mav238

Just ran the first 12oz bottle in the RDX and realized that it was to treat only up to 12 gallons of gasoline. Our RDX is about 18-20 gallons. So for the first 50 miles, didn't really feel a significant impact. Idling was still somewhat not as smooth as expected. So went to fill up gas tank again with another bottle of Techron added in, which should make the concentration of the additive up to where it should be for 20 gallons fo gas.

So right now after 20 miles of driving, can definitely feel the engine is way smoother upon acceleration, and the idling is really smooth as well. Not more power, but more smooth and more responsive.

This Techron stuff really works.

Carbon2008RDX

Are you sure it’s not a placebo effect? It’s a waste of money IMO. The RDX engine is hi-tech and requires premium fuel which has all the necessary and required fuel additives. Granted, this “Techron” product may help an older engine but on something like the RDX or any late model vehicle, give me a break.

Hey, it’s your coin and if you want to spend your hard earned money on snake oil, be my guest. I’ll just stick with changing the oil regularly and, as always, use premium gas with the RDX.

Not to say “Techron” doesn’t work but IMO is an un-necessary product for a new and/or modern vehicle that is well maintained.

MMike1981

i dont trust ANY of that shit! if you needed it, im sure every car manufacturer would have a similar product to buy from them...only thing ive ever put in my fuel system is a fuel anti freeze & water remover when i had my first accord w/a million miles tacked on and during extreme weather

i just dont trust the fuel cleaner, i mean why do it

mau108

I like Redline SI-1 fuel system cleaner, seems to do well and is also a upper cylinder lubricant.

mav238

Man... you sound like a man on a mission, of vendetta against the fuel system cleaner... granted, not all fuel system cleaners do anything much... I have tried a number of them in the past... Slick 50 fuel system cleaner, STP FSC, redline , gumout Regane...

Anyway, to each his own, your RDX is yours, you can run water in it for all we care... if you hate using some stuff, then simply ignore all the products sold out there, no need to get so worked up about it...

I have always used Chevron Techron FSC, and I personally know that this stuff really helps to get the engine to run smoother, and helps return the factory indicated mileage... I have used them in my old cars, 2001 330i, 2002 SAAB 9-3, 2005 TSX, and each time, it really helps make the engine feel close to being factory "new"...

You don't have to agree with it, but I am simply reporting what I have experienced with Chevron FSC...
But why so worked up about it? Had a bad "one night stand" experience with it? Relax...

mav238

And to add to your point, actually, if you visit BMW dealers, they sell fuel system cleaners under the BMW label, probably some aftermakret stuff... similarly, try visiting Mercedes, GM, Toyota, Nissan dealers, they all carry fuel system cleaners under the manufacturer label...

So, to your point... car manufacturers do sell their "own fuel system cleaners"... if you doubt that, simply call up a BMW dealer and find out...

BioCin

I use the BG cleaners that my roommate (who is a mechanic) uses at a GM dealership. People come in with big turbo trucks to get the fuel system cleaned and he tells me every time they feel like totally different trucks when they leave. The BG stuff is stronger than what they sell in stores. He warns me all the time that I shouldn't use it that often. I used the BG44K on my turbo civic only like every 10K-15K miles because it is so strong. I haven't used any on my RDX yet.

http://www.bgprod.com/products/fuelair.html

MMike1981

i said i dont trust the shit, and you tell me to relax. go back to canada, living in boston must be getting you all aggravated & anxious.

cwepruk

Most cleaners seem to have the same ingredients when you look at them (NAPHTA, Distillates) so I wouldn't think one is really any better than the other for the mostpart. I know when I owned a Nissan, they recommended against using them because of one of the parts in the fuel injectors did not get along with the solvent.

I've used tons of them and never noticed anything on previous cars too - many of them older.

mav238

Wow... so this is what massachusetts folks temperament is like... Sorry, didn't mean to generalize, but you sure made it easy to...
And by the way, yes, encountering folks like yourself in the forums, and similar ones on the road does make me anxious, but not aggravated (because I realize this is an issue kind of typical of here)...

russianDude

Wrong, my Honda dealer sells product called BG 44K. Its not made by Honda, but approved by Honda.

http://www.handa-accessories.com/rdx.html

MMike1981

guy honestly, u over reacted to my post, big time. all i said was I DONT TRUST IT...just the way you are posting your "experience" with the product(s), im posting MY BELIEF to the product, with a simple "i dont trust them" statement. No over reaction on my part, my tone was not to demean your post, jesus, if anything id think ud have a problem with carbons post....

you interjected so much extraneous thought into my simple post its dumbfounding.

1. i dont trust the "stuff" maybe that would have calmed your nerves more vs me writing a generalized "shit"
2. if it were so beneficial & important, id expect to see it on a service schedule, or at least as a recommendation when i goto my dealer. maybe some dealers have assorted products for sales purposes, but ive never, ever, had a dealer or tech push a bottle of fuel system cleaner on me. Maybe im in the majority, maybe im in the minority, but that is my "experience" with this stuff

end of story.

