# Redex



## sparrow (Feb 7, 2009)

Just wondered, is redex petrol additive any good / has anyone used it with any positive results?


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

It works well. I've used it for years. I used to have a transport business and it certainly worked well on our petrol vehicles.

Mike


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## harryblakes7 (Oct 1, 2010)

It's great for older vehicles with carbs, or for those of us who cleaned up the jets etc..............

Modern petrol cars are fuel injected, certainly from 1993 and would benefit from the "Redex Petrol Injector" version...........

It's great stuff :yes:


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

tixntox said:


> It works well. I've used it for years. I used to have a transport business and it certainly worked well on our petrol vehicles.
> 
> Mike


How do you know it worked well, did you run some vehicles with and some without and keep a documented comparison with mpg, oil consumption, engine parts wear & longevity ???? Modern fuels and oils already have loads of additives in them so these days this sort of thing isn't really giving you any gain.

I'm calling snake oil ......usually with a lot of smoke as well

:lol: :lol:


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Ah...I well remember the days when every garage forecourt had the hand pump cans of Redex ready. That was in the days when a smartly overalled chap would come out and fill your car with petrol for you. 'Four and four shots', or even 'four and four' was the instruction!...........and change from ten bob! Nowadays, I always put a bottle of the diesel version in the tank about two weeks before the MOT test to help clean the injectors and pass the emission test.


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

I know this clip doesn't feature Redex but nevertheless it illustrates what I'm on about. Note man in white coat surrounded by lots of high tech equipment in a controlled environment, not Old Bob down the lane that fixes tractors.

So here's the challenge can anybody produce some irrefutable scientific evidence that this stuff works, I'll be surprised but by the same token I'm prepared to stand corrected, I'm stuck on nightshift so a bit of googling will pass the time away :lol: :lol:


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

BondandBigM said:


> tixntox said:
> 
> 
> > It works well. I've used it for years. I used to have a transport business and it certainly worked well on our petrol vehicles.
> ...


That's what fuel suppliers tell us, and the price they charge should justify the claims.

Not that I'm sceptical or anything.

"Buy our petrol and your car will go further and last longer". They tried it before and the "improvement" didn't impress the market.

Just service it as the manufacturer recommends and fill it up with the expensive petrol and forget about it, cars are no less of a consumable than a 'phone battery is.

Did I suggest I was cynical?


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## Rotundus (May 7, 2012)

trust pink, forget stains...

doesn't work either...


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## Rotundus (May 7, 2012)

Roger the Dodger said:


> waffle waffle That was in the days when a smartly overalled chap would come out and fill your car with petrol for you.blah blah


did the chap in front of you with the red flag choose the garage and get a farthing for his trouble?


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

desmondus rotundus said:


> Roger the Dodger said:
> 
> 
> > waffle waffle That was in the days when a smartly overalled chap would come out and fill your car with petrol for you.blah blah
> ...


He certainly did and he was damn well grateful for it too! How wonderful it used to be when out for a spin in the jalopy, to see the cheery AA or RAC man salute you on your way, in his immaculate livery, motorcycle and sidecar. They could fix anything at the roadside....nowadays, after waiting for about an hour, the modern RAC man shuffles over from his van, lifts the bonnet, has a look, shakes his head and sucks his teeth before announcing " Nah..it's facked mate.....I'll 'ave t' tow yer"

I mean...Good grief....the county's going to the dogs.................. :lol:


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

Further to Bond's 5th. Gear video above where they discuss the effects of fuel additives on engine power output, I recall that the Sunday Times ran a similar test on a variety of fuel additive products in their "In Gear" supplement a few weeks ago. If I remember correctly, in every case fuel consumption was made worse after applying the additive.

So, taking these two pieces of evidence together, it would suggest that third-party additives reduce power and increase fuel consumption by messing up the petrol companies' already carefully crafted fuel blends. Not the sort of results I'd want to affect my car's engine, especially if I'm paying extra. I too call "snake oil".


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## sparrow (Feb 7, 2009)

thanks guys, very interesting feedback - I think I'll go with no additive, as i cant take it away once its in the engine!

I'll just give it a blast on the bypass, maybe stick the more expensive fuel in and change the plugs.


