Hi, I just picked up my car after O2 sensor replacement. The workshop guy suggested to add one bottle of any injector cleaner every fill up to prevent the issue from happening again. Because "who knows where Dubai petrol comes from" :-s
I always fill up with 98 octanes gas and the car had only 900 km when it happened. I drive responsibly, I mean accelerate up to 2500-3000 rpm most of the times and rarely to 4000-4500. Never hit the red line.
I found different opinions online, I am no expert but these arguments do not convince me much.
What is your experience with O2 sensors? What can I do to improve the reliability of the car?

Thanks a lot for your help.

 

I think that's overkill. I can of 44k Platinum every 6 months is a good idea and should be all you need.

 

I use BG44K and Redline SI-1 every 3 or 4 months, alternating between the two.
BG44K because there are many reports that it "works" and Redline because it has the highest concentration of PEA (polyether amine) I can find and PEA has been proven to be the best fuel system cleaner ingredient.

 

My suggestion.. dump a can of your favorite injector cleaner every 3-6 months and drive it like it's meant to be driven. I get everyone has different driving styles, but never hitting redline in an SVR is a travesty. You'll need it to keep up with how Dubai drivers drive, anyways lol.

 

It's not easy unless you stick to 1st - 2nd gear On most roads the limit is 60 km/h (+20 km/h of tolerance) with speed cameras everywhere... 120-140 on the main highway but also here, a camera every mile or so.
I am in a sort of love-hate relationship with this car. Today I drove my other car, a Mercedes A250 and although it's perfectly usable in any circumstances, practical and reliable, it just felt like a mattress on basketballs in comparison... I missed the cat, its growling and sharpness.
But I was so disappointed by the failure after 900 km and in the past month (spent at the workshop) I was considering to get rid of it already... I noticed that in Europe SVR prices are crazy, I would just need to find someone willing to deal with the export/import procedure.

 

Those of you in the US are you using a TopTier fuel when you fill up and if so do you still use an injector cleaner??

 

Agreed, with all the speed cameras, Dubai is quite civilized and tame. Now Kuwait? That's an entirely different story!

 

I always run top-tier fuel in my cars which is supposed to have more cleaning additives than the cheap off brand fuels. My standard procedure was also to add a bottle of Techron or Redline SI-1 fuel system cleaner to the tank about 500-600 miles prior to an oil change. I understand that any crap that the cleaner dissolves may end up in the oil or minor fuel dilution of the oil may occur ?
Anyway, the "experts" on the Bob Is The Oil Guy forums have always said that it's not a bad idea to drain the oil within 1000 miles or less of adding the cleaner. And this has been with vehicles that had a 5000 mile oil & filter change interval.

Given the very long oil change intervals with our Jaguars, would frequent use of fuel system cleaners present any problems ? I have never tried the BG44K additive but am thinking or using it in my 2021 F Type R when I feel it is appropriate.

 

100% Typically BP or Costco, and still use injector cleaner once every 6 months. That may be less often than some, but the Top Tier helps, as well.

 

In SoCal, Shell comes first then Chevron if I cant find a Shell nearby. NEVER anything else. Then again we have that ACN crap they shove down our throats so YMMV

 

Waste of money, but you do you. If you are buying your gas from a reputable source once every 6 months to a year would suffice imo.

 

Mine's an '04 and probably hardly relates to your question. Nonetheless, Jaguar recommends 91 octane (US spec) and that's what I use, never had any problems the 4 years I've owned it. Can't remember the last time I used any fuel additives in any of my vehicles - the Jag, my truck, 3 motorcycles. There's plenty of additives in any fuel we get here and there's also no truth to the myth that higher octane fuels contain more cleaners, etc., they all have them. The biggest common issue is ethanol fuels. Any modern system can deal with the ethanol (when it comes to issues regarding seals, etc.) but the ethanol is a problem when a vehicle sits forever and the stuff absorbes water, then it's a problem and then is when an additive may be useful until the water laden fuel has been purged from the system. Others' comments about going out and standing on it once in a while are usually good advice actually. The car was built for it anyway, you paid for it, for Pete's sake, take it out once in a while and have some fun with the damn thing!

