Just like the hair-growing quack remedies, another bit of folklore seems to refuse to die. This concerns those endless gadgets/inventions, which claim to increase the gas mileage in your car. I am a salesman, and I called on a company which has been in business for over 25 years (“NATIONAL FUELSAVER”). They sell a device that is claimed to make your car go up to 15% further on a gallon of gas. Quite apart from the fundamental absurdity of such a claim (if it were true, Detroit would equip their cars at the factory with such a device), why do people continue to fall for this old lie?
Even now, you can buy all kinds of oil additives, special cleaners, treaments, etc., which proport to improve fuel economy! The US Govt. has tested these contraptions over and over, and found them all to be worthless-yet people continue to buy them!
Are people just fundamentally stupid?:smack:
As a salesman, you shoud know by now that people are indeed fundamentally stupid.
My question would be in the advertising. If it says it increases fuel efficiency, and does not, it’s false advertising and they can be sued. I think there’s a government agency for stuff like this.
On the other hand, some stuff actually will improve efficiency. For example, if you have clogged valves or water in the gas tank or leaky coolant, a fluid that cleans valves or dries the water or seals gaskets (assuming that it actually dos this) may well “increase” fuel efficiency by returning it to the car’s optimum.
Always love doing this:
Here’s a column from Cecil