Garages could help many of their customers pass MOT emissions tests by selling them a bottled engine care product, says Cataclean. Here, the company looks at the benefits of pre-MOT engine care.
As every garage technician knows, a significant number of cars and vans fail to get through the MOT test – a staggering eight million every year, in fact, according to the Vehicle Standards Agency. But few garages are aware that one of the main causes of test failures, excessive exhaust emissions, can easily be fixed with an engine care product that’s simply poured into the fuel tank.
A British-manufactured product, Cataclean, is available in two different patented chemical formulas, one for petrol engines and the other for diesel. For use in cars, vans, trucks and motorcycles, both formulas clean the fuel and exhaust system, improve fuel economy, and lower emissions. All that’s required is to pour one full bottle into a quarter-full tank of fuel, then run the engine normally for at least 15 minutes.
Numerous independent tests and user testimonials have verified that the product reduces exhaust emissions significantly, and often by enough to make the difference between a vehicle failing or passing an MOT emissions test. One of the more demanding real world tests, conducted on trucks working in demanding stop-start conditions at an Asian container terminal – independently validated by the faculty at JMU, Liverpool – found that Cataclean resulted in an average reduction in emissions of 33.3%.
The formula has also proved effective at helping to maintain the diesel particulate filter (DPF) in cars and vans. For this reason, it is now carried by all of the RAC’s 1,400 patrol vehicles.
Cataclean contains solvents that can break down deposits in fuel delivery systems formed by oxidation and polymerisation of hydrocarbon. When Cataclean combusts, it forms carboxylic acids, aldehydes and active peroxy compounds. When these compounds reach the exhaust vapours, they clean inside carbonaceous deposits from the surface of the core. The result is an increase in the catalyst’s ability to remove harmful exhaust emissions such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides.
Cataclean also has an immediate effect on engine performance by cleaning and rejuvenating the fuel systems, injectors and valves, and optimising the combination and ignition of the fuel mixture. This results in better throttle response and improved fuel consumption. Those independently validated truck tests found that all vehicles treated with Cataclean increased the miles travelled per gallon by an average of 9.7%.
The British-manufactured product, which offers a good margin opportunity, is available for sale in single-use bottles and 5L containers for workshops. Independent tests have shown that, after the Cataclean treatment, an engine’s fuel consumption and emissions will gradually deteriorate towards their previous levels, meaning that for best results the formula should be applied every three months. This makes the product an excellent repeat seller.
