Which gas stations have cheaper gasoline? Why can’t you use a mobile phone at a gas station and does it cause gasoline to explode? Explosion-proof phone - what is it?
Experienced drivers know which gas stations have the most high quality gasoline. Each “ace of Russian highways” accumulated invaluable experience not for self-interest, but for benefit. Because I experienced it myself: deviations from standards, the presence of impurities (to be honest: although gasoline is not sour cream, it is also diluted with water, fuel with a lower octane number) are fraught with big troubles.
Filters clogged, candles went out
If you approach the issue without due attention, the machine slowly but surely, and sometimes instantly, reacts to a violation of the “nutrition” rules. Clogged filters, injector malfunctions, spark plug soot - this is not a complete list of troubles awaiting us after we poured God knows what into the fuel tank, although we were assured that it was good gasoline.
What do you need to know in order to avoid the troubles associated with visiting the “wrong” gas station? First, let's analyze the factors influencing the quality of the fuel: (measure of starting, working and final fractions, measure of the content of alkalis, acids, organic compounds, etc.
Although there is an opinion that the fuel at branded gas stations is not always better than that sold by little-known points, many drivers, when asked about the “best gasoline” and which gas stations sell it, answer that they like Shell, Rosneft, and some others promoted stations.
When you don't need lemonade
How can I find out about the progress of fuel quality control? Law-abiding owners of each gas station display special certificates for everyone to see. I want to believe that in reality everything is as it is written. Unfortunately, practice shows that official identification data is not always reliable. It is impossible to demand the same utility from 80 and 95 gasoline - the fractional indicators are different.
Before we talk about which gas stations sell the highest quality gasoline, let’s evaluate a different, consumer rating. The most popular is the 95th, the least popular is the 76th. And what? It seems that some gas station workers have adopted Dale Carnegie’s advice “if fate gives you a lemon, make lemonade out of it” in their own selfish way. Using so-called additives for diesel fuel(improvers), they make anything from the 76th “lemon”, up to the 95th “brandy”.
A huge number of cars across the country run on this dubious mixture. Improvers that were originally added to the raw materials from which gasoline is produced are especially harmful to the car. However, not all “shoals” are stacked on the conscience of fuel traders. So, it falls if it has been stored for too long. At the same time, the resin content increases (due to an increase in the concentration of fuel hydrocarbons).
Question to a friend
How not to miss when choosing a gas station? There are many ways. First of all, ask those whose opinions you consider objective and honest (friends, work colleagues, family). Although opinions may differ within this narrow circle, you can grasp the vector of actions and draw conclusions. The highest quality and trusted brands in Russia in 2016 are considered to be: Lukoil, Gazpromneft, Shell, TNK. But maybe this only applies to the center?
There is an opinion that when traveling around the country, you may encounter the fact that a gas station, which has a high reputation among metropolitan consumers, sells fuel that does not meet the declared quality. What to do in this case? Ask local motorists where they prefer to get service. Or watch the “behavior” of cars with local license plates. Whichever station has the most of them is true.
Another subtlety: be wary of the excessive use of bright words “lux”, “premium” in the fuel price list at the station. Remember that in our advertising times everyone knows how to show off. Look for a little modesty: a brand name without any “luxury”. This is how the product is presented where there is no need to prove that it is of high quality and proven.
Gasoline passport
Which gas stations have the best quality gasoline? Feedback from the people sometimes slightly (and sometimes radically) changes the emphasis. For example, Shell is in the top three. It is believed that the product is environmentally friendly (meets the Euro-4 standard), and GOST standards are met during production. The fuel system is not contaminated. But you can also hear that Shell (as well as TNK) in a number of cases sells fuel that was stored in not the best oil depots (the owners of the depots donate money to their partners, to put it mildly).
Therefore, attention, attention and attention again. Look at the gas station, find the gasoline passport there. If the fuel has been improved, it has a separate document. Read whether this process was carried out according to GOST or on the basis technical specifications. Assess environmental safety, find the name of the manufacturing plant.
The gasoline passport may be expired (valid for 10 days). At the end of this time, the initial indicators decrease and the quality of the fuel decreases. Don’t take risks, don’t buy fuel at gas stations before reading the passport details. If there is no document in sight, this is already a signal of the seller’s dishonesty.
Don't be cheap, driver!
