BMW's and E10 ETHANOL FUELS - SAFE? DAMAGING? E85? E95?
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- If you own an old BMW such as the E31 8-Series, E32 or E38 7-Series, E39 5-Series or even the newer E63/E64 6-Series then the news that the UK is changing to E10 Ethanol petrol (gasoline) may cause a bit of worry - especially as the official statement is that 'All cars Manufactured after 2011 will be OK' doesn't help the owners of ancient BMW's!
I go through what damage E10 can cause to the engine, the amount of power lost and how to get around these problems. Can old BMW's run on E10 Ethanol? What about E85?
#E10 #BMW #Ethanol #Petrol #Gasoline
This is most likely the most informative channel for bmw enthusiasts. I used to follow your videos for some time now and every single one has been very helpful. For maintaining my e38 properly and friends bmws.
Thanks Buck!
I have been using shell v power for the past 10 years in my 645, runs great, thanks for another great video Tim
Here in the US we are able to get ethanol free at some stations with 93 Octane. That is what I use in my 2006 650i.
Just got a 07 650i about a month ago and I love it
VERY, few stations serve that in the USA
My E30 has a metal fuel tank and I always top it up over winter hibernation to limit rust. I think it's even more important now and it'll get filled with E5 before it hides away this year.
I’m in Australia and we have had e10 for about 10/15 years now. On my old E32 735il I tried e10 and tell you what it worked however it felt like the car was towing a boat while driving. Would not recommend it if you could avoid it
Thanks Jimmy!
In the dutch for al the new cars with small engines we use e10, for the faster & older cars we use e5 octane rating is better like premium
Thank you Tim. I have a 2006 650i that has had a few bits of work done over the past five years but is showing it’s age now, I was concerned even using the gov website to say the car would handle the E10 fuel but I had my concerns. You have alleviated my concerns. As always another fantastic informative video and as one subscriber state the god of BMW thank you Tim 😀
I can definitely notice the difference between E5 and E0. (E92 330i 2007) I have been using Esso super unleaded because it was E0 where i live.. Sadly i hear Esso will be switching to E5 in all its uk petrol stations from September or October this year.
I will take my car to have the engine custom tuned with E5 sometime later this year.
PROBABLY A GOOD PLAN!
So I just ran my M44B19 E36 compact on E10 for 3 weeks straight, I can confirm the car lost power while running it which I know is ironic because it isn’t really a power house but it felt really lethargic it would get to the same speed but for example my 0-66 time dropped to 9 seconds from 7.9 stock and just felt like I was towing half a tonnes behind me put some V power in it and it’s running a lot better.
It's hopeless stuff, absolutely no good for performance cars!
Thumbs up for sure. Thank you for the informative video and lovely colour choice on that V8 beauty! I'm getting an F30 330e this week and was concerned, even though its 17 plate but you have put me at ease.
Thanks Scott!
Esso's super unleaded is "E0" in the UK
Perfect info William, thanks!
Here in California, USA. We have been forced to use e15 for many years now… it runs ok… just can’t let it sit for months at a time… however, there is a fuel treatment that will allow the fuel to say well in storage for 6+ months at a time
Thanks Berry - we will be in the same position in a few years, I can see that happening!
E10 killed my MK2 Ford Focus and while my E87 116i runs on it, fuel economy is hurt quite badly.
It's terrible stuff!
Thanks, Timm.
Very welcome Ned!
Thanks for this one Tim. There is so much scaremongering wrong information out there as always. I have just put a full tank of E10 into my daily drive, E46 325Ci, there is no discernible difference as far as I can tell. If I ever get my 840 back on the road, which is a bit doubtful with how quickly my health is deteriorating, I will run it on V-power or equivalent. Keep the videos coming, I have always respected your knowledge and approach to your cars.
Thanks Bob, I hope your health improves soon.
Yes very good video i have a BMW e89 2 litre Z4 i put E10 in my car the other day it runs okay on it
Personally I can’t tell a difference between e5-98 or e10-95 on my BMW e39.
Fuel economy is 12L/100KM because I mostly drive in the city.
Can’t say I feel a difference in performance. I only fill the car with e5 just to be on the safe side of durability.
