Topaz Petrol and Diesel

losthorizon

There's an ad on the Radio at the moment by Topaz saying their Petrol and Diesel goes the furthest and is the richest and that this has been verified by the AA. I thought that all fuels in Ireland came from a central source and that essentially they were all the same? Any validity in their claim?

leeroybrown

I won't add any validity to their claim (in fact I think it's largely marketing rubbish) but various admixtures can be mixed into the fuel tankers when they're filled so what you get from two different fuel stations can differ despite coming from the same supply.

dev100

I use topaz diesel. I tend to stay away from unbranded petrol stations. Lots of places are using washed diesel. A real disaster for engines. I do find the car runs better and a bit better in mileage but nothing to excessive though.

focus_mad

There is an additive in the fuel which improves the economical factor of the tank to a certain degree ( topaz website states 3%).

People are better using proper garages then these "shacks" that crop up every so often.

Topaz are quite strict on where the fuel that their franchisers use comes from. A franchise garage in arklow got the boot for using unregulated fuel.

Seth Brundle

I've worked in most of the Topaz terminals around the country and fuel supplied to different companies all comes from the same tanks and is mixed with whatever additive in order to bring it up to the correct spec to meet the companies needs.
However, Hammertime on her owns a petrol station and claims (which I don't doubt) that fuel specced for one outler e.g. Maxol (which should be 99RON) is sold on to a different retailer (as a result of oversupply).

However, according to Eoin Gavin, president of the IRHA, "Thirty per cent of the fuel in Ireland is illegal" URL="http://www.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/latest-news/new-hikes-see-cost-of-running-family-car-to-hit-100aweek-3003325.html"]source[/URL so God knows where your fuel comes from!

meoklmrk91

I have seen this in Topaz garages, they have signs up stating that Topaz fuel gets you 26km more per tank than other fuel.

Wheelnut

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

... they have signs up stating that Topaz fuel gets you 26km more per tank than other fuel.

Well there ya go! What size is a tank? How long is a rope? Every different model of car has a different tank and Topaz can get 26km extra out of each and every one of them. Science is wonderful.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

I dunno, there's one Topaz in the town that I live in and I purposely avoid it because I notice the diesel I get there seems to last less time, conversely, than what I get elsewhere. The price there is no higher, the fuel itself just seems to bring me less distance. That being said, theres a Topaz in a village not far from me that I use regularly. So I guess its not Topaz that seems to be my problem, its just that particular station.

deandean

How far you get per litre of fuel depends on the calorific value of the fuel. Diesel is diesel (and petrol is petrol) pretty much.

Additives don't change the calorific value of the fuel to any measurable amount (well documented).

In my experience - the only factor that effects your MPG is if the pump at the filling station is not metering correctly.

So if you fill up (or used to) from them boyos on the South Quays - you get less 'MPG'

Hey, maybe Topaz have under-clocked their pumps by 3%? Thats the only way I'd see you getting 3% extra MPG!

An Ri rua

deandean wrote: »

How far you get per litre of fuel depends on the calorific value of the fuel. Diesel is diesel (and petrol is petrol) pretty much.

Additives don't change the calorific value of the fuel to any measurable amount (well documented).

In my experience - the only factor that effects your MPG is if the pump at the filling station is not metering correctly.

So if you fill up (or used to) from them boyos on the South Quays - you get less 'MPG'

Hey, maybe Topaz have under-clocked their pumps by 3%? Thats the only way I'd see you getting 3% extra MPG!

Additives don't affect your calorific value, no. But, depending on the additives, they do affect your mpg by effectively cleaning up your fuel system and allowing a better 'burn'. This can lead to better performance and smoother response and then higher / lower lpg is purely down to subjective driving thereafter. I find the claims of most drivers in regards to fuels is highly subjective at best.

Petrol is petrol, more or less. As for diesel. Then additives are added (I also used to work in oil & lubes) and tankers are driven around and around to give it a good mixing. Then off it goes. Oversupply issues can mean wrong stuff going to wrong retailer, yes.

I am sure that the Topaz print ad will have fine print alluding to a specific test of a specific car etc. That's the get-around.

Bandara

" ‘Not all fuels are the same. The additive in Topaz fuels makes them more fuel efficient – up to 3% more efficient when compared with fuels with no additive. So if drivers use Topaz AA quality checked fuels and follow the driving efficiency tips outlined on our website they can cut costs by up to 20%’ Candon said."