Almost every second driver has at least once thought about where to buy not too expensive gasoline. A completely understandable desire. But standing at a gas station with a product “at a reasonable price,” think about it: the GOST one is unlikely to be so cheap, and the one manufactured according to the specifications will probably not be very useful for your car. The quality of conditions is initially less stringent.
There is, of course, power in knowing which gas stations have the highest quality gasoline. But always remember that in large cities there is less counterfeit and low-quality fuel; it is better to keep your ears to the ground away from them. In addition, gasoline is better on weekdays than on weekends and holidays.
Check the quality. Look at appearance flammable liquid, rate color scheme. There are poisonous shades - do not take risks, do not fill the gas tank, even if the price is tempting.
About color. Experts say that the A-72 is pink, the A-76 is yellow, the 93 is orange-red, and the 95 is reminiscent of gastric juice in color (yellow-green). Although there are those who find that sometimes it looks like Duchess lemonade and doubt the quality.
What smells?
There is a touch test. This is done like this: drop gasoline on your hand (the back side is more sensitive). Does it dry out your skin? You made a good choice. Are there any greasy marks left? Stop! They added diesel fuel to the fuel, which reduced the quality. Very bad smell- also a signal of fuel trouble. Experienced car owners and attentive newcomers become wary when they smell the smell of burnt rubber and chemicals.
These tips help identify low-quality fuels, but are not ideal testing methods. There are also chemical tests that can be carried out at home. Pour the test substance into a glass beaker and observe. Are there soot deposits on the bottom? This indicates that the fuel was enriched with carbon or benzene.
If you take a sheet of paper and put a drop of gasoline on it, the real one will evaporate without a trace, while the low-quality one will leave behind a greasy and dirty trace. If you set fire to a drop, the clean one will burn without a trace, or rather, a white circle will remain. The presence of brown and yellow indicates an excess of resin content. Particularly vigilant drivers resort to studying the fuel consumed by their favorite car in special laboratories.
We continue testing
Didn't make it to the laboratory yet? Continue your personal experiments: see how a drop of gasoline behaves on glass? “Experimental” spread up to 5 mm in diameter? This means that the concentration of resins in it is 9-10 milligrams per 100 milliliters (the norm for high-quality fuel is 7-15 mg).
Has it blurred to 30 millimeters? The resin content is exceeded and reaches approximately 19 to 21 milligrams per hundred milliliters. Permanently exceeding this indicator halves the service life by 20%.
About the amount of water in the gasoline under study. Add potassium permanganate crystals to the container with fuel. If the composition turns typically purple, it contains an excess of H2O. Crystals do not dissolve in high-quality fuel. Watery gasoline will damage the spark plugs and contaminate the fuel equipment.
Beautiful word "ariometer"
Cannily? It’s worth it to learn to recognize the highest quality gasoline in Russia and at which gas stations you are most likely to find it. Many people like to use a household gasoline meter (ariometer). Of course, you should not completely rely on the reliability of the data obtained with its help. But if you need to separate the “wheat from the chaff” and determine gasoline and diesel fuel, then an ariometer is what you need. Having identified fuel problems, select a time to carry out professional diagnostics car.
In the event of a breakdown and repair of a vehicle due to poor-quality injections, having laboratory findings on low-quality fuel in hand, you can contact Rospotrebnadzor (engaged in the protection of consumer rights) with an application for reimbursement of the costs of bringing the car into working condition.
TOP 10
Looking for where the best quality gas stations are, some motorists made reviews while driving across the expanses of Russia. The experiment showed that eight samples for sulfur content met the requirements of class 4 (a couple of which were close to class five), two showed class three (we are talking about sulfur content). So it's not all that sad. If you don’t refuel from a fuel tanker, don’t go looking for cheapness; you have every chance of refueling with a decent 95, no matter where your wanderlust takes you in any corner of the country.
The brands Gazprom Neft and Kirishi Gasoline are praised (tests give consistent positive results). The first of these has two factories - in Moscow and Yaroslavl, both guarantee product quality.
More about those included in the “ten brave”: these are the well-known companies TNK, Rosneft, Shell. TNK-BP and Nesta are familiar to many. Gas stations of these brands are based on domestic fuel (with the exception of 98-grade gasoline). But be careful: in the wrong place or “at the wrong time” you can encounter the fact that the desired and the actual do not coincide - there are quality complaints from consumers.
