My Facebook feed has just given me an ad for Dipetane.
Which is now being sold by Halfords. It is “Not an additive”, but you add it to your fuel… it is a hydrocarbon fuel lubricant… it cleans your combustion chamber, exhaust, filters, behind the cooker, etc.
Not specific to petrol MX5s, but any internal combustion engine, including boilers.
Increases the AirFuel mix and improves economy by upto 10%, cuts pollution by 25%, lowers smoke by 50% and guarantees you win the lottery on Saturday night. OK I made that last bit up.
So I am going to buy this stuff in bulk and then strike up a deal with Shell or BP for me to supply it to them so they can premix it and sell as a new generation super fuel. A little surprised they weren’t able to come up with something like this themselves to be honest. Or maybe the government can invest in it and address the UKs carbon targets by giving it away to Road Tax payers?
If you google it, then pretty sure it will show up as a paid ad on your Facebook feed, worth a read of all the comments of advocates of additives, include loons who add veg oil on every fill up for its cleaning properties.
So my question… do any of these additives companies (sorry, forgot this is not an additive!) ever end up in court for false advertising? Are the petrochemical companies happy for them to exist because it adds credibility to their own branding of ‘Super’ grades?
Is everyone who buys such things a total idiot, or is my scepticism completely unfounded and I should learn to be more trusting?
so does mine now… was ok this morning. No doubt they will update their certificates in due course and the link will start working again.
I particularly like the link on thier website that says “How it works” - which just puts you back to the top of the incredible claims page.
It is no biggy, plenty of websites let their certificates expire and become ‘untrusted’. Your browser simply advises that they may not be who they say they are and gives you loaded messages to keep out. They will pay their fees to renew and it will become trusted again.
I removed the link to prevent annoyance to anyone clicking it rather than to protect anyone’s security.
In the meantime, do a search on dipentane on Facebook and you will see their feed. Lots of people have used it, their car has not exploded and so they rate it highly. Seems bizarre to me.
It is fiendishly expensive for something akin to paraffin or Redex.
The name implies something like a dipentene paraffin, or more likely dipentene-glycol or a hydrated version of this (see the hydro clue on p2 of the safety sheet linked below) as a terpin - which might be found in an expectorant! (Thanks wikipedia!)
But I am neither a petroleum engineer nor an organic chemist!
I guess it might well be cheaper to buy V-Power than add this unknown stuff to Regular.
I’m always amused by the grandiose claims for snake oil such as these additives. The sums just don’t add up, neither performance nor economic.
Fortunately, as a breath of sanity, Halfords list a safety data sheet for it
Why wouldn’t you use it, with claims like:
" * Up to 50% Extended Engine Rebuild Frequency for Passenger Ferries"
I know some peeps refer to the NC as a boat, but “Passenger Ferry” is stretching it…
My question really was why Trading Standards have not investigated any of these snake oil sellers. Does the get out clause of only claiming “Up To x% better…” rather than a specific measurement let them off the hook to deliver anything?
To me, unless it can demonstrate a measurable improvement in emmisions/performance/longevity then the adverts are clearly designed to mislead and should not be allowed.
What about the claim (on the Halfords link)
" * Solves Diesel Problems"
What is that meant to mean? Biggest problem I have with diesel is the lingering smell if you get it on you. Does it fix that?
Any company that uses a light grey on a white background for the main body of text gets a big raspberry from me. What brain-dead person thinks that is easy to read?
Dipetane is a popular product in Ireland. What it does excel at is getting a vehicle through an MoT (NCT in Ireland) for failed emissions. I am not sure about the claims of improved economy, increased performance etc. but, from personal experience and experience of others, it does work as regards emissions. When using it, I have used probably half the bottle into a half tankful. Mind you, it’s usually diesel engines I’ve had to use it on…
Solves Diesel problems? I wish I’d known that before three weeks ago when I had to change the cam chain on our Renault Trafic van, it would have saved me three days of work.
