Diesel additive

I understand folk are using and happy with cetane boosters / diesel additives from Millers and Archoil. There's no particular reason why you shouldn't use good quality standard fuel and add the additives yourself - I just found it easier to stick with Shell V-power and let them do the mixing ...

I’ve been saying for ages I no longer buy the premium petrol or diesel . Up until E10 was forced upon us the difference in price between premium petrol and diesel was 5 to 7 pence. Once E10 came in the difference has risen to around 15 Pence. That 15P per blooming litre…. So I refuse to buy it. I now add Millers or Archoil to both the petrol and diesel cars. It works out at a fraction of the cost…

Of course E10 still has more ethanol. We can raise the quality of the fuels by additives but we can’t remove that damned ethanol . For that reason the only E5 I buy is for the machinery. I do this because E10 goes “ off” very quickly… So I buy E5 then add Stabil fuel stabiliser and add Archoil to that. This gives me IMO a decent fuel with decent shelf life…. But this is for the garden machinery.

The reason I’m so fussy over the fuel for the machinery is twofold. Firstly the machinery suppliers will not honour warranty on anything that has been fed plain E10. This despite the manufacturers like Stihl advising the machines can run on it .. And they can but it simply MUST be fresh E10 not some that’s over two weeks old.
The other reason is I’ve become a source for local and now not so local folk to bring me thier machines for service and repair… It’s built up mostly because I don’t charge. I do charge for the parts of course and insist that whoever’s mower hedge cutter brush cutter or whatever makes a donation to McMillan nurses or Marie Curie.So they get their kit sorted and I’m very fussy I get paid for the parts and the charities get a few quid… Now since E10 came out I get more machines dropped because the simply won’t start. I check the obvious then remove the carbs and in the Ultrasonic bath they go. I actually bought my own ultrasonic bath just for this purpose.. 9 times out of 10 it cures the problem. E10 with its ethanol is hygroscopic so absorbs water. It also attacks the rubber diaphragms and buggers them. But mostly the carbs are gummed up. E10 is not your friend 👍👍👍

With cars we tend to buy petrol drive the car and use it. Usually I would guess within a week or two.  E5 I’m told lasts a month to 6 weeks before it starts to deteriorate and go “ off “ E10 starts to go off after around 7 days. So E10 is kinda ok for regularly used cars. Not so if say storing a car. 
I choose to add a fuel stabiliser to any fuel I use not only for my machinery but anything that passes through my workshop. I mean I could hand someone their machine back and they could go and store it for a period of time. Fuel stabiliser isn’t expensive so well worthwhile using. 👍👍👍