Regular unleaded ok on the first tank?
12-12-2008, 11:24 PM
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08 GL 450 Black/Black
Regular unleaded ok on the first tank?
During the test drive of the 08 GL 450 I wound up buying, my salesperson and I had to fill up the car with some gas as the miniscule amount that the car came with wasn't going to be enough.
I then noticed he was filling up the tank with regular unleaded (87 octane) which made me ask him whether the vehicle could use anything other than premium unleaded. His reply was that for some reason, only the first tank of gas that the car went through could use regular unleaded and then after that, it had to be premium. He didn't have a good reason, except that was what he had been told. The car at the time had maybe 20 miles on it.
Was he full of it or is this something that is for real?
I had never heard of this before. The car is working fine as I am still on the original tank of regular unleaded and I don't notice any loss of power or hesitation in the car. I don't ever plan on going back to 87 octane, but I wonder if I just caught the guy redhanded pumping regular unleaded into something that needs at least 91 octane or whether he was telling the truth. He's been pretty straight forward through the whole process and I have no issues with him, but I found it interesting.
I then noticed he was filling up the tank with regular unleaded (87 octane) which made me ask him whether the vehicle could use anything other than premium unleaded. His reply was that for some reason, only the first tank of gas that the car went through could use regular unleaded and then after that, it had to be premium. He didn't have a good reason, except that was what he had been told. The car at the time had maybe 20 miles on it.
Was he full of it or is this something that is for real?
I had never heard of this before. The car is working fine as I am still on the original tank of regular unleaded and I don't notice any loss of power or hesitation in the car. I don't ever plan on going back to 87 octane, but I wonder if I just caught the guy redhanded pumping regular unleaded into something that needs at least 91 octane or whether he was telling the truth. He's been pretty straight forward through the whole process and I have no issues with him, but I found it interesting.
12-12-2008, 11:47 PM
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08 GL 450 Black/Black
Actually, he was not out of line. I just found this on the GL interactive owner's manual under Operation then Refuelling. 91 RON is 87 octane.
12-13-2008, 12:11 AM
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08 GL 450 Black/Black
"As a temporary measure, but only when the recommended fuel is not available, you may also use regular unleaded petrol, 91 RON/82.5 MON. This may reduce performance and increase petrol consumption. Avoid driving at full throttle."
Actually, he was not out of line. I just found this on the GL interactive owner's manual under Operation then Refuelling. 91 RON is 87 octane.
Actually, he was not out of line. I just found this on the GL interactive owner's manual under Operation then Refuelling. 91 RON is 87 octane.
"It's not going to hurt anything," said Peter Gregori, service manager for EuroMotorcars, a Mercedes-Benz dealer in Bethesda(MD).
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...080501595.html
12-13-2008, 07:55 AM
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08 MB GL 320CDI, 07 MB S550, 02 Porsche Cabriolet, 98 MB 450SL, 64 Citreon 2CV
If you filled up at the dealership, I am almost sure that it was regular. They do not have several tanks to differentiate grades of fuel. When fuel was over $4.00 a gallon last summer, I ran my S550 on regular with no negative effects.
