Beware of Gas Saving Scams: Additives, gadgets, and Other Bum Steers
Skyrocketing gas prices have motorists searching for ways to relieve pain at the pump. That may be why we're seeing a whole new wave of sales pitches for so-called gas saving devices. But buyer beware, consumer advocates warn. Few, if any of these devices actually work.
Ads for devices that promise to save on gas have been around almost as long as the automobile. And there's an inevitable surge in them anytime gas prices rise. What's new about this latest round of faux gas savers is that advertising for them has spread beyond the traditional newspaper-magazine-television format to appear with increasing frequency on the internet and in spam emails.
An email offering to show you how to shave 70 cents off the price of a gallon of gasoline has been making the rounds. If you haven't yet seen this in your inbox, just wait. McCaffee, a vendor of security software, says that by their count about 0.2% of all spam concerns the cost of gas. That figure will almost certainly rise as the cost of gas continues to climb.
Many of the so-called gas savers being advertised claim they can give you fuel savings ranging from 12% to 25%. However, the Environmental Protection Agency, the arm of the federal government charged with monitoring fuel efficiency, says it has tested thousands of advertised products and never found one that produced the claimed results.
That's why you wont find the EPA or any other government agency endorsing any so-called gas saver. But that doesn't stop the sellers of the phony fuel savers from claiming that they have government endorsement.
Keep in mind that the sellers of these phony gas savers are trying to take advantage of the public's inclination to believe "they couldn't say that if it wasn't true" That's why their advertising often features convincing testimonials from satisfied customers. No doubt these drivers believe what they're saying. But it's unlikely any of them posses the equipment necessary to accurately test the effectiveness of the products their touting.
When trained testers with the necessary equipment put these products to the test, the promised results never pan out.
Consumer affairs experts say that if you have purchased a device or additive that promises substantial gas savings and are unhappy with the results, you should first contact the seller and request a refund. If that is unsuccessful, contact the office of your state's attorney general and ask to file a consumer complaint.
Some of these devices are offered for prices rising upwards of $200. But we've seen several being sold for as little as $20. Still, no matter what the price, when the products don't work it's money down the drain. And with so many of your dollars going into your gas tank, it would be a shame to waste even a few pennies on phony gas savers.
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10 Smart Tips For Saving Money On Gas
The message screams at us from every sign at every corner gas station-gasoline prices are at an all-time high and there's no indication that relief is anywhere in site. In fact, many experts are saying it could get worse-much worse-and that's sending masses of motorists scrambling for ways to cut down on gas consumption.
But what to do, when old, outdated myths and outright scams are filling the airwaves and internet? Just today we saw a television news station advising drivers to fill up their gas tanks in the morning when gas is cooler and more condensed, as a way of getting more for your money.
This outdated advice may have been true once-we don't know for sure-but we do know that today gas stations store fuel below ground in 30,000-gallon tanks. That means gas stays at relatively the same temperature and does not expand and contract with daily cycles.
We've seen all sorts of other bad advice that's outdated, ill-advised or just outright fraud. Claims that devises which bleed air into the carburetor can dramatically increase gas mileage turn out not to be true when put to the test under closely monitored conditions.
Same for those fuel-line gadgets that supposedly help you save on gas by heating it before it enters the carburetor, or magnets that clamp on to the outside of the fuel line to magically change the molecular structure of gasoline, or metallic additives that claim they ionize gas for great savings. They've all been tested by the EPA, which found the only thing these devises reduced was the amount of cash in motorist's wallets.
Face it-with a long-term gas crises looming ahead, there are plenty of governmental bodies and even private industries that have good reason to want to help you save on gas. Here are ten tips they all agree will really help you do the job:
1. Keep your tires properly inflated according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Under inflated tires make the vehicle run less efficiently and waste gas.
2. Don't be an aggressive driver. Jackrabbit starts, tire screeching stops and speeding can lower your gas mileage by 5% on city streets and as much as 33% on highways.
3. Avoid excessive idling. Idling your engine for 15 minutes wastes one gallon of gas. Whenever possible, time your traveling to avoid lingering at traffic lights and reduce the amount of time you let your car warm up. In warm weather, driving is actually the most efficient way to warm up a combustion engine.
4. Get a new gas cap-and make it one with a lock. Old gas caps can get out of shape. As gas fumes expand in your tank, they can escape past a faulty seal and waste precious fuel. Some studies suggest you can save as much as 17 gallons of gas a year just by replacing an old gas cap. And consider making that new gas cap a locking model because sadly, as gas prices go up, so do gas thefts.
5. Slow down. The faster you go, the less efficiently your vehicle uses gas. 55 is the most efficient mph on highways. Go above 60 and your fuel efficiency decreases rapidly.
6. Remove excess weight. If you're used to driving around with your golf clubs and a chain saw in your trunk, you're paying a heavy price for it. Removing an extra 100 pounds from your car will increase your fuel efficiency by as much as 2%.
7. Check on your "forgotten filters." Most motorists know to check the air filter when they do a tune-up, but not many think to check on the fuel filter, the PCV valve and the breather filter. Replacing these "forgotten" filters once a year or every 12,000 miles can help improve your gas mileage by up to 15 percent.
8. Don't use premium fuel unless your vehicle manufacturer requires it. And double or triple check your automakers advice by asking true auto experts-not just shade tree mechanics-for their best advice. We're not pointing fingers at anyone, but some automakers with ties to big petroleum producers have been known to recommend premium fuels in cases where regular would do just as well.
9. Have a mechanic check your oxygen sensors. A faulty oxygen sensor will mistakenly send more gas to the engine then is needed. Replacing a faulty oxygen sensor can save you as many as six fill-ups a year.
10. Set a predetermined schedule for putting in a new air filter. Consider your actual driving conditions. Driving on dirt roads - or just plain dirty roads - or in heavily polluted cities will get your air filter filthy a lot faster than you might expect.
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