German and Russian quality
There is a small company, Statoil, and a large, well-known, but not very loved by consumers, PTK. The list of average quality is completed by Tatneft (does not have its own oil depot) and Bashneft (does have a depot). They shared 10th place among themselves. As for global assessments, there is the International Center for Fuel Quality Inspection. It is believed that the highest quality gasoline in the world is sold in Germany. Japan is in second position, and six countries are in third, including Austria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, and Sweden.
What is it like? Which gas station has the highest quality? The question is rather rhetorical. Some are sure that we need to adhere to the principle of “one gas station - one manufacturer.” Others believe that you can contact different stations, as long as they are branded. Still others say that you can buy high-quality fuel at a small gas station, but fly at a luxury one. These are just some of the opinions!
I think the wisest of them is this: do not look for a definite answer to the question of which gas stations have the highest quality gasoline. Get to the heart of the matter. And you will always find what you are looking for, driving around the endless expanses of Russia.
As a decent man, I adore cars, and I can’t live in peace, I decided to check the quality of gasoline at gas stations in Moscow. Rosneft, Lukoil, Gazprom, BP and others tremble!
Automotive stores sell various test strips to check the quality of gasoline. But, it is clear that they cannot provide complete data on the composition of gasoline and determine its compliance with all standards. I did this test not too long ago macos . The experiment seemed interesting to me, but I decided to play it safe and went to a real testing laboratory for fuels and lubricants.
The first surprise was finding a laboratory that could test gasoline. It turned out that there are not many of these in Moscow. I Googled only two (Shell and Neftmagistral) suitable laboratories to which a private person can submit gasoline for analysis without any problems. Other laboratories either analyze oils, or are not close, or the analysis is unreasonably expensive, or cooperation with private individuals is problematic. By the way, maybe someone knows why such laboratories do not like private individuals?
The choice fell on Neftmagistral. In fact, I chose them because of the price (the pleasure turned out to be not the cheapest), and they are located quite close to Moscow (Vnukovo).
Having driven along the Moscow Ring Road from Yaroslavka to the Kievskoye Highway, I stopped at the following gas stations: Rosneft, Lukoil, BP, Neftmagistral, Gazpromneft. I poured gasoline into plastic cans specially designed for gasoline. For testing we used standard 95 gasoline.
I am posting receipts for gasoline for comparison - (price per liter/rubles): Neftmagistral - 33.20, Gazpromneft - 34.05, Rosneft - 34.10, Lukoil - 34.52, BP - 34.59. I couldn't resist buying mineral water from BP. The main question is: what is the difference and is it more different? cheap gasoline from the expensive, why is it healthier to feed cars and is there any difference in general what to feed?
To make everything as independent as possible, I handed over gasoline samples anonymously - under numbers. Although, looking ahead, I will say that after the analysis we got into a conversation with the person who works there and, looking at the composition, he himself compared and named the brands of three samples. At that moment I felt real respect for a person who knows the market so well and knows the compositions and differences of gasoline different brands.
The laboratory is equipped with the latest technology. I wouldn't call it big, but the equipment is amazing. The following fuel parameters were analyzed: octane number, fractional composition, content of sulfur and aromatic compounds. Whatever one may say, gasoline test strips cannot reveal this data in any way. And good gasoline means not only excellent driving and acceleration characteristics of a car, but also the key to its uninterrupted operation and serviceability. I think that those who are under warranty and call for maintenance have heard many times from the mechanics sighs about dirty spark plugs and bad gasoline.
Let's take a closer look at several devices. Below is UIT-85M. The device was made in Russia at the Savelovsky Machine-Building Plant. This installation is used to determine the octane number. The device simulates engine operation using only one cylinder, then the unit compares the standard with the gasoline supplied for testing.
The octane number of all brands was in order. Everything is within normal limits.
Let's test further. A spectrometer helps determine the sulfur content in gasoline. Active sulfur compounds contained in gasoline cause severe corrosion fuel system and transport containers. Inactive sulfur compounds do not lead to corrosion, but the gases formed during their combustion cause rapid abrasive wear of engine parts, reduce power and worsen the environmental situation.
And this device is for determining the chemical composition. In a few seconds it gives detailed analysis composition.
