Petrol from unbranded stations

dulpit

Hey, I'm just wondering what the general opinion is for buying petrol from unbranded/independent stations is. The cheapest petrol in and around Cork City is from the Lee Garage which is not branded with any particular brand. They're usually 1c/2c cheaper than the Texaco further up the road.

Is all petrol the same? Does it matter?

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

do they happen to use applegreen coffee cups ?

if so it's probably an applegreen .....

loads of stations do this where they have some small parts of their garage resemble applegreen and old shell logos.

dulpit

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

do they happen to use applegreen coffee cups ?

if so it's probably an applegreen .....

loads of stations do this where they have some small parts of their garage resemble applegreen and old shell logos.

Nope, not an Applegreens (although I do work next to one).

pa990

the lee garage had a sign up inside the shop saying that all their fuel cures from whitegate.

they.must have been sick of people asking them.

I'm very conscious of my mpg and have noticed no difference when using the lee garage, compared to my.usual topaz or applegreen.


ps.. top by the inniscarra.bar is 1c cheaper again

navara man

i was told by a courier driver that he get about 20mile more for a full tank when he get in texaco

Bandara

Dont buy fuel from an unbranded station.

dulpit

Hammertime wrote: »

Dont buy fuel from an unbranded station.

The essence of my query is why though. I've heard people say don't buy it, but never a real reason why...

ofcork

For some reason i feel i have been getting less mpg after filling in lee,not sure what the reason is.

Bandara

dulpit wrote: »

The essence of my query is why though. I've heard people say don't buy it, but never a real reason why...

Im not talking about this Cork station here, I'm talking generally.

Your pretty much heavily heavily odds on to be buying washed fuel from an unbrabded garage. People here will disagree as usual, but it's a fact.

The amounts of money involved are pretty much irresistible. Most of the unbranded sites are owned by one of 3 criminal groups

Payton

I was caught short one day and stopped off in an unbranded station, I put €20 in and it was gone in a matter of days (I travel about 20 kms per day). Where as if I put €20 from Topaz I'd get more than a week from it. The unbranded garage was roughly 4c per liter cheaper than Topaz.

Our man in Havana

You don't go need unbranded stations due to a good chance they have the 'Ra diesel and watered down petrol. Both very bad for your engine.

DylanII

There are two apple green garages where I live, both only recently applegreen branded. I notice in one of them that it costs more to fill up your tank and you get less from it, even though they are the same prices?

homingbird

The problem with cheap fuel is the garage is asked what blend of fuel it want to buy from the fuel refinery yellow pack or top brand so if you buy yellow pack you will get less miles to the gallon i have noticed it even from a texaco station. They have to make money some how when the government keep loading the price of fuel. Just keep shopping around till you find the top brand mix!!!

grange mac

Lee garage get there fuel from a few different suppliers. All legit. Being independent gives them options to ring around for their fuel unlike branded stations who are fined if they buy elsewhere.

some petrol goes further due to diff additives added to end product.

problem arises when garage is 10c cheaper, then id stay clear but normally any garage who is unbranded are fine as long as they dont open up over night. Like fermoy newest station....unbranded and 10c. cheaper than rest...

langdang

Anyone know if the pumps are owned and run by Lee Garage or rented out to a third party? (They have the peugeot dealership there, a fiat dealers in town and a used car (??) sales further out model farm road) (edit - not sure about the used sales - used to be Lee I thought, maybe O'learys Lissarda now?)

In fairness, if the petrol station is owned and run by Lee Garage they'd have a lot to lose in reputation if there was dodgy fuel being sold. You'd hope if they are renting it out to someone else to run that they would be concerned enough about the knockon to their own reputation to have some feeling of what kinda operator was using it!

It's the fly-by-nights with nothing to lose in terms of reputation that I'd be worried about!

tipptom

Our man in Havana wrote: »

You don't go need unbranded stations due to a good chance they have the 'Ra diesel and watered down petrol. Both very bad for your engine.

Is this petrol what they call "Stretched"?

