Kevin Bacon 5 Posted August 29, 2003 I picked up a copy of Car & Car Mechanics today and found a couple of interesting things in it. First off was that PowerBoost spray we've discussed in the past, and secondly, an oil additive called Prolong. They did a proper test of the Powerboost on a E36 BMW 320i with 88K on the clock. Before - 111KW. After - 120KW. A week later, 120KW. CC&C are like me, very sceptical of 'pour in' fixes but they did everything objectively and by the book and found 9KW. So it does work. Secondly, this prolong stuff. It's like Slick 50 but get this.....Prolong offer a free lifetime warranty on your engine if treated at less than 100,000 miles and under 10 years old. I'm thinking VR6....timing chains....free repair? It's a bold offer but worth a look? I haven't looked into the warranty small print and the chains would probably be classed as normal wear and tear, but if the engine welds itself together using it, at least you can get a fresh lump put in, at their expense. http://www.ecotekplc.com http://www.prolong-uk.com Kev Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spoier 0 Posted August 29, 2003 Yeah OK a week later... what about a month later? 100000km later? How does it affect bore wear? Valve wear? Bearings? etc etc etc etc Two dyno pulls over a week is not a "proper test". I don't trust any of that stuff. IF it works, the manufacturers will start using it. Skye Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted August 29, 2003 Well, it is a proper test because it's designed to be a once a 20K treatment, therefore you're looking for instant results on the first application. The test was done on a standard car and all the dyno runs were done on days with the same ambient temperature and barometric pressure, to ensure there weren't any outside influences affecting the readings. How can it affect bore wear? It's just essentially a much stronger version of the cleansers put into petrol, which we use daily. The spray is foam so it clings to the valves and piston crowns. Besides, at 100K, normal engine wear would have taken place anyway, which this product does not offer a solution for. I'm not saying it'll work on every car but the magazine that tested it is highly regarded over here, so if it yielded no improvement, they wouldn't feature it, simple as that. Kev Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joe M 0 Posted August 29, 2003 I used something called 10k boost on my 16v a few years back and have to say it did make a difference that I noticed, the car seemed to rev easier and fuel consumption improved. Its strange though, the amount of smoke that comes out the back of the car while its been sprayed, just watch were your parked as I had a wall black with all the crap that came out the exaust. :twisted: I will be giving this PowerBoost a go. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Supercharged 2 Posted August 29, 2003 Its strange though, the amount of smoke that comes out the back of the car while its been sprayed, just watch were your parked as I had a wall black with all the crap that came out the exaust I take it that this stuff has some sort of agent in it that 'cleans' the engine of carbon deposits... ... I remember the first time i stuck some REDEX in my mk2! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joe M 0 Posted August 29, 2003 lol@Supercharged, I did expect smoke but not that much. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted August 29, 2003 Yeah, that black smoke is a combination of the chemical agent and softened carbon deposits. I'd be more concerned if there was NO smoke upon application. Always add inlet cleansers upstream of the MAF sensor, especially on hot film and wire sensors. It's not for everyone but I felt duty bound to bring it to your attention. I'm more interested in the Prolong myself, as it does actually sound effective. Kev Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Supercharged 2 Posted August 29, 2003 Prolong Sounds like something you take in pill form after a Viagra! (sorry but its a friday night :lol:) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coullstar 0 Posted August 29, 2003 What about these "pills" that you add to fuel tank? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 1 Posted August 29, 2003 Yeah OK a week later... what about a month later? 100000km later? How does it affect bore wear? Valve wear? Bearings? etc etc etc etc Two dyno pulls over a week is not a "proper test". I don't trust any of that stuff. IF it works, the manufacturers will start using it. Skye I think the point is that manufacturers dont WANT us to own their cars for years and years.. they'd rather we were all driving around in brand new shiny cars every single year. They aren't exactly going to promote products which make their cars live way past their normal life expectancy.. I'd say that as soon as the car is out of warranty, they couldn't give a rats ass about how well or how badly it behaves.. the Corrado is a shining example. Despite it being (in our opinion at least) one of the greatest VW's ever, Volkswagen really want nothing to do with the Corrado and the community behind it.. they have to continue to manufacture parts for a car they stopped making 7 or 8 years ago, they have to keep tools & provisions in their workshop to deal with the Corrado, and they need to at least have some mechanics in their workshops who know about some of the common foibles and problems with the Corrado. They would much rather we scrapped the Corrado's and went and bought Golf MK4's or Seat Leons.. and although the Leon Cupra is a great car, I still think the Corrado is the daddy :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spoier 0 Posted August 29, 2003 Well if its just a de-carbonizing spray, that has been around for 50+ years... can help definately But oil additives I'm still extremely skeptical!! Skye Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
