https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/11/30/aaa-e15-gas-harm-cars/1735793/
AAA warns E15 gasoline could cause car damage

...

"It is clear that millions of Americans are unfamiliar with E15, which means there is a strong possibility that many may improperly fill up using this gasoline and damage their vehicle," AAA President and CEO Robert Darbelnet tells USA TODAY. "Bringing E15 to the market without adequate safeguards does not responsibly meet the needs of consumers."

BMW, Chrysler, Nissan, Toyota and VW have said their warranties will not cover fuel-related claims caused by E15. Ford, Honda, Kia, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo have said E15 use will void warranties, says Darbelnet, citing potential corrosive damage to fuel lines, gaskets and other engine components.

Bob Dinneen, CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, says E15 is safe for virtually all post-2001 vehicles, based on extensive government-sponsored testing. "We think the (EPA) warning label should be sufficient to notify consumers,'' Dinneen says. "There are no corrosive issues with E15. If there's an issue with E15 (damaging vehicles) we're going to know about it, and the EPA is going to know about it."

But the American Petroleum Institute says a three-year study conducted by automakers and the oil industry found that E15 is a consumer safety issue for a majority of drivers with pre-2012 vehicles. "Our testing of a range of ethanol levels at 15% to 20% has identified issues about engine durability,'' API group director and engineer Bob Greco says.

...

Virtually every car made since then is compatible with E15.

It’s illegal to use E15 in either.

had a marine mechanic tell me to never leave gas in the engine. He said disconnect your fuel line when you put the boat on the trailer, and allow the motor to run out of gas before pulling the boat out of the water. Ever since I been doing this, I never had a fuel problem on my outboards.

I can't remember what I had to do, but I had to buy something so my 60s car would be able to handle the new gas.
I'm thinking it's probably similar to this.

Last edited Sun Mar 22, 2026, 06:39 AM - Edit history (1)

a lead additive at Autozone for my older 9.5 HP Evinrude kicker motor on my Lund fishing boat.

This was an issue resolved back when Obama was president.

But yes, I do see reduced fuel economy when running E15 vs E10. But the cost is cheaper, so it's a wash.

You're going to have to look around to find it, if you're lucky you have a seller near you, and it's going to be another fifty cents a gallon. But it beats having to put a new carb kit on every year, or worse having to replace the entire carb. Plus, if you figure in all the environmental damage done growing all that corn for ethanol you'll find that ethanol fuel is worse for our environment than non ethanol fuel.