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Do the injector cleaner fuel additives and performance oil additives that you can buy actually work?

If they do, how often should they be used, and is there any difference between the 'name' brands and cheaper alternatives?

I can find a lot of conflicting information on the web, so it would be good to get a more educated opinion!

Ira.

from the "Ask Jack" archives - 14 December 2009

I'm sure there are many cases where these additives have done a good job but the key for me is regular maintenance with good quality fluids.

The other important point is a service provider justifying adding these products. If you have a trusted service provider and they can explain the benefits of adding such products then maybe there is some merit.

If its automatically added to your account without consultation then I would be a little annoyed.

The quality of our petrol these days is also very good with additives already added to help keep engines clean and reduce excessive carbon build up in the engine, especially the higher (95) octane fuels.

As far as trying to determine one being better than the other, we have no comparative information and do not endorse one product over another.

Once again a trusted service provider should be able to remove the mystery and use what they consider to be the most appropriate (if any) for a given situation.