11 Gasoline Brands You Should Avoid at All Costs

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Every time you pull up to the pump,
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you're making a choice. And it's a
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choice that goes far beyond just regular
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or premium. What the big gas companies
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don't want you to know is that one of
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those choices leads to a cleaner,
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healthier engine, while the other could
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be silently costing you thousands of
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dollars in repairs. This isn't a
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conspiracy theory. This is about what's
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actually in the fuel you're buying and
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what's been left out. A huge number of
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gas stations across America are selling
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you a product that is silently, slowly,
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and systematically compromising your
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car's engine. They're selling a fuel
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that meets an outdated, bare minimum
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government standard, and they're banking
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on the fact you're too busy to notice or
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too focused on the price to ask the
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right questions. This is the great
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American gas scam. It's a story about
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regulations that haven't kept up with
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technology, and about an industry that
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has quietly split into two camps. those
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who sell the fuel your modern car needs
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and those who sell the fuel that could
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slowly lead it to an early grave. But
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the good news is you can avoid it. You
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have all the power here. And in this
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investigation, I'm going to show you
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exactly how. We're going to name names,
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look at the evidence, and give you the
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simple knowledge you need to protect
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your vehicle and your wallet. Starting
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with your very next fillup. What if I
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told you that a huge portion of the
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gasoline sold in America doesn't have
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the robust level of ingredients your
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engine needs to run its best and could
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be slowly clogging its arteries? Major
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gas stations, including some of the
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biggest names you see every day, are
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banking on the fact you won't notice
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until it's too late. Today, we expose
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the dirty secret of cheap gas and reveal
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which brands are part of the problem.
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Section one, the silent killer in your
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tank. To understand what's really
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happening, we need to take a look inside
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your engine. Imagine your engine's fuel
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injectors, intake valves, and combustion
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chambers. Now, imagine them getting
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coated in a sticky black tar-like
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substance. This is carbon buildup. Think
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of it like cholesterol in your body's
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arteries. A little bit might not cause a
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problem, but as it accumulates, it
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starts to restrict flow. It chokes off
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the engine's ability to breathe and
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perform as it was designed. These
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deposits can bake onto intake valves,
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preventing them from sealing properly.
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They can clog fuel injectors, disrupting
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the fine mist of fuel that's supposed to
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be sprayed into the cylinder. When that
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happens, you start to feel it. Your car
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might idle roughly, shaking a little at
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a stoplight. It might hesitate when you
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press the accelerator. Your fuel economy
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starts to drop, and you find yourself
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visiting the gas station more often,
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even though your driving habits haven't
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changed. For decades, this was a
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manageable problem. But the engines in
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today's cars are not the same as the
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engines from 30 years ago. Many modern
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vehicles in the quest for better fuel
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efficiency and more power used something
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called gasoline direct injection or GDI.
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In older port injection engines,
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gasoline was sprayed over the back of
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the intake valves, giving them a
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constant cleaning bath. It was a
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built-in cleaning cycle. With GDI, the
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fuel is injected directly into the
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combustion chamber. This is great for
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efficiency, but it creates a serious
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problem. The intake valves no longer get
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that constant shower of fuel. This makes
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them incredibly vulnerable to carbon
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buildup. Without something to actively
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clean them, these valves can get caked
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in deposits, leading to all the problems
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I just mentioned, and eventually to very
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expensive repair bills. We're talking
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about procedures like walnut blasting, a
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job that can easily cost over $1,000.
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So, how do we fight this? The answer is
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detergent additives and gasoline. Think
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of them like dish soap for your engine.
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They are complex chemical compounds
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blended into gasoline that have one
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primary job, to prevent carbon deposits
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from forming in the first place and in
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some cases to help clean up existing
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ones. And here is the absolute core of
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the problem. All gasoline sold in the
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United States is legally required by the
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Environmental Protection Agency, the
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EPA, to contain detergent additives.
