The proportion of the total consumption of extra or ecopaís gasoline with respect to the super is from an average of 95% to 5% in Ecuador, a high difference mainly due to cost.
The gap has increased since the price of the super was released, the best quality fuel in the country, with 92 octane, whose value will increase over time.
Ecuador has a fuel that does not meet the quality standards that govern Europe, if those of the country with parameters that date back 20 years
The price of this broke the barrier of $3.8 per gallon. Given this, consumers prefer to migrate to the use of extra or ecopaís, which has a state subsidy and whose cost is stable.
If the value per gallon exceeds $4 —as expected due to oil prices, which rise due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine— it will be difficult to maintain consumption of at least 5% compared to the extra or eco-country, for which the use of super will drop even more.
There is already a third wave of consumer migration from super to extra in Ecuador, after record price increases
The loss of power, rattling and changing parts and components of the vehicle less frequently than expected are some of the consequences of using a lower quality fuel.
Andrés Zumárraga, technical advisor to the Association of Automotive Companies of Ecuador (Aeade), says that drivers will perceive a reduction in the strength of the car. “It will not behave as it did with super: by having a lower specification gasoline, such as extra, the car’s systems will try to compensate for that lack by affecting the induction lines; that is going to be felt in loss of power, the car will not drive the same”.
It will not have the same acceleration and response. “In the long term, it will be seen that the vehicle will suffer and will have to incur more expensive maintenance. The other thing that will be quickly noticeable is what is commonly referred to as ‘rattling’ under throttle, when it goes extra. This is a serious problem, because internally the walls of the system are being hit.”
The Damages are greater in new vehicles or recent years, which come with cleaner technologies that generate less pollution with the use of better quality fuels, such as those manufactured under the regulations of the European Union (EU) called Euro IV, V and SAW.
The effects will increase. Engine knocking and knocking will be greater; or, if he climbed a hill with ease, it will already be noted that he will meet that goal with greater effort, adds the specialist.
The parts and components, such as fuel pumps, oxygen sensors, catalysts, and particulate filter systems, will break down or fail more quickly and they will have to be replaced.
There are 2021 makes and models that were purchased in the country in the past year. They are cars that should preferably be fitted with super, the best quality gasoline available in the country.
The mechanic and automotive technician Eduardo Vera indicates that one of the first components to suffer the effects are the gasoline pumps. “The car does not have the same performance and strength. From so much driving like this, in the long term, the pistons break with use, where the wheels go, like the car ‘valves’; This usually happens in certain cars, like European ones.”
The recommendation is to add additives, such as an octane booster, before tanking. “This improves performance. It comes in a container that is easily placed, as if it were gasoline, every two full tanks,” says Vera. An alternative is the so-called octane booster.
Its cost varies between $6 and $8. Its use has increased especially when traveling and it is required to increase the speed and optimization of the motor on the tracks.
Another piece of advice is not to push yourself to the limit, until you let the fuel shortage light come on. “Always keep it up to a quarter tank. Having less makes the pump suffer a little more when it runs dry, and it no longer works well,” says mechanic Gustavo López.
A gasoline pump can last up to 80,000 or 100,000 kilometers (km) of travel, depending on the use, but its useful life can be reduced to 50,000 km by the use of extra or eco and driving to the limit. “A complete set-up can cost up to $200, depending on the make of car. They are generic bombs”, indicates Vera.
The frequency of replacement of the parts will vary according to the make and model of the car, as will maintenance, which is done every 3,000, 5,000 or 8,000 kilometers (km), according to each specification.
“The problem is that this is not stipulated, because our guideline is that super be used in the periods when maintenance must be given. I cannot say that using super you return to 10,000 km and changing to extra instead, you ask to return to 6,000 or 7,000, because we have not done that study, since we do not recommend extra fuel or eco-country”, assures Zumárraga.
Nor has the mixture of super gasoline with extra or eco-country been analyzed technically, which is possible. “We do not have it mapped, because it is not something that we have recommended. The final recommendation of the manufacturer is always to use super and that the respective maintenance be done after the corresponding routes. Actually, it is not bad to mix if I have the possibility to tank at least miti miti between super and extra or ecocountry. In theory, there are no problems,” he says.
“If it is diesel, then, place the premium, which in cities like Guayaquil and Quito is for standardized sale; but at gas stations in other parts of the country, such as in the East, you do have to specify, since diesel I and premium are available (the first of lower quality than the second) ”, he adds.
The knocking problem should not be taken lightly as it can lead to engine damage in a little over a year. “That engine is operating in extreme conditions, so in a short time it will show damage. You can’t say ‘at such a mileage’, because there are a lot of brands, technologies and hardness of metals. But, regardless of what these are, when I operate with the constant rattling I am going to degrade, sooner or later I am going to have to lower the machine, repair, change seals, wheels, because they are going to fail”, indicates Zumárraga.
With continuous rattle a piston breaks or pierces and needs to be replaced, or a retaining ring breaks or the valves are damaged. “All of this implies larger and more frequent repairs.”
The recommendation must also be according to the type of engine, Zumárraga points out. If the engine is turbo, you have to stay with super, because they have higher compression levels.
Super will be a much more selective fuel
The problem with the price of super gasoline is that its value does not correspond to its quality, despite the fact that it is the best distributed in Ecuador, with an octane rating of 92 RON.
“It would be expected to be of a high range, with all the specifications of the EU Euro 5 regulations, but they give me a fuel with characteristics of Euro 2 (the one that was in the European market until 22 years ago, in 2000) . In Europe, when paying high-end, well, it’s 95 or 98 RON octane; and here I get 92, with impurities and a bunch of other values. So, it’s not that I really pay for a premium one, but rather that they are charging me a gallon as a premium, at $4 or $4.2, but they give me the best we have here,” says Zumárraga.
After using an extra time or ecocountry, you can go back to super, although the damage is already done. “The systems are probably starting to clean up, but there is damage that has already been done and will not be corrected. If I already degraded the oxygen sensor, if I go back to super, well, I will not correct it; perhaps it will give it more time to live, but in the end it is already worn out and it is only time to replace it”, indicates Zumárraga. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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