This board has been an absolutely invaluable insight into the general attitudes toward leases.

Reminder to self - Never ever buy an off lease car..

 

Ha...that's not fair. Notice how I said "if it doesn't affect engine health or performance" If it does, I would never do such a thing. Although the car is not mine for the long run, I do respect the vehicle and the next owner!

 

+1

 

Oh my. I guess we know why you are leasing the car.

 

To add more fuel to the fire, i use Techron annually right before an oil change....

 

or worse.. a former rental car! Had a buddy years ago that used to race (low level) stock cars...He used to rent a car for the weekend, drop the engine into his car, race it and put it back in the rental before returning it. Blew an engine once and had to have the car towed 30 miles out of town so he could call the rental company to come pick him up!
(Hertz now rents Panameras and 911s in some cities...buyer beware!)

 

wow what a leech

 

I drove several BMW's in recent years. They would idle poorly and the dealer would assure me they were fine. He did give me a technical service bulletin from BMW saying their recommended fuel brands. Shell was one of them, there were others. Because a Shell station is convenient to me thats where I went. The cars always idled smooth over time with Shell. They said it was the additives. Because of this experience I try and run as much Shell as I can.

 

Techron?

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I think Techron is just a bottle of concentrated fuel additives that normally come in Chevron fuel. If you are using "generic gas" probably helps. If you are using Top Tier gas, not sure it adds much benefit. Probably can't hurt though either.

 

Off lease or any 'certified pre-owned'... I'd rather buy new and baby it than risk getting a car that's been 'driven like you stole it' or who knows what. That doesn't reflect on the majority of people leasing, but I think your odds go way up on getting something that hasn't been looked after like you might hope otherwise when someone knows they're not keeping it. IMHO, anyway.

 

Techron is a additive developed by CHevron and there are small amounts of it in Chevron Gasoline. Most Gasoline brands have some sort of additive but I find Techron to be one of the best so i use it annually, right before i change the oil. The fuel here in the US is crap.

 

I used to alternate between Shell and Sunoco, but I don't see Sunoco on the list
I have one Shell and one Sunoco near me. Everything else is Marathon/Speedway, BP and Valero.

 

The 100 octane gasoline is only available at 76...in Cali since max Octane at any gas station (chevron/ shell) is 91, I personally prefer chevron but I now go for mixing up 100 with 91 at 76 to get to 93 or above octane rating. I feel a marked difference in car performance!

 

I too once thought the same thing... but then I saw the result in black and gunk.

Take a look at the black barbeque-like gunk on the top of the intake value in the attached photo. That's Costco gas gunk. Gunk from not adding valve cleaning detergents. That valve should be as clean as a whistle with a slight yellow-gold tint.

That's what Costco cost savings is doing to the intake valves on your magnificent motor. That reduces airflow into the cylinder... and air IS power.

Save now, pay later.