The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ordered engine decarbonisation specialist Terraclean to withdraw an advert which claiming that its treatment would keep a vehicle’s fuel system and associated components running efficiently – branding it “misleading”.

Sector rival Carbon Cleaning International reported the advert to the ASA as it challenged whether the claimed effects of the product were misleading and could be substantiated.

The challenge was upheld after Terraclean, which is owned by parent company Ranstad, submitted a series of rolling road test results and images detailing its products cleaning effects.

The ASA stated that it considered the evidence “was not adequate to demonstrate that the product would have a noticeable benefit on engines in the ways described in the ad and on most, if not all, types of vehicle” and concluded that the advert was misleading.

In its advert – publicised via Facebook – Terraclean said that of over 500 emissions specialists could provide a unique, periodic preventative maintenance service to keep an engines, fuel systems and associated components running efficiently.

It said that it delivered these results through the removal of the harmful build-up of carbon from combustion chambers, turbochargers, catalytic converters and lambda sensors along with removing gums tars and varnishes from your injection system which fuel impurities leave behind using a patented, unique and highly-refined fuel specifically developed by Canadian Engineers.

Terraclean added: “We have had our claims validated by the relevant advertising standards and continue to this day to promote our capabilities across social media, and national television.”

In a bid to back up its claims in light of the claims against it, Terraclean submitted a number of before and after images of various makes, models, and ages, of key components before and after they had been treated to the ASA.

It also provided rolling road data, comparing before and after data of engine power which they said showed increased engine performance and said that it was also in the process of arranging tests with an educational facility.

The business added that it was not its intention to imply ASA endorsement of the product, but was a reference to their claims being validated was in relation to their TV ads having been approved by Clearcast.

Terraclean said that it would remove the claim from the post.

But the ASA ordered the decarbonisation business to remove the ad completely and not run it again in its existing form.

It said: “The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told Randstad Ltd not to make objective claims about their service – such as, that it could keep engines, fuel systems and associated components running efficiently – unless they held adequate evidence to substantiate those claims.

“We also told them not to imply endorsement by the ASA or CAP.”