Liberator Fuel Saver Shuts Down

The Liberator installs easily under your throttle body, is supposed to increase fuel economy.

Saturday Mechanic investigation precipitates fuel-saver company going out of business.

I’m in the midst of doing an investigative story for the NY Times, testing a variety of fuel-saver gadgets. Liberty Fuel Saver was on the short list, and I had a lengthy meeting with them several months ago to iron out testing procedures and installation details, to ensure they got a fair shake in my testing.

(I’ve tested plenty of cars over the years,and the testing regimen I use involves a laptop computer running Palmer Performance software and a Scangauge to monitor the engine and its fuel consumption. I can maintain a 2% margin of error pretty reliably.)

A few weeks ago, I asked Liberator for some sample product, as we had been emailing back and forth since our March meeting. Last Friday,May 11, after several reminder emails, they declined to provide samples, saying they didn’t feel I was testing an appropriate mix of vehicles ( and no cars with carburetors. Remember carburetors?) So, I just ordered some units from their website that night for overnight delivery. Don’t screw with the NY Times, people.

The product I ordered and paid for online never showed. Instead, Wednesday the 16th I got a care package from them, with a handwritten note, offering advice on installation. So I started testing in earnest.

Late yesterday, the 17th. I got an email from the PR agency that handles the Liberator account. They revisited the performance data that the Liberator’s original developer had generated. After deciding that the data had “discrepancies”, they’ve shut down the company. This morning, the website is down. The production line is closed, and they have no plans to resume in the future. Done deal.

I’ve got to give them credit for their honesty, at least. My early testing wasn’t complete, but when I finish the story for the Times next month, I’ll be sure to post a link here.