Mangoman Posted January 11, 2017 Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 4 hours ago, hughezee said: I wouldn't be too downhearted on your MPG Bill, when I first got my coupe it was averaging 28-32mpg and some aren't even that good in all honesty and to say I've impeccably maintained my coupe is somewhat of an understatement. My last long run out was closer to 42mpg but the cooling system efficiency, engine & gearbox health, right engine oil and decent fuel all contribute, I've even recently replaced both lambdas and my MPG has gone up a little Hi Stu. To be honest I wasn't expecting much more than that, in actual fact I thought it quite good! But when I see figures like 38 and 42, not so.... Anyway, I rechecked my figures and instead of relying on memory I looked at the receipt and realised that I had in fact put less fuel in than I remembered by 2 litres! So the correct figure is in fact exactly 32mpg! Still not great in comparison, but more or less what I was actually expecting to achieve. Also just to let you know, and that is I used the Cruise Control quite extensively because the traffic was so light and I managed to use it for most of the A3 and M25. Not sure if that makes a difference. And to answer some of Dave's questions - I am using Tesco Ultimate '99'. And I finally got an e-mail yesterday confirming that my Spark Plugs have been dispatched - YAY! So if I get them tomorrow it will be 15 days!!! So they will go in asap! Confirm 1.1mm Gap? They come with that but I like to check them anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mangoman Posted January 11, 2017 Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 4 hours ago, Laird_Scooby said: What Stu said ^^^^ Bill - the fuel is probably the easiest thing you can improve on depending what fuel you use at the moment. Also are you still waiting on those new plugs? They will make a difference too. All cars vary between models, my Sterling has always been better than my Coupé on fuel (although the Coupé is catching up well now - after 3+ years of good maintenance and fettling!) and livelier as well. What you're getting from yours is still very respectable, 29mpg from a 3.0 V6 auto isn't to be sniffed at. There may be room for improvement but that will almost certainly only show up with continued good maintenance. Something Stu didn't mention when he said about the right engine oil, fuel etc was the ATF but you've started your part-changes so with time that will be sorted too. Hi Dave. I thought I would just state a couple of things. As previously stated I should get the Plugs tomorrow, so they will go in. So these figures were before I changed the Oil and the latest ATF part-change. So hopefully they should improve - maybe. And speaking of the ATF I thought I would just show you the colour of the ATF that came out. Unfortunately this is a mix of the 2 dumps. Sorry. But it will give you an idea. There are a few different photo's as I was trying to get the best representation of the colour/consistency. It's also a bit overcast today so the light isn't the best.... Here they are: Comments please? (Be gentle. Please). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators hughezee Posted January 11, 2017 Author Administrators Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 Hmm the ATF is shifting the crud for sure and if your using Tesco Momentum 99 RON and not wishing to start a fuel debate all I will say if you start to notice a drop in performance or lower MPG, I would switch to another brand e.g Shell or BP 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted January 11, 2017 Moderators Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 Stu beat me to it! I was going to say pretty much the same thing, BP Ultimate seems to work best for me but a lot of Accord V6 owners find Shell Nitro V-Power is good. A few more part-changes of the ATF and you should be there, it's a bit murky at the moment! I've seen worse but only once and that has improved greatly since changing it the first time, still need to do the second part-change on it and see what it does then - you're at least 1 part-change ahead of me though! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mangoman Posted January 11, 2017 Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 I have to say that I've used the Tesco 99 since it came on the market, before that Sainsbury's and before that Texaco. For me it's just very convinient as it is just down the road and the BP Garage near me never seems to have the Ultimate when I've been... I've actually always used the Super-Unleaded since Texaco started selling it about 13 years ago! I feel you have to persevere with it to feel the benefits. According to tests the ESSO Super is the best though and BP the worst! Personally I like the Sainsbury's the best - just feels right everytime I've used it - but there again it would mean a 6 mile round trip just to put in fuel... Although if I do go there I take advantage of the Free Air for my tyres... As far as the ATF goes I do get the impression that it is feeling better as time progresses after the changes. Especially once warm. I will do a third in the middle of February I think, and then the 4th in the Summer - if I still have it. And that will be it. Also I will do the Front Brake Pads soon. I personally like EBC, Fitted them to my R75 and BMW - big improvement in braking and feel! http://www.ebcbrakeshop.co.uk/ebc-ultimax-brake-pads-dp872_p4296917.htm (Those in the know will confirm correct fitting)? Thanks again to all concerned for all the advice and help. I know I come across a bit finicky sometimes, it's just that I like thing to be just right as far as cars go but unfortunately being on a limited fixed income makes it hard and sometimes worrying. I'm sorry. Ciao for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted January 11, 2017 Moderators Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 Would that be the BP in Hedge End Bill? If so they never had any BP Ultimate (or Super Unleaded i think they called it back then) when i wanted any either! Sainsburys on the other hand do have BP Ultimate, even though it arrives in a Sainsburys tanker (usually) which is where the Nectar points tie-up originally came from. Odd you mention those tests, have they ever been published online and if so can you provide a link please? I've heard of