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This is a fact. The issue is that the
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minimum required amount of these
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detergents is dangerously outdated. The
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EPA's minimum detergent standard was
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established way back in 1995. Think
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about that. The cars on the road in 1995
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were technologically ancient compared to
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what we drive today. That standard has
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not been meaningfully updated to keep
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pace with the incredible advancements in
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engine technology like GTI. This has
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created a massive loophole. Gas
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retailers can legally sell you a fuel
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that they know isn't good enough for
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most modern cars. They can meet the
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government's bare minimum requirement,
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sell it to you at a competitive price
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and know that any damage it causes will
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be slow and gradual. They save money by
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using a cheaper additive package, and
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you, the consumer, are the ultimate one
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who pays the price. This is the scam.
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Selling a product that meets an obsolete
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legal standard, but fails to meet the
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real world needs of your modern vehicle.
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Section two, how automakers blew the
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whistle. This isn't just my opinion. The
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proof of this problem comes from the
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very companies that designed your car.
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Around the early 2000s, automakers like
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General Motors, BMW, Honda, and Toyota
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started noticing a disturbing trend, a
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spike in warranty claims and complaints
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related to rough idle, poor
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acceleration, and decreased fuel
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economy. Their engineers traced the
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problem back to one thing: heavy carbon
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buildup. They quickly realized that the
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EPA's 1995 minimum detergent standard
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just wasn't cutting it for their new,
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more sophisticated engines. So in 2004,
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this group of leading automakers did
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something unprecedented. They took
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matters into their own hands. They
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created their own much stricter standard
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for gasoline quality and called it Top
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Tier. This is the key to the whole
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story. Top Tier isn't a brand of
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gasoline. It's a seal of approval. It's
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a certification backed by some of the
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biggest names in the automotive world,
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guaranteeing the gasoline you're buying
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contains a significantly higher
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concentration of highquality detergent
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additives. To become top tier certified,
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a fuel brand must submit their detergent
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additive package for rigorous testing to
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prove that it can prevent and even help
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clean up engine deposits. The automakers
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didn't do this to make money. They did
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it to protect their customers, reduce
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their warranty costs, and ensure their
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vehicles performed the way they were
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designed. They were essentially blowing
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the whistle on the inadequacy of the
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government's minimum standard. And
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here's where it gets really interesting.
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To put numbers to it, the American
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Automobile Association or AAA conducted
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a landmark independent study to test the
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difference. They hired a lab to run
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engines on both top tier and non-toptier
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gasolins. The results were shocking. The
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engine run on the cheap non-toptier gas
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had on average 19 times more carbon
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buildup on its intake valves than the
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engine run on top tier gas. Let me say
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that again. 19 times. The visual
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evidence from the study is undeniable.
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valves caked in black gunk versus valves
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that look practically new. The AAA's
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conclusion was clear. For an average
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price difference of only about 3 cents
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per gallon, the benefits were
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overwhelming. Think about that. For a
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15gallon tank, you're looking at an
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extra 45 cents per fillup. Compare that
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to a potential engine repair bill that
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could run into the thousands. It's one
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of the cheapest and most effective forms
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of preventative maintenance you can
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perform. Now, a common misconception is
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that this is about octane ratings. It's
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not. Top tier certification applies to
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all grades of gasoline a participating
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brand sells from regular 87 to premium
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93. If a station is top tier, its
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regular gas has the enhanced detergents.
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The secret to a clean engine isn't
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paying for higher octane you don't need.
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It's choosing a brand that invests in
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the right amount of detergents. Section
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three, naming names. This is where the
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rubber meets the road. Today, about half
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of all gas stations in the US now meet
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the top tier standard. But that still
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means there's a 50/50 chance the station
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you pull into is selling a fuel that
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only meets that bare minimum 1995 EPA
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standard. So let's get specific. Which
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brands are currently not on the top tier
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certified list? This list can change, so
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always check the official top tier
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website for the latest information, but
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as of late 2025, these are some of the
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big ones. First up, many supermarket and
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warehouse club brands. Safeway Gas is
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not currently top tier certified. The
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same goes for Sam's Club. Unlike its
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direct competitor Costco, Sam's Club is
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not on the top tier list. Another giant
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inconvenience is 7-Eleven. With
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thousands of locations, it's a common
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stop, but 7-Eleven is not a top tier
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licensed brand. Then we have some of the
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largest dedicated gas station chains.