A device that determines the fractional composition of gasoline.
Apparatus for determining the density of petroleum products
Apparatus for determining saturated vapor pressure
Equipment for diesel fuel analysis differs significantly. But I didn’t have diesel fuel with me, so I couldn’t see exactly how the device worked, but I managed to capture it:
Apparatus for determining actual resins
But the most important thing is the final results, which is what I came to the laboratory for. In fact, the results were unexpected. I was sure that at least half of the brands would be unusable, but... almost all of the gasoline turned out to be within the standards, the only thing was that Lukoil “failed.”
Lukoil AI-95 gasoline does not comply with GOST R 51866-2002 for a number of fractional composition indicators. The first discrepancy: the end of the boil (this indicator should not be higher than 210C, for Lukoil it is 215.7C). Consequences: increased fuel consumption and carbon formation in the combustion chamber of the engine cylinder. The second discrepancy: the share of aromatic hydrocarbons. Consequences: carbon deposits on the spark plugs during the next maintenance. All this can be seen in the test report. That is, this gasoline will not only increase fuel consumption, but also significantly increase engine wear.
Indicators of the fractional composition and the compliance of these parameters with the norm are among the main ones, since they can be used to determine the engine warm-up speed, its throttle response, starting qualities, and the uniformity of engine operation. idle speed. To decipher all the indicators, you can use this “dictionary”.
By the way, Gazprom stood out in terms of sulfur content, but in terms of this indicator everything is within the normal range for all brands.
Lukoil and Gazprom had the lowest octane ratings (octane number, the higher it is, the better gasoline resists detonation) - 95.4, BP has a little higher - 95.5, but still not the maximum, although I repeat that everything is within the normal range, but without much effort.
Other protocols can be found here
Neftmagistral:
Rosneft:
In general, I am surprised, I still expected more violations-) Perhaps the fact is that the gasoline was taken in Moscow, we apparently undergo constant checks. It would be interesting if someone living in the region would take up the baton and conduct similar analyzes.
Question for the studio: is it worth overpaying for a brand, if in the end the quality is the same for everyone, and some expensive brands are also a little cheating? Have you personally encountered low-quality gasoline? Did you try to somehow prove the manufacturer’s guilt? Have you contacted such laboratories? And, in fact, what guides you when choosing a gas station, because, as it turns out, a high price is not always a guarantee of quality...
This never happened before: the driver, getting out of the car, put the gun in the neck and went to pay for gasoline at the cash register. Later, nice young people appeared at gas stations, ready to do this simple work for him. And also - wipe the windows or pump up the tire.
Today, gas station attendants (one or more) are on duty at almost any gas station (at large chains, for sure). Many people do not understand why they are needed. But really, why?
In fact, the gas station attendant is not there to please you. And not because the director of the gas station needs somewhere to place his idiot son. It turns out that his appearance at the gas station is connected with... safety. Most motorists cannot correctly and safely perform the procedure for installing a fuel dispenser nozzle into the neck fuel tank by car. The danger lies in your fingertips conducting static electricity while traveling. You may not know, but you “gain electricity” all the time: when your back rubs against the synthetic upholstery of the seats, against plastic elements (for example, the steering wheel), etc. Electrified clothing poses a serious danger. During refueling, touching metal surfaces may cause a spark to occur. In this case, gasoline vapors from the tank are displaced by the incoming fuel and form an explosive cloud around the neck. It's not far from the fire here. Or maybe an explosion.
That is why special people appeared at gas stations - gas station attendants, who help motorists with refueling their cars. They wear special clothing and think exclusively about compliance with safety regulations. What if it still “takes off”? Well then, the car owner will have a chance to sue the operator for the damage caused to him and his car.
Actually, not everyone can trust a stranger with the mystery of pouring gasoline into the tank of their car. Conclusion: you yourself must observe safety precautions when performing this procedure. First, when going to the gas station, avoid synthetic clothing and silk items. When rubbing, excuse me, the loin on a chair, you accumulate electric charge. It's good if you "reset the static" in the supermarket (via the trolley). What if at a gas station?