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

You could always paint some `go-faster` stripes on the side or hang a pair of fluffy dice round your mirror, I doubt 5th Gear has tested either so you never know, they might just work


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## Tony1951 (Dec 23, 2011)

I remember paying extra for Redex on my old 1960s / 1950s motor bikes and hammering them about trying to squeeze a shade more out of them. II'd have to say I might have had a psychological boost out of my purchase of the red snake oil, but I didn't notice anything happen to the bikes. One thing though, I could notice power improvements after careful de-coking of especially two stroke engines. They would sing noticeably better with polished ports and pistons and heads. You could really feel the difference then.

I would have said there was no way any of that rubbish would make your car go better, even before I watched the video, but there is no arguing with that kind of equipment really is there? It just goes to show, people are easily parted from their money..... after all, I just bought a lottery ticket with five lines on it, so that proves that particular assertion, doesn't it?


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## Adz (Jul 8, 2010)

having been manufacturer trained ( or brainwashed  ) i have never seen the benefits of fuel additive, i have however seen the negative effects of a oil treatment which required valve stem oil seal replacement after aprox 2 weeks.

i am a firm believer that manufacturers these days design engines/ drivetrains to cope with the worst fuels and oils available for the sectors that the vehicle is to be used for, i also believe a a good hard run every now and again and good quality oil / filter change on a regular basis makes all the difference.

just my tuppence

forgot to say, this is my opinion and is no way backed up by scientific evidence . But fuel and oil has changed in the last 30 years but the old additives havent


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## colgy (Feb 20, 2012)

I'm very sceptical about all these fuel additives too; on the other hand, carb cleaner (or the modern equivalent where you remove the filter and spray into the throttle body) seemed to make a difference on a friend's older car and left a lot of black soot on the pavement under the exhaust!


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## Philz (Oct 20, 2009)

I use it in my diesel Audi I wouldn't say it improves MPG but the Audi being a lumpy engine on tickover is much smoother using Redex. It is not only about improved MPG but engine wear and cleaners. I have used it on old carb engines pouring it directly into the carb and it cleans up the varnish a treat. Modern engines have a longer life but for me the extra few pence is worth it.


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## LJD (Sep 18, 2011)

No question .Using a good splosh of 2 stroke oil in a diesel does make the engine run a fraction quieter etc . Been using it for years . Paraffin in a diesel also is a good idea to assist clean out the system. It will not make you go any faster !!

But a lot of petrol etc is now having many chemical parts removed due to Euro Laws etc. Not good for the engine


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

Similar subject - Electronics Management Systems - the built-in 'puter sort of learns your driving pattern, and some diesel cars now need a blast down the nearest 70 mph road to clean them out and re-awaken the 'putery bit?

That's assuming you spend most or all of your time city driving. We do a 30 mile blast once a week anyway (60 there and back) to a venue we teach at on a Saturday, so I've no probs compensating for the rest of the week in the city. :lol:

*REDEX* - - Commander, don't you dare destroy my teenage fantasies with your Hi tech discombobulations







I *know *without a doubt that my Harry Potter Anglia went loads better with *REDEX in the tank *- - plus a free Tiger from the *ESSO* garage - - sometimes the vacuum wipers worked! ( They never worked without REDEX) :rofl2:


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## Barryboy (Mar 21, 2006)

I understand that Forte lubricants are highly regarded in the motor trade. Might be worth a look.

Rob


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## Who. Me? (Jan 12, 2007)

mel said:


> some diesel cars now need a blast down the nearest 70 mph road to clean them out and re-awaken the 'putery bit?


You might be thinking about the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) there? It's basically a can with stuff, in the exhaust, that catches the sooty bits. It gets flippin hot and burns the soot up cleanly, so you don't choke the bumble bees (Google for that consipracy theory), but only if it gets hot enough.

Lots of short, heavy-footed journeys generate lots of soot, without getting enough heat in to the exhaust, so tends to fill them up.

The 'puter' "knows" when it's full and the engine runs like a bag of spanners until you go out and thrash it *cough*, I'm sorry, until you 'regenerate the filter'. That burns the crud out of it.