similar tests but never found any online (not that i've looked that hard ) and in my own experience, the Esso Super is on a par with Tesco fuel. Everything i've owned runs like a bag of sh!t on it - Shell is better but the best for me is Sainsburys/BP high octane whatever you car to call it Ultimate, Super-Plus or whatever name they've dreamed up this week for it! There was a thread somewhere on here (i've hunted and can't find it, maybe it was on the old host) where we had a debate on fuel, supermarket fuel versus brand names etc and the ones we eventually worked out to be the best (from memory) were Shell V-Power for the J-Series engines (Accord V6) and BP for the C-series (Legends and mine) and i think i mentioned at the time Sainsburys are supplied by BP so that covers them too. Tesco and Esso came out pretty much bottom of the pile i think. Free air is always a bonus but i'd honestly suggest investing in your own tyre pressure gauge, get it checked for accuracy somewhere and then use that to double check what the one at Sainsburys says. Or get yourself a compressor, airline and tyre inflator and do it yourself at home! As far as the ATF goes, my Volvo is still improving and still only on its first part-change. Initially the improvement was only when it was warm but it's now better when cold as well. I suspect yours will begin to improve when cold as well as my Coupé followed the same pattern and that didn't have bad fluid in, just the wrong one for the car! Out of the wrong ones that could have been picked, they'd picked Honda Premium ATF which is a strange "baked-bean juice" sort of colour which although it doesn't appear to have done any harm, didn't do it many favours either because it didn't have the right friction modifier so didn't slip quite as much as it was designed to. However, that resulted in (slightly) harsher changes and less wear on the friction materials so it wasn't all bad. Just more sluggish and thirsty than it needed to be. Don't worry about being finicky, i think we all are in our own particular ways! Let's face it, we wouldn't be enthusiasts if we weren't! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators hughezee Posted January 11, 2017 Author Administrators Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 Basically, what Dave said Honda B, C, D, F series engines respond the best with BP fuels, info' gathered from a variety of sources over the last 10+ years and the J30A series engine seems to favour V-Power but it will be happy on BP, the trick is to be consistent 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mangoman Posted January 11, 2017 Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 Oh well, I will give Shell a go once I'm on reserve. Which won't be long... Here is the Test. It was a 5th Gear test. And check the prices of Fuel at the time!!!!!!!! And yes, Shell came out tops, although only just. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted January 11, 2017 Moderators Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 Shame they didn't do the test with a V6 Accord and an 827 really! Have to say, i wonder if they had retested the BP Ultimate after the Shell if it would have been any better? The management system might have been adjusting itself to the higher octane, hence not giving such good results on the BP. Also with different engines responding better to different fuels a better test would have been several different cars and i don't mean a VW, Seat, Skoda and an Audi either! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators hughezee Posted January 11, 2017 Author Administrators Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 Thanks for sharing the video Bill, but a direct injection and turbocharged engine will always tune itself to optimum performance and I'm looking at the long-term health benefits on BP ultimate and V-power of which I've seen psychical evidence of carbon deposits and a catalytic converter on its last legs, only to be completely revived from 198 Hydrocarbons (200HC is a MOT fail) down to 83 in matter of a couple of hundred miles run on BP ultimate 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators hughezee Posted January 11, 2017 Author Administrators Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 9 minutes ago, Laird_Scooby said: Shame they didn't do the test with a V6 Accord and an 827 really! Have to say, i wonder if they had retested the BP Ultimate after the Shell if it would have been any better? The management system might have been adjusting itself to the higher octane, hence not giving such good results on the BP. Also with different engines responding better to different fuels a better test would have been several different cars and i don't mean a VW, Seat, Skoda and an Audi either! You do realise Dave, I was writing my reply as you responded 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted January 11, 2017 Moderators Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 Well i like to do these things Stu! I suspected the VW engine would self tune for optimum performance but the other thing that crossed my mind is the tanks at the garage (not the ones they had for the different fuels) may have been incorrectly filled by the tanker driver or possibly not even filled correctly at the distribution centre - the results on Ultimate are too close to normal BP. That said, maybe my other theory is right, the management system was in a "play it safe" mode and hadn't fully altered its tuning to take advantage of the higher octane, hence testing them in a different order would have taken this possibility out of the equation. Likewise if they had tested the Asda fuel first before the BP normal, it may have showed more power as the engine management wouldn't have gone from 98RON to 95 at the change of a hose. The ECU may have over-compensated, hence producing less power than the BP normal unleaded. