Is it really beneficial to put Gummout in your gas tank every 3,000 miles as it suggests on the bottle? I have a 2010 car with only 12,500 miles on it and I’ve never put gummout in the gas tank…I get my oil changed every 3,500 miles as recomended by the manufacturer using 5w-30 synthetic blend oil and I usually fill my car up at Texaco with 87 octane and it has that “techron” stuff in it which helps keep the engine clean. Should I put the Gummout in the gas tank every 3,000 miles? I’ve used it on my other cars, more so once they started hitting high mileage.
Is it really beneficial to put Gummout in your gas tank every 3,000 miles as it suggests on the bottle?
NO…At least not to you…It’s really beneficial to Gummout.
I have never used it and don’t plan to. I do put in Techron (5-10 times more powerful than the amount you get in Texaco/Chevron gasoline at the pump) once a year, which amounts to 15-18K miles interval. Doses every 3K miles seem excessive to me, with the required detergents in gasoline, combined with an annual use of something like Techron fuel injector cleaner. I keep my cars in the family for a very long time, and it has been 21 years since we even had a single injector problem in our family. Obviously, I will be keeping up my own regimen.
That’s what I thought…In my old cars once they got to about 60-75K miles on it I’d put it in there…usually about the same time I had the oil changed. Also, some people recommend filling your car up a few times a year with 91 octane gasoline…any benefits to that?
I have never done that, on purpose. In the past some premium fuels were said to have more detergents in them, and that might have contributed to that practice. Today, I think nearly all fuels have enough detergents in them so it matters less than in the past. You still see advertising talking about premium and more detergents today, but I have never seen the need to go to premium for that reason.
I’ve never deliberately put 91 octane gas in any of my vehicles either lol. I had to do it one time in my old Chevy Malibu because the gas station ran out of 87 and 89 octane gas. It was in the summer of 2004 or 2005, I don’t remember which…when gas prices spiked and people began panicking. I couldn’t afford to fill my car up with 91 octane all the time anyway. With 87 octane gas being 3.64 a gallon out here in Northern Nevada, it costs me 25 bucks to fill my nissan up and that usually lasts me about 2 weeks.
The gimmick is ;
They only advertise and stress HALF of the facts.
the half that bennefits them.
Truth;
your vehicle WILL get maximum mpg when the system is cleanest.
Un-advertised truth.
When using good brand fuel, your system IS that clean 99% of the time, for which you don’t need their product.
Their product will benefit you IF you have a malfunctioning vehicle due to dirty fuel system…which is few and far between, hence you certainly don’t need to add more product every 3k.
I know Fuel Injector cleaner every so often is beneficial to the car. I put it in my old Malibu at 45K miles and noticed an improvement in mileage…Now I bought the Malibu used (it had 31K miles on it when I bought it) and it had all its service records on it when I purchased it. See out here in Northern Nevada, alot of the mileage you put on your car is mainly Highway which seems to put less wear and tear on the vehicle because there’s no stop and go traffic.
Yep , once in a while is good.
I just put a can of Techron in my Expedition last week.
I agree with Mr. Green as usual. My choice of a product if needed is either Berryman B-12 or SeaFoam.
Both are outstanding products and normally I use B-12. SF took a huge price jump around here a few years back going from about 4 bucks a can to almost 11 in just a few months. It’s down now to about 8 something a can but the B-12 is 3 and works as well.
Both are outstanding products though.
Techron once a year, sez I.
A problem will be ethanol based fuels if allowed to sit for time in your fuel system.Additives would be worthwhile then, especially during times of high humidity and little use where separation can cause corrosion in the tank which can then be distributed through the fuel system. This can begin to occur in short order…relatively speaking.
It’s extremely dry out in Nevada. Humidity is no issue out there lol…
Then I guess, you have little need for a fuel additive. I have a hard time believing though that special attention to excessive and unnecessarily expensive oil changes has anything to do with the fuel system needing an additive. But if you let your car sit for extended periods, especially in warm weather there could be a need perhaps for both, high humidity or not.
Otherwise, save your money for the high gas prices and partying. So, what make of car recommends you change your oil every 3500 miles of normal highway driving with expensive oils, and on top of it, needs frequent fuel system additives ? I am definitely avoiding that car in my next life.
