Steel Seal etc

Steel seal is excellent provided it's a head issue. Follow the instructions carefully and it seems to work well. We repaired a porus head on a VW PD diesel with steel seal, it's now absolutely fine.
In the grand scheme of things, it's worth spending a little on steel seal to see if it does work before shelling out to do the H/G.

My mate let me in on this stuff last month. He's done 4, K series engines with it now. All successful. Got to be worth a go if you ask me.

Steel seal is about £50 for a bottle isn't it. K Seal works for most things and is about £12?

Really, have had good results on Rover V8's and the other usual rover suspects, also worked on a Omega v6. Maybe just luck of the draw?

Having used both k seal and steel seal I'd always have a go with k seal has fixed many head gasket jobs but not always a long term fix but having had limited success with steel seal even when instructions followed exactly dosent seem any better but costs 3 times the price that money in my experience is better spent on doing the head gasket properly and the steel seal money back guarantee when applied for comes to nothing.

That's normally what happens to the cars I work on to do the head gasket properly costs more than the car is worth I always give the k seal ago at the sake of a wasted tenner but the steal seal costs with new antifreeze they say you must use with it costs about £40 and from what I have found and my mates have its no better than k seal I for one won't ever be buying steal seal again its too expensive for no better result

Funnily enough I have been in the same situation as you. PD engine using small amount of water, pressurising the coolant etc. K-seal made absolutely no difference what so ever. Booked in with a highly reguarded tdi tuners to change from 130 to 150 headbolts as they are higher tensile strength. All this without removing the head!!!

Thought I would give a progress report on what I said above about changing from 130 to 150 head bolts without removing the head. Well it appears to be cured, no more pressurising, just keeping an eye on the coolant at the minute, but looking good so far. Done for a fraction of the price of a head gasket change. Very happy.

If you visit the MG Rover forum, they hate K-seal and Steel Seal for reasons that it blocks the water ways and radiator, etc
I've done it on so many cars I've lost count and it has never blocked the waterways or radiators or the pumps. The particles are too small to block. The ingredients, I think, only harden once they are heated and exposed to air. Three K-series engines have been cured and have never overheated since.
Otherwise, I'd always put this stuff in over doing a head gasket change. If it fails I'll do the HG, but I've had cars that have lasted years/1000's of miles and not failed so what is the point? Calling it a bodge is unfair.