Mike F said:
And while I also would trust something I read on the internet,
especially from someone who has a history of knowing what they're
talking about, over some dealer service advisor whose function is to
sell, sell, sell, a source better than either is the owners manual.
I generally agree with you. However, you have to understand that the car
company also has a vested interest in saying what they do--it's a form of
CYA. Tell the owner that they can't do anything but a very narrowly defined
set of "correct use", and you've got a basis to void the warranty if
something goes wrong with the car. I'm not saying that's true in this case,
just pointing out that the owner's manual is not exactly an objective source
of information. For example, I frequent the Miata newsgroup, and that
owner's manual says to never, ever, ever, ever tow anything with the Miata.
There are a several people on that newsgroup that have thousands of miles of
towing trailers, without a mishap or damage to their car, and nobody there
is saying "hey, guys, I have had problems towing a trailer with the Miata."
Seems pretty clear that that part of the owner's manual is nothing but CYA.
The
one for my '98 V70 (which is almost identical to the OP's '97 850 from a
fuel system standpoint) states:
"Do not use gasolines containing methanol (methyl alcohol, wood
alcohol). The practice can result in vehicle performance deterioration
and can damage critical parts in the fuel system. Such damage may not
be covered under the New Vehicle Limited Warranty."
That seems pretty conclusive.
Conclusive specifically about methanol. Methanol and ethanol are very
different--methanol is much more hydroscopic and corrosive, and much more
polar (i.e., likely to extract rubber additives), and thus much more likely
to cause damage to an engine. Since they specifically mentioned methanol, I
would read that to mean ethanol-containing fuels are fine.
Eric Lucas