Bandara

grange mac wrote: »

Lee garage get there fuel from a few different suppliers. All legit. Being independent gives them options to ring around for their fuel unlike branded stations who are fined if they buy elsewhere.

some petrol goes further due to diff additives added to end product.

problem arises when garage is 10c cheaper, then id stay clear but normally any garage who is unbranded are fine as long as they dont open up over night. Like fermoy newest station....unbranded and 10c. cheaper than rest...

Not so, the washed fuel places have copped on to making themselves stand out with 10c cheaper fuel, most of them now just hover 2 or 3 c cheaper than a regular station

Bandara

tipptom wrote: »

Is this petrol what they call "Stretched"?

Lol

It's called striped

M cebee

so where's the best fuel at?

KwackerJack

Stay away... you will probably notice umarked tankers to

pa990

from a recent conversation with the lads from customs, they reckon that striped petrol isn't a big problem at the moment.. well not as far as they are aware at the moment

For Forks Sake

Hammertime wrote: »

Not so, the washed fuel places have copped on to making themselves stand out with 10c cheaper fuel, most of them now just hover 2 or 3 c cheaper than a regular station

There's one lunatic in Portlaoise has no intention of making themselves inconspicuous, they're about 5c/litre cheaper than the next filling station...which is next door.

Our man in Havana

Where is this?

meoklmrk91

It's a bit of a minefield, I've used unbranded petrol and never had an issue but its not often that I do. I would use that before I would use a well known branded place in my local town, more expensive than anywhere else, the gardai have their account with them and in the early hours of the morning an unbranded tanker rolls up and fills the tanks, once every week or so.

Bandara

For Forks Sake wrote: »

There's one lunatic in Portlaoise has no intention of making themselves inconspicuous, they're about 5c/litre cheaper than the next filling station...which is next door.

And the corrib station about a mile down the road !

M cebee

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

It's a bit of a minefield, I've used unbranded petrol and never had an issue but its not often that I do. I would use that before I would use a well known branded place in my local town, more expensive than anywhere else, the gardai have their account with them and in the early hours of the morning an unbranded tanker rolls up and fills the tanks, once every week or so.

can they do that if they're a brand station

grange mac

I know for a fact, lee garage is run by a father and daughter operation and has been for years. also know they mostly buy from an independent distributor.

there is no fear of this guy ( never met them or have anything to do with them btw) they have been running that place for years.

as said already even if dogy retailers getting smart going within 3c, you cant go wrong buying from place who has been opened for years. its the newly opened independent stations id avoid.

For example stations that had been closed down for years suddenly opening up. There are a few in north/mid cork in particular but only took revenue few months to close them down even if once has opened again....

meoklmrk91

M cebee wrote: »

can they do that if they're a brand station

As far as I know they aren't supposed to and I think there is a fine involved if they are caught. Of course they are mixing the unbranded and the branded and keeping a low profile with regards to when the unbranded is delivered. I personally think its really scummy, to be the dearest place for petrol, and to be doing the old bait and switch.

Bandara

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

As far as I know they aren't supposed to and I think there is a fine involved if they are caught. Of course they are mixing the unbranded and the branded and keeping a low profile with regards to when the unbranded is delivered. I personally think its really scummy, to be the dearest place for petrol, and to be doing the old bait and switch.

The fact that an unbranded truck delivers is nothing to do with dodgy fuel

Most companies outsource their deliveries to haulage companies to cut down on having to maintain a fleet etc, Portway for example deliver to 3 of the bigger operators (Applegreen for example)

I get my own deliveries always in a completely white unbranded tanker, or very ocassionaly in a tanker branded with an other companies colours if they are out the door busy with deliveries !

It makes no sense to have 4 or 5 tankers branded in your colours and havign them and their drivers sit idle if the business isnt busy sometimes, so we essentialy all share the same pool of trucks during busy times

meoklmrk91

I would think nothing of them being unbranded either but the tanker coming at 3-4 o clock in the morning seems a little strange to me. Would that be normal?

