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arco gas

  

0
Topic starter

hi scotty,

 

Whats your opinion on arco gas? my smog guy says, don't use it


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5 Answers
5

I use it all the time, it’s the cheapest gas in my town.  Keep in mind it is Top Tier Gas.  I wouldn’t be afraid to use it.


3

It’s Top Tier gas so it’s fine. 

The brand used to be owned by BP. It’s now owned by Marathon although a few BP served stations still use the Arco brand. 


3

In the US, there's a minimum amount of detergents and other additives that needs to be put into gasoline. Thick smog is a thing of the past. The EPA has been active at least 1973, with the Clean Air Act. 


1

When I lived in North Carolina I used Hess, Wilco or whatever was the cheapest in my 2004 Toyota Avalon. Then about 10 years ago I saw a Shell station that had 100% gasoline with zero% ethanol. My car ran better, but the 100% was more expensive so I began using regular Shell 87 octane because it was only a few cents more expensive than the Hess and Wilco brands. I always felt that my car ran better with Shell and continued to use it. After moving to California 7 years ago I began using Arco because it was advertised as being top tier and Shell gas here is much higher in price.(prior to moving to CA I had never heard of Arco).  But at times it seemed that the 3L v6 1MZ-FE with VVT-i engine was not performing as well although I was changing the oil and oil filter every 5k miles, replacing the air filter at 10k intervals, cleaning the MAF sensor and PCV valve the same as when I lived in NC. So about 2 months ago I decided to try using Shell gas again despite the higher $/gallon and within a tankful I began noticing improved power and engine response to accelerate from low speeds and decreased downshifting when accelerating moderately at highway speeds. 
And this improvement has been observed with each successive fill-up. Now it seems to be running as it did before I began using Arco and my car feels ‘younger’. Coincidentally I was at a Honda dealership several weeks ago to purchase an OEM oil filter for my wife’s Accord and I overheard two service managers talking about gas brands. One said that he used Chevron and I don’t recall what the other preferred but both agreed that they would never use Arco. When I asked them about Arco being top tier they just laughed and reiterated their dislike of Arco. Their experience with Arco substantiated my experience. 
But there may be different responses to different top tier gasolines depending on the vehicle and it’s engine’s response to a particular gas brand’s additive package. 


BTW. My Avalon currently has 170k miles on the ole odometer.


0
Topic starter

thanks everyone for your input


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