Konstantin Ershov, an expert at the international car service network FIT SERVICE, said that, despite increased control, in some regions of Russia you can still encounter low-quality or fake gasoline. He noted that the first alarming signal is the behavior of the car when starting and while driving.
If the engine starts with a delay, loses power, "troits" or there is a smell of unburned fuel, this may indicate that the gasoline does not match the declared octane number. In this case, you should change the gas station and flush the fuel system.
It is important to periodically pay attention to the color and smell of exhaust: low-quality fuel causes thick dark smoke and leaves a coating on the spark plugs. It is difficult to recognize a fake before refueling, but you can pour a little gasoline on a napkin - high-quality gasoline will evaporate without a trace, and bad gasoline will leave greasy stains and a chemical smell.
Ershov added that the most reliable way to avoid problems is to choose large and trusted gas stations with high fuel turnover.
