Tuesday, October 31, 2006 - 09:16 am, by: David Vaughan(Davidv)
Interesting that you resorted to ad hominem attacks (and all of them risible ones at that) repeatedly throughout your response. It could not be that you were expressing personal prejudices rather than a shred of information, could it? I did not assert nor do I believe you are a deluded fool but rather than you are over-stating your position by use of hearsay and opinion as if they were facts and therefore potentially misleading others.
On the single fact you assert, that a BP senior fuel chemist said "...typical variation in BP Ultimate is 98-100 RON", that is not the statement previously made which I suggested was spurious, nor is it a statement which distinguishes BP fuel from Mobil or Shell in any respect. So, as of 12:15AM Tuesday 13 October, you continue to indulge flights of fancy in defence of a position, superiority of BP Ultimate over Shell Optimax or V-Power, for which you have no data other than your sensory perception and supportive but equally unsupported opinions of others. You are welcome to that position but all I ask is that you do not pretend it is more than that.
I have written extensively about this because I see no value in confusing articles of faith with matters of fact. If, for example, another reader here were to pay more for BP than for Shell or Mobil owing to belief in your seat of the pants, then they are welcome to their faith but objectively you have most probably assisted them to waste their money. If they do it based on their own faith then I expect they will be highly satisfied and I will at most point out in passing that they might like to re-think. There is nothing in that view by me that is either smug or patronising, merely helpful in making clear to others differences between opinion and fact.
On the question of paying for a test, it ought to have been reasonably clear that my point was that no test data has been presented, not that you, me or anyone else should be obliged to make the test. If your challenge is absolutely serious rather than another handle with which to manufacture a false attack then I will of course meet you on a 50-50 basis, much as I consider it will be a complete waste of money. We can each make payment to a third party prior to the test. If you decline, I will consider that sensible and not something by which to disrespect you so it would be better were you to drop it.