Pretoria - With the increase of fuel prices, desperate motorists have become the latest targets of scams after a new trend has emerged promising car owners fuel-saving pills.
Consumers are feeling the brunt of the petrol increase which also leads to food increase and other things.
In July, the increase tipped the cost of petrol to more than R26 per litre.
At the start of the year, South Africans were paying R19.71 for 95 unleaded petrol, and the same grade now costs R26.31 in July, representing a R6.60 increase since January.
Videos have been shared on social media where people advertise the “fuel-saving pill” saying it’s good for petrol consumption which means less money spent on petrol.
However, experts have dismissed this as a scam.
Speaking to PowerFM on Wednesday, Motoring Expert, Pogiso Dibakoane said when motorist put the pill in their petrol tanks, it has potential to damage their engines.
“What happens is that your 95 is high octane, when you put in a pill, you are basically changing the element of how the 95 is being cooked or how it’s made.”
Dibakoane added that every fuel, depending on the grade, has a standard of how it’s made and all vehicles need a certain ration of explosion.
In an interview with eNCA, Sasol’s senior technical adviser, Adrian Velaers, said the company tested four types of systems using the pills and in each case there was less than a 1% difference in fuel efficiency.
He said the pills claim that they can save you 10% to 30% in fuel consumption, however, they found no evidence of these claims.
“Things you put in your tank can damage your fuel gauge, airflow and turbo. These sort of things would not be covered by your warranty,” said Velaers.
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