1st additive testing: 15,000 kilometres

The Kia was re-presented at the TÜV Nord with a mileage of 16,950. Up to this point the vehicle had completed 264 hours and 9 minutes of gas-fuelled operation and 21 hours and 3 minutes of gasoline-fuelled operation. Cylinder head temperature was 57°C. There was no detection of any significant alterations in comparison with the initial measuring. This, however, was not to be expected anyhow as experience shows that valve clearance will be decreasing only from about 30,000 kilometres of operation without additives. Generally, up to that point no changes will be registered. Due to the fact that the decreasing of the valve clearance does not happen in a linear process but is only increasing progressively after a certain period of operation, recognized experts consider other kind of measurements of little significance. The photos, though, show the monitor with the correspondent times the engine has travelled in gas-fuelled and gasoline-fuelled operation, respectively, as well as a view into the open engine as it was being prepared for the measuring of the valve clearance. In the picture below, a TÜV inspector is measuring the valve clearance while another staff member is recording the data in order to enter it into the inspection record later on.