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Originally Posted by FSETH
You are probably going to get a lot of different opinions and no difinitive answer on this one. IMO, most people feel it is safe to use fuel additives like Techron, Red Line and so on, but it is probably better to use a good quality gas with detergents on a daily basis to prevent any buildup in the first place. There are probably only one or two oil additives I would personally ever use for cleaning the engine. Liqui-Moly's Motor Clean and what ever BG's similar product is. Although if you change your oil ever 7,500 miles or so, I am not sure why you would really need the oil additives.
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 on the lots of different opinions here. Firstly, fuel additives and oil additives can't be lumped together. If you use good fuel, you shouldn't need fuel additives. If you do need to clean out the fuel system, I would use Techron according top the package directions, ie don't use too much. There aren't too many other fuel additives I would put in my vehicle, really only fuel stabilizers for long term storage.
Oil additives are different. First, BMW specifically advises not to use them. If you are out of warranty and want to take the chance, it is your call. Most oil additives do not have any substantiated claims or independent tests, rather they rely on word of mouth, anecdotal evidence, and internet sales. There are a lot of snake oil sales organizations out there. They used to use more direct selling like Amway, with customers getting paid referrals, but now the internet has taken over that sales channel somewhat. Consider what type of additive you want to put in. Is it a detergent package, or is it a thickener designed to change the viscosity of the oil? I use the latest API spec (API SM at the moment) and there is no need for additional additives in my opinion. If you are using a cheap oil, additives are designed to improve it. If you are using a good oil, it would be better to purchase a higher quality oil than to blend it yourself with a cheap oil and an additive. If you are using a top name brand synthetic, Mobil 1 or Castrol, something like Lucas treatment is more likely to reduce the oil quality than improve it, as you are diluting the oil properties from what they were designed to be.
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