COOLING SYSTEM

All cars and light trucks have an engine cooling system. Most cooling systems includes a water pump, thermostat, radiator, radiator cap, reservoir, radiator hoses and coolant or "anti-freeze".

It's very important to maintain your cooling system with the proper coolant to water mixture recommended by your car's manufacturer. There are a number of different coolant types that come in your vehicle from the factory. The most common is the green colored coolant made from ethylene glycol. General Motors started using red colored coolant years ago called Dex-Cool. This was the start to the whole "who can make a better coolant" battle.

So now we have Chrysler using what they call a G-05 coolant which is an HOAT or hybrid organic acid technology.

We also have the German car companies using G12 coolant which is a phosphate free coolant. We've seen blue, purple and pink versions of this coolant.

They all have different inhibitors too. Some of the new ones have 2-EHA or 2-Ethylhexanoic acid inhibitors.

Land rover makes their own version of a phosphate free coolant that is orange too. If you're driving some of the newer Honda products, you may see a clear colored coolant. Toyota insists that you use their coolant on all their vehicles too.

Point being, if your car develops a coolant leak, please don't just go down to the nearest auto parts store and grab the first bottle of coolant or anti-freeze you see on the shelf. Mixing some of these coolant together can make a huge mess inside your coolant system as well as your engine! Check your owners manual or call the dealership for your make of car and make sure you purchase the correct coolant.

Different car manufacturers recommend different service intervals for coolant to be changed. This can range anywhere from every 30 thousand miles to every 150 thousand miles. Keep your coolant system in proper working order so your vehicle doesn't leave you stranded on the side of the road, or worse yet, destroy your engine from overheating.

We will check your coolant and cooling system with our free inspection included with an oil change service. Give us a call and make an appointment.