Marathon Gas, fuel quality

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Originally Posted By: SHOZ
I have checked the Top Tier web site many times. No where does it say that all the gas a listed a retailer sells nationwide meets the Top Tier requirements. That's what I mean by the circular documentation.

Actually the Top Tier site FAQs does say...

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Q: Can I have only my high volume gas stations be TT and not all of them?

A: No. A TOP TIER license agreement states that all stations under a brand name or franchise name must use the same detergency treat rate. The fuel marketer cannot select only certain service stations to use the TOP TIER detergency treat rate.

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Much of the FAQ is directed to retailers. It gives you an idea of the program, costs to test, etc.
 
So if they are paying for the license then why do they not advertise it in my state? Why instead do they advertise their individual marketing campaigns? Is it because 99% of the gas is all the same in my area?
 
I wonder if the folks here would accept the blanket statements made by TT if they were dealing with oil or filters?

I hear you should use TT gas as it's better but don't see any evidence to the fact when comparing non TT gas.
 
To each his on SHOZ. dave5358 answered your question but a refusal to trust or accept is something else...
 
Originally Posted By: Garak
Check the Top Tier website. All branded stations must be Top Tier, or none. There's no in between. Additionally, the Top Tier site lists all the brands in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada that are so certified.

There were a lot of questions about Costco when they were rolling out their "Clean Power" system. I remember the director of their fuels department participated in message board discussions. He was asked about Top Tier. He said they'd consider it when the rollout was complete. In the end it happened without much fanfare save it going on the list and a few signs on the pump. Now Arco (marketed as lower priced fuels) did make a huge deal with lots of radio ads. And they'd advertised it before it showed up on the TT website.

Of course we could be paranoid about whether or not we get items that are as they are labelled. You can ask someone in China about that kind of paranoia with all the scandals of tainted foods. In this country, we trust that our fuel meets the standards on the pump. There's a lot more we need to worry about than that the fuel meets a premium deterrence stand. I'd worry about whether the fuel meets the pump octane rating, because that's far more critical to fuel economy and performance. It's not as if a lower octane rated fuel look different or smells different.
 
Originally Posted By: SHOZ
So if they are paying for the license then why do they not advertise it in my state? Why instead do they advertise their individual marketing campaigns? Is it because 99% of the gas is all the same in my area?

Hardly anyone advertises Top Tier whatsoever. Up here, Petro-Canada has one reference to it on its website. Esso has none that I know of. Shell is the same. Co-op is talking it up a bit because it recently got certified.

With your comparison to oil and filters, there are differences. All we have is Top Tier and various government rules about gasoline. At least with oil, we can make a choice based upon viscosity and approvals by ACEA, ILSAC, API, and builders. With filters, we often rely on marketing. That's much the same with gasoline. As I stated, Top Tier isn't pushed in most marketing I've seen. Shell's V-Power branding has much more recognition than Top Tier.
 
Originally Posted By: y_p_w
I'd worry about whether the fuel meets the pump octane rating, because that's far more critical to fuel economy and performance. It's not as if a lower octane rated fuel look different or smells different.

That certainly would be a concern, too.
 
76 is the biggest marketer of the top tier designation as far as I can see.

Several others have greater brand recognition so they don't bother. I think 76 are trying to use it to get their recognition up but most consumers don't care. Image is way more important.
 
Originally Posted By: Apollo14
76 is the biggest marketer of the top tier designation as far as I can see. Several others have greater brand recognition so they don't bother. I think 76 are trying to use it to get their recognition up but most consumers don't care. Image is way more important.

Top Tier may be a really good image builder - perhaps because it is NOT advertised much. Several auto makers recommend it. What could be a bigger image boost?
 
Here in Mass. I don't recall seeing "Top Tier" advertising at any actual filling stations, including 76s, but I've only bought from a 76 a few times so might simply not remember it. Shell and Citgo have their Nitrogen, V-Power and Triclean respectively. Mobil pumps say very little if anything about cleansing, detergents and what not.
 
Originally Posted By: babbittd
Here in Mass. I don't recall seeing "Top Tier" advertising at any actual filling stations, including 76s, but I've only bought from a 76 a few times so might simply not remember it. Shell and Citgo have their Nitrogen, V-Power and Triclean respectively. Mobil pumps say very little if anything about cleansing, detergents and what not.

Some 76 stations in my area have "TOP TIER" in block letters on their signs. I'm guessing it's up to the franchisee to decide what they want to put up. However if used, the sign I see appears to be the same across all 76 stations. It's the official "TOP TIER" white lettering in block letters on a black background. You can tell it's the exact logo because of the way the P has a small gap. It looks like this spot used to be where some of these signs said "ConocoPhillips". Other stations seem to put up something else like "CASH PRICE" or "SELF SERVE".

l.jpg


Pretty much all Costcos have this sign (with the full TOP TIER logo), if they don't have something like a Costco AMEX ad.

l.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: FastGame
Man-o-Man, gas cost that much where you Live ? that's a buck more per gallon than Michigan....WOW

It's not a recent photo. However, it's certainly more expensive than the Midwest since it's required to be California Phase 3 reformulated gas. That photo was posted to Yelp where the poster said it was taken 4/4/14.

http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ardenwood-76-pro-wash-and-gasoline-fremont#45q81UevZ2ndpABMopymKg

Here are the current prices, which are about 22 cents less per gallon:

http://www.oaklandgasprices.com/76_Gas_Stations/Fremont/105177/index.aspx
 
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