 

I have used 98 octanes petrol since the beginning.
Maybe the problem was the usage pattern before I put my hands on it, 98 km in 2 years... I guess about 50 x ~2 km test drives with cold engine/cat and careless users.
I hope for the best and will try to enjoy it now

 

i am not sure i understand why some seem to think fuel with alcohol will absorb water and cause a running issue. and if anyone wishes to correct this, as i understand it.
water in a fuel tank gets there due to air space in the tank. moist air in the tanks air space that gets cold in the winter will allow the moisture to condensate out of the air and it accumulates in the fuel tank over time. hence why they always told you to try to keep the tank full in the winter and especially for vehicles that sit a lot. since fuel and water do not mix when there is a enough water it can get picked up and sucked into the fuel lines. due to agitation this can be small particles floating in the fuel which causes a running issue or if you have enough water in the tank, prevent the vehicle from running. back in the day before ethanol enhanced fuels people added dry-gas or another fuel additive to the fuel to help with the issue. dry gas is alcohol, usually isopropyl. dry-gas works by binding with the water and allowing it to be pulled through fuel system and burned in the combustion process because the alcohol will burn. if you have say a 10 gallon tank (1,280oz) and you add a 12oz bottle of dry gas you are adding less than 1% of alcohol to that tank to try to remove the water. as most fuel in the US already contains at least 10% alcohol one should be able to assume that adding dry-gas or fuel additive to remove water would be a redundant and a waste of money??

 

I've SEEN the effects of ethanol (and before that, MBTE) on older cars' fuel systems that have not been run for extended periods (years). The corrosion is not a joke.

++++++++++++

If Dubai's fuel is not Top Tier, then yes, adding a bottle of Techron et al would not hurt anything. (Hey, a Name Brand might meet T-T specs but just isn't labeled as such in that market.)



I'll point out that the Techron instructions say to add the bottle when the tank is almost empty, then drive for a while before filling up. This 'concentrated' amount of fuel additive cleans out the engine best.

That said, don't be THAT GUY who thinks that if one bottle of Techron is good, three would be better! It has been proven that engines won't run well with too much in the tank!

 

I've not owned my R for a year yet, but I have it on the schedule to add a bottle every six months, even though I use top tier premium fuel at every fill up. The previous onwer did the same. My '17 has 42K miles on it and has not had a single engine problem (i have the full Jaguar service history)! In fact, other than the carpet coming loose near the driver's side door, it has not had any problems. Knock on wood and fingers crossed that continues for many many more miles!

 

The gasoline in California is crap due to our regulations. I had to add Marvel Mystery Oil to the tank in my Nissan 370Z about every third tankful, otherwise the fuel gauge sensor would get sticky and fail to read full even when the tank was filled to near overflowing. The solvent properties in the MMO fixed that, at least for about 1000 miles. I also used Techron or Redline cleaner before each oil change and the car ran like a bat out of hell for the 10 years that I owned it.

Regarding additives; most gas stations get their fuel from just a few major refineries. The difference between top tier fuels and off-brand fuels is what additive package is added to the fuel for a particular customer.
It's not a matter of octane rating that determines which fuel has better or more additives, but it is a matter of what the retailer decides to specify. You will undoubtedly get better cleaning and other useful additives with fuel from Shell, Mobil, Arco, Chevron, Sunoco and a few others. Carbuff2 is correct about overdosing with Techron or other cleaners, cars have been known to throw a code if too much has been added.

I have used Techron and Redline cleaners for decades along with top tier gas only and have never needed one of the so called "fuel injector services" that are offered by dealers for a lot of money. Maybe that's just anecdotal evidence, but paying about $10 for a bottle of cleaner every 5000 miles hasn't seemed to be a big waste of money.