The Owners Manual

Issue #004

August 19, 2006

There are an abundance of "too good to be true" automotive products and services out there. Pills that increase your fuel economy, simplistic engine add-ons that increase horsepower as so on. In this issue of the Owners Manual we'll take a look at three products that have become very popular over the last few months as gas prices have risen.

* BioPerformance - BioPerformace is a company that offers a little green pill that they claim will increase your fuel mileage by up to 25%. Don't be fooled. This is essentially a pyramid scheme. BioPerformance seeks individuals to buy cases and cases of product to sell to friends and family. In fact the very fine print on BioPerformance's website states that they do not guarantee any results by using the pill. Think about it, if a pill in your gas tank could increase fuel mileage by 25% don't you think every automotive manufacturer would put a case in the trunk of every car they sell? Interestingly enough, BioPerformance has been virtually shut down as they face a barrage of court cases. Check it out for yourself at http://www.mybpbiz.com.

* Tornado Fuel Saver - The Tornado Fuel Saver is a device that claims to "create a swirling motion, allowing the air to move faster and more efficiently in most any engine." The product, which sits over the engine air intake, claims to increase power by about 13hp and increase fuel economy by 15%. Of course it's easy to install and requires no maintenance. Wow - amazing how a product like this can do so much but the engineers at BMW, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz just couldn't figure it out. It's a bogus claim. Again they don't show much confidence in their product as they write "your results may vary."

* The Fabulous MaxImizer - The Fabulous MaxImizer claims to use the power of magnets to reduce fuel consumption by up to 35%. Their website claims the MaxImizer converts fuel to a charged effect causing the fuel to react as a much higher refined fuel. I don't exactly know what that means but at a price of $149.00 it smells like a scam. Here's what their website claims "The Auto MaxImizer System reduces emissions in vehicles by burning the carbon monoxide in the combustion chamber. Many cases reported in the 80 to 100% range. This converts into more power and improved gas mileage that range from 10 - 35%." Sure it does....

* Any gas-saving device that claims to have approval from the federal government isn't telling the truth. No government agency in either Canada or the United States endorses gas-saving products for cars.

News Brief

* General Motors has confirmed they will produce the Camaro concept shown at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this past January. The vehicle should be available for sale in late 2008 as a 2009.

* DaimlerChrysler has also announced it'll be re-entering the muscle car segment with the 2008 Dodge Challenger.

* Ford has reduced fourth quarter production by 21%. This reduction equals about 168,000 fewer vehicles being produced than in Q4 2005. Ford is reeling from sliding sales and shrinking market share.

* Toyota celebrated its 70th birthday on August 18.

* Honda plans to introduce diesels in North America by 2009. Possible applications include the CR-V and Pilot.

* Ford has increased its power train warranties to 5 years or 100,000 km (60,000 miles) on all 2007 models. Ford also increased the length of its roadside assistance package.

* Toyota surpassed Ford in terms of vehicle sales in North America for the first time in the month of July.

* Mazda will launch a hardtop convertible version of its popular MX-5 Miata. The price for the option (which can lower the roof in an industry record 12 seconds) is $1,400 (USD).

New Car Buying Tip of the Month
*Avoid buying scotch guarding and rust proofing from a new car dealership. These products can often be bought from local automotive shops for a fraction of the price. In fact, most dealerships outsource these services to local businesses and then mark-up the price.

Safety Tip of the Month
*Do you know how to properly wear your seatbelt? It sounds simple enough but the majority of people don't properly adjust it to their body. The lap and shoulder belt should be worn together every time you drive your car. The shoulder belt should lie across your chest and the lap belt should lie across your pelvis bone. Do not po sition the lap belt across your stomach as it could cause severe organ damage in an accident.

The all-about-car-selection.com network is growing
Over the last few weeks we've been working on our latest project. We noticed a lot of our readers were looking for up to the minute automotive news. On July 4, we launched our automotive news website called Auto North.

The site is updated several times a day with late breaking auto news from Canada, the U.S. and around the world. We encourage you to check it out. Of course we would like to hear what you think. If you have any questions or comments send me an e-mail at pjohnson@all-about-car-selection.com.

Thank you for subscribing to The Owners Manual and drive with care.