Part 08 — The Liqui Moly Experiment to clean your injectors - VW Polo

 

A VOLKSWAGEN LOVE STORY — THE LONG-TERM POLO

Part 08 — The Liqui Moly Experiment

One can, one tank, and no magic claims

The car continues to be tested in ordinary real-world conditions.

After the major repair and the fuel change, I tried one more controlled step: a fuel-system/catalytic-system cleaning additive.

The product I used was Liqui Moly Catalytic-System Clean, a 300 ml can intended by the manufacturer for up to 70 litres of petrol. I added one can to a full tank. I did not treat it as a cure for the throttle-body problem; the throttle body had already been replaced.

That distinction is important. Additives can be useful maintenance experiments, but they are not substitutes for diagnosing a warning light. If a throttle valve, sensor, ignition component or wiring has a genuine fault, a bottle in the fuel tank should not be expected to repair it.

I also wondered whether adding the product to a partly filled tank and driving a short distance before refuelling would cause a problem. In practice, the product is designed to mix with the fuel, so that sequence was not a reason to panic.

The experiment was deliberately simple: one treatment, then normal driving. I did not add another can every tank. I wanted to observe rather than create a permanent dependency on additives.

The most useful outcome was not a dramatic before-and-after claim. It was the discipline of treating maintenance products like experiments: know what the product is designed to do, use the specified dose, change one variable, and measure the car over time.

The numbers from this chapter

Product used: Liqui Moly Catalytic-System Clean

Pack used: 300 ml

Manufacturer treatment quantity: up to 70 litres of petrol

One treatment was used; no repeat-every-tank routine was adopted

Owner's maintenance guidance

·         Read the product label and manufacturer dosage before using any additive.

·         Do not use an additive as a replacement for fault-code diagnosis.

·         After using an additive, avoid changing fuel, oil, filters and driving style all at once if you want a meaningful comparison.

Product Details from Amazon

A few frames from the journey

Maintenance experiments are part of caring for an ageing car.

Mileage should be monitored after the experiment rather than assumed.

Longer runs provide a useful contrast to city traffic.