Taken from Topaz website, dunno what to make of that tbh, I was under the impression that ALL branded companies use additives? I know the company I deal with does.

So on face value it seems a bit of a con ?

milltown

Hammertime wrote: »

" ‘Not all fuels are the same. The additive in Topaz fuels makes them more fuel efficient – up to 3% more efficient when compared with fuels with no additive. So if drivers use Topaz AA quality checked fuels and follow the driving efficiency tips outlined on our website they can cut costs by up to 20%’ Candon said."

There it is.
I'll wager that there'd be less than 3% of a difference between Topaz and brand X if the driving styles were identical.

Cionád

I'll throw down a few figures I have for my petrol car over the past year, around 7,000 miles covered, generally 30/70 split urban/rural:

Calculations done by brimming it each fill (and I mean brimming!)

Average MPG:
Tesco: 30.6 (avg of 4 fills)
Applegreen: 29.6 (avg of 4 fills)
Esso: 29.5 (avg of 3 fills)
Topaz: 29.3 (avg of 5 fills)
Maxol: 25.3

Maxol should probably be excluded because out of 18 fill ups I only went there once, and it was before I serviced the car when I bought it (and I had a heavy foot at the time)

So from my non-scientific empirical evidence, Topaz is ~4% less efficient than Tesco :pac:

smash

Must be why they charge a lot more than other stations. Well they do in my area, up to 3/4c more. :rolleyes:

Elessar

smash wrote: »

Must be why they charge a lot more than other stations. Well they do in my area, up to 3/4c more. :rolleyes:

This.

I'd be willing to test only generally they are up to 5c more expensive per litre than anywhere else. I don't want to give them the money.

After a full fill up there's your 3% gone anyway.

ei9go

My bulbs run for longer on ESB electricity that that crap airtricity stuff!!!

Our man in Havana

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

I have seen this in Topaz garages, they have signs up stating that Topaz fuel gets you 26km more per tank than other fuel.

I hope that had a big asterix and loads of small print to explain away that mad statement.

spank_inferno

It seems like marketing.

they are €1.60 per litre in Wicklow Town at the moment, I guess they have to try and justify that somehow.

sweetie

leeroybrown wrote: »

That 6% difference is far more than any filling station makes on selling fuel so that stuff is almost certainly washed diesel and just because a car is still running after two trips means nothing. When it needs €1000 worth of repair work after 20 or 50 visits those who use it will know the price of the "saving".

Thanks for the advertising...

so who to avoid then? anyone that isnt maxol, esso, topaz, tesco, top....emo? i dont wanna risk my nice diesel engone for sake of a few quid

Bandara

sweetie wrote: »

leeroybrown wrote: »

That 6% difference is far more than any filling station makes on selling fuel so that stuff is almost certainly washed diesel and just because a car is still running after two trips means nothing. When it needs €1000 worth of repair work after 20 or 50 visits those who use it will know the price of the "saving".

Thanks for the advertising...

so who to avoid then? anyone that isnt maxol, esso, topaz, tesco, top....emo? i dont wanna risk my nice diesel engone for sake of a few quid

Stick with Esso, Maxol, Topaz, Applegreen and Tesco (have some reservations about Tesco as their maintenance of their pumps is very poor, would be worried filters etc are not being changed often)

Avoid all independents completely, just not worth the risk

Other than that make a judgement yourself regarding the other smaller brands, some are ok, some are definitely not.

Chimaera

deandean wrote: »

How far you get per litre of fuel depends on the calorific value of the fuel. Diesel is diesel (and petrol is petrol) pretty much.

Additives don't change the calorific value of the fuel to any measurable amount (well documented).

In my experience - the only factor that effects your MPG is if the pump at the filling station is not metering correctly.

So if you fill up (or used to) from them boyos on the South Quays - you get less 'MPG'

Hey, maybe Topaz have under-clocked their pumps by 3%? Thats the only way I'd see you getting 3% extra MPG!

This is not strictly true. Under a lot of load conditions, it is difficult to achieve complete combustion of the fuel in an engine, particularly petrol engines. One of the factors that'll affect combustion efficiency is octane/cetane rating (octane for petrol, cetane for diesel).

