in general, and are there any that come highly recommended?

Thanks guys.

 

[jhbuining]

Normal unleaded wouldn't in itself be a problem, it just has your engine running with less power. Dirty fuel, from infrequently used stations, or from contaminated underground tanks, will cause problems. Cheap gas from supermarket has been known to fall into this category as well. A simple do-it-yourself cleaning agent for mild contaminations is made by tunap. Note that this doesn't remove the slimy stuff that collects in the bottom of the fuel tank - you need to drain that manually, preferably before using tunap.

 

[Smokin]

In general, if you use good quality detergent gasoline, fuel treatments are a waste of money.

BMW endorses Top Tier gasolines.

 

[craig3.2]

As for additives,from what i have read over the yr's,most/even big name,ie redex,etc/can do more harm than good. don't know how accurate this research is tho,but i would start using Esso/Shell/Q8 super unld,and u will feel the benefits soon.
(personally i prefer Q8/PACE Super unld,and have done for ages).
I have used redex ,without any adverse effects,if this info helps,cheers

ppl i know with m's (zeds and m3's,etc),have primarily used v-power/q8 SUPER Unld,and in some cases,Redex too,with no probs

 

[glastoveteran]

Cheap gas from supermarket has been known to fall into this category as well.

I'm probably guilty of that as well - oops!

I thought I meant a higher build up of carbon deposits or something like that?

 

[jhbuining]

Yeah, I know, I've not used anything other than Shell V-Power for as long as it existed and Optimax before that, even in my motorbikes. I've also owned motorbikes that were imported from Canada or the US and petrol quality there is horrendous compared to what we get in Europe. For these I've actually needed to use tunap to clean the muck out of the system. V-Power and the likes can be used thereafter and you'll never need tunap again.

 

[craig3.2]

On a difrnt note/off topic,sorry/but,are the 4 cars all ones u have owned,or do you have the luxury of 5 cars in your garage??,given u have listed 2 (dfrnt)Black z4's,and how do u/did u like the 350z rdstr?

 

[glastoveteran]

On a difrnt note/off topic,sorry/but,are the 4 cars all ones u have owned,or do you have the luxury of 5 cars in your garage??,given u have listed 2 (dfrnt)Black z4's,and how do u/did u like the 350z rdstr?

Lol - sadly they're not all in my garage now! Through some bad luck and bad decisions I have got through a few cars quite quickly - I've had all those 5 cars listed in the last 3 years!

I'll give you the short(er) version... I loved my first Sunset 350z big time and decided to I wanted a Roadster so started to import one directly from Japan - that was where it all went downhill. It was supposed to be ready in the UK within 3 months so I sold the 350Z I originally had and waited and waited and waited... In the end after about 9 months (6 months of having no car) I went a test drove the Black Sapphire Coupe and bought it - loved it! 2 months later the 350Z Roadster turned up and it was great, but I had the both the Z4 and the 350Z at that point so one had to go. I spent months trying to sell the 350Z roadster and couldn't so I decided to keep that and sell the Z4 instead. That sold fairly easily (in April last year when prices were pretty low) but after a couple of months of having the 350Z I really missed the Z4 so I eventually managed to sell it and buy the Carbon Black Z4. Kept that 9 months and then decided to switch to my current M!

You did ask!

I'd love to have another 350Z Roadster again but I'd get a UK one this time - too many downsides to an import.