5 Auto Repairs You Don't Need

There's a sucker born every minute, and possibly a new automotive related scam to go along with it. Everything from fuel line magnets to tornado air intake systems to protoplasmic generators have been pushed upon the hapless driving public at large since the birth of the automobile. Henry Ford himself became rich, but also enabled thousands of others to do the same selling worthless car products. For anyone other than an engineer or automotive mechanic, a vehicle is an inherently complex machine that's full of mysterious parts and systems. Let's walk through a few common types of auto repair that you probably don't need on your car. -Gas Savers: Unfortunately, scientists have actually NOT discovered a secret device that will save you hundreds of dollars in gas every year. This is one of the areas that not only will offer zero benefit, it may actually cause gas mileage to become WORSE. Magnetic devices actually have no ability to re-arrange gas molecules into a more combustible substance. Tornado vortex air intake systems that mix gas into a powerful cyclone also offer nothing. Due to increasingly stringent government regulations, vehicle manufacturers spend millions of dollars in research every year to improve fuel economy. If sticking a 25 cent fridge magnet to your fuel line actually worked, they would have been installed on every car years ago. If you're really interested in substantially increasing your fuel economy, Google search the term "Hypermiling" for legitimate ways. - Oil Additives Many people may remember a popular infomercial from the 1990's touting the benefits of a product called 'Prolong'. Among the highlights of this infomercial was a vehicle being driven around Los Angeles with (supposedly) no motor oil in the engine. Many oil additive products will make similar claims or boasts to extreme performance. Although some motor oil additives do offer a small performance increase, most are nothing more than glorified motor oil. Changing your oil as recommended by the manufacturer will keep your engine working perfectly with no need for expensive additives. -Engine Flushes A popular upsell at drive-thru oil change facilities. After opening the hood and doing the initial inspection they claim that the engine is full of sludge and deposits that they can see built up underneath the oil cap. They inform you that it can be fixed while you wait, for only $89.95. Unfortunately, these products often cause more harm than good. The can of quick engine flush is actually a strong solvent that sometimes loosens large chunks of engine gunk that can clog critical internal engine orifices. Even if the engine hasn't had frequent oil changes, it's better to stay away from flushes. -Fuel Injection Cleaning An expensive service often sold at the dealership level. Although this service can sometimes be helpful for dirty fuel injectors that are causing the engine to run poorly, it's best to skip it if the engine is running OK. Many dealerships tout this as something that needs to be performed annually, often at a cost of hundreds of dollars. Save yourself the money and pour a bottle of $5 fuel system cleaner in the tank once a year. -Transmission Flushes Modern transmissions are filled with hundreds of small components, sensors, and orifices. Running transmission fluid at abnormal pressure levels through the transmission to "clean it out" can actually cause more harm than good. It's important for the inside of the transmission to stay clean to perform correctly, but it's better to keep it that way by making sure to change the transmission fluid every few years. Also, many transmission flush machines use a "one brand fits all" generic transmission fluid that may not perform up to manufacturers specifications. When it comes to auto repairs, choose wisely! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5347147