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Q Should I use fuel additives in my motorhome?
I’m trying to find out whether there are benefits in using diesel fuel additives. Does it make sense to use these and in what circumstances, and what are the benefits?
There seem to be a number of aspects to this. For example, they seem to be recommended for vehicles that are stood unused for significant amounts of time.
Then there is the question of older vehicles where the additives may be able to help if the engine is not to current specifications; this suggests the benefits for more modern vehicles may be less.
Then there are the range of additives available; they clearly do different things and might be of benefit. And then there is the use of more expensive diesel fuel v the cheaper brands; does this reduce the need for/benefit of additives?
Brian Orrell
A Diesel fuel additives can be broken down into three categories.
The first is the most worrying. These are generally from less well-known suppliers and, despite the text on the container making all kinds of unlikely claims, they are best avoided. Your money is better spent on products from firms that have a well-earned reputation.
The next category concerns additives that have a specific purpose for one tank of fuel. Once the tank is used, the benefits of the additive are no longer available.
An example would be Wurth Winter Diesel Treatment. This product reduces the likelihood of ‘waxing’ ocurring in the fuel during extreme cold weather. You add it to the fuel and you are protected for the amount of time that it is present.
Another is Wurth Dieselcure. This is added to the fuel in your tank and provides numerous benefits to the injection system but, most significantly, it bonds itself to any excess moisture in the fuel and makes it combustible. This is often a problem where condensation has built up in a fuel tank due to variations in the ambient temperature. Again, its effects ( for its principal designed use) are limited to that tank of fuel.
