You may recall, a couple of months ago, I posted a message saying that, despite
my scepticism, I had had a positive experience with a 'Magic Cure In A
Bottle', in this case a cylinder block crack healer. Here is the updated (and
less happy) story.
The Magic Cure did exactly what it said it would do, after I followed the
instructions on the back. I added the product to pure water in the coolant
system, left it in for 3 days normal driving (with the thermostat removed),
then drained the coolant system and re-filled with normal coolant. The block
no longer leaked - I had been adding about a pint of water every day or two
before then. (This was on my wife's Citroen, not Daffy, but the message is
universal).
All was well for several weeks. Then, my wife had to start topping up the
coolant again, first a little, then more often. She is now adding a pint or
two almost every day. The 'Magic Cure' did stop the leak, but only
temporarily. I work in engine design, specifically analysing the structural
strength of engines, so I can theorise here a little (but this is NOT gospel,
just my guess-work...). Cracks don't just develop and then stop after a
while, they usually keep spreading and growing until they get somewhere -
either a significant change in the cross-section of the metal, or the other
side of it. So, the 'Magic Cure' may well have blocked the existing crack,
but it did not stop it growing, and soon the leak was back again.
At this stage I could use the product again, and hope that it would plug the
new, enlarged crack. However, my wife is fed up with the car, and it is
getting on a bit, so we are trading it in. If the AA inspection goes OK, in a
couple of days we will have a new (well, '89) Audi 100 Avant Quattro to play
with! 2.2 litre 5-cylinder, 4WD, should be a bit more fun than the 1.4
Citroen BX...
My scepticism with 'Magic Cures in a Bottle' is renewed with vigour...
Richard & Daffy
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