If everyone needed a fuel additive, it would be in the fuel you buy. Guess what, the fuel you buy has all the additives you need. In a few cases, you might benefit from an additive, but as long as the fuel you are buying needs the specifications listed in your owner’s manual, there is little or no advantage to adding more additives.
If there is a problem, then use the additives. If you like, and many people do, add some additive ever few months. While you likely don't need it, the warm fuzzy feeling it gives you may be worth the cost and it is not likely to cause a problem.
I drive a diesel so there is some difference. I chose to use an additive about twice a year. One is at the beginning of the winter season as summer mix diesel can jell in the tank if you have summer mix in the tank and the additive I use as an anti gel in in. Diesel from the station in Ohio has the anti-gel additive in it, but it is possible to get caught with an early cold snap.
Don’t Worry, Be Happy!
Solvents like Gumout were useful very, very long ago, when engines ran “dirty” (meaning leaving lots of unburned fuel in the cylinders) and gasolines contained questionable amounts of detergent to keep those fussy old carburator jets clean, but in a modern, properly maintained engine, using modern fuels, they serve no useful purpose…UNLESS one is trying to keep an old oil burner running for a few more years.
I can testify, however, that adding them to the gas used in the lawnmower and snowblower actually does help. Those engines are subject to exactly the same problems that the carburated car engines of many years ago were, except to a greater extent, since they mostly sit waiting for the next use. I’ve actually gotten and kept a sputtering old snowblower running well by regularly adding carb cleaner to the gas. I do it routinely now, and my small engines start with the first pull.
Same…you have my attention. I’m off tomorrow for a “can” or three !
Dagosa: I own a 2010 Nissan Versa. I’ve used the same oil in it that the dealership has always used on it. 5w-30 Synthetic Blend. I always took it to the Nissan Dealership because the oil/lube job on it costed me $30. I can easily change the oil myself but I’m willing to pay someone to get grease all over their hands, get underneath that car because they have the big hoists where all I have is a hydraulic jack and it works great but doesn’t make a lot of room for me to move around underneath to get to the drainplug, and to dispose of the oil. But I’ve since moved to a rural area and the nearest Nissan dealership is 63 miles away so now I take it to a local automotive shop and I pay a little more but it beats me having to drive 63 miles. The only thing that autoshop doesn’t do is warranty work. Nissan Dealership always used the more expensive Kendall Brand oil but the autoshop uses Castrol and I’ve used Castrol on my other cars because I always lucked out when it came to oil change time, Castrol was on Sale hehehe…I haven’t ever put any fuel additive in my Versa because I didn’t think it was necessary.
Katidid…The dealership is not the authority on maximizing the most cost effective way of maintaining your car. They are authority of maximizing their profits. What does your owner’s manual say on mprecomended miles and oil type ? If it is greater then 3500 miles and is mum on the type of oil, IMO, the dealership has you on the golden shackle of thinking more is necessary. The manufacturer and the engineers who built the car are the ultimate authority on it’s maintenance, not the dealer. When my dealership “suggests” any service beyond my manual, I always refer to the manual. The conversation immediately changes to golf and the weather.
BTW, in my very humble opinion, motor oils are interchangeable, and unless extreme conditions including very cold climates and/or extended oil change intervals of greater then 7500 mies are involved, any oil, even store brands certified with API (sn) label to meet needs of car manufacturer, will do. Many, not all of these oils come from the same “spigot” as name brand oils…the car will never know the difference and I have more party and golf money.
I haven’t read the manual for my car in a while only when I needed to know what type of oil I needed for it. 5w-30 it says. Nissan states its not necessary to add fuel additives to the car. It doesn’t mention anything about using Synthetic Oil or Non synthetic, just says 5w-30. Any car I’ve owned, I’ve stayed consistent with the type of oil and since the dealership had been using the Synthetic Blend since I had my first service on it, I’ve just stuck with the Synthetic Blend…I’m not brand specific on oil but I’ve always lucked out with getting Castrol on Sale when it was time to change the oil. Except when it comes to the oil on the F-250 my dad gave me. I use the Rotella on it because its diesel. Luckily my Dad changed the oil in it before he gave it to me and I only drive it once or twice a week and put about 100 miles a month on so I’m not spending a whole heck of a lot on the Truck. I change the oil myself on the Truck because I don’t need to jack it up…just slide underneath it and its easier to get to the filter on it as well.