Do we not get good fuel in India? It seems to me that soon after refueling, fuel injectors get clogged, petrol cars start jerking, diesel engines start smoking, and sometimes, the engine check light comes on. If you take the vehicle for a pollution level check, a genuine inspector wouldn’t approve it.

Furthermore, because of new generation automobiles, oil companies have begun supplying normal as well as premium fuel. This has made it convenient for 90% of petrol bunks to make easy money, by selling normal fuel and charging for premium fuel.

When you take the car to a workshop, they will replace the Oxygen sensor to make the engine check light go. Then, regardless, they will suggest that the fuel injectors need cleaning or that the engine needs decarbonising.

Please, never get this done. Unless all you want to do is pay a fat bill.

The much simpler remedy to this is to protect the fuel injectors.

Fuel injectors are some of the most important parts of new generation engines. First seen in India in the Daewoo Cielo, they have today completely replaced the carburetor. However as mentioned, they happen to be expensive, so for the sake of your wallet as well as your environment, care must be taken to protect them.

Steps to protect your injectors:

• Please always use normal fuel. (Read above for the reason)
• Use a fuel additive – either at every refueling or every alternate refueling. Most fuel stations will have one. Directions are written on the bottle – there is no harm in using it at every refueling.
• No harm in using additive for a brand new car.
• If you are confident that you are getting good quality fuel, use a fuel additive every 10,000 km. 180ml of additive lasts for 180 liters of fuel.
• Only in extreme cases do you need to get the injectors cleaned and calibrated – certainly not before 100,000 km.

Do not think that you are wasting your money on the additive – whatever extra money you spend, you will get back in extra mileage. Most importantly, you’ll be getting a smoother drive while saving time and money on workshop bills.

A final note – The additive you are using is normally found in premium fuel. It is by no means harmful to the engine.