Motoring – Fuel Treatments

Ever heard of fuel treatment? It could be just the thing your car needs to stop guzzling so much petrol...

Many products promise to improve your car’s driving performance. Among these, are fuel treatments. What are they, you may ask? Our investigation led us to Ingrid Modis, business partner at LivElite International, which stocks Xtreme Fuel Treatments, as well as Deshan Manikam, strategic product manager at auto products brand, Wynn’s.

While on the road, you may notice your exhaust pipes emitting black fumes. In other instances, R500 worth of petrol might only last you two weeks, when in the past, it used to last for three. That could be due to the loss of volume in your tank because of a build-up that takes up space. Or, you might be driving an older car with a very high mileage — it takes you from A to B, but not as fast as you’d like.

The more you drive, the more your car is exposed to environmental elements (rain and strong winds that carry sand), and the whole engine system is always producing different residues like carbon dioxide, soot and gum, which accumulate in different parts of the engine, therefore affecting the car’s overall performance. Fuel treatments contain thinners and additives that clean the different components of the engine system, thereby unclogging dirt and neutralising bad smells.

Other benefits of using fuel treatments include clearing the car’s injectors and, eventually, making the car emit less chemicals into the environment, Manikam explains. Additives, which work much like treatments, can also prevent high fuel consumption, and reduce carbon build-up in the car’s fuel system.

While there are one-item-fixes-all fuel treatment products available on the market, others are designed to target just one problem at a time, for example, clogged injectors or dirty fuel, Modis adds.

“Even if your car drives just fine, car parts age every day, so it’s great to use a fuel treatment to prevent excessive damage,” Modis explains.

“Don’t overuse it just because it’s a fuel-saving product – don’t pour more than what’s recommended,” Manikam cautions, adding that the rule of thumb is that you use a fuel treatment after every 15 000 km.

“They’ve been designed to help your car perform better, depending on what you’re attempting to get out of the car. If you want petrol to last you longer, for example, you can add fuel treatment,” Modis says. You can administer a fuel treatment yourself, and keep it in the boot for when you need it.