True, there are refinery processes that, when trying to squeeze more gasoline product (vs diesel, jet fuel, kerosene) out of a barrel of crude, produce not necessarily high sulfur fuel, but fuel with the wrong kind of sulfur, and it corrodes the windings on the fuel gauge sending unit. This results in an open circuit and the onset is characterized by sudden "jumping" of the needle. It is somewhat vehicle dependent, as those with gold plated windings don't seem to have problems.
Don't bother trying to blame a specific brand, since they all share the base gasoline (pipelines deliver fungible product (i.e. commodity) to the terminals, then when the additive package is blending in, it becomes the "branded" gasoline.) Of course, faithful users from a certain brand or station can pursue remediation from that station.
Alcohol blends (ethanol) can sometimes restore sending unit performance, as the alcohol can help remove the offending deposits. If you happen to have the gauge out, it will appear dark; start with a pencil eraser to try and remove the deposit before you reach for the sandpaper.
The problem is octane specific, since it is the refinery "process" that determines the octane grade. From what I've seen, regular grade is several orders of magnitude more problematic.
The gas gauges I'm familiar with are wired that an open circuit fails to Empty. Otherwise, OEMs would have people driving into the middle of no-where with a full-reading gauge and run out of fuel.
No, I have no advice on how to avoid the problem. The sulfur (mercaptans) doesn't make the fuel smell different. Additives in the gasoline (low detergent levels or high detergent levels) don't help this problem. Have to find a chemist that understands sulfur compounds and how to reverse the process. In my own cars, I've cleaned one sending unit (92 ram van) and replaced another (96 Dakota, because fuel pump died) and the 97 Intrepid is now acting up. The 94 Viper is fine.
