Cheap gasoline is not harmful, but…
With the month of February, the price of fuel has increased again; In small doses, yes, but it is a circumstance that repeats itself. Thus, now there are many who opt for the cheapest optionalthough there are still cases where a more premium option is also chosen.
But it is undeniable that currently, low cost gas stations are part of our lives and allow us to save a good handful of euros when adding fuel. In a 50 liter tank we can save between 6 and 8 euros in this type of jets, but… are they harmful to the engine?
The answer is no, but with nuances Or what is the same; Not by using cheap gasoline our car is going to suffer, but it is possible that depending on what that gasoline can carry, the engine suffers some type of breakdown.
It will be a lower quality refueling
As such, ‘low cost’ gas stations began to proliferate in our country from 2013, following the approval of the new Hydrocarbons Law. The regulations promote the competition and liberalization of land for fuel service stations.
Since then, automatic gas stations have become part of the urban landscape, especially in industrial areas and shopping centers where there is usually a large influx of carriers and individuals, many of which belong to small or even medium-sized companies, although they are not few. the businesses of small companies, cooperatives or even individuals
Thus, the continuous rise in the price of fuels in the last year, which has exceeded all expectations, has pushed many to try this option, which as a general rule, we allows to save about 12-18 cents per liter. If we fill a 60-liter tank, we are talking about between 7 and 11 euros depending on the gas station.
Thus, and offering a cheaper fuel than the big brands, the question that many ask is if this type of fuel is of worse quality and if that can affect the vehicle’s engine. We talk about your additives. Because, although the fuel base is the same in all service stations, it must be taken into account that cheap gasoline does not have additives of regular gasoline. This supposes, in the same sense, that the refueling is of lower quality and that we are probably going to have to make a stop to fill the tank before.
The key is in the additives
And it is that the additives are chemical products that add some specific characteristic to fuel. For example, they can manage to keep the ducts clean or obtain a higher octane rating (as they do in Formula 1), while there are others that even promise to prolong the life of the engine, increase combustion efficiency or pollute less.
In those, we then have subtle differences that they do not have to entail, not even in the long term, damage to the engine of a vehicle since, except for errors, negligence or fraud, all gas stations must comply with strict European regulations and with a minimum of quality.
Thanks to them, too, what we see is that it will be achieved improve performance of the fuel at the time of burning and facilitate injection thanks to the detergent and anti-corrosion effect. In the case of diesel, additives help to reduce its powerful and characteristic odor.