Crooks are us - shoddy petrol

[rorywquin]

I tend to time my fill-ups with Costco visits as the fuel there is good and cheap, sorry cheaper.

It's a habit, if you have had a spell properly skint with no one to bail you out the price matters.

Where I am financially now is irrelevant the habit is set.

I look for value in all purchases no matter how many noughts.

I drive an old car out of choice.

I don’t want to be the richest man in the graveyard.

I’ve pulled my belt in when I had to, but see no point in depriving myself when I can afford not to.

However, now living in Yorkshire, I’ve learned that for some people, counting the pennies saved is a joy in itself.

I don’t get it but each to their own.

 

[Frontstep]

Looking for value is not "counting the pennies" its a mindset for spending wisely.

 

[DSK]

I have to add that I’ve tried a few fuels in my cars when shell vpower was not available and out of curiosity, shell vpower has always been best for response and smoothness over others.

I get Botus’s point fully if you buy something all the time and the tossers mess with it, you know, despite how it may be hidden or disguised. My colleague had a similar experience a while back when Mobil changed the formulation of an oil he specifically bought for his self built 500bhp Hyundai coupe. His comments were it’s not what it used to be followed by a few swear words.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rob7seven]

I don’t want to be the richest man in the graveyard.

However, now living in Yorkshire, I’ve learned that for some people, counting the pennies saved is a joy in itself.

I don’t get it but each to their own.

I know exactly what you mean about the attitude of some people in Yorkshire, that's my native county. I've lived on the south coast for many years now, and my wife is from Lancashire. Many would consider that we live quite well, but we both still know the value of a pound, though that's very different from being tight-fisted. My attitude to life now that I'm retired is "can't take it with you", which isn't too different from what roryquin posted. Frontstep said much the same thing, its a mindset for spending wisely. I've found over several years that Shell V-Power gives me measurably better mpg, and to me that makes it worth the additional cost, Shell are a reputable company, and if they claim that it's beneficial in having cleaning properties that are good for your engine, I'm prepared to take that on trust. Is there any reliable independent analysis of the constituents of the fuel that the various suppliers sell us?

 

[Snake Charmer]

Back in 2007, due to Silicone in Tesco fuel causing running problems on our Volvo, we switched to V-Power unleaded. At the time, my wife was driving to Ferndown regularly and commented that the car felt better and was doing more to the gallon. The benefits in that car, a 200hp turbo were clearly noticeable and to me particularly the performance difference stood out. The same fuel in a smaller non turbo car would have less benefit and average Joe would not notice much improvement and declare V-Power a waste of money.
I discussed this and fuels in general with a BP employee a couple of years later and he was quite informative about the Tesco debacle and benefits of the premium fuels. He went on to say that V-Power was at that time the best of the bunch. Times change, Ethanol is added now and I expect the whole chemical composition is different to 2007 V-Power and the man from BP might not say the same.

 

[Frontstep]

VFM,

it often means spending a lot more for something better for the long term.

Sometimes it means doing things the cheapest way possible to "get out quickly"

You know your doing something right when you are consistently asked for advice.

 

[rorywquin]

.........."

You know your doing something right when you are consistently asked for advice.

In the land of the blind, the man with one eye is king.

 

[rorywquin]

Looking for value is not "counting the pennies" its a mindset for spending wisely.

100% agree with spending wisely but there is a fine line and perhaps that line becomes blurred.

 

[Frontstep]

The key is probably in the word spending, some of my biggest expenditures have certainly been the best, yet I have like many brought some real junk usually out of laziness more than anything.
It wasn't necessarily cheap and in the long run probably dear.

 

[Blobcat]

The key is probably in the word spending, some of my biggest expenditures have certainly been the best, yet I have like many brought some real junk usually out of laziness more than anything.
It wasn't necessarily cheap and in the long run probably dear.

I don’t mind paying… I don’t like paying twice…

 

[rorywquin]

The key is probably in the word spending, some of my biggest expenditures have certainly been the best, yet I have like many brought some real junk usually out of laziness more than anything.
It wasn't necessarily cheap and in the long run probably dear.

@Blobcat

Sometimes, the best is also not fit for purpose. I usually buy good quality but I’ve also I’ve purchased expensive items...e.g. an angle grinder to do a particular job, Bosch Professional, used it once.........actually, I got it out yesterday after 12 years to clean my pizza steel. 2nd job that I've used it for.

 

[Rotorhead500]

@Blobcat

Sometimes, the best is also not fit for purpose. I usually buy good quality but I’ve also I’ve purchased expensive items...e.g. an angle grinder to do a particular job, Bosch Professional, used it once.........actually, I got it out yesterday after 12 years to clean my pizza steel. 2nd job that I've used it for.

Use it to cut your pizza Rory... that'll be 3 jobs! Bargain!

 

[Blobcat]

@Blobcat

Sometimes, the best is also not fit for purpose. I usually buy good quality but I’ve also I’ve purchased expensive items...e.g. an angle grinder to do a particular job, Bosch Professional, used it once.........actually, I got it out yesterday after 12 years to clean my pizza steel. 2nd job that I've used it for.

When buying tools especially for others I’ll buy cheap and what they wear out I’ll replace with good quality.

 

[rorywquin]

Use it to cut your pizza Rory... that'll be 3 jobs! Bargain!

My pizzas are not that bad....

 

[noonboots]

Not all cheap tools are rubbish, nor are the most expensive necessarily the best. I bought a Silverline reciprocating saw to cut out a door and a window frame. Then at work we got a job where I needed it every day. I was still using it 6 years later and still have it now.

 

[Frontstep]

A man who does a lot for me has a set of Lidl power tools for doing jobs "out of town" and a Dewalt set for when he thinks it's safer.

They are not that bad.

The impact driver is powerful and light I have used it and it has been used a lot, still going strong.

My Dewalt packed up.

 

[Rob7seven]

There's a shop near me that sells all kinds of cheap stuff, gardening, timber, stationery and lots of other things, but they have a quite extensive tool section. Many of these are Draper and other cheap brands, probably all made in the Far East. I needed a wrench for a household job, a stilson, and I got one there for £7.95. It did the job I needed it for, I never realised before that I needed one, but it's come in handy for several other jobs as well, useful thing to have around. I was expecting to have to pay much more, but it's solid and looks as if it will last forever. Friends have told me much the same thing about their experiences, some of them full time tradesmen, not retired amateurs like me, and as one told me, if something cheap is good enough for the job, why pay more?

 

[Blobcat]

A man who does a lot for me has a set of Lidl power tools for doing jobs "out of town" and a Dewalt set for when he thinks it's safer.

They are not that bad.

The impact driver is powerful and light I have used it and it has been used a lot, still going strong.

My Dewalt packed up.

Dewalt is just black and decker in a yellow package these days…

 

[Frontstep]

Black and Decker many moons ago used to last.

 

[Blobcat]

Black and Decker many moons ago used to last.

The grey professional ones did (I still have one around here somewhere…)