MPG Cap tablets claim to save up to 14% of fuel consumption.

There has been a lot of debate around the MPG Cap in the media over the past week.  In a Consumer Watch article, Wendy Knowler states that she was initially sceptical about the ‘wonder fuel tablet’, “but the more I researched this product, the more I reconsidered my outright dismissal”.  She says that extensive testing of the product in several independent labs has confirmed the improvement in fuel economy and reduction in emissions to varying degrees.  What really sparked my interest was the fact that Tim Dunstan-Smith, the first MPG Cap distributor in South Africa, said that Fuel Freedom International has $2 billion public liability insurance to cover warranty claims because of the tablets, but in two years, with 230 000 distributors worldwide, there hasn’t been a single claim of engine damage.

These fuel-saving pills are supplements rather than fuel additives as they do not change the composition of the fuel.  The MPG Product website uses an analogy of a non-stick frying pan to explain how they work: they cover the combustion chamber of your engine with a micro-thin catalytic coating that inhibits impurities found in fuel.  The fuel is burnt more quickly and cleanly which reduces up to 75% of harmful emissions into the environment and leads to a welcomed decrease of your fuel bill.  The pills cost R25 each and you need one tablet for an 80litre tank.  An article in the Mail and Guardian states consumers will save approximately R60 per tank of fuel, after the cost of the pill is deducted.

However the Mail and Guardian article quote Automobile Association spokesperson Gary Ronald who had not heard of the MPG Cap but said consumers should be careful: “we are very sceptical about fuel-saving gadgets. Some of them do appear to save fuel but the savings are marginal, considering the cost of the gadget”.

Have you tried the MPG Cap?   What impact has it had on your fuel consumption?