Your recent articles suggest that this fuel lacks lubricity.
I have a 1996 Mercedes E Class, 300 diesel, with 68,000 miles and which I hope to keep for a very long time. On one occasion you sugested using
Shell Plura which may help the longivity of the fuel pump, but this fuel is not available in my area. Perhaps you may sugest an aditive to the fuel such as
Redex or Wynns etc. Please let me have your advice.
Graham Edge 3rd February 2002.
araedex
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Graham
Following HJ's recommendation I have used for the past 5 years Millers Diesel Power Plus additive which at just short of £8 a bottle lived to all expectations.
Previously mentioned on threads in this Forum, so search and come up with phone number of the firm, with whom I have no connection, and who will give you a local stockist.
DVD.
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DVD,
I may be cynical but I tend to distrust all of the claims for fuel additives; on the grounds that the vehicle manufacturers would tell you to add it if it were necessary. Also would Shell risk marketing a fuel that would cause damage?
Unless you are a fleet manager running back to back comparative tests, half with the additive and half without, how can you tell if it lives up to its claims?
Stating ?I use brand X additive and I know it works because my engine is still OK? is rather like someone who carries a rabbits foot on an aircraft to prevent it crashing and claiming that works ? cos I have never had a crash.
Having seen your posts over the last few months, when you always talk eminent sense(as all policemen do of course), may I ask how Millers ?lives up to all expectations?? Or specifically what are your expectations
L
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Just what I was about to ask, Leslie - this Forum provides lots of excellent advice, but also a great deal of 'anecdotal evidence' regarding the wonders of this or that 'wonder-drug'.
I had an AirForce colleague who swore that Mobil petrol made his car corner faster, and got very indignant when we took the pith!
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Thanks, DW & DVD, that IS helpful.
Actually, I use the Millers stuff myself, plus an occasional Italian tune-up, aided by a tin of Forte.
Can't say it's done any good, but it just MIGHT have!!
For the relatively small extra cost, it's a bit of 'insurance'.
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John
If there is any truth in the advice of recommending the use of a lubrication additive with Low Sulphur Diesel Fuel can you explain why a fleet of Peugeot 406 HDi vehicles running on Low Sulphur Fuel permanently with no additives have not suffered High Pressure Pump Failure?
Call me a doubtful but the evidence I have witnessed hardly points toward any truth in the advice.
I am of the opinion there may well be a marketing ploy here to line the pockets of the additive manufacturers by the additive manufactures using scare tactics on the general public.
Every body knows the emmense tax revenues the Goverment pulls from fuel every year in the UK and I would have thought had the Goverment been as interested as they claim in lowering the level of vehicle emissions, more of the tax payers money would have been used to develope an engine which didn't rely on fossil fuel. Incidently rumours were abundent almost a decade ago now that an engine was developed which ran on water and one of the large oil companies bought it and scrapped it. How true is this and if true why was it done?
Also by the use of the Vehicle Inspectorate Smokey Vehicle Task Force the level of emissons from un-roadworthy vehicles was supposed to be reduced. Perhaps they should test the bus's emmisions more often as I live on a main road and regularly witness excessive Diesel emissions emitted by the buses which pass my house. Is this also perhaps the cause of the rising level of Asthmar in young children.
Regards
Nick Reid
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Leslie and Roger,
I know you asked DVD but I've been there and wondered........
Citroen ZX 1.4 single point injection. Really annoying light hesitation if picking up speed slowly from 40 - 60mph in 4th/5th. Everything else checked OK and it came down to a possible injector fault. Replacement about £130 - customer unhappy about that. Take off injector and send for cleaning only £20 but car off road for two days - customer not happy about that either.
So as a long shot got them to run through two doses of in-tank injector cleaner. After about 100miles on the second dose the hesitation went over a couple of days.
Was it the additive or a co-incidence? Not a scientific test so we will never know.
What I do know is that the customer was dead chuffed at such a result for £8 and no loss of vehicle. So convinced I bet he's having the stuff on his breakfast cereal now.
David
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My first diesel was a 90 Landrover, the petrol engine of which was changed for a second hand diesel engine which after a while as it was first started sent messages to the Apache nation. Further was sounding like the back end of Brock to put it politely. Having had good advice from HJ by letter in the old days I read about his recommendation in the DT and bought a bottle. OK it may just have been co-incidence but with 30 miles the engine was quieter, smoother running and starting a doddle.
The latest tub, the Disco was an intermittent black smoker which disappeared after dosing with the product. Again engine seems happier with it in and I don't have to search for a particular brand of diesel, whatever when I need a top up.
As for lubricating the pump I cannot say yeah or nay. I am happy with it and feel that it is eight quid well spent.
As to snake oil, some of you would say that a red hot piece of coal dropped into cold water and then filtered does not make the best cure for baby gripe known to man, but it is. Mark In B. please note.
DVD
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Leslie,
The problem with a great deal of comment in postings, is that most of us are obliged to provide a subjective view, it being technically challenging and perhaps expensive to do much else. It is of course important to use your own discretion and experience to balance your judgement re posts.
Just a point re Shell. Shell marketed a product known as ICA in the 1980's (Ignition Control Additive) which was added to forecourt tanks during tanker delivery. This product caused widespread problems, particularly in Vauxhall engines. The police in some areas, using a single source garage for the fueling of their cars, identified it as the source of their engine misfortunes. You will find more info on this site if you do a search.
Regards,
Julian.
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Julian,
I have been using this site for a long while and am well aware of its content.
My question to DVD was just that ? a balanced and reasonable question; he replied in a similar vein. I fail therefore to see why you need advise me ?It is of course important to use your own discretion and experience to balance your judgement re posts.?
I accept that you may not intend to be patronising but that is how you appear ? to me anyway.
If I may give one further example; it is the tone of your reply to Roland?s post ?TOLERANCE? (the 19:42hrs one). It does appear rather like a schoolmaster writing red ink comments on a pupil?s essay.
Additionally I thought Roland(who seems an educated fellow) explained lucidly and humorously his point. A point obviously missed as you reverted to a needless defence of the zillion mile brigade.
L
L
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I feel that Julian is being unfairly criticised. He has expressed his own opinions based on obvious long-term experience in the subjects under discussion but has also very rightly reminded us that postings tend to be 'subjective' and we should be careful not to accept subjective opinions as 'fact'.
I cannot see anything wrong with Julian's advice and I would not apply the word 'patronising' to it any more than I would to the myriad of other advisory postings on this site.
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David
without wishing to sound patronising - (you DO know what 'patronising' means, don't you? ;-) ) - I'd suggest that it is more likely to come across that way when addressed specifically to you, by name?
Otherwise, it just sounds like 'advice for them as needs it'.
Roger
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I take your point, Roger. I just didn't want to see a useful contributor like Julian being put off posting to this forum. However, he and Leslie are now the best of friends so all's well!
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Leslie,
Its rather easy to use words in posts that may give the wrong emphasis, so apologies for this.
Regards,
Julian L
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Julian,
Thanks for that - yesterday was a bad day and, reading it again, it was an over-reaction.
L
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We all have bad days, yesterday was one when I bust the phone in the office by banging it down in a temper.
DOH!
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