It takes 5 minutes to lose performance moving from 98 to 95 AKI - but it takes hours and 100 miles or so get the performance back goind the other way
Thanks Timm - a reassuring video as always👍😀
In the US, I think our gas is up to 15% ethanol. My 03 540 seems to run fine on premium fuel. On a related note, I read that something like 50% of the corn grown in the US goes into our fuel and the ag industry is pushing for higher content. Weird isn't it.
I have a transmission fault reading on the Dashboard on my 2006. 630i. car doesn't pull in 1st gear when it comes on. any ideas or recommendations?
Thanks
R in Essex
Hi Tim, love the site. Early days for E10, and I hope this hasn't caused my issue within a couple of hundred miles using it in my N62 X5, engine is toast. There was no smoking a month or so ago, now its MOT failure, so much smoke they couldn't complete test, disaster, all other suspects pcv etc checked and OK. How else could it happen so quickly is my worry.
Have a watch of this - I could have been in exactly the same situation: ua-cam.com/video/o24o-mYN4oY/v-deo.html
Very helpful. Thank you Timm!
Always my pleasure!
I checked this about myE63 online when the change to E10 was announced. Glad BMW had the foresight. I have a few motorbikes as well, one of which is an Aprilia RSV1000 which has a plastic fuel tank. Apparently the ethanol can affect the plastic, causing swelling 😏
I hope not, the E31 fuel tank is made of the stuff!
Would you feel comfortable using E10 on a 2009 318i? Just done an engine recondition and I don’t want to speed up the rate of wear on my seals and gaskets as well as the tank and fuel lines
Yes, quite happy, but I will always prefer E5 or E0!
Would it be a good or bad idea to run e85 in my 2013 328i occasionally to clean the engine? I heard this somewhere and thought it was too good to be true.
E85 will not do your car any good at all - just use a fuel with detergents (such as Shell Nitro)
@@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation Thank you for your reply. I really appreciate it.
Wussup buddy I’m glad you popped up in my suggestions especially at the same time I just bought a bmw diagnostics and coding laptop. On my BMW F10 M5 it says that I could add %10 of E10 with 91 gas. We only have E85 gas around me when we get into the E gas category. I have heard people say why don’t you just put all E85 since it’s $2.99 a gallon. Why only %10 of E10 is allowed?
Thanks man be safe out there
Hell Champ, the problem with E85 is that you will get very little performance due to the lower energy density - and let's face it, you buy an M car for the performance!
@@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation
Thanks man and Yes Sir I sure did by it for performance . I got her hitting at a 0-60 in 2.3 seconds. So I just should stick with Shell V- Power gas. Or just do 91 octane and call it day
👍
Hi , esso advertise theirs 99 supreme as being pure gasoline no ethanol. Thanks
Thanks Stoyanov, BP also have 0% Ethanol and 99 Octane
You’re welcome! I am pretty sure it was 97 last time I filled there.
Hi Tim
Thank you for your excellent channel! What are your thoughts about ethanol conversion kits for the m60/62 engine? A quick google search yields some results in different products for a conversion.
Best regards from Sweden
Thanks Björn! Without changing the compression ratio you will always get less power from ethanol compared to petrol - and personally, I like all the power I can get!
great tim as i suspected its all fine :) , great video
My pleasure!
Hello i was wondering if changing my Timing tensioner on my BMW 540 I m62tu could damage my guides if wear has started already or whether you can tell if the guides have been damaged already ?
Replacing the tensioner will not damage the guides - unless - there is some problem with blocked oil ways or the pressure-relief valve. If that is the case then the guides are on their way out anyway. Replacing the tensioner is always the way to go even when the old one is hiding other problems Troy
Timms bmw repairs sponsored by shell v-power 😉🤣 good info mate but just like you i always use v-power in my e63 and now in my kawasaki zzr1100 as it cant run on e10 fuel
Thanks Shaine, only the best stuff!
Will it damage e60's?
No, all BMW's are fine with E10
@@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation ok thanks man.
I put £50 in my e63 630 earlier. First e10 fuel for her. She’s fine!
Good man Barry!