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QUESTION: I have a 1992 Toyota Previa with 250,000 km on the odometer. The vehicle runs well and has recently passed the Ontario Drive Clean requirements.

There are no outstanding service issues with the vehicle, and the fuel consumption is in the range of the original Transport Canada ratings for the year of manufacture.

My question is, simply, would it be wise, from an environmental point of view, to retire this vehicle and replace it, considering that there is a significant amount of CO{-2} and other pollutants produced simply by manufacturing a new vehicle, or is it better to run the current 1992 until a hard failure or cost-prohibitive repair condemns it to the junk yard?

Likely I would pick a smaller, lighter vehicle with substantially lower fuel consumption.

Lee

ANSWER: That's an interesting approach, and I congratulate you for thinking that way.

From an operational and economic point of view, it would make sense to keep the Previa and run it as long as it is safe and able to pass the Drive Clean requirements.

The expenditure necessary to maintain and repair it will be small compared with the cost of a new vehicle.

On the environmental side of the equation, you have different issues. As you point out, the manufacture of a new vehicle contributes to global warming and other pollution issues - just as with the disposal of an old one.

Buying a new vehicle and having your old one continue in operation, albeit in the hands of someone else, means emissions from two vehicles.

But the emissions from the old one, even in a good state of tune, are vastly greater than a new one. Once it slips away from its current state of tune, those emissions become truly serious.

In short, I would keep the Previa until, as you state, it is condemned to the junk yard - but I have to add the proviso that you monitor its emissions on a regular basis to help determine the timing of its demise.

Gas additive

QUESTION: I recently watched a DVD produced by a company that extols the benefits of adding the company's product to the gasoline in your car.

While the person explaining the product was careful not to make any extravagant claims for it (i.e. gas mileage would be increased by 10 per cent, and not 20 or 30 per cent), nevertheless I was left with the impression the product would do everything short of baking bread and bringing peace in our time.

I drive a 1986 Celica that is my pride and joy (my wife says she hopes I never have to choose between her and it) and I have two questions:

Is this product the one-in-a-million additive that does what the manufacturer claims?

Is there any risk it might damage my "pride and joy" if I were to use it?

Chuck & Arline

ANSWER: I am not aware of, or have ever been exposed to, the specific product you mentioned in your letter. But as a general rule of thumb, don't waste your time or money.

I am a firm believer that 99 per cent of these products and their elaborate claims are fraudulent - if not literally, then figuratively.

Fuel and oil additives are the most common and most commonly proven totally ineffectual. Can they harm your vehicle? Certainly, and frequently. They can also void a warranty, although it won't apply in the case of your older car.

The problem with these additives is that elaborate and carefully run and monitored testing in a controlled laboratory environment is necessary to prove or disprove their claims. The folks foisting them off on the public are aware of this and know it is highly unlikely that anyone will spend the necessary time and money to conduct these tests.

The first sign of a problem with the stuff you're asking about is a claim for a 10-per-cent increase in mileage. Manufacturers spend tens of millions of dollars looking for improvements in mileage of just 1 to 4 per cent.

If it were as easy as tossing in a few ounces of fluid, they could make a deal to recommend any oil company that put the stuff in their gas. The manufacturer would save millions and the gas company would get all that business.

Testimonials are the most common claim made by aftermarket sellers. The problem is that if you were to buy the stuff and put it in your tank, you would be expecting results, or at least be aware of its presence. These facts alone would cause you to alter your driving habits - even slightly - resulting in a measurable gain in mileage.

Was it the additive or your driving? I'd bet on the latter.

Keep your car in a peak state of tune, drive with mileage in mind and you get all the benefits with none of the risk.

How to reach us

Automotive journalist Richard Russell has run a driving school for 20 years, is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers and has been a member of the Technology of the Year committee of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada for 10 years.

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