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| Tuesday, September 23, 2003 | |
I'm not positive that this is a scam, but I do question the results. I've started a preliminary investigation into this due to an SPAM email I received. The spammers really provide a lot of fodder to fuel the writer's fires. Yeah for spammers! Especially, since they're the only ones that can send email anymore.
The website at http://www.nqpo.org sells a device called the "Fuel Saver". For only $89.95 you can increase fuel mileage by 27%+. This claim, I believe, falls into the category of "to good to be true". Why wouldn't manufacturers spend this little amount of money to allow their vehicles to meet Federal emissions and fuel economy goals?
Here's more fuel for this fire: they cite "The achievements of the Fuel Saver is so noteworthy to the environmental community, that Commercial News has featured it as their cover story in their June, 2000 edition." Doing a search on Google for "Commercial News" yielded no results. If this were a valid claim, do you not think they'd actually show you a picture of the cover? And what did the article, if it exists, really say?
For further investigation of claims of fuel economy and emissions reductions, I'd suggest folks look at the EPA's list of reports at http://www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/reports.htm on "Gas Saving and Emission Reduction Devices Evaluation". Their is no indication of a fuel savings device called the "Fuel Saver". If the device has another name that matches one of their reports, wouldn't you think they'd link you right to it. I would if I were selling such a device. Checking similar names for devices yielded no indication of a device that improved fuel economy or emissions.
As further investigation, I submitted a request for more information from a company that they claimed did the testing, California Environmental Engineering. Here's what I asked them "On the following website, http://www.nqpo.org/test.asp, you are credited with conducting testing on a Fuel Saver device sold by this company: " On January 21, 2000 and February 15, 2000, California Environmental Engineering, A recognized EPA Testing laboratory, tested Fuel Saver, obtaining the following results:" They also identify EPA as stating that their device improves fuel economy and mileage. Do you and can you verify the results of this testing? I'm reporting for a scam reporting site and find it unbelievable that manufacturers would not spend $89.95 to improve fuel economy." I'll let you know if they respond.
There's a lot of good stuff on the Internet, but it is a case of buyer beware and conducting some due diligence.
Posted on 09/23/03 at 08:47:44 by Jim Gray
Category: Scams
Comments
Whoow guys. I installed a product FuelMaster and did indeed see really good improvement of fuel economy on a Ford Windstar. This was years ago. I guess it still works. I kind of forgot about it.
I think whoever wrote up the Fuel Saver ad saying 27% increase in fuel economy didn't realize they were comparing two different tests. The "before" test was a city test (FTP 75). The "after" test was a highway test (HFET). I think that might be why they are saying Fuel Saver increases fuel economy 27%.
Dave Levy had an interesting comment on the Tornado..while it has some merit as a passive mixer/blower(?) the cost is really way out of line....I figure you're about right on cost of production....still it's nice to see the inventors ain't dead yet... we struggle on tho I'd like to see some things from those who are really invested in the art of breaking the paradigms. Signed, a Serious Inventor.
Quikonnex would not directly list ads to this type of product. However, it is very possible that the Google Adsense code delivered some ads relevant to this type of device or one of the Quikonnex publishers ran an ad for this type of device.
I, too, was recently sent a Fuel Saver spam message, and did a search that turned up this Quikonnex page.
Interesting that Quikonnex itself lists 3 ads for similar devices, the least expensive of which is called Fuel Master, and sells for only $13 at the website of the rather reputable company Harbor Freight Tools (see: http://www.harborfreight.co... ). A PDF manual is also linked to this page. Even if this "technology" really works it is obvious that these companies are charging ridiculous prices for what is essentially a pair of strong magnets.
I was also amused by ads for the Tornado Fuel Saver, a sheet metal "baffle" which allegedly increases fuel economy by creating a "swirling vortex" at the air intake. This foolish gadget sells for ~$70, and probably costs about $1 to fabricate. Maybe this does work - who knows! It's still a rip-off to my mind.
What a load of pure, unadulterated BS!!! I, too did the same searches as you guys with the same results. This is nothing but a foreign manufacturer trying to defraud the great american public. Stuff like this is also called "product spamming". You'll even find items like this being touted on television...is nothing sacred? Don't buy it!
I did a search for the device itself and found an article debunking it. The lab itself looks like it might be legit. I wonder why they let a company spamming people about a bogus product use their name.
This is too funny, I received the same e-mail and I also looked for the "Commercial News" web site to review the June 2000 issue, I also looked at the EPA reports and sent a e-mail to CEE (California Environmental Engineering) from their web site.
It has all been to no avail. This looks, smells, and feels like pure Bull.
The only saving it will do is lighten your checking acount.
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