Durban - Some life hacks make you scratch your head, such as the one about putting Coca-Cola or another soft drink into your vehicle’s fuel tank to reduce its fuel consumption.
With petrol and diesel prices at an all time high, along with inflation, many South Africans are looking for ways to lessen the enormous pressure on their wallets.
But in the quest to reduce the litres of fuel their car guzzles, people can sometimes be led astray by less-than-truthful advice and information on the internet.
We spoke to an expert to find out whether putting Coke in your tank is a real hack, or a good way to gum-up your car’s fuel system and cost you a lot of money in repairs.
The origin of this outrageous fuel-efficiency "tip" is unclear. However, in May this year an advert for a product called, EcoPlus popped up on social media.
“Simple trick to lower car fuel consumption by 55 percent,” it claimed. In the ad, Coca-Cola can be seen being poured into a car’s fuel tank.
However, EcoPlus says the video is not theirs.
Mahommed Raza, who owns a repair shop, Raza Auto in Midrand, said the idea of pouring a fizzy drink into your car’s fuel tank is ridiculous – and a sure-fire way to mess up and fry your engine.
Raza warns that it’s not a hack – in fact, it’s totally fake – and will damage your entire engine and the fuel system.
“Your car is supposed to have fuel in the tank; that fuel will run to your engine, that’s how it performs. However, if you put a foreign substance into the tank, it will go to the motor.
“It will then seize up the injectors and create a sticky blockage that will damage them, as well as the fuel pump, and a lot more parts," said Raza.
IOL Business