From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
The recommended use of 'Zero' glycerine anti-freeze, its composition, and a misleading pamphlet.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 151\3\ scan0189 | |
| Date | 1st February 1933 | |
| S/W.Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Lid.{A. J. Lidsey}.from H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} X1435. c. to Hn.{F. C. Honeyman - Retail orders} H6/RK1.2.33 Re: Anti-Freezing Compounds -------------------------- You will recall that at about the time when you wrote your Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Lidl/MA25.11.32, we were suggesting to an owner, Mr. Geo. Davey, (Chassis Nos. GAU-29 & 111-XJ) that he should use Diethylene-Glycol and avoid pure or commercial glycerine which we are unable to recommend in our Instruction Books. Yesterday we received a letter from him covering a pamphlet known as the Zero Manual, which we enclose. He calls our attention to page 26, where the recommended quantities of "Zero" glycerine for Rolls-Royce cars is mentioned, and remarks that "it seems to be very wrong that anyone should recommend it in this way to the detriment of the users of an expensive and valuable car." We are aware from you that Messrs. Glycerine Ltd., who make the "Zero" for Prices, have recently added Sodium Silicate to get over the de-scaling tendencies of glycerine, but unfortunately the pamphlet makes a great point of the fact that "Zero" is pure glycerine and gives a copy of the R.A.C. Certificate, dated 1929, which includes the analysis. It seems to us therefore that Prices should either revise the pamphlet admitting the addition of Sodium Silicate or alternatively, to remove our name from the list of cars on page 26. We do not know if you will consider it necessary or worth while to raise the matter with Glycerine Ltd. You may decide that as presumably all "Zero" now being manufactured will contain the Sodium Silicate which has yet to be proved efficacious, it does not much matter about the R.A.C. certificate being an [strikethrough] untrue [handwritten] description of the present product. H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} LID{A. J. Lidsey} | ||