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## peteslag (Mar 23, 2011)

Give your car a damn good thrashing every now and then, that helps clear any potential blockages in the fuel system. I've only used redex once, this was on an old peugeot that I didn't thrash for fear of destroying the elderly engine. Redex certainly helped but I still prefer the thrashing technique, it is cheaper and much more fun!


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

mel said:


> plus a free Tiger from the *ESSO* garage - - sometimes the vacuum wipers worked! ( They never worked without REDEX) :rofl2:


A Tiger In Your Tank but do you remember the free bullet hole stickers Esso gave away with petrol ??? I'm thinking mid 60's maybe, they never made my old man's car go faster either :lol: :lol:


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## Prophecy88 (Feb 16, 2012)

great stuff....put too much in once and filled Preston's streets during rush hour with thick black smoke







....engine must have been clean as a whistle when the smoke cleared


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

Anybody use the other Snake Oil Salesman's favourite :lol: ;lol:


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

BondandBigM said:


> mel said:
> 
> 
> > plus a free Tiger from the *ESSO* garage - - sometimes the vacuum wipers worked! ( They never worked without REDEX) :rofl2:
> ...


Didn't need them Commander, I lived in the east end of Glasgow near the Dennistoun Palais about then - you could get real bullet holes for free if you parked in the right streets where the two gang areas met!


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

Yep, the bullet holes stickers were down to the TV series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E".

ã€€

Even Corgi Toys had an U.N.C.L.E. car with bullet holes in the windscreen, I stuck one of the stickers on my Dad's Wolseley 1500 screen.

He responded by making me strip the SU carb and clean out the float chamber.

ã€€

Thanks Dad, that's just what the average 12 year old wants to do on a Saturday.


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

Stan said:


> Yep, the bullet holes stickers were down to the TV series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E".
> 
> ã€€
> 
> ...


I was thinking James Bond - Thunderball was behind the bullet stickers ?????? But it was a long time ago :lol: :lol:



> Petrol stations stuff, definitely, Mexico World Cup coins and Olympics medals, you got the big cardboard cutouts to put them in, must be some of those around on Ebay. As well as the glasses, toy
> 
> s and junk, one of the coolest I remember was a James Bond promotion where ESSO gave you stick-on Bullet Holes for your windscreen and windows.


 http://www.twiglet.com/60s.htm


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

Or maybe Goldfinger ??


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

BondandBigM said:


> Stan said:
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> 
> > Yep, the bullet holes stickers were down to the TV series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E".
> ...


Perhaps, but clearly not exclusive to that franchise. "The Man from U.N,C.L.E" was on TV and quite popular, much more accesible to most of the popluation than the Bond films.


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

Stan said:


> BondandBigM said:
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> 
> > Stan said:
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Interestingly Ian Fleming was involved in The Man From UNCLE, didn't realise there was a connection.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_from_U.N.C.L.E.


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

BondandBigM said:


> Stan said:
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> > BondandBigM said:
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http://en.wikipedia..../David_McCallum born in Glasgow, it seems.

That doesn't mean that the best secret agents come from Scotland, and they don't have to be tall and balding.


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Stan said:


> BondandBigM said:
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> > Stan said:
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That made me think.  You never saw Q fit Bond with his new secret agent hairpiece. A hairpiece that would turn into a grappling hook or rappeling harness and rope. :lol:

Later,

William


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

William_Wilson said:


> Stan said:
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> > BondandBigM said:
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Big has a couple of wigs maybe I could sort something out :lol: :lol:


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## Philz (Oct 20, 2009)

As Mel states some vehicles brain monitors your driving It is called adaptive driving style. It will alter the rev range and in auto gearboxes the actual point of the gear change based on previous driving. If you drive like Miss Daisy all week then floor it the vehicle will under perform untill it has adapted to your new driving style. As I stated earlier this is more common on Auto's.


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

BondandBigM said:


> tixntox said:
> 
> 
> > It works well. I've used it for years. I used to have a transport business and it certainly worked well on our petrol vehicles.
> ...


Sorry for the late reply.

Yes. We did several comparisons and the RE vehicles were always more economical and the engine "innards" were always cleaner on the scheduled stripdowns. The carbon build up on heads and valves was virtually eliminated and compression tests were better on the treated vehicles. We had some vehicles on stop/start deliveries which showed vast improvements.

Mike


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