22nd Aug 2006, 23:20

While I highly recommend the use of a good premium synthetic motor oil over any conventional, such as Amsoil, I must disagree with the recommendation to use premium fuel when it is not required.

If the manufacturer recommends fuel of a specific octane, use that kind of fuel only; using anything more is just throwing your money away. Use premium fuel ONLY if the manufacturer requires it for your vehicle, if you modify the drivetrain in such a way where premium fuel is required for it to run properly, and/or if you are REALLY low on fuel and the gas station you're at only has premium.

Prolonged use of premium fuel in a vehicle that may not require it could cause carbon build-up in the combustion chamber, which can cause problems with pre-ignition.

Also, if you have a car that only needs regular, but you have to use premium to keep it from knocking, then that indicates a need for service. Using premium fuel to keep a car requiring regular from knocking is only working around its problem as opposed to fixing it.

In addition, just shop for the cheapest gas around that's needed for your car. Gasoline is gasoline; the only difference are any proprietary detergency that may be added on top of the minimum detergency required by federal law and the octane levels (87, 89, 93, etc.). In many cases, gasoline is shared between different distributors (such as ExxonMobil sharing gas with Shell, and etc.). - Reinhart.

10th Jul 2007, 11:13

I just bought a 97 Lexus ES 300 and the LCD display is very bad. I can't read anything on it.Also, the clock is very faint. Sometimes I can read, other times I can't read. Can anyone suggest what the problem is and how I can get it fixed? Normally how much does it cost?