In the quest to save money and keep vehicles running as long as possible, vehicle owners spend sizable sums on preventive maintenance. It's no secret that preventing problems before they occur is the best way to avoid costly repairs. What's more difficult, however, is improving on the efficiency already designed into vehicles by manufacturers. Engine oil treatments such as Prolong represent one of those attempts at improvement.
Prolong is a brand of lubricant additive sold by Prolong Super Lubricants. They are most notable for their engine oil treatment that claims to reduce wear and friction in an automobile engine. No verifiable independent testing supports these claims; however, Prolong promotes their own test conclusions. Prolong does not freely offer the actual test results or the names of the firms who conducted them, offering only the conclusions.
Prolong claims to have an additive that contains special compounds which interact with metal surfaces on molecular and chemical levels. This interaction is claimed to create a bond between the Prolong additive and the metal that reduces friction and wear. The company does not identify the chemical compound responsible for this result. Prolong states that their product does not contain chlorine, PTFE, or molybdenum. Prolong does imply that their product contains chlorinated paraffins which are noted by experts in the oil industry to be unstable and corrosive when exposed to heat. Prolong claims to have improved the chemical stability of its product, and does not implicitly state that it contains chlorinated paraffins.
Prolong is added to the engine oil during oil changes. A first treatment requires the addition of twelve ounces of the Prolong additive to the crankcase at oil change. Subsequent oil changes require the addition of an eight-ounce "booster" intended to maintain the levels of the additive coating the engine's internal surfaces.
Prolong claims that their additive will reduce friction and wear in automobile engines, resulting in longer engine life. They provide numerous customer testimonials and demonstrations to support this claim. Other tests have shown no improvements in engine longevity, or have not been able to reproduce the results. There are no available studies showing definitive results or benefits from the addition of Prolong to engine oil.
Prolong began as a small company in the early 1990s that sold small quantities of their product from a central location. Their only product was an oil additive sold under the brand name "Prolong". In the mid 1990s Prolong was investigated by the FTC in reference to the claims the company was making for their product. Prolong settled the case with the FTC, avoiding a court case, and agreed to abide by FTC regulations regarding their claims. Prolong was not judged guilty in any of the complaints, nor was it absolved. Prolong was one of the few oil additive brands to avoid fines and has since modified the claims regarding their products to reflect the rules imposed by the settlement agreement. Prolong has also expanded their product line to include additives for transmissions and antifreeze, as well as a line of its own lubricants.
