A few weeks ago I posted an article about the “warning light” that came on for a second time in an Audi, and the OBII indicated contaminated fuel. The owner (my wife) only buys fuel at the local Kwik Star that has Top Tier fuel, which is the only one within a 120-mile radius.
We called the Audi dealer that is also 120 miles away. After getting bounced to several different people, we got one technician that indicated it was a known software glitch and to bring it in and they would reset it. Or we could run it to almost empty and try another attempt at Top Tier.
We decided to run it low, as the 240 miles with $6 gas wasn’t very exciting. So we watched the mileage indicator and once it got to 10 miles before empty, which is easy to do in a small town with a Top Tier station 5 miles away, we filled it up at a whopping $89!
Initially, the warning came on again as well as the triangle signal with the exclamation point (!), which was disappointing. After 5 starts, the warning did not come on, and another 3-4 starts and the signal was gone, as well.
Recommendation from RVtravel.com reader
Was it bad gas? Could we have used an additive such as Seafoam or other fuel booster? The dealership indicated it would not help. Then I got a comment from Norris, one of our RVtravel.com readers who has done extensive research on this subject. Here is what he has found:
Dear Dave,
Have you tried using Techron? It’s the chemical used in top tier gas and you can by it at an auto supply like O’REILLY. My wife’s car had “bad fuel” once and our tech said add a bottle of Techron to see if it clears it up. It did and her mpg went up about 1.7 MPG. We add a bottle every 3,000 miles and had no issues since. And the engine is a lot smoother running.
My 2020 F250 7.3L gasser also gets a bottle every 3,000 miles. No black tailpipe, and smoother running. Also we get fuel at Shell, Costco and several other stations that sell top tier. Shell is about 5 cents per gallon more, but the top tier has Techron, keeping our fuel systems clean.
Your local top tier dealer is ripping us off and may be price gouging. Might be worth a call to your state Attorney General.
And yes, Audi, Porsche and most luxury cars due require premium top tier gas. You get what you pay for.
Do a search for top tier gas on the web. You can find a list of top tier dealers who sell top tier gas.
Back to Dave:
Techron can be found at your local O’Reilly Auto Parts store, and I also see it on the NAPA website. Amazon apparently only has a six-pack available.
You might also enjoy these posts from Dave
- Is Top Tier gasoline really necessary?
- Does Magic Tank Emergency Fuel really work? Or is it ‘snake oil’?
- How to safely store fuel in a portable container
- RV generator shuts down; only starts with starting fluid. Fuel pump?
- Fuel nozzle shuts off before RV’s gas tank is full, but never at Buc-ee’s. Why?
DAVE HAS ANSWERED MORE THAN 1,000 readers’ maintenance and repair questions. Read a directory here. There is so much to learn!
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
HAVE A QUESTION FOR DAVE?
Send your inquiries to him using the form below.
RVDT2898
The more doodads and geegaws you hang on vehicles, the more opportunity you get for failures. Our next ‘new’ vehicle will hopefully be pre OBDII and therefore no check engine light. And with the price of new cars and trucks today it will most likely be much, much cheaper to have an older one rebuilt from one end to the other. I’ll do my part to tell the manufacturers to take a hike.