What's the point of redex?

Hi,
I've used it before on the belief that it cleans out the carbon build up on valves and will allow the engine to run more smoothly and of course improve the Mpg. I use it about twice a year on most diesels I've had as its supposed to clean the injectors. Not sure how good it is but once you've put it in you feel as though you have tried and so it must be better for it?:confused:

Nigel:)
 
Nigel245 said:
Not sure how good it is but once you've put it in you feel as though you have tried and so it must be better for it?:confused:
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lol, I bought some just the other day for this very reason. Haven't used it since my first car all those years ago, but saw it for £3.99 in Tesco the other day and thought why not give it a go, figure on the small tank of the A2 should get three uses out of the bottle rather than two, probably do it once every three of four fills and see how it goes.

Can't see the how it can benefit MPG if you use it every fuel up, the cost of the redex would more than negate any MPG saving:rolleyes: But if it helps keep the injectors clean with occasional use that's another matter.
 
I also wouldn't use it at every fill up as the cost probably would outweigh any possible benefits but perhaps once or twice a year. However if in fact it does clean the injectors as most seem to state then any small amount of Mpg improvement as a result would be good but then so would a light right foot:p.
 
It's a shame Slick 50 don't do diesel fuel cleaner as i used to use that on my old R5's and swear by it. But they were Carburettor driven motors so perhaps the benefits where more noticeable as they tend to gum up.

Slick 50 effects last about 1year with one bottle if I remember correctly. If I had a petrol car still I’d recommend that.
 
You could ask the same question of "what is the point of premium V-Power/ Ultimate/ Excellium / Snake Oil" fuels which are marketed at a significantly higher price point... I expect the stuff in off-the-shelf fuel additives like Redex and Millers etc is the same type of additive put in the premium-level fuels; so the promise of that higher priced product is a "cleaner" engine - ie. longer life, more efficient etc.

Do they work? Who honestly knows. There are too many variables to measure by your own experience, and there's too much money spent on marketing, PR and faux-science-trials to give the impression of positive results to be totally sure. I guess if you spend £10 on a bottle of fuel additive and feel it's doing your car good, and you feel good about the purchase, then it's probably not done you or the car any harm!
 
Chaps,

Thanks for that. I use BP Ultimate mainly and sometimes V-Power so I think an annual dose of redex will be just the ticket.

If only as a placebo effect that convinces me I'm looking after the car properly!
 
STP total fuel system cleaner is much better in my opinion. Uses stronger cleaners and can only be used once / twice a year. Cleans fuel lines and injectors.

My car ran sweet after using it.

Jhon
 
A2James said:
Hello,

Would adding some Redex to my 1.6FSI be a good idea? What's the point of it?

James
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hi James if you are thinking about the use of this product for cleaning injectors then i would recommend the Audi approved products that are sea foam additive(2 part) or the Wynn's dip3. The general use of fuel additives is to clean carbon deposits from the valves and inlet tract. Because our engines are direct injection(inside the combustion chamber) This just does not happen so no point in using-in fact other than the recommended products Audi say NO ADDITIVES TO BE ADDED. But due to big carbon problems with direct injection they have tested many different ones and recommend those as stated. The best way to keep your engine clean is to use high octane fuel and change your engine oil more regularly than Audi say with quality vag oil.
cheers mike
 
Mike,

From where do I get the two products: sea foam additive 2 part and Wynn's dip 3?

Also which oil do you recommend? Where from? How much (oil and price)!

Many thanks,

James
 
Hi james i got my additives from ebay as for oil i use the recomended castrol edge 5w-30w and i get it from either costco or ebay approx £28 for 4.5 litres. cheers mike
 
I got some Wynns Direct Injection Power 3 via ebay for under £11 delivered.

Got to be worth a try at that price. Direct injection engines seem to be tempremental so every little helps.
 
I use a teaspoon of powdered Rhino horn in mine...goes a lot better...anyone tried those little blue tablets for your diesel injectors yet? :)
 
The FSI carbon build up problem is well documented all over the web, additives or premium fuels which already contains additives can't clean the inlet valves because it is direct injection. So when it can't help cleaning and won't be adding MPG (or cost effective MPG increase) then I see no point in using it.

That is however, different to premium fuel where marketing aside, they do contain chemically proven higher octane, be it effective for your particular engine or not. And independent rolling roll tests showed they do increase the bhp vs regular fuels, especially on turbo cars. I would forget the separate additives. Shell/bp ...etc. have spent far more money and research on their products than companies who make these separate additives. If they are all selling unicorn horns, then at least the big brands will make sure their stuff don't harm engines and they don't get class action lawsuits.
 
There are two parts to the Wynn's treatment (as describes on the pdf link) an aerosol and a liquid:

The DIP3 aerosol (marked orange in the schedule) cleans the “dry part” of the engine: the air intake manifold and the inlet valves
The DIP3 Liquid Treatment (marked yellow in the schedule) cleans the fuel system, the “wet part” of the engine.

In theroy the aerosol addresses the issue humps raised, whether it really does or not I don't know but the intetnion is there :)
 
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