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Circle K is not currently a top tier
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participant in the United States.
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Speedway is another major chain that is
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not on the official list, even though it
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was acquired by Marathon, which is a top
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tier brand. Murphy USA, often found in
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Walmart parking lots, is also not a top
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tier brand. And for professional
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drivers, some of the biggest names in
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travel stops are also missing. Lo's
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Travel Stops and Pilot Flying J are not
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top tier certified. The pattern is
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clear. Many of the brands that compete
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most aggressively on price or that treat
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fuel as a secondary convenience item are
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the ones that have opted not to pay for
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the better additive packages. So, who
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are the good guys in this story? This is
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the list of brands that have made the
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investment. Household names like
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Chevron, Shell, Exxon, and Mobile, are
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all on the list. One of the most
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important names, especially for price
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conscious shoppers, is Costco. Their
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Kirkland Signature Gasoline is top tier
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certified, proving that you don't have
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to pay the highest price to get
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highquality fuel. This directly
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contradicts the idea that cheap gas is
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always bad gas. Other major brands on
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the good list include Marathon, Philip
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66, Valero, Sinclair, and Synokco. Even
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some regional chains like Quicktrip and
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Wawa have made the commitment. The
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difference is a conscious business
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decision. One group of companies is
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content to meet an outdated legal
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requirement. The other group has
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partnered with automakers to provide a
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fuel that is genuinely better for modern
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engines. Section 4, your personal action
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plan. So with all this information, what
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can you do? The answer is incredibly
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simple. Choose a gas station that is top
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tier certified. That's it. From now on,
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when you pull into a gas station, take
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two extra seconds and look for the
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official top tier logo on the pump. If
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you see that logo, you can fill up with
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confidence. If you don't, it's best to
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drive on. To make it even easier, the
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top tier program has an official
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website, toptier gas.com, where they
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maintain a complete up-to-date list of
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all licensed brands. Now, let's make
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this practical and answer some common
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questions. First, what if I've been
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using cheap gas for years? Is it too
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late? Absolutely not. The same AAA study
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found that by consistently using a top
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tier gasoline, a significant amount of
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existing carbon deposits could be
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cleaned away over time. It is never too
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late to start making a better choice.
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Second, is it really worth the price
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difference? As we covered, the average
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price difference is only about 3 cents
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per gallon. For a 15gallon fillup,
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that's 45. Think of it as the cheapest
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insurance policy you can buy for your
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engine. That small investment can save
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you from a $1,000 repair down the road.
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Finally, what if there are no top tier
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stations near me? This is a tough
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situation, but you still have options.
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You can mitigate the potential harm by
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using a quality fuel system cleaner
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additive. Look for a product from a
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reputable brand that specifically
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mentions containing PEA or
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polyethylamine,
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a powerful detergent known for its
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ability to clean up carbon deposits.
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Using a bottle every 3,000 to 5,000
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miles can act as a deep clean for your
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fuel system. It's an effective defensive
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measure if your options are limited.
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Here's the bottom line. For decades, the
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gap between the government's outdated
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1995 minimum standard and the needs of
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modern engines has allowed a two-tiered
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market to emerge. One tier sells you the
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fuel your car was designed for. The
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other sells you a product that, while
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legal, can slowly compromise your
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vehicle's performance and longevity. But
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this isn't a scam you have to fall for.
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Your engine doesn't care about
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marketing. It cares about the quality of
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fuel, keeping its critical parts clean.
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By simply choosing to fill up at a
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station that is committed to the top
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tier standard, you are protecting your
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investment. Now, I want to hear from
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you. What gas brand are you currently
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running? Have you ever switched to a top
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tier brand and noticed a difference in
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how your car runs? Share your real world
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experience in the comments. It might
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help someone else save their engine. If
12:02
this video helped you understand gas
12:04
quality better, do me a favor, hit that
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like button and share this with one
12:08
person who needs to see it. And if you
12:10
want more content that breaks down
12:12
automotive myths with actual data, hit
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subscribe and turn on notifications.
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Thanks for watching. Choose your fuel
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wisely and I'll see you in the next

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11 Gasoline Brands You Should Avoid at All Costs

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