These ratings determine how quickly combustion will initiate, so bumping up the ratings with the use of additives can lead to more complete combustion by igniting the fuel earlier. This can result in better economy since better use is being made of the fuel leading to higher efficiency.

Fiona

Funnily enough AA have launched a new fuel card in conjuction with Topaz...... :rolleyes:

101sean

Topaz are cheaper around here (Thurles) apart from the local wholesaler where I normally buy as it's is 1-2c cheaper still. This was closed last week so I went to Topaz, also used Topaz in Roscrea and it "felt" like my Defender went better on it. There's an Amber station close by but I don't trust it.

Was going to fill up in Johnstown last week where it was 4c cheaper than anywhere else until I saw all the branding and signs had been covered up so I kept going :rolleyes:

L1011

mrs crilly wrote: »

Funnily enough AA have launched a new fuel card in conjuction with Topaz...... :rolleyes:

They've had the claim about the fuels for years and the company that does AA's fuelcards will do white-label fuelcards for anyone - a lot of employment unions have them as well.

101sean wrote: »

Was going to fill up in Johnstown last week where it was 4c cheaper than anywhere else until I saw all the branding and signs had been covered up so I kept going :rolleyes:

If that's the station I'm thinking of, they dropped their franchise when passing traffic went through the floor. Franchise fees cost money so part of the price difference is explained by that. And clearly the franchiser is going to make you paint out their logo when you stop paying.

sweetie wrote: »

so who to avoid then? anyone that isnt maxol, esso, topaz, tesco, top....emo? i dont wanna risk my nice diesel engone for sake of a few quid

All three diesels I've had run like a bag of hammers on Tesco, doubt the fact that my local Tesco station is filthy helps but still. Emergency last resort only.

Sham Courtney

I was talking to a breakdown mechanic yesterday about different types of diesel and he was saying that Topaz was the worse type of diesel you can buy. The amount of breakdowns that have a fuel system problem and use Topaz diesel is crazy. He recommends Texaco everytime because it is clean and will get you more MPG.

Tea 1000

Sham Courtney wrote: »

I was talking to a breakdown mechanic yesterday about different types of diesel and he was saying that Topaz was the worse type of diesel you can buy. The amount of breakdowns that have a fuel system problem and use Topaz diesel is crazy. He recommends Texaco everytime because it is clean and will get you more MPG.

I'd say it's the local Topaz station that would be in question there then!

leeroybrown

Sham Courtney wrote: »

I was talking to a breakdown mechanic yesterday about different types of diesel and he was saying that Topaz was the worse type of diesel you can buy. The amount of breakdowns that have a fuel system problem and use Topaz diesel is crazy. He recommends Texaco everytime because it is clean and will get you more MPG.

That's a local issue. The fuel Topaz provide directly to their stations comes out of the same bulk tanks with slightly different additive mixes. Local forecourts on the other hand may be putting very different product into their tanks too.

Our man in Havana

Funny considering the location of the poster.

Tea 1000

Our man in Havana wrote: »

Funny considering the location of the poster.

I noticed that too! And in my head for some probably unrelated reason, fuel laundering came up!

dgt

Sham Courtney wrote: »

I was talking to a breakdown mechanic yesterday about different types of diesel and he was saying that Topaz was the worse type of diesel you can buy. The amount of breakdowns that have a fuel system problem and use Topaz diesel is crazy. He recommends Texaco everytime because it is clean and will get you more MPG.

Funny you should say that, the derv van hates topaz stuff, guzzles it down. On a recent fill of topaz petrol, I got crap mileage! Not impressed :rolleyes:

Clean diesel and unleaded they say :pac:

snowman707

living in a rural area we haven't much choice of suppliers, mostly Great Gas, Maxol, and Morris Oil,

we don't find much difference in the car or if the jeeps are empty, however if the jeep is towing (usually large loads) Maxol definitely comes out worse as regards MPG , quite noticeable ,

no great difference in the other 2

keithclancy

Load of bollocks.

Although I haven't really had to worry about washed diesel around these parts

meoklmrk91

I am personally a big fan of Amber and Great Gas, they are usually the cheapest. My car has been running on this for good long while now and I have never had an issue, I don't see the point in paying a premium for petrol, at the end of the day it's all the same thing.