E10 Ethanol Fuel - The definitive answer (3200/4200/GS)

Zep

Moderator
Messages
9,110
So why is this information not being passed through to the dealers? The Stockholm folk say they have asked, but no definitive answer is given by Maserati. The manual says E5, so it’s probably best to use as the bare minimum.

No idea, if they are happy to make this statement directly to me, a member of the public, then the only thing I can suggest is that the dealers aren’t towing the company line and not being straight about it.

I can’t think of a reason why the factory would say one thing to me and another to the dealers. They are perfectly at liberty to say no, it won’t work, with no repercussions.

Edit: I am going to move posts about the GS to the other thread so it doesn’t get (any more) confusing.
 

mjheathcote

Centenary Club
Messages
9,033
I think I said earlier, they built the 4200/GS for the American Market.
How long as E10 been available and in some states the only choice?
Only issue is it going off if you don't drive the car a lot.
 

Saigon

Member
Messages
778
UK government web site states
"If your petrol vehicle or equipment is not compatible with E10 fuel, you will still be able to use E5 by purchasing the ‘super’ grade (97+ octane) petrol from most filling stations."
So this is not an immediate problem.
I normally fill up at Asda, my local branch which is large has no alternative to E10, end of story, E10 or nothing. So it could possibly be an immediate problem. Agreed I could drive around looking for 97+ octane from a local filling station. But I was talking to Marios at Autoshield last week and he said absolutely no problem using E10 in my 4200, so that is good enough for me right now.
 

Gazcw

Member
Messages
7,699
No idea, if they are happy to make this statement directly to me, a member of the public, then the only thing I can suggest is that the dealers aren’t towing the company line and not being straight about it.

I can’t think of a reason why the factory would say one thing to me and another to the dealers. They are perfectly at liberty to say no, it won’t work, with no repercussions.

Edit: I am going to move posts about the GS to the other thread so it doesn’t get (any more) confusing.
So can I use E10 in mine then? It's not very clear. :geek3:
 

Oishi

Member
Messages
825
We have had blended gas in the US since the 80's, around 2002 it was fixed at E5, then in 2007 increased to E10. The ethanol itself has little effect on the fuel system, but the problem is the water absorption with attending corrosion of parts. The ethanol does raise the octane rating slightly, and because it has oxygen atoms, increases hp. If you use it daily, and keep the fuel running through it, no problem. But if the cars sits for any length of time, find some pure petrol to store the car with. My 2 cents.
 

davy83

Member
Messages
2,809
I normally fill up at Asda, my local branch which is large has no alternative to E10, end of story, E10 or nothing. So it could possibly be an immediate problem. Agreed I could drive around looking for 97+ octane from a local filling station. But I was talking to Marios at Autoshield last week and he said absolutely no problem using E10 in my 4200, so that is good enough for me right now.
Tesco, Shell, BP, Esso all have 97 its not that hard to find.
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,549
Tesco, Shell, BP, Esso all have 97 its not that hard to find.

Depends. Not all branches have all grades. It's easy enough to tell (is there a nozzle for E5)

One of our local Tesco has E10 only (and no E5 / Super nozzle).
The other does have it. The Continental runs perfectly happily on E10

C
 

Saigon

Member
Messages
778
Tesco, Shell, BP, Esso all have 97 its not that hard to find.
Agreed, and although advised that E10 would be fine for the 4200, I did go to Tesco and filled up with 97. (prior to the shortage of fuel).
 

mjheathcote

Centenary Club
Messages
9,033
Regular E10 unleaded was £1.37 at one of my local BP garages this afternoon.
Their E5 super unleaded was £1.59
That's far too much!
I need to check another BP garage in the opposite direction, before this shortage super was 7p more expensive, not 22p!
Are the garage owners taking advantage of car drivers that have cars that aren't suitable for E10?
 

Zep

Moderator
Messages
9,110
Regular E10 unleaded was £1.37 at one of my local BP garages this afternoon.
Their E5 super unleaded was £1.59
That's far too much!
I need to check another BP garage in the opposite direction, before this shortage super was 7p more expensive, not 22p!
Are the garage owners taking advantage of car drivers that have cars that aren't suitable for E10?

I noticed it was a lot more expensive now. Not sure the driver is the recent change to E10 or the current situation with availability and price of oil.
 

Hurricane52

Member
Messages
1,211
I think I get all the concerns regarding the potential damage to fuel lines in older vehicles by using E10 and will continue with increased octane E5 for the oldies just in case. I can’t really tell any performance difference between 95 and 97/98/99 in the QP 4.7GTS, other than in the wallet department, whereas it’s quite noticeable in our ye olde cars.

However, when I bought my F456 way back when, the dealer told me to use only regular 95 octane as that is what the factory set up the car to work with. Is this nonsense? Could the QP get confused by higher octane fuel?
 

MaserMike

Member
Messages
329
I watched this video and very interesting, to see the effects of E5/E10/E85/Non-Ethanol fuel with & without Fuel Stabiliser. Plus he has carburettor/fuel type materials stored in jars for a while to see what corrosion happens... quite an eye opener, especially for classic cars or engines with fuel which sit around unused for a while!

(Gulp! going to see how my classic Oldsmobiles carburettor looks like, with E5 and fuel stabiliser+unleaded mix already mixed in....)

 

GTVGEOFF

Member
Messages
381
I watched this video and very interesting, to see the effects of E5/E10/E85/Non-Ethanol fuel with & without Fuel Stabiliser. Plus he has carburettor/fuel type materials stored in jars for a while to see what corrosion happens... quite an eye opener, especially for classic cars or engines with fuel which sit around unused for a while!

(Gulp! going to see how my classic Oldsmobiles carburettor looks like, with E5 and fuel stabiliser+unleaded mix already mixed in....)

Mike,
That's very concerning for those of us that have older cars standing around. Thanks for posting.
By the way, what is E85?