by Tammy Neal
VehicleMD Staff Writer
Originally published in Winter 2010 Issue

The phrase “Keeping up with the Joneses” has been part of American culture for nearly 100 years. Did you know the phrase was popularized by a comic strip of the same name that debuted in 1916 in the New York World? Here’s an interesting fact: The “Joneses” of the title were neighbors of the strip’s main characters and were spoken of but never actually seen in person.

But would you believe keeping up with the Joneses could help increase your fuel economy?

This ideal Jones family probably has the fanciest house with the best yard and the nicest car in your neighborhood. However, with a multi-stage fuel system cleaner, you can help your car get better fuel mileage. Your fuel economy might even surpass the Jones’, and that’s something to be proud of.

A multi-part fuel system cleaning chemically scours several parts of your engine and fuel system, including your fuel injectors, removing harmful fuel mileage-robbing deposits.

“If even one injector is clogged and not working at full capacity, other engine components must work harder and less efficiently,” said Steve Farr, vice president of Smart Blend Synthetics. “Engines and fuel systems are more complex than ever before. They are engineered to work in conjunction with each other in an effort to achieve peak performance and vehicle operation.”

The treatment is called a multi-part fuel system cleaning because it is made up of just that—multiple parts.

Stage one contains a highly efficient cleaning solution that is introduced directly into the fuel intake system where it reacts to the heat of a running engine. It then attacks carbon buildup on metal surfaces and dissolves it. The carbon buildup (which can decrease your fuel mileage) is then burned away in the engine’s combustion chamber, leaving you with a cleaner, more efficient engine.

But that’s not all. In stage two, another cleaner is added to the fuel tank. It cleans at a slower rate as the fuel in the tank is burned.

These two stages work together, much like a broom and a mop work together to give you a sparkling clean floor. Step one is an aerosol cleaner that is delivered into the fuel intake system through a positive vacuum port. Step two, as stated before, is poured in through the fuel tank. It rides with the fuel on its journey through your vehicle’s fuel system, cleaning as it goes.

Even though the second part is added through the gas tank, a multi-part fuel system cleaning does differ from a pour-in fuel system cleaning.

“The intake system cleaner reacts when it comes into contact with carbon on metal and other surfaces and dissolves the carbon on contact,” Farr said. “On the other hand, pour-in cleaners and other fuel tank additives work over time when they are mixed with fuel in the tank and clean the fuel pump, fuel lines and injectors.”

A multi-part fuel system cleaning, won’t put you behind on your quest to keep up with the Joneses. It only takes about five minutes to perform, from start to finish.

One fuel system cleaning every 15,000 miles can more than pay for itself in improved fuel economy, Farr said.

The next time you get the urge to keep up with the Joneses, spend your money wisely on a multi-part fuel system cleaner, and your car will thank you.