Oil Additives and Fuel/Injection Cleaners

[bmw42ofus]

There a lot of people who claim that oil additives and fuel/injection cleaners is a must. Any thoughts as to the truth of this claim or is it a waste of money? Thanks guys!

[Zodiacbw]

These days oil additives are not necessary if you're running the correct oil for the engine.

Clean injectors and valves work better, I like to run a can of seafoam in the gas before every other oil change.

[MarcoZandrini]

OP, and a lot of people like to sell snake oil. Ignore them. Why? Modern gas, with a few exceptions, has adequate cleaning agents that keep the injector and intake valves clean. Additionally, some cleaners can contaminate the oil. How? Cleaners don't burn like gasoline. As a result residue left over from the combustion cycle can and does get passed the piston rings and into the oil. Some brands of cleaner have a warning on the container that imply this. My recommendation. Buy quality fuel. Don't ever buy SUNOCO gas as its cleaning capability is nil. Buy gas from a retailer listed at www.toptiergas.com.

Btw, I have never put an additive in the tank of my 2001 330Ci and he runs perfectly at 110k miles.

[02Pilot]

Don't ever buy SUNOCO gas as its cleaning capability is nil.

Never heard this before. Is there a source or further evidence to back this up?

And for the OP, my usual cleaning regimen is running up to the redline a few times a week.

[bmw42ofus]

Awesome info.....thank you! My 2002 330Ci has only 68K and it runs beautifully, want to ensure I keep it that way and take good care of it. Appreciate the advice!

[hide1]

Once upon a time, I had a similar question. I decided to do a shootout on three top products. Gumout, Techron, & a product very similar to seafoam. The results of my findings were:
-cars with 80k+ miles should use Gumout with Regane - high mileage formula, cleans well without harshness and has lubricating power,
-use chevron gas for your regular pump gas to get the benfits of techron. it is a simple cleaner that works well when used regularly but I saw the least improvement of the cleaning agents used in the test.
-seafoam was the harshest cleaner. while it worked I would personally use it on the intake side and not put in the crank case as some do. I may even turn off the motor while in the combustion chamber to let it sit and work on the carbon deposits, but I would change oil promptly after due to exfiltration through the rings.

[bmw42ofus]

Great points.....thanks!

[hide1]

Another thing to consider which I forgot to mention is a true synthetic oil does not need ANY addititives. You will only serve to foul up an otherwise good thing right out the box if you do. Fuel additives/ cleaners are one thing but steer clear of oil additives..

You can read all about the false claims and litigation against the top snake oil salesmen here:
http://www.carbibles.com/additives.html

[bmw42ofus]

Thanks....as that makes a lot of sense. You pay a lot of money for full syn oil and it should do it's job as designed. Appreciate the clarificaiton as I'll certainly keep it pure. Thanks again as I really appreciate it

[MarcoZandrini]

Never heard this before. Is there a source or further evidence to back this up? And for the OP, my usual cleaning regimen is running up to the redline a few times a week.

I have to admit I can't find a link about sunoco's additive package. But, it's not on the toptiergas list so I don't use it. Correction: my car doesn't use it!

[emmetres]

I used a Techron fuel cleaner a few years back and almost immediately got a check engine light. I ended up having to replace my O2 sensors. Although the dealer does sell their own version (821140413341), I tried it last month and had no problem. Maybe just use good quality gas and don't let the car run so low on gas that it sucks all all the crud.

[bmwdirtracer]

Gosh, doesn't the above post sound familiar? Like maybe a dead copy of the one 4 posts above it....except with a sales link added in.....

[shogun]

spammer banned, post removed, thanks for reporting

[bmwdirtracer]

Thank you, Shogun.

(For anyone seeing this thread in the future, there is a post which has been removed, between 11 and 12, because it was a spammer. He posted today, he's gone today.)

[ross1]

spammer banned, post removed, thanks for reporting