Can You Protect Your Car By Using Additives Every Time You Fill E20 Petrol? We Explain
The rollout of E20 petrol has created much panic among vehicle owners. People who own pre-E20 and older vehicles are the most affected. The use of ethanol-blended petrol can cause issues even in E20 compliant vehicles- for example, their rubber components like the fuel hoses will need to be replaced more frequently. In non-compliant vehicles, however, the impact can be much worse. Ethanol can even corrode engine components. As the rollout progresses, users are actively looking for workarounds to minimise and negate the adverse effects of blended fuel on vehicle health. One way is by using additives.
Previously, Bajaj Auto had made it clear that the use of fuel system cleaners can help in minimising risks posed by E20 fuel. This holds true for cars as well. These additives can be used in cars and SUVs too, doing which will protect the engine to some extent. It is, in fact, critical to use them on pre-BS6 vehicles.
A fuel system cleaner is a chemical additive that is designed to remove contaminants (and deposits) from a vehicle’s fuel system. It usually cleans injectors, intake valves, combustion chambers, tank, and fuel lines. In all these areas, deposits accumulate over time, which affects fuel supply and, in turn, engine performance. The use of fuel system cleaners is thus not limited to the E20 issue alone.
In the case of E20-caused contamination, the solvents and detergents in these additives clean the internals of the engine and other fuel lines, minimising risks caused by Ethanol. Ethanol absorbs moisture from the air around, and the same could lead to rusts inside the engine components. This cannot be avoided to some extent. Using additives can, however, get rid of the rust inside.
Using these additives is fairly simple. These are poured into the fuel tank and allowed to mix with the fuel. You can buy these online or at a fuel station. Petrol pumps in many major cities now sell additives as well. In such cases, these can be added while the vehicle gets refuelled.
In addition to keeping the engine safe, fuel system cleaners can also restore lost engine performance and fuel efficiency- two things that take hits when combustion is compromised. Today, there are many brands that sell these fuel additives like Liqui Moly, Iftex and STP. You can buy these online or at auto-parts outlets. Some of these brands even have dedicated outlets in some cities.
For bikes, it is advised to use 40ml of fuel system cleaner per full tank, as confirmed by Bajaj. This will cost around Rs 80-100. Most compact cars-hatchbacks, sedans and small SUVs- come with 45L fuel tanks. In these, it is recommended to use at least 354 ml of fuel system cleaner. STP’s fuel system cleaner costs Rs 1450 for 400 ml. This should give you some context on the cost factor.
IFTEX Clean System G has a price of Rs 342 on Amazon, for 200 ml. Thus, two bottles will cost Rs 682- a lot less than STP. There are a lot of options to consider, for people with different budgets.
Clearly, these additives will now need to be used frequently for optimal engine health. Failing to use these may result in faster wear and tear of key components and expensive repairs. This means that the additives add a significant chunk to the overall ownership costs of the vehicle. The annual costs will likely shoot up, even if additives are added for 50% of the total refill numbers.
Over 5-7 years, which is usually the time span that a car owner keeps the vehicle, the money spent on additives could stand near a lakh if not more! Yes, these are for vehicles which are used frequently. For those that aren’t, the costs will be much lower.