Desperately Need Opinions

[Sherman Bird]

Banks is snake oil.

I've found that those who make an overpriced "thingy" for your car, oven, toaster, A/C unit, then have self-serving mega ads trashing the OE manufacturer, and glorifying themselves as to how much smarter they are than the original engineers, are old fashioned hawkers of "Tiny Liver pills".
Back in 2008, when regular gas hit over $4,50 a gallon for regular here in S.E. Texas, a customer came into my shop in his 2005 GMC HD 2500 with a 6.0L gasoline engine. He had a device in his hand that he wanted installed on the fuel line feeding gas to the injectors. This device had magnets in it. I had seen it advertised on late night TV taunted to double the fuel mileage on your car by "straightening out" the molecular structure of the gasoline, thus allowing for more "efficient" distribution of said fuel, and magically making the fuel fairy appear!

I voiced my skepticism to the customer, but he was so sold on the idea of doubling that truck's 9-11 MPG, that he insisted. I charged him 15 dollars for the job.

Needless to say, he still got single digit fuel mileage.

 

[Ritchie_Rich]

Yup. I remember seeing those. And thinking how can anyone fall for this nonsense.

 

[turkeybird56]

The 70s water injection units. The now plug in a chip and your mileage doubled and HP outlet magically improved so much. How about the little electrical box you plug into an outlet in yer home by your electrical panel that stops your energy usage and bill by 90%. That one particularly makes me “gobble gobble”. Ahhhhh all the schemes now all over the internet just ready to suck your credit card dry!!!

 

[Docwagon1776]

I've found that those who make an overpriced "thingy" for your car, oven, toaster, A/C unit, then have self-serving mega ads trashing the OE manufacturer, and glorifying themselves as to how much smarter they are than the original engineers, are old fashioned hawkers of "Tiny Liver pills".
Back in 2008, when regular gas hit over $4,50 a gallon for regular here in S.E. Texas, a customer came into my shop in his 2005 GMC HD 2500 with a 6.0L gasoline engine. He had a device in his hand that he wanted installed on the fuel line feeding gas to the injectors. This device had magnets in it. I had seen it advertised on late night TV taunted to double the fuel mileage on your car by "straightening out" the molecular structure of the gasoline, thus allowing for more "efficient" distribution of said fuel, and magically making the fuel fairy appear!

I voiced my skepticism to the customer, but he was so sold on the idea of doubling that truck's 9-11 MPG, that he insisted. I charged him 15 dollars for the job.

Needless to say, he still got single digit fuel mileage.

There's a patent for magnetic rings that the inventor claims pushes the blood through your body and makes your tissue stronger. Obviously patents don't mean a thing works, it just means it's a thing that's unique enough to qualify for a patent, but many people don't know that.

US5989178A - Magnetic ring - Google Patents

A magnetic ring adapted to be worn on the little finger of the hand. The magnetic ring includes a ring and a pair of permanent magnets that extend from the ring. When the magnetic ring is worn on the little finger of the right hand, the pair of permanent magnets are oriented on the top and...

patents.google.com

If you want a good read on both New Age babble as well as a complete misunderstanding (likely intentional) of extremely basic science, that patent is a great read. He says multicellular creatures exist because cells are magnetic and clump together as a result. Then he claim by simply placing magnets along a circular path with the poles aligned, you can propel things along the circle with no moving parts (forgetting, apparently, that the force of the poles will counteract movement). He's invented not only perpetual motion, but also immortality. (The business was called "Immortality Device", FFS)

 

[Sherman Bird]

Yup. I remember seeing those. And thinking how can anyone fall for this nonsense.

The tragic epilogue to this story is this: That man lived in a house right behind my then location, so I saw him drive by each day for his commute. Shortly after the debacle of the mileage issue, I saw him riding a motorcycle for about a year, then nothing for about 2 more years.
Then, one day, he brought that old guzzler truck in for a state inspection; windows and paint job covered in dust/dirt from 3 years of non-use. He was on a cane and had lost a huge amount of weight.
Whilst I did the inspection, he told me that he had been in a horrific accident on that motorcycle, and had spent most of the ensuing 2 years in the hospital, then rehab, and was just going back to work.

He stated that it had not been worth it in the long run to try and save gas to the point of putting himself in that kind of danger or possibly making his wife a widow and the kids fatherless.

He even lamented that the money he'd spent on that cockamamie device, steeping him in the deception that there could be free energy, combined with lost wages and mammoth medical bills, would have bought a LOT of gasoline.
It's sad that he had to go through those things to look up at the panoramic view of life that keeps us on an even keel of reality. Talk about learning a lesson the DAMNED hard way! Pax Vobiscum!

 

[Gr8bawana]

Sounds a lot like my father in law who paid $324 for plans to run his car on water. Claimed his neighbor friend down the street had it on his car and it really worked.
I called BS and he said his friend wouldn't lie to him.

 

[Grams]

Hello, DillPickle!
Firstly, I’d suggest you disregard the Opinions offered which criticize your past decisions and your financial choices. That’s not what you asked-for and is unhelpful and rude.

Secondly, Any shop worth it’s “salt” can change glow-plugs reliably, and the nature of their business sometimes carries risks of collateral-damage…. However a competent shop knows how to avoid that damage. I’d avoid any shop who cannot reasonably assure they know how to change glow plugs successfully.

Re: Your wish-list regarding Banks and Daves: Are you really planning to live long enough or to own this vehicle to run its engine 500,000 miles…??
Do you have a crystal-ball that Assures you some texting-teenager isn’t going to cross-over the center-line or run a red-light and Total Your Truck ???
(hopefully without killing or maiming yourself) ??
Spending money on advanced-modifications that have minimal-benefit or return-on-investment such as Banks and magic spinning secondary oil filters. …believing you will still be driving that vehicle in 500K miles is wildly optimistic, IMO. In these times, it is more likely you will Win the Lottery…(and if you do Win the Lottery…this particular vehicle will Not Likely be your choice of Ride any longer.)

I’d suggest you think more practically and more down-to-earth.
Tell that shop that if they can’t change glow-plugs without damaging your engine …that you will not be using them for maintenance.
Find another shop.

Keep your wish-list small and realistic.

Hope this helps. (and if it doesn’t…. remember, You DID Desperately ask for Opinions.) LOL

 

[Dean2]

OP has not been back since Nov 25th. He may have been DESPERATE for opinions when he joined Nov 19th, made 2 posts, but he seems to have gotten all he needed and has pulled the usual disappearing act, common to so many newbies. Merry Christmas to him anyhow.

 

[Hagar1]

Yup. I remember seeing those. And thinking how can anyone fall for this nonsense.

Well, PT Barnum said, there is a sucker born every minute. ............. or words to that effect.

 

[ppine]

Get new glow plugs. You can do it yourself and find someone to do it for you.

 

[Sherman Bird]

Sounds a lot like my father in law who paid $324 for plans to run his car on water. Claimed his neighbor friend down the street had it on his car and it really worked.
I called BS and he said his friend wouldn't lie to him.

Thus, the picture of an ostrich with it's head in sand.

 

[ppine]

Replace your glow plugs. See how you like it.