Bandara

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

I would think nothing of them being unbranded either but the tanker coming at 3-4 o clock in the morning seems a little strange to me. Would that be normal?

not normal, but some sites do insist on not being interupted during the day

But no, I'd be wary of it

pa990

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

It's a bit of a minefield, I've used unbranded petrol and never had an issue but its not often that I do. I would use that before I would use a well known branded place in my local town, more expensive than anywhere else, the gardai have their account with them and in the early hours of the morning an unbranded tanker rolls up and fills the tanks, once every week or so.

at 6am in cork you'll see loads of unbranded tankers on the road.. a convoy them in fact.

they are all coming from whitegate I presume.
but it's every morning, unbranded tankers, nothing suspicious, that's all I'msaying

Our man in Havana

I take it a place has to stop selling fuel during a delivery?

PizzamanIRL

Heard 2 bad stories about unbranded stations.

My brother's girlfriend's engine got messed up after getting petrol from one that always has their prices noticeably cheaper than the other stations around the town.

Another one on the Carlow road got shut down for selling watered down petrol.

Wouldn't trust them. I only buy from Topaz and Texaco usually.

Bandara

Our man in Havana wrote: »

I take it a place has to stop selling fuel during a delivery?

no, not at all

grange mac

pa990 wrote: »

at 6am in cork you'll see loads of unbranded tankers on the road.. a convoy them in fact.

they are all coming from whitegate I presume.
but it's every morning, unbranded tankers, nothing suspicious, that's all I'msaying

Whitegate have there own trucks, white unbranded. they also sell to boats which can take upto 120000l of marine gas oil... 3 artics nothing suspicious bout that, the agent can tell the trucks to be on the pier in dingle @4am as thats when they will be landing. those boat guys are tough men.

but delivering to a petrol station at 4am is a different story...

M cebee

isn't it a no-no to use pumps during a delivery

pa990

M cebee wrote: »

isn't it a no-no to use pumps during a delivery

yeah.. I always thought that any sh1t and sludge would be stirred up during a delivery.

I've pulled into stations and driven out again when I see a tanker making a delivery.

M cebee

pa990 wrote: »

yeah.. I always thought that any sh1t and sludge would be stirred up during a delivery.

I've pulled into stations and driven out again when I see a tanker making a delivery.

i always drive on
i thought maybe that might expain some out of hours deliveries

slimjimmc

Hammertime wrote: »

Dont buy fuel from an unbranded station.

There are plenty of good trust-worthy independent stations.
I've been putting petrol from the same independent petrol station into my car for the past 5 years without any ill effects.

Now if you said "Dont buy fuel from an untrusted fly-by-night station." I would agree wholeheartedly.

Can't say I've noticed much improvement in mpg from big brands either.

pa990

I've noticed that big brand run stations are more expensive than big brand stations that are privately run (if that makes sense)
ie topaz owned and run stn V topaz stn owned and run by Mr A.Nother

A)why is that?
are they both getting the same fuel



hammer, you might be best to answer this

keithclancy

That station has been there for years .. way before topaz turned up

Lawless2k12

Filled up in Tesco once when going home (It's only 10 mins away). Noticed the car was a bit strange a few days later once the tank was at a quarter full. Started chugging and almost cutting out. Went to mechanic friend who told me that wherever I'd gotten petrol recently had filled my car with dirt and crap. He did his best to solve the problem but just for the craic, went back there again and same thing happened. Friend did a job on the car again and this time went to Topaz. No weird shananigans with the car this time however! Might have been 2 cent dearer but saves a lot of hassle! Tesco, the one near me anyway, seems to get there petrol delivered by an unmarked lorry as well. Don't ever plan on visiting them again after that experience.

pa990

keithclancy wrote: »

That station has been there for years .. way before topaz turned up

most stations have been around
jet became statoil,
statoil.became topaz.

im taking about topaz taking over topsx branded stations and upping the price.

one example is reillys topaz on straight rd cork

Our man in Havana

Tesco gets its fuel from Topaz.

Lawless2k12

Our man in Havana wrote: »

Tesco gets its fuel from Topaz.

I've seen a different truck in Topaz though? Local company truck... Tesco just had an unmarked silver lorry