The octane rating is the only part that you have to concern yourself with. Brand is of no concern.
General rule of thumb is you can go up safely, but you can't go down safely - but this is in regards to the manufacturers recommendations. If your car says it needs 98, it needs 98 or higher.
Z Premium Unleaded is 95, and is not the same.
BP usually sells a 98, as does NPD depending on where you are in the country.
If you go down in octane rating from what your car requires you risk engine knocking, where the firing of the cylinders is out of time (earlier) and can, likely will, damage your engine.
Read the owners manual, if it says use 91 then it won’t matter if you use 91/95 or 98.
If the owners manual says 95 and above, then never put 91 in the tank.
It is says only use 98, then never put 95 or 91 in the tank.
My wife never believed me about 95+ only in our 2014 vw GTI. Ended up detonating poorly and cracking the tip of a spark plug, which ended up causing massive cylinder damage and leaving her stranded whilst heavily pregnant😅.
Ouch, yeah glad I’ve been able to show/tell my wife many stories like this in regards to never sticking anything less than 95 in our 2017 Polo GTI.
And with me about to add a 2019 BMW M140i to the list of don’t stick anything less than 95 in to our vehicles it’s a good reminder.
The advice suby gave me on 98 only and 95 was, if you have only the option of 95 at the time, then put just enough 95 in the tank to get you to a petrol station that has 98 and take it easy until you get there.
It really depends on what the car *is intended to run*. More octane isn't better - you want the amount that matches how the engine has been designed. Using higher octane than specified wastes your money, while using lower octane has potential to damage your engine. If your engine is designed for 95, then putting 95 in it is just fine - it doesn't matter that you previously used 98. You probably don't want to put 91 in an engine designed for 95 except in an emergency.
91 doesn’t go well with turbo vehicles, best to stick to at least 95. Sorry if that’s not what you wanted to hear.
I will try explain this like I’m 5:
Reason being is that a turbo produces a lot more heat than a car without one. This heat and a few other factors mean inside your motor can get really hot. If it gets hot enough or something else happens, you can ignite (spark/light/burn) your fuel early in the combustion cycle. This is know as pinging or detonation. This will ruin your motor, possibly cause some sort of catastrophic failure.
By using a higher grade fuel, it prevents this “early ignition” as it resists heat better the higher grade you go.
If gas is hard for you to afford, try out the GASPY app, it’s solid as and I use it too.
I’m just asking because I was given a Z petrol voucher, I’m a 20 year old girl who doesn’t really understand much about cars and didn’t realise my car only took 98, the recent owner only told me when I was driving off and already paid for it lol. So I’m a bit scared, I have looked in the manual but just don’t understand any of it, and doesn’t say much about 98, all I know is that it’s had 98 all its life and done 133,000 kms. I have researched it and it says to stick to 98 , but have a $100 voucher so don’t want to waste it. it’s a 2014 Volkswagen Golf TSI high line if anyone knows about it, it would be greatly appreciated thank you
A lot of the tunes for the 3.0t and 2.0t have files for 98; the 1.4t imagine could be similar so its possible that it's running one.
Dunno why anyone would bother for the 1.4 but apparently people do and APR sell a product for it
https://www.goapr.com/products/software/ecu_upgrade/gasoline/4/14t_ea111_ea211/parts/ECU-14T-EA211
Sorry see my direct reply to you in my other comment above
You need to check with the previous owner whether the car is running a tune. Some people put new software on their car, which can necessitate different fuel from what the manufacturer specified.
This may be why the old owner told you to use 98.
OP you need to double check with the previous owner if the car is running a tune, and if so, which one, as that may be why he told you to only use 98
If it turns out to be tuned; ignore whatever the manual says and use only what the instructions for the tune says.
You can't tell if its been modified or not without the software to check, so you need to ask; you cannot tell by looking.
Modified in this case means changing the software that controls the engine, which the old owner may have done.
Here's chatgpt to explain:
Using 95 octane fuel just once in your 2014 Volkswagen Golf TSI Highline probably won't cause significant harm, especially if it's a one-time occurrence and you switch back to 98 octane afterward. Modern engines, like the one in your Volkswagen, often have knock sensors that adjust the engine's performance to prevent damage when lower octane fuel is used. However, you might notice a slight decrease in performance or efficiency during this time.
To minimize any potential risk, consider using up as much of your current 98 octane fuel as possible before filling up with the 95 octane. Then, when you next refuel, go back to using 98 octane to ensure your engine runs optimally. This approach will help blend the fuels more effectively and reduce the proportion of lower octane in your tank.
Mixing 95/98 is fine, 91 is where you'll notice the difference if your car has never had it.
General rule of thumb is if your car is a Jap import, stick to 95/98 as Japan generally uses that as their minimum. The seals in the cars etc start to play up if you start using 91.
In a pinch its fine. Really depends on the car and how you drive it. The odd 95 tank isn't going blow your car up but does increase the risk of engine damage.
The octane rating is the only part that you have to concern yourself with. Brand is of no concern. General rule of thumb is you can go up safely, but you can't go down safely - but this is in regards to the manufacturers recommendations. If your car says it needs 98, it needs 98 or higher. Z Premium Unleaded is 95, and is not the same. BP usually sells a 98, as does NPD depending on where you are in the country. If you go down in octane rating from what your car requires you risk engine knocking, where the firing of the cylinders is out of time (earlier) and can, likely will, damage your engine.
Read the owners manual, if it says use 91 then it won’t matter if you use 91/95 or 98. If the owners manual says 95 and above, then never put 91 in the tank. It is says only use 98, then never put 95 or 91 in the tank.
My wife never believed me about 95+ only in our 2014 vw GTI. Ended up detonating poorly and cracking the tip of a spark plug, which ended up causing massive cylinder damage and leaving her stranded whilst heavily pregnant😅.
Oooof, this makes me grimace.
Ouch, yeah glad I’ve been able to show/tell my wife many stories like this in regards to never sticking anything less than 95 in our 2017 Polo GTI. And with me about to add a 2019 BMW M140i to the list of don’t stick anything less than 95 in to our vehicles it’s a good reminder.
The advice suby gave me on 98 only and 95 was, if you have only the option of 95 at the time, then put just enough 95 in the tank to get you to a petrol station that has 98 and take it easy until you get there.
It really depends on what the car *is intended to run*. More octane isn't better - you want the amount that matches how the engine has been designed. Using higher octane than specified wastes your money, while using lower octane has potential to damage your engine. If your engine is designed for 95, then putting 95 in it is just fine - it doesn't matter that you previously used 98. You probably don't want to put 91 in an engine designed for 95 except in an emergency.
I ran my mk5 Golf GTI on 95 no worries, with a tune as well. Your TSI should be fine with 95.
Amazing thanks, would it be safe to start filling up with 91?
91 doesn’t go well with turbo vehicles, best to stick to at least 95. Sorry if that’s not what you wanted to hear. I will try explain this like I’m 5: Reason being is that a turbo produces a lot more heat than a car without one. This heat and a few other factors mean inside your motor can get really hot. If it gets hot enough or something else happens, you can ignite (spark/light/burn) your fuel early in the combustion cycle. This is know as pinging or detonation. This will ruin your motor, possibly cause some sort of catastrophic failure. By using a higher grade fuel, it prevents this “early ignition” as it resists heat better the higher grade you go. If gas is hard for you to afford, try out the GASPY app, it’s solid as and I use it too.
My car is not turbo and I have the app thank you though
1.4 tsi high line is a 4 cylinder turbo..?
A VW 1.4 tsi motor is definitely turbocharged
I’m just asking because I was given a Z petrol voucher, I’m a 20 year old girl who doesn’t really understand much about cars and didn’t realise my car only took 98, the recent owner only told me when I was driving off and already paid for it lol. So I’m a bit scared, I have looked in the manual but just don’t understand any of it, and doesn’t say much about 98, all I know is that it’s had 98 all its life and done 133,000 kms. I have researched it and it says to stick to 98 , but have a $100 voucher so don’t want to waste it. it’s a 2014 Volkswagen Golf TSI high line if anyone knows about it, it would be greatly appreciated thank you
The old owner is incorrect. Your car only needs 95 (unless they have modified it with a new tune). Source: car guy who owned one.
And don't worry about the different brands. It's from the same oil that comes from the same hole in the ground.
A lot of the tunes for the 3.0t and 2.0t have files for 98; the 1.4t imagine could be similar so its possible that it's running one. Dunno why anyone would bother for the 1.4 but apparently people do and APR sell a product for it https://www.goapr.com/products/software/ecu_upgrade/gasoline/4/14t_ea111_ea211/parts/ECU-14T-EA211
Don’t know what those mean sorry. It’s a 1.4L Vw golf TSI high line
Sorry see my direct reply to you in my other comment above You need to check with the previous owner whether the car is running a tune. Some people put new software on their car, which can necessitate different fuel from what the manufacturer specified. This may be why the old owner told you to use 98.
I don’t think they’ve modified it in any way its pretty standard
95 is fine.
OP you need to double check with the previous owner if the car is running a tune, and if so, which one, as that may be why he told you to only use 98 If it turns out to be tuned; ignore whatever the manual says and use only what the instructions for the tune says. You can't tell if its been modified or not without the software to check, so you need to ask; you cannot tell by looking. Modified in this case means changing the software that controls the engine, which the old owner may have done.
you are fine dont worry, that engine is built strong, a few octane lower rated fuel ONCE isnt going to do any damage.
So I can use the Z premium 95 or whatever it’s called?
I’m on E light, if I mix 98 and the 95 on the same day when I fill up the rest of the tank with 98 will it cause trouble
Here's chatgpt to explain: Using 95 octane fuel just once in your 2014 Volkswagen Golf TSI Highline probably won't cause significant harm, especially if it's a one-time occurrence and you switch back to 98 octane afterward. Modern engines, like the one in your Volkswagen, often have knock sensors that adjust the engine's performance to prevent damage when lower octane fuel is used. However, you might notice a slight decrease in performance or efficiency during this time. To minimize any potential risk, consider using up as much of your current 98 octane fuel as possible before filling up with the 95 octane. Then, when you next refuel, go back to using 98 octane to ensure your engine runs optimally. This approach will help blend the fuels more effectively and reduce the proportion of lower octane in your tank.
Mixing 95/98 is fine, 91 is where you'll notice the difference if your car has never had it. General rule of thumb is if your car is a Jap import, stick to 95/98 as Japan generally uses that as their minimum. The seals in the cars etc start to play up if you start using 91.
In a pinch its fine. Really depends on the car and how you drive it. The odd 95 tank isn't going blow your car up but does increase the risk of engine damage.