1.9 Petrol - what octane?

[TonyS99]

I'm off to France in the summer with my 1989 Komet (1915cc water cooled petrol). Can I get away with the normal 95 octane they sell over there, or will I need the 98 octane "super"?

[stevep113]

I never use super in mine and its been fine.

[Mr Bean]

I never use super in mine and its been fine.

I think it is a bit pot luck what you get anyway. We were in France a few years ago and after one fill up the van ran bad and stunk until we topped up on half a tank and gradually improved as we cleared it out. some months later two valves burned out. Probably coincidence but surely putting in a higher octain would be pointless unless you maybe adjusted the timing or sumat?
Cheers
Wolfie

[CovKid]

Its worth remembering but the ancestry of these vehicles is of course the bug and they were quite happy on the old 3 star!

[TonyS99]

Thank you all for your reassurances. I had googled the problem but got bogged down in talk of retarding the ignition and other esoteric subjects. Great forum, ain't it?

[munnyella]

We took our old DG 1.9 to France last year, didn't even look at `super', you don't at home, why do it on holiday.

I usually find that if you treat them, they get cocky and break down, treat em mean, keep em keen..... unless it's the wife, of course!!

Munnyella

[CovKid]

Dead right. These vehicles enjoy a good bacon sarnie - not one of Delia's flambouyant offerings. It doesn't 'spoil' it by putting in a higher octane - if anything you're doing exactly the opposite, at least with the standard lump. Also, those like myself that have owned VWs for 20 years or more will tell you they don't like being 'fussed' with at all, and from experience, the more you feel inclined to work on them when they don't need it, the more you will end up working on it. A good analogy is the section on bicycle maintenance in Jerome K Jerome's book "Three men on the bummel":

"There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can "overhaul" it, or you can ride it. On the whole, I am not sure that a man who takes his pleasure overhauling does not have the best of the bargain. He is independent of the weather and the wind; the state of the roads troubles him not. Give him a screw-hammer, a bundle of rags, an oil-can, and something to sit down upon, and he is happy for the day. He has to put up with certain disadvantages, of course; there is no joy without alloy. He himself always looks like a tinker, and his machine always suggests the idea that, having stolen it, he has tried to disguise it; but as he rarely gets beyond the first milestone with it, this, perhaps, does not much matter. The mistake some people make is in thinking they can get both forms of sport out of the same machine. This is impossible; no machine will stand the double strain. You must make up your mind whether you are going to be an "overhauler" or a rider."

[toomanytoys]

There is no real difference in the fuels in france (bad/dirty fuel the exception, which I have never had..) use 95 just as you do here.... these engines were actually designed to run on 92 (which only germany had, dont know if they still do).........

there will be 2 "essence" (petrol) grades generally 95 and 98, and often 2 grades of "gasoil" (diesel) pick the cheaper "essence" as that will be "95" some staions are getting bio-ethanol, dont be tempted to put that in... it wont run on it...