The Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection said it is investigating a Boston company advertising a product in D.C. area newspapers that claims to increase gas mileage by 22 percent.
With gasoline prices soaring, the National Fuel Saver Corp. has been advertising its Platinum Gas Saver, an after-market device that uses a vacuum line to hook to a car’s manifold and purportedly adds “microscopic amounts of platinum to the air and fuel entering the engine,” allowing non-burning fuel to burn.
The ad states that “Federal Consumer Protection has confirmed the fuel saving described in this product” and goes on to say that it was seen on ABC’s “20/20” program.
Representatives from ABC did not respond to an e-mail message but even the product’s founder, Joel Robinson, admitted that “they were trying to kill us and we were on for about 30 seconds.”
“It’s a wonderful credential,” Robinson said. “Our sales have boomed since they’ve seen that in our ad. Nobody goes back and watches the show.”
Evan Johnson, with the consumer protection office that oversees investigations, said little more Thursday other than the National Fuel Corp. probe was in the early stages.
“I can tell you we are investigating,” Johnson said. “We’re looking into it.”
Reports from across the country for years have detailed criticisms from officials who question the claims made by the company about the device’s efficiency. Consumer Reports magazine found no improvements after two tests in June.
Robinson, the inventor of the device, said he has sold about a half million units since the late 1970s. It sells for about $200, he said.
“We only make honest statements in our advertising and that’s our claim,” Robinson said.
