Fuel Specifications - BMW 128i Owner's Manual

Fuel specifications

Never use fuels labeled at the fuel pump as
metal-containing.
Do not use leaded gasoline or gasoline
with metal-containing additives such as
manganese or iron; doing so can cause perma-
nent damage to the catalytic converter or other
components.<
Do not fill the tank with E85, i.e. fuel con-
taining 85Ξ ethanol, nor with FlexFuel.
Otherwise, the engine and fuel supply system
will be damaged.<
Required fuel
Super Premium Gasoline/AKI 91
This gasoline is highly recommended.
However, you may also use gasoline with less
AKI. The minimum AKI Rating is:
>
128i: 87
> 135i: 89
If you use gasoline with this minimum AKI Rat-
ing, the engine may produce knocking sounds
when starting at high outside temperatures.
This has no effect on the engine life.
Do not use any gasoline below the speci-
fied minimum fuel grade. Otherwise, the
engine could be damaged.<
Use high-quality brands
Field experience has indicated significant dif-
ferences in fuel quality: volatility, composition,
additives, etc., among gasolines offered for sale
in the United States and Canada.
Fuels containing up to and including 10Ξ eth-
anol or other oxygenates with up to 2.8Ξ oxy-
gen by weight, that is, 15Ξ MTBE or 3Ξ meth-
anol plus an equivalent amount of cosolvent,
will not void the applicable warranties with
respect to defects in materials or workmanship.
The use of poor-quality fuels may result in
drivability, starting and stalling problems
especially under certain environmental condi-
tions such as high ambient temperature and
high altitude.
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 606 818 - © 03/11 BMW AG Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 606 818 - © 03/11 BMW AG
Should you encounter drivability problems
which you suspect could be related to the fuel
you are using, we recommend that you respond
by switching to a recognized high-quality brand
such as gasoline that is advertised as Top Tier
Detergent Gasoline.
Failure to comply with these recommendations
may also result in unscheduled maintenance.<
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