Head gasket fix

I have read so much about k series engines and the dreaded gasket failure it would have normally put me off completely from the 1.8 freelander but I have a k series old MG which has been our trusted summer car for 5 years without a hiccup and also our mechanic said yes he does see them but far fewer than people say

...ok thats my ranting over..now the question. I have seen a nice cheap 1.8 freelander and I could easily factor in a replacement new type gasket but I saw this on the web which a lot of people swear about :-
http://www.steelseal.co.uk/head-gasket-repair/head-gasket-repair

First opinions on this 'miracle' cure and if just bunkum whats best replacement gasket to go for

Thanks

If you know a bit about K series cars why even ask. Spend about 30 seconds researching and you will have the answer.


DON'T

K-seal will give it a bit longer if it only a small hole in the gasket.
It isn't, despite what the forum "experts" think, detrimental to the cooling system.
Personally I would whizz the head off and get it skimmed. Refit with multi layer gasket and steel dowels for a permanent repair.

Kseal is playing Russian Roulette with your engine. It might fix it for the next 5 years, then again it might block a water path and cook your engine in a week.
You pays your money and takes your chance.

See what I meant about the "experts"

My preference would be the liquid version of bars leaks, after a clean out with wynn's cooling system flush if it needs it. Follow the instructions. If the leak is too big then it won't work.

Again another one that won't foul the system

My knowledge of 'leak fixers' is totally 2nd hand as I have no personal knowledge of it working or not, all I have to go by is heresay which I agree could be totally bull.
That being said I have read plenty of posts from respected MG'ers who have had problems repairing cars which have had the stuff put into them. Using such remedies also smacks of cowboy to me and is the kind of thing I would expect from a dodgy 2nd hand car dealer wanting to shift a dodgy motor. This is why I choose to stay clear of them and have instead done the job properly on the two occasions I have had HGF.
BTW, I have been driving for over thirty years now and never had HGF until I bought a K series. Now I have two of them and have had HGF on both so in my experience even though I love them their reputation is well deserved.

A liquid fix/seal is only a temp solution. Results vary but most of the peeps on the web haven't used it.

I have to agree with #Alibro for the same reasons and with the same experience. If I had the terrible misfortune to be stuck in the middle of a war zone (or indeed stuck out in the high country here in NZ) with HGF, I'd probably bung a bottle in just to try get me home. But as anything other than a 1 journey fix, and in the knowledge that it may cause other problems as well, a no-no fix.

I used these sort of things many years ago and none of them worked they were just a waste of money get the job done properly that's the only way

Depends on the tech that they use, I guess. They are what they are - a temporary bodge solution.

If you need it to get you home then cool, but I believe K seal is a resin based solution? It bonds to surfaces and once on there can be a nightmare to remove. If it bonds, and works, you're quids in - if it bonds and doesn't work you'll make yourself twice as much work.

+1 to doing the job properly in the first place, but, if the vehicle is one foot in the scrapyard and you don't really give a crap, worth a spin.