I was wondering what type of gas everyone puts in their A6. i have a 1998, and in the manual im pretty sure it says use premium. i use premium all the time but my friend will put premium one time, regular the next, then premium again, and so on in his car.

what do you guys do.

what do you guys recommend.

 

You may want to do a search on this. Been discussed many times and is a subject of much controversy. Bottom line: 87 will not hurt your car. 91+ will give you more power and a bit better gas mileage (not enough to cover the extra cost, but a bit more). Brands only vary in terms of the additives they add. As such, unless you have a particular taste for one detergent over another, brand does NOT matter.

 

Actually using to low of an octane can cause knocking and pinging. Mostly in the turbo engines at higher altitudes.

 

His car is a 98 2.8, just like mine. No turbo, and it has a knock sensor that retards the ignition timing to prevent knocks.

 

Um... no. Absolutely not. As noted by another poster, the car has sensors that will change the timing to prevent this. I was told just last night by an Audi technical engineer and an Audi service trainer that 91 is recommended (for best performance) but 87 will do absolutely NOTHING to hurt your car.

 

Not true, and true...

Not True: Economy using premium fuel: According to my calculation, it costs me about $1.80 more to fill up with premium fuel compared to mid-grade, and $3.60 more compared to regular. (18 gallons x $3.29 per gallon premium... gasoline, for the first time in my lifetime, costs more now in Washington State than it does in Oregon). I have also carefully calculated that I average 23 - 24 mpg on my commute to work. (Mostly highway... stop and goes KILLS the economy, like as low as 17 mpg around town). When I've used mid-grade and regular, my economy averaged 21 - 22 mpg on the exact same commute under exactly the same weather conditions (hot and dry.) and exactly the same speed (61 mph highway, 41 mph in town, set on the cruise control and confirmed on my GPS). So, 24 mpg times 18 gallons = 432 miles per tankful. At the lower economy, 22 mpg X 18 gallons = 396 miles per tank. This is a delta of 36 miles. 36 miles / 22 mpg = 1.64 gallons X $3.09 per gallon regular = $5.06. This means that it would costs $1.45 more to go the same total distance using the regular gasoline! Might as well buy the premium, though often I just fill up with mid-grade.

Absolutely true: All gas is the same except for the detergent additives. All the oil companies use the same transport pipelines. Oil company A puts in X number of units of premium and regular grade gasoline on one end, and take out X number of units on the other end, as do all the other oil companies. These X number of units may very well have been produced by Company B, C, or D, and is probably well mixed at the terminal end anyway. When they take out X number of units and pump it into a fuel truck the fuel additives are in the tanker truck, not in the pipeline. The quality of the gasoline is closely monitored to ensure it meets standards going into the pipeline. Mid-grade is created by mixing the premium and regular. Also, the additives in the premium fuel are exactly the same as those in the regular fuel, as mandated by law actually.

Now that being said, some gas stations are better than others. Some stations have problems with water intrusion in their underground tanks, or else has water magically gets into their stored fuel. (I have tested gas for water many times and found it... glass jar of fuel in a dark cabinet, check for seperation)Some stations have poorly calibrated pumps, and isn't it funny that they are always in error towards measuring more gas pumped than actual, never less. (I also have reported a notoriously bad station in my town, and the state busted them twice for re-calibrating their pumps after being inspected by the state.)Personally, I always buy my fuel from the busiest stations, as there is less chance for fuel contamination that way since their turnover is higher.

 

I don't care what anyone says or what the statistics are. I have a 2001 A6 4.2 and I only use the highest grade premium I can find. It's only a couple bucks more to fill up and you have the slight sense of security with the premium fuel. Not a mechanics advise or anything but if you love your car and want to do everything you can to make it run as well as it should, shouldn't you put good gas in her?

 

No doubt about it. These are our babies and we all love to pamper them. I generally tend to put premium in mine but have been switching a bit to mid or regular lately because many gas stations are jacking up the delta between the grades.

That said, I do think it is important to get the FACTS on the table because all too often, I see people spout BS that anything less than 91 will hurt your car. Just isn't true.

 

An audi engineer told you huh. Probably the same guy that put the cupholder above 1000 dollars worth of electronics(radio and ac control head). Put 85 in a 2.7 at altitude and take it down to sea level and you get all sorts of audible pinging. The computer can only do so much to prevent pinging. There is a max retard setting. Also pinging doesnt have to be audible to do engine damage. By the time it audible youre already doing damge.

 

Get snide about it if you want, but I have heard this and read this in many, MANY places. Put in your car what you like, but I don't see the point of trashing somebody you don't even know/haven't met because he sees the issue differently from you. This was a field engineer who has spent a lot of time modding Audis in a previous job -- not some corporate puke type who has not been out there. Very cool guy who seemed very credible.

Sorry my friend, my money is on him.

BTW, where are YOU seeing 85? Least we have around here is 87.