Secondly, when refueling a car, it is better not to touch the fuel nozzle with your hands at all. Before opening the gas cap, pat your car. This is not a ritual, but an attempt to remove static electricity from the body. Just do this with your bare hands, not with gloves. Carry out the same procedure for the fuel dispenser (it must be grounded) - remove the accumulated charge. While the refueling process is in progress, do not sit in the driver’s seat - stay outside the car. Before removing the gun from the tank, touch the pump again just in case.
Here are some more tips on refueling your car at a gas station. Objects become electrified faster in sunny and dry weather. Thus, there is less chance of collecting a static charge - in winter during rain or snow. For the same reason, it is not recommended to put fuel into a plastic canister. To store and transport fuel, you should use only iron containers.
The instructions also advise not to use cell phones when refueling a car and to turn off the engine to avoid generating electromagnetic fields that can cause static charges on the car body. By the way, the law requires turning off the engine when refueling a car (clause 451 of the “Fire Safety Rules in the Russian Federation”).
Massive underfilling of fuel was detected at Russian gas stations: 76% of gas stations in the country were found guilty of this. The authors of the study note that due to underfilling, consumers sometimes buy fuel at an inflated price, which also does not meet the standards. At the same time, gas stations that sell fuel from large oil companies are the least likely to be deceived. Experts say the reason for the massive underfilling is the economic situation in the country, which forces small gas stations to deceive consumers.
The Federation of Car Owners of Russia (FAR) conducted a study, the results of which showed what percentage of gas stations deceive consumers by not adding fuel. Monitoring of underfilling of AI-92 and AI-95 was carried out at 34 gas stations in 13 regions of Russia. During the monitoring, five integrated oil companies (VIOCs), 25 federal and regional networks and eight small-scale and private gas stations were inspected. For the study, FAR developed a method for determining underfilling of fuel at gas stations in the “mystery shopper” mode, which allows you to determine the actual amount of fuel put into the car’s tank, as well as select fuel to check the quality for compliance with the requirements. technical regulations Customs Union (TR CU).
“According to our method, a discrepancy of more than one percent between the paid and actually received fuel was taken as underfilling. As a result, underfilling was detected at 76% of gas stations,” reports the FAR website.
It is noted that the underfilling among vertically integrated oil companies (including Rosneft, Lukoil, Surgutneftegaz, Gazpromneft, Tatneft, Slavneft, Bashneft, RussNeft) amounted to 20%, one out of five ( underfilling 1.63% - at the error level), among federal and large regional networks was detected in 81% of cases (average underfilling 4.97%, maximum 19.03%).
Underfilling among small-chain and private gas stations was 100% (average underfilling 5.66%, maximum 8.03%). The average underfill for the sample was 5.05%, which means that it can actually be added to the price per liter.
As the FAR notes, underfilling fuel is not only a deception of the consumer, but also an element of unfair competition.
Using underfilling, unscrupulous market participants actually sell fuel at a higher market price, which does not yet meet the requirements of the CU TR.
For example, a gas station in the Krasnodar Territory sold AI-95 at 44.70 rubles per liter, the underfill amounted to 19.03% and in fact the consumer purchased fuel for 55.21 rubles per liter.
In the Moscow region, according to the same principle, the consumer overpaid more than four rubles per liter. The gas station sold fuel at 39.90 rubles per liter, the underfill amounted to 12.8% and in fact the consumer paid 44 rubles per liter.
The FAR notes that economic reasons may be the reason for the underfilling.
“If the wholesale price for gasoline is higher than the retail price, this inevitably leads to a decrease in the quality and quantity of fuel sold at gas stations, which means that we all have the risk of not only filling up with fuel of questionable quality, but also paying “for air,” the statement says. message.
“An ordinary consumer, unfortunately, now cannot influence this situation in any way,” said the head of the FAR, Sergei Kanaev, to Gazeta.Ru. - It won’t be possible to prove something on the spot, even if the fact of underfilling is obvious, and the advice to fill up 10 or 20 liters at dubious gas stations, as Pyotr Shkumatov advised, in my opinion, is unlikely to help. This will definitely not be a guarantee against underfilling.
The situation can be corrected by developing a methodology for determining the amount of fuel in the mystery buyer purchasing mode and further determining precise quantitative indicators. The state should develop the methodology, but control over the operation of gas stations should be state-public.”
“This is truly a complete disgrace. Since there are such precedents, we need to understand. Because, of course, these underfills only happen at the very bottom, at the level of the gas stations themselves. Our state corporations should be instructed to deal with this issue and involve the security service,” Ananskikh told RT.
