IN 2016, Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI), marketer of Caltex brand of fuels and lubricants introduced its new Caltex with Techron fortified with the latest “Clean and Glide” technology. It was a new fuel exclusive to the Asia-Pacific and South Africa regions, which is specifically formulated to clean and protect the internal surfaces of the engine. Recently, Caltex further validated that claim by revealing the results of a borescope test conducted in October—achieving 9.7 and 9.8 average scores in Asia and the Philippines, respectively, in terms of engine intake valves level of cleanliness.
“The recent borescope test once again helps demonstrate to local motorists that not all fuels are created equal. Since our last test in 2013, Caltex fuels continue to work at keeping parts clean, thereby contributing to five performance benefits—maximized power, better fuel economy, lower emissions, a smoother drive and reliable performance,” said Chevron Asia Pacific Product Engineering Manager Greg Engeler. “This is also the first time the new Caltex with Techron formulation has been tested under the local market—with local fuels, under local climatic, driving and traffic conditions. We are delighted that the latest Clean and Glide technology is proven to deliver unbeatable cleaning power to help our customers’ cars perform at their best,” he added.
This particular borescope test was conducted in four Asian markets (Philippines, Hong Kong, Cambodia and Thailand) where Caltex inspected 694 valves from 94 cars. Utilized during the test was a Karl Storz borescope in order to examine the internal fuel system, comparing against the industry standard Co-operative Research Council (CRC) Intake Valve Deposit (IVD) rating system, where 10 denotes perfectly clean.
Tests showed that vehicles fueled by Caltex with Techron that achieved an average score of 9.7 out of 10 across all four Asian markets, surpassed the average 8.9 score of vehicles using lower-quality fuel. In comparison, some vehicles using lower-quality fuels even recorded valve readings of as low as 5.0, 5.0, 6.5 and 8.5 for Cambodia, Philippines, Thailand and Hong Kong, respectively.
In the Philippines, a third-party firm was commissioned in order to randomly select volunteers—prioritizing top-selling and mainstream vehicles in the country with a minimum mileage of 40,000 kilometers. Then, tested vehicles were drawn from a sample comprising of Caltex users and non-users, including brand switchers. Fuel grade utilized included 91R E10.
“We are extremely proud of the borescope test results, as these provide concrete evidence of the consistent performance of Caltex with Techron. Achieving such a high score in valve cleanliness reflects our commitment to providing only the best-quality fuel products. We are thrilled to be sharing this news with our media and car club friends,” said CPI Country Chairman Louie Zhang.
The borescope test only demonstrated Caltex’s commitment to cleaner engines, while staying true to the evolving nature of Techron in anticipation of future engine technology and local market needs. All grades of Caltex gasoline contain Techron, a fuel additive package backed by over 30 years of research and development, which has a polyetheramine component designed to clean up fuel system deposits and prevent them from reforming. Filipinos can head down to any Caltex service station to experience the benefits Caltex fuels with Techron. Meanwhile, Caltex also teased an upcoming promo dubbed as “Feel the Power of Clean” that will run from January 1 to April 30, 2019. With every single receipt of P500 of fuel purchase of any Caltex fuel products and Techron Concentrate Plus (P300) or Techron Diesel Concentrate (P350), customers will get six P50 fuel vouchers totaling to P300. Redemption of vouchers is until June 30, 2019, at participating Caltex stations nationwide.
Image credits: Randy S. Peregrino