I'm about to go through another oil change. I fill up my car regularly at Chevron with techron. Is it necessary to purchase the techron concentrate bottle you're supposed to use every time you change your oil or would that be just a waste of money?

 

No it's overkill. Only use the techron additive if you're using non-Techron added gas (aka not Chevron or Texaco).

 

Almost all major gas brands have cleaning additives. I add a bottle of Techron since I fill up at Costco, which buys gas from BP, Chevron, or Shell in bulk but w/o additives.

 

It's good stuff to use on a long highway trip. I put it in every 6 months.

 

Hey Lexfreak, I've read alot of good stuff about Techron, where do you buy it in Canada? I want to try it.

 

you sneak it across the border.

 

Correct!

Although in B.C. they carry it from what I have heard. I buy a pile of it when I go to the states, enough to last a year or so.

 

Actually all gas have cleaning additives required by law - including the gas you buy from Costco, Walmart, or mom-n-pop joints. Enough to keep the fuel injectors clean. Unless somebody dumped sugar into your gas tank, there's no need to use any gas treatment.

I used Techron in my last car. Didn't do jack. My 2002 RX300 has never seen Techron (or any Chevron station) and it runs fine.

My personal opinion is that there's no need to worry about the fuel injectors getting gummed up or clogged (as seen on TV.) That's what fuel filter is for. Also gasoline is a very strong solvent. Don't believe the scare-tactic marketing. Gas additive products fix a problem that didn't exist.

 

A 20oz bottle say every 6 months for about $8 each treatment will hardly hurt anything either & I do personally notice a difference so for me it's worth it.

 

What difference did you feel? I didn't notice any difference with my last car, so feel free to share your experience with Techron. Does it make your RX go faster? run smoother? etc. Thanks.

 

I agree with you! I added a bottle of this stuff and didn't feel jack.. Then again I had my oil changed a few days later...

 

And how much of that "faster" and "smoother" is psychological?

 

Actually I drive an ES, not an RX I found a slight increase in fuel economy more than anything else. As I stated, it hurts nothing by using one bottle every 6 months & I found it works best on a long highway drive (I use it when driving down to Florida). What's $8 every 6 months? several gallons of fuel overall? Hardly something to argue about in the grand scheme of things.

 

Another vehicle I own suffered once from a clogged fuel injecter.

Not knowing what it was after putting up with it for quite a few months I finally went to the dealer for a scope check.
$150.00 later they had performed an injector cleaning service to try and "blow" it out with chemicals. If that did not work.... $$$ for a new injector and manifold removel to get to it.
It ran fine for a day after and started acting up again. I went to Wally World and purchased three bottles of cleaner and dumped them in the tank and ran it home to sit overnite and let the fluid sit and do it's thing inside the injector.
Ran great from then on.

Later,
JU

 

$8 isn't much, but if it doesn't do jack for me, I am not paying for it. I'd use the money for something else, like that Arby burger Paris Hilton had during car wash.

Here's my beef with Techron: I had serious carbon deposit problem with my last car (because I used premium fuel when the engine calls for regular, my mistake.) Supposely Techron can clean it. So I bought one, didn't work. Bought another one, same thing. Dumped two bottles next tank, still nothing. One more try.... one more disappointment. So it didn't do jack even after 5 bottles and 4 tanks. That's $6.99 for every 12 oz. bottle. I will never buy another Techron again. It doesn't work, period.

After trying several other big name products, I eventually found something that worked - Chemtool B-12. (Just $3 a bottle at AutoZone.) Cleaned my engine after just one bottle. I put in another bottle during the next fuel up just to be sure. The car still runs today.... on regular of course.