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators hughezee Posted January 11, 2017 Author Administrators Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 25 minutes ago, Laird_Scooby said: Well i like to do these things Stu! I suspected the VW engine would self tune for optimum performance but the other thing that crossed my mind is the tanks at the garage (not the ones they had for the different fuels) may have been incorrectly filled by the tanker driver or possibly not even filled correctly at the distribution centre - the results on Ultimate are too close to normal BP. That said, maybe my other theory is right, the management system was in a "play it safe" mode and hadn't fully altered its tuning to take advantage of the higher octane, hence testing them in a different order would have taken this possibility out of the equation. Likewise if they had tested the Asda fuel first before the BP normal, it may have showed more power as the engine management wouldn't have gone from 98RON to 95 at the change of a hose. The ECU may have over-compensated, hence producing less power than the BP normal unleaded. Yes a very strange test in that respect they should have hooked up the VAG com to see what compensation the car made, as the BP 95 vs BP 97 are worlds apart in my experience, I suppose they had to do it that way really to sell the Ultimate as I did prefer the Shell 95 over BP's 95 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mangoman Posted January 12, 2017 Report Share Posted January 12, 2017 Put some V-Power in today..... We'll see. Also found this in my Owner's Wallet: And it's just started SNOWING! Ciao. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted January 12, 2017 Moderators Report Share Posted January 12, 2017 Looking at those figures Bill the average is about 26mpg but i think for a long time manufacturers have "massaged" the economy figures down a bit as in the 70s and 80s, a lot of people were buying cars and then claiming they couldn't get anywhere near the claimed figures. The car i learnt to drive in, a Datsun Skyline (240K GT) had figures very similar yet i could easily manage to get 34mpg if i was careful. I've also managed figures of 30+mpg on a V8 SD1 auto where the "official" figures wouldn't be anywhere near. Obviously driving style has a lot to do with things but having watched your videos there's nothing untoward in the way you drive it that would cause excessive fuel consumption. The V-Power, plugs and new ATF will all come together to give you better figures over time, don't expect a miracle overnight, especially if you're pootling about your local area. Keep an eye on things and see how it goes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founding Member AhsyV6 Posted January 13, 2017 Founding Member Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 I've resigned to the fact that I'm never going to get more than 26mpg living in zone 2 of London. I had stopped monitoring the mpg a while back as per the post below but have started again with my latest fill up.....prompted by Bills latest post. So many starts and stops with humps. I am convinced it's the living in London that makes it so low, however I still feel my coupe has something not right with it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted January 13, 2017 Moderators Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 I think you're right Ahsy - looking at Bills figures above where it quotes 18.8mpg on the urban cycle you're probably doing well to get any more than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted January 14, 2017 Moderators Report Share Posted January 14, 2017 Have to call your car "Ghostbuster" the way it gets rid of the (petroleum) spirits! "I ain't afraid of no goats!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators hughezee Posted January 14, 2017 Author Administrators Report Share Posted January 14, 2017 Hughezee! If there's something strange under your hood, Who you gonna call? Hughezee! If there's something smelling weird and it don't look good, Who you gonna call? Hughezee! I ain't afraid of no cost. I ain't afraid of no cost. If you're seeing your engine light and bills running through your head, Who you gonna call? Hughezee! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kag8 Posted March 29, 2017 Report Share Posted March 29, 2017 So, when the low fuel light comes on, roughly how many miles or litres is left in the tank? PS. I'm only getting about 20mpg and that's combined motorway and town driving. I think I need to change my oil from the 5w40 to 10w30 as recommended on another thread. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted March 29, 2017 Moderators Report Share Posted March 29, 2017 It varies a bit from car to car but usually about 2 gallons. It depends how accurate your fuel gauge is though. Try not to run it too much with the fuel light on though. Besides the light being annoying, the fuel pump has to work much harder with low fuel levels and can overheat as a result. If it overheats once too many times you'll need a new fuel pump. There are many things that effect economy - driving style, fuel, engine oil, ATF, breathers, spark plugs, dizzy cap and rotor arm, Lambda sensors, HT leads, exhaust - the list goes on! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators hughezee Posted March 29, 2017 Author Administrators Report Share Posted March 29, 2017 There will be a number of factors that contribute to low mpg as Dave says and good call on the Smith and Allan 10w30 oil, but I would start using a good fuel first e.g BP ultimate or V-Power. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kag8 Posted March 29, 2017 Report Share Posted March 29, 2017 Yes ever since I got my v6 only been filling up on high octane fuel, which is the reason I'm always close to empty as the nearest BP/Shell are miles away hehe 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators hughezee Posted March 29, 2017 Author Administrators Report Share Posted March 29, 2017 Totally get your position, it's not so much the octane level in the V6 its the quality of the fuel overall, e.g Tesco's momentum 99 rating is down to the high ethanol blend and my coupe and a friends coupe just drank it like anything. The majority of supermarket fuels are poor with the exception of Sainsbury's which is supplied by BP and it has been debated and proven and extra 100 miles per tank I got with Shell vs Morrison's on my coupe isn't to be sniffed at. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kag8 Posted March 29, 2017 Report Share Posted March 29, 2017 Woah. I had no idea Sainsburys fuel would be equivalent to BP which whilst good is so overpriced! The sainsburys is closer than the BP....thanks! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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