Fuel System - Gasoline Quality Discussion
87BMW01GROUP 06 Customer Relations
Bulletin Number 06 05 87 (1473) Page 1 of 2
Montvale, NJ September 1987 Technical Dept.
SUBJECT: Gasoline Quality
It has come to our attention that our dealers are in need of an Official Statement in regards to the additive requirements for all BMWs.
Use the following as a guide for any publications, discussions or other customer related activities. This is our Official Statement concerning the present situation.
"Most of today's fuel-injected engines are being robbed of power and efficiency. This is true of your BMW's engine that was designed for high performance, low fuel consumption and smooth operation. The cause of this problem is gasoline with a lack of adequate detergents, alcohol in fuels, and inconsistent quality of fuel at the pump causing clogged fuel injectors and carbon buildup on intake valves.
This diminishes engine performance and results in rough idling, surging, misfiring and power loss.
Fuel Injectors
Fuel injectors are designed to spray exact measured quantities of fuel into the intake manifold. An injector nozzle coated with carbon deposits reduces the amount of fuel available for combustion, resulting in loss of power, misfiring and surging.
Intake Valves
Intake valves control the timing and the amount of fuel entering your engine's combustion chambers at specified intervals. Carbon deposits on the valve act like a sponge, absorbing part of the fuel being injected. This makes a leaner air/fuel mixture reaching the combustion chamber, causing rough idling and engine hesitation when accelerating during the warm-up phase.
You, the customer, can help run your BMW at peak efficiency by following these simple recommendations:
- If you have a new BMW, begin using BMW Gasoline Additive every time you fill up to prevent carbon build-up.
- If you have been driving your BMW for a while, and you are experiencing driveability problems caused by poor fuel quality, have your authorized BMW dealer perform a basic engine performance check. If necessary, have your fuel injectors unclogged and your intake valves cleaned. Then begin using BMW Gasoline Additive with every fill-up.
Note that adequate additives are able to clean fuel injectors and keep them clean. But additives cannot remove carbon build-up on intake valves; they can only prevent carbon build-up. For the BMW gasoline additive to work with best results, you must start with a clean engine.
To further assist you, the customer brochure "Let your BMW run the way it was engineered",
is currently being mailed to you under separate cover and is another tool to inform your customers of the maintenance needed on their BMW.