I wasn't convinced (Ecotek CB-26P)

Member Name: MR.COATES

Product:	Ecotek CB-26P
Date:	06/07/01 (3306 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It blimmin' works, More power, Less fuel

Disadvantages: Fitting CAN be awkward, So small but expensive

Every now and then a new gimmick or gadget comes on to the market. Doesn’t matter if it’s a new fast food product, a 10% brighter lightbulb or a device that you fit to your car that ‘miraculously’ improves all kinds of things. The one thing that these newfangled products usually have in common is that they end up being complete and utter rubbish that make a quick fortune from the gullible people of the world.

So when my eye was drawn (just to point out, I have two eyes, it’s just the way I’ve written it like that) to an advert in Revs magazine I had to look closer but carefully. A new device was available that lowered emissions, increased performance and improved fuel consumption. Sceptical old me reads:”Yes, an amazing product that you’ve never heard of but it’s really really good, honest, you can trust us…blah…blah…etc”.

Yes that’s me, I won’t be drawn into being fooled easily. Still, I didn’t want to be the one to be left with egg on my face and find out that in fact I could be missing out on the best thing since Pork scratchings. I headed over to their website (www.ecotekplc.com) to find out what the sales patter was going to be. I found myself being greeted by a fairly average but very informative site that not only contained all of the sales type information but also independent verifications of test results but also reports from people who have bought and installed the device on their own cars.

CB-26 what?
That’s what this device is ‘CB-26P’, it stands for Clean Burn 2.6 (max litres) Petrol. That means that the device is recommended for engines up to 2.6 litre petrol engines (not Diesel).
What the device does is act in three ways.
1. At normal engine idle it bleeds a small amount of air which improves emissions.
2. At medium engine revs it begins to oscillate which creates pulses of air to cause turbule
nce in the manifold.
3. At high engine revs it creates a swirl in the inlet gases.
What this all amounts to is a better mix of air and fuel which in turn makes it burn better. Now you don’t have to be a skilled mechanic or rocket scientist to work out that this is going to result in more efficient fuel burning hence reducing emissions and fuel consumption. That also enables the increase in performance as the fuel is being burnt more efficiently.

Already I hope you’re beginning to see that the facts are quite impressive but that’s no good without anything to back it up with.
Once you have looked at a few of the testimonials and reviews on the Ecotek website you’ll begin to see that many many people agree that this device definitely has some kind of effect on their cars.
It’s possible that it will make a huge difference, then again it may only create a small change – it’s all up to each car, results do vary quite dramatically.

If things work well then you’ll notice a huge drop in emissions, an increase in brake horsepower and reduced petrol consumption. I have to be honest and say that I couldn’t really care less about the emissions part as I have a catalytic converter on my car but extra performance and lower fuel consumption means that I was all ears.

The purchase:
I originally wanted to buy this a couple of months ago (more about that later) and I recently went for it again. A single device costs £48.99 including VAT and delivery but you will need to fit the device yourself. Alternatively you can contact a dealer near you who will fit it for a little extra.
Mine turned up two days after ordering although they say it can take up to ten days (bit of a safety buffer I think).
A small jiffy bag landed on my mat and inside was the device (in a small see-through case) including information and fitting instructions.
On my car (a P reg. Rover 416Sli Auto) the f
itting was simple, REALLY simple. For most vehicles it’s simply a case of locating the correct hose, cutting through it (don’t panic!) and inserting the device.
I’m not going to attempt to give a detailed fitting instruction as each car is different but basically there is a hose that goes from your brake servo (a plate-sized black drum) to your engine.
On my car it practically slapped me around the face it was so obvious but I know that on other cars installation can be tricky so check first.

You may be lucky enough to have your specific car featured on the website as many people have written in (with pictures on some) to describe the installation and the results.
As a guide, it took me (amateur/average mechanical skills) less than ten minutes to fit and tune the device it really was incredibly simple.
Illustrated instructions come supplied with the device and those same instructions are on the website.

Results so far:
It’s early days and I will have updated the fuel results by Wednesday 11th July. I have noticed an instant difference in the feel of the car. It’s smoother whilst accelerating and I have barely heard the well-famed noise that the unit can make. As the unit sucks air in to the engine it can make a bit of a gurgling noise (you’ll hear it when you tune the device) although I’ve only heard it as I back off the revs and with the car stereo on I just can’t hear it (and no it’s not on loud!!).
The fuel is my main reason for purchase so I’ll be very keen to see if there’s a difference (I will know even if there is even a slight difference I guarantee it!).

Surely there’s a downside?!
Well, apart from the induction noise there actually isn’t really one that I can find. It does seem a little expensive for such a small device but if it works then it’s a small price to pay for the potential savings and improvement in performan
ce.

If you do find that the noise is intrusive you have the option of purchasing a Pipercross filter. This fits on top of the unit and should silence it completely (or at least enough to be disguised by engine noise).
The filter costs around £20 and can be bought from the site although I spotted these in Halfords in Newbury for £16.95 so a bit of a bargain. Knowing Halfords though they probably haven’t got a clue what it’s for as they don’t sell the Ecotek device! (That’s another story altogether of course).

My only downside so far is actually not to do with the device itself but my local dealer.
Goddard Auto in Swindon (I’m not afraid to mention their name) were excellent when I called them, no problems, would only cost a pound more and I wouldn’t have the hassle of fitting it myself.
I booked an appointment with them at the beginning of the week for a Saturday morning (after being told the device should be there in time) but Saturday came and nothing arrived. No problem, these things happen. Monday, nothing, Tuesday nothing and the whole time it was me chasing them!
Who wanted the business? It’s not like they were doing me a favour! In the end I didn’t bother calling them anymore and they didn’t (to this day) ever return my call or get back to me in any way.
Pretty rubbish if you ask me and I hope your local dealer will be a little bit more efficient.
Hence I sulked for a while before opting for the DIY decision and I’m glad I did – it really was very easy in my case.

A note – if you have an engine over 2.6 litres you can still fit the Ecotek but you’ll need to buy two units (luckily there is a discount for buying two at once so you could also use this to ‘go halves’ with a friend).

Guarantee:
What if it doesn’t do a thing though? Don’t you worry my friends because if it ends up being a complete waste
of time you can return the device within 30 days and get a full refund for any reason. Perhaps it didn’t perform as well as you’d hoped, just send it back although I’m sure they’d appreciate what your reason is.
As well as this you get a two-year product replacement guarantee, can’t say fairer than that can you?


If it’s a gimmick that doesn’t work then you can return it. Many people (including the Department of Trade and Industry!) have vouched for the device and I can confirm that my car’s performance has improved, instantly, no doubt about it.
The fuel issue will be updated here although I expect some kind of improvement.
Initial impressions are good and only time will tell just how much of a difference this device has made to my car.

THE UPDATE:
Oh dear. Sadly there has been no improvement in fuel consumption. I can totally confirm that the performance is up - no question about it but despite my best efforts to ensure that I drive lightly there has been no improvement in fuel saving.
I've contacted them for a refund and true to their word I can have one without argument (they just wanted to know what the problem was - all goes towards the knowledge base).

I would still recommend you give it a try, results to vary between cars and if you're after a bit of extra performance this is definitely worth trying.

Summary: