BMW recommends Shell gas, but it's more expensive than other brands

[DanG]

As most of you know, BMW recommends Shell gas for our BMWs. Maybe for that reason, Shell premium is a rip off in my area. Shell premium is $.50 more expensive than regular. It is currently $3.89 per gallon in the Seattle area. ARCO premium is $3.25. ARCO is a top tier gas. ARCO charges $.30 per gallon more for premium than regular.

So I only use Shell when my grocery points gives me more than $.70 per gallon off which is rare.

[hoppes-no9]

OK....

In my area Shell stations vary enormously on price — one in particular is $0.50 cheaper than most.

[Jekyllmd]

Correct me if I'm wrong here but if you can afford a BMW then the 7.00 difference on a fill up shouldn't matter.

[Trek4884]

I put Shell gas (premium) in my X5 yesterday for the first time ever and a few miles later got a "drivetrain malfunction" warni ng. I hope it's only the gas but it is highly suspicious for sure.

[Shiza]

Originally Posted by Jekyllmd

Correct me if I'm wrong here but if you can afford a BMW then the 7.00 difference on a fill up shouldn't matter.

Wrong, most people would prefer to save the $7 per fill up. That adds up fast, especially since these cars go through gas so fast. Well the M's do.

[c1pher]

Originally Posted by Jekyllmd

Correct me if I'm wrong here but if you can afford a BMW then the 7.00 difference on a fill up shouldn't matter.

I would say don't worry if it's top tier. I take the fuel recommendation as more like marketing.

The tank is only 13.7 gallons, and I can typically only get 11 at most in when the low fuel light comes on. The price difference is barely the cost of an Americano at Starbucks. I realize it adds up over time, but it's not that big of a difference. I typically use BP or Shell depending on where I am at on my route and yes the prices vary, but if you want to shop for the cheapest gas, you'll probably burn up more gas than money you'll save trying to get to the cheaper gas station. If you're trying to save money on gas, buy a Prius.

[hwntime]

Originally Posted by DanG

As most of you know, BMW recommends Shell gas for our BMWs. Maybe for that reason, Shell premium is a rip off in my area. Shell premium is $.50 more expensive than regular. It is currently $3.89 per gallon in the Seattle area. ARCO premium is $3.25. ARCO is a top tier gas. ARCO charges $.30 per gallon more for premium than regular.

So I only use Shell when my grocery points gives me more than $.70 per gallon off which is rare.

It's not a $.50 premium over regular, it's actually the amount of gas the station has leftover from their last purchase which dictates the price. The fuel prices in the PNW are dropping fairly quickly and of course premium sells slower than regular gas, so the station can't lower the cost of the premium until they sell the old stock which they bought at a higher price unless they want to eat into their own margins. It's a matter of economics. You'll see the price of the premium drop once they refuel at a lower buy cost but again, it'll be lagging behind regular because the regular depletes stock much quicker and gets replenished at the new lower cost at that particular time. Fuel prices are coming down quickly across the nation so you'll see this lag in premium pricing vs regular gas across the board.

[alex2364]

I use the easiest/cheapest premium gas I can find. That usually means Costco.

[9krpmrx8]

Shell is all I have ever used, they have shell rewards as well so I typically get 0.05 cents to 0.10 cents off every gallon. What fuel you use is important but the station you use matters more. My buddy used to sell gas/oil out in west Texas and he said a lot older stations are not well maintained, have older filtration systems and tank leakage, etc. New stations are held to a much higher standard.

[xxTHIR13ENxx]

Shameless plug here, but perhaps consider a cash-back incentive.
I've been using the GetUpside app and so far I've gotten $175 cash-back. This is from February last year up until December.

I've cashed in two checks and both cleared within a day.
Another great thing on the app is that it shows you the Shell stations (or any other station of your choice, really), and their gas prices right there. It's very convenient, if nothing else.

Hope this helps some.
Leo.

[The Libertine]

I use Shell, but am certainly not going to complain about the cost.

[Emilime75]

I always assumed they spec Shell fuel simply because they have a contract with Shell. It's marketing/advertising. BMW says we want a discount on fuel, Shell says we want you to push our fuel.

[backhill]

Any top tier fueling station will do just fine.

[******]

You don’t really know who is refining the gasoline you use in your car unless you do some homework. It’s a complex system and depends on where you live, but frequently one refinery will be supplying gasoline to several different branded marketing outlets.

[SteveinArizona]

Originally Posted by Herdalum

You don’t really know who is refining the gasoline you use in your car unless you do some homework. It’s a complex system and depends on where you live, but frequently one refinery will be supplying gasoline to several different branded marketing outlets.

Typically, every gasoline company takes its refined gasoline from the same tank. The difference is in the additives that are added.

Any top tier gasoline should be fine but I would definitely only use top tier gasoline. This includes both Shell and Costco.

[R3dliner]

Damn you guys on the west coast get x2 screwed. High prices and only 91. I filled up the other day at shell for $2.90.
I don't think shell itself is not any better than mobil or bp imo.

[Captain Blood]

I think I paid $2.20 or so at my last fill up. Premium.

[Happy Motoring]

That Shell recommendation to me is just marketing, it's not like BMW engineered the fuel system for Shell. Top tier gas like Costco or QT is plenty fine for all my cars.

[Happy Motoring]

Originally Posted by Real Dodger

I think I paid $2.20 or so at my last fill up. Premium.

Costco in Plano was at 2.02 a day ago. I was waiting for it to go under 2 but it's going slightly back up lol

[G35POPPEDMYCHERRY]

top tier gas. stop reading into blatant marketing scheme. synergy detergent v-powet v-tech. its god damn gas or gas+detergents.

[Captain Blood]

Originally Posted by Happy Motoring

Costco in Plano was at 2.02 a day ago. I was waiting for it to go under 2 but it's going slightly back up lol

I've been to that Costco. But the new one in McKinney, off 380, is somewhat closer. I think gas maybe $2.10 there for premium. When we first moved to McKinney, in 2008, and regular gas was $3.80+ per gallon, me and my wife were thinking about how crazy we were to have moved so far north, with that entailing all the driving we had to do.

[Z K]

Originally Posted by R3dliner

Damn you guys on the west coast get x2 screwed. High prices and only 91. I filled up the other day at shell for $2.90.
I don't think shell itself is not any better than mobil or bp imo.

Yeah... Costco gas here is $3.30 a gallon for 91 octane now. At a Shell, 91 is $3.80 or so.