Do Fuel and Oil Additives Actually Work? | The Evidence
There’s always been a lot of scepticism around fuel and oil additives — much of it stemming from the “snake oil” salesmen of the past who made claims they simply couldn’t deliver on.
Short answer: yes — high-quality, purpose-designed fuel and oil additives genuinely work. Modern engines suffer more deposit problems than ever, and the right additive can clean and protect fuel systems, combustion chambers, turbos, DPFs and oil systems — often solving problems that would otherwise mean expensive mechanical repairs, with success rates above 90%. Cost Effective Maintenance’s range is Australian made and owned, and proven in Australian conditions.
Today there are more problems with deposits in modern, precision, high-performance engines than ever before. Fuel systems, combustion chambers, turbochargers, catalytic converters, diesel particulate filters, EGR valves, inlet manifolds, crankcases and piston rings are all candidates for fouling deposits that sap performance and efficiency, and cause malfunctions.
The need for purpose-designed chemicals that can safely restore cleanliness to — and protect — all these parts has never been higher. Firstly, because mechanical repairs to clean or replace these components (and the components themselves) are expensive and time-consuming. And secondly, because today’s engines run to very fine tolerances, they’re more susceptible to even small amounts of deposits than older engines. Higher operating temperatures aid efficiency, but can produce tougher deposits.
Purpose-Designed Fuel and Oil Additives
High-quality fuel and oil additives are designed specifically to address these problems. They’re easy to use, low cost, and extremely cost- and time-efficient. Here are seven common problems — the typical expensive fix, versus the additive approach:
| The problem | Typical fix | The additive approach |
|---|---|---|
| Common rail injector problems — rattles, smoke, high fuel use | Replace injectors at around $1,000 each | CRD Fuel Enhancer (90%+ success) |
| Coking of combustion/exhaust spaces and turbos — worse with city work, idling, short runs | Mechanical cleaning, decarbonising | FTC Decarbonizer — drive normally, zero downtime (90%+) |
| Sludgy engines and dirty oil — common in modern petrol, older diesels and common rail diesels | Rebuild the engine | Flushing Oil Concentrate — easy 40-min DIY job (90%+) |
| Fouled cat converter, DPF and EGR | Remove and replace, or manually clean | FTC Decarbonizer — drive normally (90%+) |
| Frequent or failed DPF regenerations — excessive regens, blocked filter, limp mode | Forced regen or DPF replacement (often $3,000–5,000+) | FTC Decarbonizer — cuts the soot load so the DPF stays cleaner (90%+) |
| Inlet manifold deposits — can almost close off parts of the manifold; common in common rail diesels | Remove and clean manifold (chemical cleaning risks damage) | Prevent it: keep clean with FTC Decarbonizer + CRD Fuel Enhancer |
| Overheating automatic transmissions — under towing or heavy off-road load | Install an additional transmission oil cooler | AW10 Antiwear — reduce heat at the source (90%+) |
| Diesel overheating — despite a new radiator, pump and fan hub | Cooling system already renewed — no options left | Flushing Oil Concentrate — let the oil do its part in cooling (90%+) |
Note: if EGRs are heavily fouled, mechanical cleaning may still be necessary to avoid deposits entering the combustion spaces.
Australian Made and Owned
Just as important as whether additives work is who makes them. Cost Effective Maintenance products are Australian made and owned — developed and manufactured here, and proven in Australian conditions, on Australian fuel, in everything from family 4WDs to mine-site haul fleets. Because our range is highly concentrated, we can deliver solutions cost-effectively no matter how remote your location. When you choose our additives, you’re backing a local manufacturer with decades of real-world results behind it — not an imported product with claims it can’t support.
Want the detail on any of these? See our guides on common rail injectors, how FTC Decarbonizer works, fixing DPF regen problems, why you should flush a diesel engine, and overheating problems.
For more information on fuel and oil additives, give the team at Cost Effective Maintenance a call on 07 3376 6188.
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