Mountain Mama
N. TX
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Joined: 03/28/2008
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Well, I guess I was a "sucker" as I expected to get a free vehicle report as the ad said, but learned differently when I went to the website...but they don't have my $$, yet!
2003 Holiday Rambler Alumascape 34RLT
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ombudsman
Enid, Oklahoma
Full Member
Joined: 09/26/2007
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outdoorsman2007 wrote:davemittan wrote:Wasn't it P.T. Barnum who said that?
Wait - I think he said "There's a sucker born every minute."
Another phrase that comes to mind:
Caveat emptor (Buyer beware)
Gizmos claiming increased mpg have been around for decades. I never saw one that worked as claimed. Never.
Actually I went to high school with a friend who later invented a product that you placed under the carburetor (I'm showing my age). Depending on how you drove, it increased your mileage about 50%.
His patent was bought and the device was removed from existence. I had a test model on my car back then and it did work.
So this particular "gizmo", as you put it, did actually work, which is why you never saw it on the market.
If you develop something that will hurt a big corporation's profits, you can bet that big corporation will do what they can to stifle you.
I'm not saying that these "snake oil" adds brought up by the OP are legit, they aren't.
Now, this is odd. My elderly father-in-law tells exactly the same story, except that the invention caused the car to get "over 100 miles per gallon." I guess there were inventors all over the country coming up with these breakthroughs! The "big corporations" must have spent a fortune over the years hushing these things up!
Dave
David & Paula
Lovin' it!!!
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mike4947
N. Syracuse, NY
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Joined: 08/26/2002
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For the record Google has opt-out provisions for specific and types of ads. If you see ones that are truely false or objectionable click on "notify moderator" in any post or send a PM to your favorite moderator and send your objection. All of us moderators will pass it along to the "Powers that Be" that have the authority over the Google ads.
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They say you learn by your mistakes, in that case I must be a genius.
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topflite51
In The Desert of Nevada
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Joined: 05/13/2004
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ombudsman wrote: The "big corporations" must have spent a fortune over the years hushing these things up!
Dave Or the government!
 David
Just rolling along enjoying life
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outdoorsman2007
In the Woods - Somewhere!
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Joined: 04/12/2007
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ombudsman wrote:outdoorsman2007 wrote:davemittan wrote:Wasn't it P.T. Barnum who said that?
Wait - I think he said "There's a sucker born every minute."
Another phrase that comes to mind:
Caveat emptor (Buyer beware)
Gizmos claiming increased mpg have been around for decades. I never saw one that worked as claimed. Never.
Actually I went to high school with a friend who later invented a product that you placed under the carburetor (I'm showing my age). Depending on how you drove, it increased your mileage about 50%.
His patent was bought and the device was removed from existence. I had a test model on my car back then and it did work.
So this particular "gizmo", as you put it, did actually work, which is why you never saw it on the market.
If you develop something that will hurt a big corporation's profits, you can bet that big corporation will do what they can to stifle you.
I'm not saying that these "snake oil" adds brought up by the OP are legit, they aren't.
Now, this is odd. My elderly father-in-law tells exactly the same story, except that the invention caused the car to get "over 100 miles per gallon." I guess there were inventors all over the country coming up with these breakthroughs! The "big corporations" must have spent a fortune over the years hushing these things up!
Dave
What's your point?
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Sea Dog
Ontario Can.
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Joined: 04/15/2001
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The point is that these "inventions" have been around since the days of Henry Ford.
The only problem is, like Big Foot and the Loc Ness Monster, while second hand accounts abound, no one has ever actually seen one.
Is anyone dumb enough to think that car companies spend millions developing more fuel efficient vehicles when all they have to do is reach in a drawer and pull out the plans for a gizmo that Zeke invented in his corn crib back in thirty and two?
Life is short,Death is long,
Take a vacation.
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CactusJohn
Scottsdale, AZ
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Joined: 03/23/2008
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We need Oliver Stone or Michael Moore to investigate this.
2007 Ameri-Camp Summit Ridge SF27RK 5er
2008 F250 Lariat SuperCab, 6.4L PSD
Reese 16K Kwik-Slide with BedSaver
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loedman1
Napa, Ca.
Senior Member
Joined: 06/12/2006
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Colon cleansing anyone?
Hmm, I wonder if a magic steam mop operated by Billy Mays would do the trick.
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adondo
Pasco, Washington
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Joined: 07/28/2004
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Along the same lines... here's a silly rip-off item that's been somewhat discussed in another semi-related thread in the RV.net forums.
''Electric Supercharger''
Trust me, it would NEVER work. Sooner or later though, some poor sucker will be sucked right into that scam. I have to admit that it's very comical that someone would put an air cleaner on a heater blower fan and sell it as a ''supercharger''
I just read about Arnold Schwarzenegger telling the car makers to ''stop whining'' about having to build more efficient engines. If vehicle manufactures who dump tens of millions of dollars into R&D can't figure it out, how can some snake oil salesman do it in his garage?!?
FMCA# F355513. 1997 Safari Continental, 40 foot, 1 slide. Cat 3126B, Allison MD3060. 2000 Durango SLT 4x4 toad with a Blue Ox Aventa II and stopped with a Brake Buddy.
Seen on the Road Photo album
Aiming a Direct TV dish
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colochoclab
Arvada, Colorado
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Joined: 05/24/2006
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Is the ad gone now? I also saw it for awhile, but I can't find it anymore. Good riddance!
-Lab
2008 Nissan Titan LE Crew 4x4, DOHC 5.6 V8 w/VVT, Big Tow Pkg.
2006 Jayco JayFlight 29FBS
Equal-i-zer 10K Hitch
Prodigy Brake Control
Member of clubtitan.org
"Hershey" the Chocolate Lab!
"I asked God for a true friend: He sent me a Labrador Retriever."
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