What type of coolant do I need?

For most vehicles, a glycol based antifreeze coolant is the best type of coolant to be used in any vehicle radiator. However, using the glycol based antifreeze alone is usually not a good idea. In most cases, you will need to mix the glycol based antifreeze with a certain amount of water.

How do I know what coolant to use for my car?

The most common method to find out is to simply check the coolant and find out what colour it is when the vehicle is cold. Most coolant brands will keep their coolants the same colour to prevent any confusion. If you're still not sure, check the owners/service manual for coolant specifications.

Does my car need a specific type of coolant?

Well, you use the coolant that is specified in your owner's manual. If you just need to top it up, the recommendation is still the same, however it is unlikely to cause any serious problems if you add a litre of a different type of coolant, as long as you follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule.

What do I do if I put the wrong coolant in my car?

Using the wrong coolant can lead to corrosion and other damages to the radiator, water pump, radiator hoses, cylinder gasket, and more. The best way to ensure you get the correct coolant is to have your vehicle maintenance performed by a professional auto technician.

Can I just add coolant to my car?

If the coolant level is low, add the correct coolant to the reservoir (not the radiator itself). You can use diluted coolant by itself, or a 50/50 mixture of concentrated coolant and distilled water. When the coolant rises to the cold fill line, replace the cap and tighten it until you feel it click. Close the hood.

Best Engine Antifreeze/Coolant To Use In Your Vehicle

Is antifreeze the same as coolant?

Engine coolant, also known as antifreeze, is mixed with water to keep the radiator from freezing in extreme cold and overheating in extreme heat. There are many different types of coolant, so it's important to know what variety is right for your car or truck.

Does it matter what color coolant you use?

The truth is, color is not a reliable predictor for what type of coolant you have.

Can I use green coolant instead of red?

In fact, if you were to mix green and red antifreeze together, it would end up creating a thick gel that would fail to flow through your cooling system properly. This can cause overheating, as well as damage to various components of your car's cooling system.

What is green antifreeze used for?

Green antifreeze is made with special tweaks to the formula specifically to help prevent the corrosion of metals in a vehicle's cooling system. That older formula is typically meant for vehicles made before the year 2000, which were built with more steel and copper components than modern vehicles.

Why is some coolant red and some green?

The Differences between Red and Green Antifreeze

The combination of OAT (Organic Acid Technology) and IAT (Inorganic Acid Technology) led to the invention of HOAT (Hybrid Organic Acid Technology), which is used in manufacturing red antifreeze.

What's the difference between coolant Colours?

The main difference between green and orange antifreeze is the ingredients. Green coolant uses inorganic additive technology while orange uses organic acid technology. Orange is better suited for newer cars with an aluminum block, while green is better for older cars.

Can wrong coolant damage engine?

Using the wrong engine coolant can gradually lead to corrosion and damage to the water pump, radiator, radiator hoses and cylinder gasket. This can lead to damage to the engine in the worst case.

Can wrong coolant cause overheating?

There's a problem with your coolant – If the wrong coolant was put in your car, or you have an improper coolant-to-water ratio (50/50 is proper), your engine may be prone to overheating.

What is pink antifreeze used for?

Our specially designed formula for Audi ^® 1997-2007, Volkswagen ^® 1997-2008, Porsche ^® 1999-2009, and Jaguar ^® 1999 and newer. This technology regulates your engine's temperature, prevents freezing and protects the engine from corrosion.

How long can an engine run without coolant?

However, if you absolutely must start your car without coolant, it can probably run for about a minute without too much risk of damage. You may be able to get away with as much as 5 minutes of running without coolant, depending on the engine, car model, and how hard you're asking the engine to work.

Is there a warning light for low coolant?

The most common reason for the coolant light to become illuminated is simply that the coolant level is too low. There may be a floating sensor in your coolant tank that triggers the warning light when the level drops.

Can I use green coolant instead of orange?

The green and orange coolants do not mix. When mixed together they form a gel-like substance that stops coolant flow, and consequently, the engine overheats.

What color is universal coolant?

Traditional North American “green” antifreeze, the original “universal” formula that everybody used until the introduction of today's extended-life coolants.

What are 10 common causes of overheating?

Can you top off coolant with a different brand?

The short answer is that you can mix different coolant brands and mixtures as long as they are the same type of coolant. The color doesn't matter as much since it's just a dye.

Can you use water as coolant?

Water by itself can't do the job of antifreeze due to its lack of boiling and freezing point range and its inability to protect your vehicle's engine. Plus, it doesn't absorb heat as effectively. In the case of an absolute emergency, you can use water in your coolant rank.

Can I mix green and yellow antifreeze?

You can mix two different colors of the same kind of coolant without any problem whatsoever. But if you mix a significant amount of one type in with the other type, you're weakening your corrosion inhibitors (it happened to my brother, and look at the condition he's in now).

Can I use blue coolant instead of pink?

no dont mix them, pink is longer life (5 years) blue is normal (2 years) for some reason mixing the two counters the effects of the pink meaning you will still only have 2 year life. best is just to do a full coolant drop as 5 liters of pink premix is only about 12quid.

What is blue antifreeze used for?

Antifreeze Blue is a full concentrate which meets BS6580 and contains the same pure ethylene glycol and anti-corrosive additives as the Red. Its application is for protection for up to a maximum of 2 years.

Is all red coolant the same?

Present in newer cars all over the world, OAT coolant color ranges from pink, orange, bright red, red, blue and dark green. Organic Additive Technology as it is referred to in some owner's manuals, is the same as Organic Acid Technology, unless your owner's manual says differently.