Quite right.Personally I use a little local garage and have had no problems as of yet. oh no,fate tempted  If it wasn't so bad it'd be funny.

🐑
Freelander 2 HSE auto 2014 ( Florrie ) ..... Try again.
Freelander 2 GS 2012...... Gone.

many years ago, well before the days of lead free, the different octane ratings used to have names. I cant really remember them all but something like "Regular" "Super" and "Supreme". Of course all the different brands had different names.

Anyway, every once in a while my dad would fill up his Hillman Minx with the top grade of fuel to "give the car a treat"

Steve

Redex. FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

jenks1950 wrote:

many years ago, well before the days of lead free, the different octane ratings used to have names. I cant really remember them all but something like "Regular" "Super" and "Supreme". Of course all the different brands had different names.

Anyway, every once in a while my dad would fill up his Hillman Minx with the top grade of fuel to "give the car a treat"

Steve

When i started riding bikes we had 2 star petrol, 4 star petrol and diesel - cost me around £1.50 to fill up my 100cc bike and it lasted for 300 miles+

In 1961 when I started, petrol was equivalent to 24p a gallon (about 5.4p per litre).

My 100E Ford had a 7 gallon tank, and I used to put a £1 worth of petrol in at a time. I earned well less than £10 a week in those days to put it into perspective.

As you can see from the graph, petrol came in one grade - that is Petrol.

https://www.theaa.com/public_affairs/repor...allons.pdf

Not all pumps were electric, some you had to wind a handle to push petrol into a small clear holding cylinder, from there it flowed with gravity into your tank. This led to you getting very good at making sure the fuel line was empty. (and not therefore gifting any petrol on to the next customer)

Interestingly I used to get about 33 mpg which is similar to what I now achieve in the bigger, faster, heavier FL2, so things have progressed.

PS I believe REDEX was available at a penny (old money) per shot, from a device that looked like a hand held garden sprayer. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 77k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)

Last edited by IanMetro on 16th Apr 2018 7:30 pm. Edited 2 times in total

Ah - memories! I never used a hand-cranked non-electric petrol pump though... My motoring life began in 1967. I was still at school when I bought my A35 van-with-windows for £20. I ran it for two years, then sold it for £40... My father generously helped with the insurance, but I coped with the day-to-day running costs from my Saturday job. I bought 2 gallons of petrol per week, handing over a ten shilling note plus eight pennies for the fuel. I am sure there was the option of 'Regular' or 'Super'. I had to buy oil quite frequently, too. Until Castrol invented multgrade GTX 20w/50 oil (in 1968), I ran the A35 on Castrolite, which I'm sure was very thin, as I was followed everywhere by a haze of blue smoke from my exhaust.

You are right about Redex, IanMetro, one penny bought a 'shot'. I don't think it would have done much for my particular car's engine...

 Currently enjoying:
2011 Freelander 2 TD4 XS (SOLD)
2013 BMW X3 20D M-Sport Auto
2007 Jaguar XK 4.2 Coupe

skyeguy
You have reminded me about oil consumption.

If I remember correct most cars burnt oil, and you stared to get concerned when you used 1 pint per 100 miles, and did something about it at when you got down to 50 miles per pint.
That 'something' was often a tube of "gunge", that you introduced via the plug holes, to seal the rings.

Most oil was deposited as you re-applied the throttle after a period of over-run. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 77k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)