MMike1981

so your dealer also sells autoparts...whats your point? just because they offer the product for sale has nothing to do with whether you need or if its required.

they also sell lug nuts...does that mean i should buy those too? do my rims need a locking lug? from a guy who hates the dealer, and does his own service, and does his own oil changes, id think you would know better than to be swayed by such sales promotions on a dealers website..your dealer products are littered with sales promos its actually quite funny...automatically im geared to think they are pushing sales w/ulterior motives

"BG 44K is recomended by Pat Goss from PBS's Motorweek "Some form of fuel injector cleaner should be used on a regular basis. My choice is BG 44k" <click here> to read it in the Washington Post.
Note: A funnel is needed (not included) for pouring 44K into the gas tank.--hey what do u know they also want you to buy something else"

so pbs recommends it, great, is your dealer trying to tell me that since pbs recommends it Acura does to?

hmm "Genuine Factory Honda RDX oil filter" i didnt know honda made and RDX, but i guess since they recommend the fuel system cleaner, i should also believe the RDX is a Honda

pretty shitty website, id stick with your DIY attitude

russianDude

They would recommend if your car shows signs of clogged fuel injectors, which is not very common for new cars running on premium fuel. But in my local Honda dealership, if you come with some 10 year old beat up Honda civic that was running on cheap regular gas, this is something they might recommend, and I think they are right.

russianDude

I am not sure what you are questioning? When fuel injectors get dirty, there are products to clean them up. You don't believe that they can get dirty or you don't believe in products that do the cleanup? I hate to disappoint you, but fuel injectors can get dirty on cars running cheap gas that are 10 years or older, and people have seen some noticeable improvements after running some strong cleaners. Do I think RDX needs fuel injector cleaner? -- NO, primarily because its 1) not 10 years old AND 2) runs on premium fuel.

But to make a general comment that fuel injector cleaners have no purpose is silly. The fact that dealership service departments actually use it is important. For one thing they would not use anything that is not approved by Honda or can cause damage.

PS. Like it or not, but Honda filter is made by Honda. And we are using products made by Honda.

cwepruk

Has anyone ever had their injectors cleaned? I used 4 types of cleaners, then I had them removed, ultrasonically cleaned and flow tested - they were not clean after the cleaners and they flowed more after a real cleaning.

Gasoline has a ton of detergents, I don't think adding a pint of solvent is really going to clean them up.

mav238

You are right, that adding a bottle of chevron FSC will not clean up 100% of the carbon and gum... But think of it this way, why does the EPA and government agencies mandate the level of detergency in gasolines? Obviously it is does help to a certain degree in keeping the engine "somewhat clean". But whether we like it or not, engine deposits will continually be formed on engine components during combustion of the gasoline. And the detergency of the gasoline simply is there to mitigate the amount that gets to accumulate and control it. So why use a FSC then? Well, some gasolines do not have the adequate detergency in them or at the min level stipulated by the govt. agency, or if a particular engine design is more prone to carbon build up than others etc...
I am in the pharmaceutical drug formulation business, and it is well known that to dissolve something with a solvent, it does depend on the concentration of the solvent present. Below a certain concentration of solvent, the material you want to dissolve just would not be adequately solubilized. So the idea with the FSC, is to raise the concentration of detergency in a tank of gasoline temporarily, to allow for better cleaning. Especially, if a car had been using (for whatever reason) poor quality gasoline, and allowed for substantial carbon build up.

Yes, many FSC's I have used before pretty much does not add to the "cleaning" power of the gasoline sold at kiosks, but PEA is a well known and documented solvent that does efficiently dissolve carbon and gum.

If I could run my RDX on Chevron supreme gasoline from the very beginning when I first got it, to current, I would probably not ever bother with adding any FSC's.

But again, to each his own, some folks does not believe in any type of FSC's, including Chevron Techron, and that is fine. Some of us folks who used chevron Techron plus, and experienced the difference it makes to the engine idling and regular operation, we are just sharing our known experience with the product. Think fo it this way, why would we even bother to announce it here if it didn't work at all, I don't think it is because we work for Chevron or something... I would be trying to sell that stuff while advertising it's "prowess"... and not just talking about it...

But again, to each his own... if you think it does not work, then it's garbage.. if you think it does work, then use it... and if you are curious, then try it, especially when your car feels not too optimal...

cwepruk

For what it's worth, I've used the Chevron stuff on several cars (new and old), I didn't notice anything. It's not like it breaks the bank though, so it could be worth it to some.

As far as I know, the EPA only dictates certain formulations for gasoline for emissions, not for deposits (i.e. oxygenates).

That is speculation. It might be true, but there is no proof that the min level of detergent will lead to deposits and none of us run Cletus's Truck Stop 87 octane. The engines with the most carbon issues seem to be the direct injection types where no fuel is injected onto the valve.

mav238

Agreed... but I think you would agree that gasoline combustion in general will cause carbon build up, to whatever degree it may be for each individual application and situation... Direct injection and MPI engines all have this issue... The idea is to find ways to control it, so that the engine operation is not impacted significantly...

russianDude

BG 44K should be stronger than techron, its a strong cleaner. sometimes you need 2-3 applications to clean stuff. Of course taking it apart and cleaning works best, but it also costs money. I used STP fuel injector cleaner in my 200K miles camry running on regular gas, and it made a difference. But I think you dont need it on RDX because its new and uses premium gas.

XIS

Nice weather we are having here.... Must be getting chilly in the North East...