Additives: Fifty years ago when Bardahl®, Wynn's® and a few others were born as pour in your engine and fuel tank products they were unchallenged in the market. There were engine wear problems then and these chemicals greatly convinced the consumers that the engine oils were inferior; therefore, their scientifically untested elixir was desperately needed. 

Today, the wholesalers, distributors and counter people have to face Chemical Roulette: Engine, radiator and transmission flush products, friction-lowering engine additives, detergent and solvent chemicals that de-carbonize the engine along with fuel tank and injector cleaners; all to aid in better mileage. A lot of so-called problem solving additive products.

When the consumer approaches the automotive chemical isle, vertigo is easily experienced. Whatever sells the best gets front row position. Rarely does the question, does it work, come into play. Does the counter person know the quality of these products? In most cases the answer is, NO.

The counter person rarely knows the facts for 50 different products. Whichever product has the best advertising, the best sales force, the best shelf position, is the winner, regardless of whether or not the product really works.

Today's engine oils are excellent performers. Synthetics and engine oil packages such as GF-4 and now GF-5 API approved categories have almost eliminated the need for the use of aftermarket engine additives. Yet with today's still prevalent engine, piston and combustion chamber carbon problems; fuel tank and injector cleaners are good movers. How can counter people sell products easier, and sell something that will help their customers? The answer is educating them better on products and a true understanding of a product's performance by SAE, ASTM and API testing protocols.

There are products that claim, better fuel mileage, and they mislead the consumers. To scientifically test a product for fuel economy the proper test is the SAE J1321, Procedure I or II fuel economy test. Cost of this test is about $80,000. ZMAX has performed three of these tests to prove its claims relating to better mileage.

If a product is going to make a claim of less friction or more horsepower, they must be asked, "Where is their API, SAE or ASTM Laboratory or Field (vehicle) Engine Tests that should be behind every such claim?" When the FTC filed lawsuits against several of the major aftermarket engine products several years back, the only product that passed the SAE and ASTM testing requirements to say saves fuel was zMAX Micro-lubricant. Unfortunately, very few know what it takes to make a fuel economy claim. How many products are being falsely advertised? Plenty!

Why SAE, ASTM testing? The OEM's spend millions of dollars with major oil company's and additive company's such as Lubrizol, Ethyl Corp, Infineon, Orinite and others, developing additive packages that are blended to their specific base oils. These special blended engine oil formulas receive a specific API Certification. By adding an off-the-shelf additive into your engine oil that may contain solids like PTFE, Moly (MoS2), graphite, etc., and/or chemicals like zinc, phosphorous (in combination as Zinc Dialkyl Dithio Phosphate, better known as ZDDP anti-wear additive) and chlorine (chlorinated paraffin extreme pressure "EP" additives, etc.,) will alter that oil formula and voids the API Certification. Why? The simple answer is that without additional SAE, ASTM and API testing with the new addition of solids or chemicals, you do not know how the newly modified oil's performance has been compromised. This is the concern of the API and OEM's. Without further testing, any claim of wear reduction or enhanced performance would have to be deemed misleading. This is the main reason auto manufacturers state in their Owners Handbook that, "We highly recommend that you do not use additives in the engine." What the counter person or consumer should know is that zMAX is not an additive; zMAX is a pure Micro-lubricant® that treats the metal, not the oil or fuel. Its main characteristic is that it "soaks into the metal deeper than regular engine oil, additives, detergents or solvents can." Being a pure lubricant without PTFE, chlorine or other chemicals or solids zMAX has no harmful effect on the original oil's API Certification, and therefore does not violate that certification.

Distributors, wholesalers and counter people need to be abreast of this required proof of product testing. It is a question of sales ethics for consumer protection. zMAX products are truly tested, and it is the product that REALLY works.