Drivetrain Malfunction from 91-octane Gasoline

[oojnah]

Hello Bimmers,

I was posted before regarding Drivetrain Malfunction for my 2016 x5 50i.

Here is my previous post...
http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...php?p=20055702
http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...php?p=20093397

At yesterday evening, I've got answer from service manager.
"Your car is totally fine and great. We can not find any issues. But all BMW car is very complicated and sensitive. We suspected that gas quality."

I am still wonder is that really stop my X5 in the middle of highway?
As I said my X5 is pretty new and 8000Km so far. I don't think it's the reason. Of course I always filled the tank with 91-octane from ESSO(nearest one from my home).

As the manager said, even if the same 91-octane gas, there might be some detergent, lead and impurity may still contained. and He also said it's different for each gas station, each brand.... He want me to try empty the tank and fill up the gas from another brand/station.
If does true, isn't the problem for BMW?

Please advice me if any one have the same Drivetrain issue and it's gone after change the gas station.

Thank you,
H

[artem123]

I always fill up my cars with 93 grade. Always. Ones, i stopped by the gas station where i used to fill up few times before. At that time i had a VW Touareg. That particular gas station was pretty close to our house, E-Z gas station. So, next morning, my wife calls and tells me that car does not run. I drove home, gave my car to wife and jumped into Tregg. It does not run! It starts, has a bunch of warnings on dash, and does not speed up more then 20 Mph. I took it to VW dealer, luckily it is less then a mile away in opposite direction from a gas station. After 2 days in service manager called and told me that he suggests i always use a good gas. I laughed as i even had a receipt from a gas station where i filled up a night before the ordeal, and it showed the grade... Well, he told me, there a liquid in your fuel tank with octane ratio of 68. So, they drained the tank and filled it up with 2 gallons of gas from Sunoco. Problem gone. Needless to say, i never went back to tat gas station. For the past 5 years i only use Costco gas.

[Kzang]

I really don't think poor quality gas or lower has anything to do with it. There are tons and I mean tons of people who lease these cars that only put in 89 octane because its a lease and they don't care...

The 50i is plagued with so many drivetrain malfunctions.. Over the years, I've seen too many to even consider taking a risk.

http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...in+Malfunction

http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...in+Malfunction

http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...in+Malfunction

http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...in+Malfunction

http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...in+Malfunction

[IvanLZ]

Doubtful since canada mostly has 91 in their gas stations and ive had no problem using it so far.

[oojnah]

Originally Posted by artem123

I always fill up my cars with 93 grade. Always. Ones, i stopped by the gas station where i used to fill up few times before. At that time i had a VW Touareg. That particular gas station was pretty close to our house, E-Z gas station. So, next morning, my wife calls and tells me that car does not run. I drove home, gave my car to wife and jumped into Tregg. It does not run! It starts, has a bunch of warnings on dash, and does not speed up more then 20 Mph. I took it to VW dealer, luckily it is less then a mile away in opposite direction from a gas station. After 2 days in service manager called and told me that he suggests i always use a good gas. I laughed as i even had a receipt from a gas station where i filled up a night before the ordeal, and it showed the grade... Well, he told me, there a liquid in your fuel tank with octane ratio of 68. So, they drained the tank and filled it up with 2 gallons of gas from Sunoco. Problem gone. Needless to say, i never went back to tat gas station. For the past 5 years i only use Costco gas.

Thank you for detailed information.

I was drive vw golf before and never had any issues with 86-octane.
Since I've got my X5, I went to 91-octane from ESSO. I didn't know there is high octane gas more than 91. I will look around my places to see if I can get it.
Thanks again,

Originally Posted by Kzang

I really don't think poor quality gas or lower has anything to do with it. There are tons and I mean tons of people who lease these cars that only put in 89 octane because its a lease and they don't care...

The 50i is plagued with so many drivetrain malfunctions.. Over the years, I've seen too many to even consider taking a risk.

http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...in+Malfunction

http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...in+Malfunction

http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...in+Malfunction

http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...in+Malfunction

http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...in+Malfunction

Thank you as well.

I finger crossed it's not my X5 issue. I already checked that threads and will see if any issues coming up in the future. Have a great day!

[F15GorDe]

You should not get DM from 91 or higher fuel. Our gas engines, 6 or V8, will respond better with higher octane.
I run 98 & 100 unleaded race gas available locally in my F10 with the N63 that has had the CCP completed. The car runs frightingly well, and it really cleans the exhaust system.

[artem123]

Originally Posted by oojnah

Thank you for detailed information.

I was drive vw golf before and never had any issues with 86-octane.
Since I've got my X5, I went to 91-octane from ESSO. I didn't know there is high octane gas more than 91. I will look around my places to see if I can get it.



!

I do not think you really got my point. Liquid which was in in my tank that time had octane ratio of 68. Not every gas station are created equal, not all of then use premium gas. Some ( yes, even here in US) are pretty shady. All i am saying it simply could be a bad gas... Hope it was the last bad gas your car has ever had))

[ajob]

A few years ago in Southern Europe (and likely elsewhere) some waste managers colluded with pump station operators to dump contaminated industrial solvents in the big tanks of the gas stations, thus saving the high disposal costs - even in low concentrations some of the stuff was a killer for certain gaskets and flexible fuel tubings, making them brittle and failure prone.

After a while you could learn to recognize the different fuel smell and stop refuelling almost immediately, but modern fueling nozzles with fuel vapor suction now make the smell test much more difficult.

Today this scam is less frequent but occasionally still going on and in modern engines these contaminants will produce all kinds of difficult-to-diagnose malfunctions.

It's a very serious environmental crime, but unfortunately the payoff is quite high.

[MysticBlue]

It could be bad gas. It happens, but that has absolutely nothing to do with octane. Bad gas usually means contaminated with water. It's silly to be talking about octane in this case. The difference between 93, 91, or 89 octane is not something that is going to cause the engine to quit working. But gas contaminated with water or some other substance can. I have no idea if that is the case in this instance, or if it's something completely unrelated to gas, but I do know it has absolutely nothing to do with octane.

[TOPEC]

Originally Posted by F15GorDe

You should not get DM from 91 or higher fuel. Our gas engines, 6 or V8, will respond better with higher octane.
I run 98 & 100 unleaded race gas available locally in my F10 with the N63 that has had the CCP completed. The car runs frightingly well, and it really cleans the exhaust system.

sorry to burst ur bubble, but if ur not tuned for the higher octane fuel then ur not gaining anything from it and in fact wasting ur money. a car that is tuned for 91 octane running 91 octane vs a car that is tuned for 91 octane running 100 octane will result in the same performance.

[oojnah]

Originally Posted by MysticBlue

It could be bad gas. It happens, but that has absolutely nothing to do with octane. Bad gas usually means contaminated with water. It's silly to be talking about octane in this case. The difference between 93, 91, or 89 octane is not something that is going to cause the engine to quit working. But gas contaminated with water or some other substance can. I have no idea if that is the case in this instance, or if it's something completely unrelated to gas, but I do know it has absolutely nothing to do with octane.

Yes. I believe. I am pretty sure it shouldn't be octane issue. That's why I am very fraustrated with my new X5.
I don't think I am NOT the only X5 user for that gas station.

[alphaod]

Originally Posted by oojnah

Thank you for detailed information.

I was drive vw golf before and never had any issues with 86-octane.
Since I've got my X5, I went to 91-octane from ESSO. I didn't know there is high octane gas more than 91. I will look around my places to see if I can get it.
Thanks again,

My X5 drank some 94 octane up in Vancouver. Not sure if it was better than 91 though. Filled up at Shell and Petro Canada.