Recently one caller asked about a gadget that plugs into a car’s power outlet and massages all the electrical systems into perfect harmony. Interestingly, the January 2011 issue of Consumer Reports has a page devoted to tests of the Fuel Doctor FD-47. Conclusion: “…all is does is light up when it’s plugged in.” CR has tested several other bolt-on devices, and has "yet to find one that makes a significant difference. The article lists an EPA link to tests of multiple such devices: www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/reports.htm
The problem is twofold, IMHO.
First, people will tend to believe what they want to believe.
And, since there have been bogus stories ever since the invention of the automobile, regarding miraculous devices that provide double, triple, or even greater gains in gas mileage, some folks just seem to believe that this Holy Grail for gas mileage really does exist, and that they only have to recognize it–and purchase it–when it arrives.
Secondly, there will always be charlatans who are only too willing to exploit the naive beliefs of gullible people.
Put these two factors together, and you have the formula for transferring money from the pockets of the gullible to the bank accounts of the wily.
I second VDCdriver. Motion carried. 
The only thing that works is BG 44K fuel treatment. I add a can and fill my tank twice a year. Recommended by independent BMW service technicians and user groups.
Twotone
I was riding on a train and the person sitting in the seat next to me was reading a book. After he finished each page, he would tear off the bottom half the page and throw it on the floor. I finally asked him why he did that. “It scares off bandits who want to rob passengers on the train” I said that I didn’t think that there had been train robberies for years. “Works pretty good, doesn’t it?” he repied. I think people are deluded in the same way with these fuel savings gadgets.
The problem with the FD-47 fuel doctor is that it conditions only part of the electrical energy passing through the car’s electrical system by filtering out the bad electrons. This is much like the partial flow oil filters that were on some cars back in the 1940’s and 1950’s. To get better filtration, the manufacturers went to full flow oil filters.
Therefore, I have almost perfected a better version of the FD-47 that goes between the negative terminal on the battery and the ground strap. My improvement conditions all the power and immensely improves the gasoline mileage. The reason for the improvement is that with my improved version of the FD-47 won’t allow the engine to start, which really cuts down fuel consumption. I am looking for investors to help me improve and market my improved electron conditioner.
Just make sure it has an “idiot” light on it to show that it’s doing something, and you’ll sell plenty of 'em!
I have to respectfully disagree with the premise that BG products are the answer to most problems and that they do anything at all to improve fuel mileage or performance.
The BG reps lay the sales pitch on the mechanically clueless service managers who then insist that every car that enters the door receive the BG treatment while honestly thinking that the products are actually accomplishing a world of good.
Mechanics are given a tiny financial incentive to use the products because the BG reps reimburse the mechanics for each can token, bottle cap, label, etc. from their products. The rate varies from 25 cents for a token to a dollar or so for a bottle cap, etc.
Someone on eBay was recently auctioning off an assortment of BG tokens, caps, etc. on the cheap with the ad stating the buyer could quadruple their money back from the BG rep.
Obviously the seller was a mechanic no longer associated with the shop using these products and I’ve still got a handful of them floating around in a tool box drawer somewhere.
As a shop foreman I was given some free samples to try on my own cars. Zilch, zero, nada anything and my commute was a 160+ miles a day round trip. If there was any gain to be had I would have noticed it.
The only thing I’ve ever seen BG make a noticeable improvement on was my daily rider Harley. I added some of their oil additive to the front forks and the notoriously clunky transmission and it smoothed both of those out quite a bit.
As to any noticeable performance or fuel economy gain on an engine - nothing.
That only works because it is cleaning any deposits you have in the fuel system and combustion chamber that might be robbing power.
It doesn’t actually save you any gasoline, just restores some of your lost performance.
Slight difference.
BC.
http://www.fueldoctorusa.com/consumer-reports-fails-at-testing-the-fd-47/
Evidently, they say Consumer Reports tested it incorrectly…
Hey, I belive that a gadget exists that if plugged into the power outlet would put the entire car’s electrical system in “perfect harmony”. That would mean that all the excess free electrons in the negative plates of the battery would move to the positive plates of the battery, creating perfect balance of the system…and a totally dead battery. Hey, the power plug is always “hot”, even when the car is off, so if you plug a device into the socket that draws current when the engine is off that’s exactly what will happen.
It’ll save gas too…if you can’t start the car, you can’t use any gas!
Techron works too…
If a company is in business to scam us, don’t expect them to say ‘oops, you’re right, we’re a fraud’. They’ll just continue to lie.
Give it a year and this scam will be gone just like thousands of others before it, only to be replaced with another scam.
Notice the lack of water into gasoline posts over the last year or so since fuel prices stabilized. Apparently the market on those has dwindled a bit.
Now that is funny reading! Thanks for posting the link.
I stated this in another thread…Computers don’t have several states of effectiveness…They either work or don’t work. Conditioning the power to make the computer work better CAN’T HAPPEN. If the power is in such a state to effect the computer then the computer won’t work…Computers either work or don’t work…NOTHING in-between. The ONLY thing that will effect how well the computer will run is the software it’s running…which has NOTHING to do with power conditioning.
Many computers (especially the servers you find in most corporations) do have line power line conditioners on them. But that is to keep them up and running. Has NOTHING to do with making them run better…just to make sure they keep running. A good power conditioner is basically a battery (capacitor(s)). The computer runs off the battery…and the power from the outlet just keeps the battery charged…
Yes, that’s the doubly frustrating thing with this scam - there’s no possible reason it should work. At least some of the other scams make some plausible sense, in some warped way…