Didnt they get fined or sued for false advertising?
They did, however the snakes @ zMAX still claimed that they won the lawsuit even though they were ordered to pay out fines of $1 million in refunds for customers who bought the product.
See below....
Found this little excerpt from members on a Dodge Dakota forum:
Quote:
Originally Posted by AmsoilSponsor of Dodgedakotas.com
First, zMax's secret ingredient, "Linkite", mixed with mineral oil, was used as a preservative against rust during WW2 on aircraft engines shipped by sea to England. The rest is " TV Infomercial Spin".
I try to keep my posts free of discrediting another manufacturers products. EXCEPT, when it comes to additives. The way additives are sold to the public really pisses me off ... so here goes:
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zMax Power System: Oil-Chem Research Corp., a subsidiary of Speedway Motorsports Inc. (yeah, the guys who own all those NASCAR tracks), have been marketing this kit of three additives: one each for oil, fuel, and transmission. They claim rather impressive gains with the product, and claim that their results are laboratory-proven.
The FTC disagreed with this assessment, and in a suit for a permanent injunction the FTC accused Oil-Chem of falsifying the test results. The FTC also charged that zMax is nothing but mineral oil, and that it actually causes a 50% increase in bearing wear, proven by Oil-Chem's own testing!
Oil-Chem didn't take this lying down, and Federal Trade Commission v. Speedway Motorsports went unresolved for quite a while. One of the more creative assertions in defense of zMax was that the benefits of using zMax need not be backed by "competent and scientific evidence", but only "reasonable basis" (the "lower your expectations and we'll meet them" defense).
Finally, in one of the more convoluted additive rulings, both sides have claimed victory: the FTC has restricted zMax advertising and imposed a $1 million mandatory consumer refund, while Oil-Chem is ecstatic to still be able to advertise that zMax helps your car by reducing engine deposits.
Unfortunately the settlement doesn't address the issue of whether zMax is little more than colored mineral oil. The bottom line seems to be that zMax works as a solvent of some kind, so if you have a sludged-up engine it may help clean it up.
Oil-Chem apparently has documentation to back its claims but, for whatever reason, doesn't want the public to see it.
BOTTOM LINE ... this is what the FTC determined ...
... "zMax is nothing but mineral oil".
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Originally Posted by HelpfulDak of Dodgedakotas.com
zMax Marketers to Offer Refunds
�The company�s intentions � to save its customers money and to protect the environment � are certainly commendable,� said attorney Kenneth Jacobsen. �But it didn�t work because conventional oils just don�t stand up to those intervals.�
In order to settle a false advertising lawsuit brought by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the marketers of zMax oil additives have agreed to refund $1 million to customers who purchased the product.
The settlement prohibits Speedway Motorsports Inc. and subsidiary Oil-Chem Research Corp. from making general claims regarding zMax�s ability to improve fuel economy, reduce engine wear and corrosion, lower emissions and extend engine life. However, they are still allowed to make more specific claims, including that zMax can maintain fuel efficiency in newer vehicles and reduce wear on valve stems and guides, piston rings and skirts by reducing deposits.
The zMax Power System is a package of three separate fluids that are added to the engine, fuel line and transmission. Oil-Chem infomercials and advertisements claimed the package was guaranteed to improve fuel efficiency by at least 10 percent, reduce engine wear and corrosion, extend engine life and reduce emissions.
The FTC�s 2001 complaint alleged that Oil-Chem�s claims were false and manufactured from results of a 1997 L-38 engine test. The L-38 test measures the bearing corrosion protection abilities of motor oils. According to the FTC, Oil-Chem removed detrimental information from the lab report and results actually showed zMax caused more than twice the bearing corrosion as motor oil alone.
The zMax settlement is the latest in a long line of false advertising settlements obtained by the FTC since the mid-1990s from aftermarket oil additive companies, including STP, Dura Lube and Slick 50. Penalties have ranged from less than $1 million to $10 million. Other additive companies, including Prolong, Motor Up and Valvoline, have settled without fines on the promise of halting all unsupported claims.
In short, I'm skeptical.
In fact I would be wary of any company that gets sued by the US Federal Trade Commission for that sort of thing.
So I guess if you think Zmax really works, save yourself a lot of money and head to the pharmacy section and buy straight mineral oil instead. If you want to spend little extra buy baby oil (mineral oil with scent added).
__________________ 2005 Impulse Red 4x2 Access cab 2.7L 5-speed SR5.
^^^ Redline injector cleaner is one that I will buy every chance I get. IMO, it is one of the few that actually does "something" - hardest part is finding a store locally that has it stocked.
I used to use Chevron Techron Concentrate Plus stuff - did a pretty decent job in the Corolla. Gumout Regane has some pretty good good reviews - I wouldn't be afraid to try it. Valvoline Complete Fuel System Cleaner is another that seems to work.
The BMW, Porsche and other german import guys swear by Lubro Moly Jectron - some swear by Seafoam in the tank.
__________________
2002 Toyota Corolla S, 1.8L 1ZZ-FE VVT-i
2003 Toyota Matrix XRS, 1.8L 2ZZ-GE, VVTL-i (RIP)
2009 Toyota Matrix XRS, 2.4L 2AZ-FE VVT-i
2009 Toyota RAV4 Limited, 2.5L 2AR-FE Dual VVT-i
So I guess if you think Zmax really works, save yourself a lot of money and head to the pharmacy section and buy straight mineral oil instead. If you want to spend little extra buy baby oil (mineral oil with scent added).
Don't forget food coloring
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikered30
Thanks Phat, I knew something was fishy about that. I read that Redline Sl-1 and gumout regane are pretty good, know anything about them?
Quote:
Originally Posted by fishexpo101
^^^ Redline injector cleaner is one that I will buy every chance I get. IMO, it is one of the few that actually does "something" - hardest part is finding a store locally that has it stocked.
Yep, I use Sl-1 cleaner every once in a while too, it seems to do the job fine. Redline is a company that can actually be trusted.
Yep, I use Sl-1 cleaner every once in a while too, it seems to do the job fine. Redline is a company that can actually be trusted.
Most of these products are total bullshit for a variety of reasons much like Extenze penis pills. Remember that even modern conventional oils selling for $3 per quart are much better than the crap from 40 yrs ago. I don't think modern oil needs any additives or need to be changed any more than every 5 K miles. Remember "sludge" is not on the moving parts but only on the non moving surfaces. Who cares if it's a old car? Sludge cleaners can absolutely cause leaks as they penetrate old gaskets. I've done it ( I've used Mobil 1 and Castrol Syntec and never noticed any difference other than I could wait longer between changes.
One odd thing I noticed yrs ago is Tufoil and Slick 50. They did not do a damn thing for mileage however they definitely decreased oil consumption and smoke on start up on a few old clunkers I used to drive. It could be that these products actually put a coating on the valve guides. I can't really say but the effect was dramatic.
Injector cleaners could work in theory. Headers work for sure.
The only scientific way to test any product is to do a blind test. Put in the products or a placebo and have the participants report the changes. Chances are that all of them will report improvements due to the placebo effect.
Zmax is more for racing applications. I've tried it on an older Dodge Spirit. After I changed over to sytnethic oil half a year later, I saw better performance than what Zmax additives provided.
__________________
'00 Durango R/T - 183,000kms (will replace with a 2.7L I4 Highlander shortly)
'99 Taurus SE sedan - 204,500kms
'06 Pontiac G6 GT - 42,000kms
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2005 Impulse Red 4x2 Access cab 2.7L 5-speed SR5.
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