If you own an ICE powered car you'll undoubtedly know that there are various fluids that you need to keep topped up at all times otherwise your car will overheat due to a lack of coolant, seize up thanks to a lack of engine oil, all while you can't see what's going on ahead of you because there's no screenwash for your windscreen.
In other words, keep these fluids topped up at all times or you'll have serious problems on your hands.
When you do go to top these fluids up you'll undoubtedly realise that you need a funnel otherwise you'll spill product everywhere, making your car dirty and wasting your valuable money. That's why we're testing this Draper Foldable Funnel, to see if it's the ultimate way to keep your car topped up on the go.
What is it?
Looking like an Eiffel 65 wobble board, this rubber nitrile coated board is a malleable funnel that's designed to be twisted and manipulated to meet the requirements of any pouring job. We'll be testing it to see if it's as versatile as claimed.
The test
If you're a regular reader of CAR and consider yourself a dyed-in-the-wool petrolhead, you'll probably have noticed that that funnel rest is the powerplant of one of the best hot hatches ever made, the Honda Civic Type R EP3.
We'll be topping it up with some vital fluids and making sure this flexible funnel can mould itself to fit into any opening it could realistically be required to do so. If it can fit the filling points for engine oil, screenwash, brake fluid coolant and fuel with no issues then it's a good car funnel.
Review
The most important job a funnel will do is the engine oil so that's where we started to see if the Draper was any good. We're using Castrol Edge 5W-40 and found that the Draper moulded readily to fit the mouth of the oil filler. Moving around the rest of the engine bay the Draper easily adjusted to fit the opening slots of the other reservoirs.
Any fluid we used poured easily and there was no spillages or mess. The only area that it may struggle with is fueling a car. It lacks a filter which could result in unwanted debris from entering your car's fuel tank.
Cleaning it was also really easy. Simply flatten it out and wipe it down with a cloth or piece of kitchen roll. A degreaser can be used if the funnel is really dirty although the nitrile coating is designed to be resistant to all the fluids you'd expect to use with a car, including antifreeze and coolant.
Finally, once the funnel was clean it was really easy to store in your car. Where normal funnels will roll about unless fastened down, the Draper will stay where you leave it.
Verdict
A funnel is an essential tool for any car owner and this is by far the best funnel we've tested. It's a really clever design, expertly made and is incredibly easy to use. It's also easy to clean and store when not in use.
Aside from the lack of a filter, the only downside is that the Draper costs a little more than most conventional funnels. But if you consider the quality and versatility it's an honest conclusion that you probably won't ever need another funnel again, making it a great investment.
5/5
| Pros | Cons | |
|---|---|---|
| • Infinitely malleable | • No filter | |
| • Folds flat when not in use | • Slightly more expensive than conventional funnels | |
| • Unbeatable quality |