Fuel quality and pilferage has been something that affects motor vehicle users like us.
Much has been said about the various ways in which fuel quality and quantity is affected. I have some advise gained out of personal experience in the past 5-10 years. I am sorry that most of my views will involve only pumps in Bangalore/ Cochin.
I have found that Shell outlets are very professional. Shell petrol and diesel actually increases the mileage of the vehicle. Apparently, they dont mix the fuel with lower quality hydrocarbons. The attendants are very courteous and even refuses tips. I strongly advise bangaloreans to check out Shell pumps. Their first pump was opened in Bangalore, karnataka.
Shell has license to open 2000 pumps in South India. Please refer to https://shell.com and choose india as your country. The page is very very friendly and gives the list of pumps in the link "For Consumers" and when that page open click on the icon "Station Locator". And then choose the country. You can see the list of pumps, including their address and phone numbers in Bangalore, Mangalore, Davengere, Nellore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune and Madurai. They have 13pumps in Bangalore and 13 in chennai.
I do not have any vested interest in shell. I am a regular consumer like all of you. In case you think I am prejudiced towards private sector, please note that there are interesting options from public sector too. BPCL comes into mind first. But always fill from their "company owned company operated" pumps. There usually the measures are correct and the fuel quality excellent. Unfortunately, BPCL does not care to update the list of its COCS pumps in their website. You find maybe 1 such listing in the whole of kerala/ tamilnadu. Does it show about our PSU attitude?
Besides, for folks in cochin and trichur, there is a Kochi Refineries operated pump in Ambalamugal(cochin) and near Pattikkad(trichur, on the side of the highway to palakkad). There is absolutely no tampering there. I will update the list of such pumps here later.
Now that all that, no insult to our own giant Reliance. Though I find that the service quality in the pumps need to go up, the measures and quality seem to be really good. In fact, I have found that only reliance adheres to the govt norm of filling only 8 litres per minute, when the nozzle of the fuel pump is opened full steam. As a rule, when the pump fills very very fast(may be 20 litres in a minute!) you can be sure the quantity is not correct.
In my own experience, many HP and IBP pumps have pathetic standards of fuel quality.
Note on SHELL:
Shell folks in Bangalore are now growing complacent, thanks to the ever increasing demands from customers. Windshield washing, something that they used to do every time I went there 3-4 months ago, has kind of become optional. Unless you ask them to, they dont!
Shell has introduced premium diesel in their pumps. Only trouble is the older "standard" one is NOT available anymore. But the new diesel is better - makes engine smoother, though it costs about 1 Rs 75 Paisa more than the older "standard" diesel.
Besides, they have this ugly habit of putting a round sticker written "Shell Diesel" on the lid of your car's fuel inlet. What is shell trying to do here? Some cheap publicity so that you dont have to pay stupid cricketers huge sums? If you dont get out of the vehicle and watch them fill the fuel, they invariably stick it on the fuel lid. I find this very annoying. They have no rights to stick their funny sticker on my car. I am not paid for doing publicity for them - so why should my car carry their sticker?
Lets all avoid filling ever from IOC. They dont know how to control their dealers. Remember the manjunath case, where the IOC supervisor was shot dead by a petrol pump dealer when he raised questions on the quality of fuel being sold there. If there is one way in wihch we can protest this, it is not to ever ever fill from IOC pumps. Thats the only way the company will learn.
Remember, no tampering of fuel quality or quantity is ever possible without the regional manager knowing. So lets apply this simple logic - a private sector employee is more likely to fear his job than a public sector employee. and hence, is more likely to ensure the dealers are tamed.
Please note, honorable exception to the above generalisations exist always. I am not in any way prejudiced against the state owned oil companies.
A few TIPs.
1) Always fill in fuel early in the morning. You get more fuel for the same volume, since due to low temperatures, the density tends to be higher.
2) Always see how fast the pump puts in fuel. The faster it does(20 litres per min), the lesser fuel you get.
3) Never overfill. Especially with cars, when the pump stops automatically, stop filling. Topping up, something that the pumps always urge you, it not a good thing.
Other tips:
1) Excellent engine oil keeps engine temperature in reign. never try to save money on poor quality engine oil. See if you can get multi-grade, SYNTHETIC engine oil. I remember Esso used to sell them a few years ago.
Shell also sells engine oil and other products. Check out their retail outlet.
I have been very impressed with Esso synthetic engine oil. But have not been able to find them recently. Check out the company link at:
http://www.esso.co.in/India-English/LCW/Products_Services/Automotive_Lubricants.asp
Other Concerns:
I was in for a shock when I saw the diesel prices in Shell in Bangalore. It was 48 rs per litre(yes, forty eight). At this stage, I am not prepared to fill from shell, considering that BPCL was selling at about 37.05 rs per litre for premium diesel.
Besides, Reliance has decided to stop 2500 reliance pumps because it was not profitable enough! Imagine the fate of people who pawned everything to open up a bunk!
I will fill from BPCL pump next time(april 2008) on wards and will update the feedback. The last time I filled from shell, I got a mileage of 14.5 for my Indigo diesel. Shell diesel is a class apart - the response and smoothness of the engine is immediately felt, no doubts on that. So the cost is the only deterring factor.
Thanks.