First Vice-President of the Russian Fuel Union (RTS), President of the Non-Profit Partnership “Oil Club of St. Petersburg” Oleg Ashikhmin commented on the news about the massive underfilling of fuel at Russian gas stations.
“These are special cases, and not a trend in today’s petroleum products retail market. Unfortunately, what the FAR revealed is happening. And this is the legacy we inherited from the Soviet Union.
Owner gas station I’m not interested in the car owner not having enough water. This often happens at the operator and foreman level. I know the situation from the inside. I know how company owners pay a lot of attention to this, and security services do this. But where there is an opportunity to take something somewhere, “our” people do it.
If you arrive at this station with a can of gasoline and pour it into it, you will see whether they top it up for you or not. This is theft, which is difficult to punish. And this is what the police should do. But in this case, you need to immediately make a complaint to the station operator so that they check the fuel dispenser (fuel dispenser) for supply in order to indicate the moment that you see that you are not being topped up. And don’t be afraid to contact the company’s management,” Ashikhmin noted.
“The incident is due to the fact that unscrupulous owners of gas stations and employees who are not supervised obviously use a wide variety of techniques and deceive motorists.
First of all, it is necessary to oblige gas station owners to put things in order in this matter, for example, by test purchases. Identify such cases and bring them to administrative and serious financial responsibility. In some cases, maybe even criminal, if we are talking about systematic deception of the consumer,” Mayorov told RT.
Alexander Vasiliev, a member of the Committee, answered AiF’s questions State Duma on transport, initiator of the creation of the Institute of Public Control.
There are a lot of violations
Sales volumes of low-quality gasoline in Russia, according to various estimates, range from 30 to 70%. How is this even possible in a country where so much oil is produced? Have we still not learned how to make normal gasoline?
There are about 30 large oil refineries in our country, producing more than a million tons of fuel, and about 90 small ones. And, alas, the work of these small enterprises is not always properly controlled. So gasoline of unsuitable quality goes on sale. Gas stations buy it and “improve” it in their own way: dilute it, sell 92 under the 95 brand. Public control checks showed: there are a lot of violations! But this organization is not able to reach all the small gas stations. Firstly, each such check costs money, which social activists do not always have at their disposal. Secondly, the owners of many gas stations are trying to obstruct inspectors. It happens that it comes to assault, the canister can be snatched from the hands of the controllers. Or, knowing about the upcoming inspection, they simply close the gas station.
Having learned about this problem, we began to work with public organizations that deal with fuel quality. To date, we have found violations not only in Moscow, but also in the Moscow, Vladimir, and Pskov regions.
- Punishment is a fine of up to half a million rubles. A good contribution to the budget, in my opinion, but, apparently, this amount is not high enough to scare unscrupulous manufacturers and gas stations. In addition, in my memory, not a single gas station has ever had its license revoked due to detected violations. In order for gas station owners to stop fooling people, it is necessary to adopt changes in legislation. Firstly, the government must work more seriously with its regulatory authorities. Secondly, it is necessary to introduce higher penalties, which would significantly hit the pockets of both unscrupulous manufacturers and gas station owners.Title is not a guarantee
While the government is thinking about how to change the legislation, what should we ordinary people, do? How can I tell if I didn’t get enough gas at the gas station or if its quality leaves much to be desired?
Some car enthusiasts can already understand by the smell that all is not well with the quality. But not everyone, of course, is such a doc. Therefore, keep an eye on your fuel consumption. When there is illicit liquid in the tank, consumption increases. Even an inexperienced driver will understand this. When refueling at the same station, always keep your receipts. If your car stops working after the next refueling, then you can safely file a claim that the car is faulty. As for underfilling, try to always refill full tank- it’s easier to notice. Obviously, you were deceived if you have a tank of 50 liters, but they filled you with 60.
Is the name of the gas station a guarantee of quality? Are well-promoted brands better than small, unknown ones?
You should not trust anyone unconditionally. I'll give you a specific example. During an expedition from Vladivostok to Crimea, I asked local road workers for advice on where it’s best to refuel. In some regions I was strongly advised not to deal with large well-known companies. According to locals, many branded gas stations are not gas stations of this brand at all and sell gasoline of a completely different brand.
