Ricky, The Test Station: a wet belt Peugeot and MOT emissions

Ricky, The Test Station · Filmed 6 November 2025 · 3:30

Ricky from The Test Station talks about how his garage uses TEC 2000 products in everyday work. The Test Station has been established for about 20 years and has two branches close to each other in the Wallington and Carshalton area, doing MOTs, servicing and repairs, with the occasional engine rebuild. Ricky says they have used TEC 2000 for over 10 years. The film was recorded in his workshop on 6 November 2025, with David from TEC 2000 UK asking the questions.

Ricky explains what goes into each service: an engine flush as a minimum, a fuel treatment on a full service and an oil booster when customers report oil consumption. He also describes his first step for MOT emissions problems when there are no fault codes, a wet belt Peugeot Citroen that had been to other garages and still had an oil problem, what he sees when he takes the rocker box off, the cost of diesel injectors, and his own offer to cover the cost of a product if a customer is not happy with it.

More on this story

• Read the full story: Ricky, The Test Station
• TEC 2000 Field Report FR-2026-02: The Test Station (PDF)
• TEC 2000 Engine Flush
• TEC 2000 Oil Booster
• TEC 2000 Diesel System Cleaner
• TEC 2000 Fuel System Cleaner
• Short: Ricky: a fleet Peugeot with a sticky valve
• Short: Ricky: a wet belt Peugeot other garages hadn't sorted

Transcript

Narrator (TEC 2000): This is Ricky. He runs The Test Station, two garages near Wallington and Carshalton. Twenty years in the trade, MOTs, servicing and repairs. He has used TEC 2000 for over ten years. Stay for the Peugeot that came in after other garages had already tried.

Ricky: Been established about 20 years. Got two branches, very local to each other in Wallington, Carshalton area. MOT, service and repairs mainly. Engine rebuilds every now and then. And use your products on a daily basis.

Ricky: I would say for over 10 years I think we've been using it, and especially the last five years more predominantly in, you know, every service job we do.

Ricky: So every service that comes in, whether it be a minor, annual, or full, we do a minimum of an engine flush. A full service will include a fuel treatment as well. And there'll be often times if people are complaining of oil consumption issues, we'll often use an oil booster as well.

Ricky: So if we have a diesel vehicle in for a full service, we will apply this to either the tank or the fuel filter if we can. And yeah, definitely improves fuel economy, especially on new modern-day diesels. When you get the build up of certain EGR valves, et cetera, this definitely helps.

Ricky: Other ones we've had is emissions problems, with cars that may come in for an MOT. And first port of call now, just before looking into too much in depth, if there's no fault codes, we'll try a fuel treatment, send it out for a couple of days. We'll keep it in the workshop for a few days and give it a run, and more often than not, that product's worked fantastically. And, you know, we actually have people come in now and say, 'Do you mind if I buy one of them fuel treatments off you?' Just because they've noticed a difference in the product, you know, four miles per gallon.

Ricky: We once had a Peugeot Citroen in, I can't remember what model it was, not that long ago, that had been to various other garages. It's a wet belt vehicle. So as most people know in this industry, they are problematic. It had had the wet belt done, it had various bits and bobs done, and every now and then it was still having an oil problem. So we had it in, recommended a flush and an oil booster. So we put a flush in it, run it up to temperature, drained it all out, new oil and filter and an oil booster, and that resolved her light. And yeah, it worked, it worked amazing.

David (TEC 2000 UK): Haven't seen the car back?

Ricky: Not seen the car back since.

Ricky: We can often know if the cars have been serviced by us before. You know, you'll often get a car in that you can tell has not got good service history. They claim to have good service history. You may take the rocker box off and see all the carbon build-up and soot. Whereas for instance, we had one recently that had been serviced by us every year. Took the rocker box off to do some work, and it was so clean in there.

Ricky: Injectors on average are two to three hundred pounds each for a diesel injector, and if you've got a set of four of them that you need for someone's workhorse that's sitting in the garage not earning them money.

Ricky: I've even said to people that, you know, a money back guarantee, that if I fit that product and you're not happy with it, or you didn't want that product, I will cover the cost of that product.

David (TEC 2000 UK): But has that ever happened?

Ricky: I've never had anyone come back and say, 'I didn't want that on my bill,' or, 'Why did you fit that to my bill?'

Narrator (TEC 2000): That is twenty years on the ramps talking. A mechanic, his own customers, his own bills, not a marketing department. TEC 2000. British engine chemistry, made since 1994. The products Ricky uses every day are at tec2000.com.