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Best Antifreeze / coolant

xenon

xenon

New member
Since I need to drain the cooling system to fit a new fan thermoswitch, I may as well renew the entire coolant whilst I'm at it. What's the best stuff to use? I know it must be phosphate-free and suitable for alum engines and I think I heard mention that VW/Audi coolant was suitable. Any recommendations?
 
Good Q Xenon. I know that VW have used two antifreezes - blue/green in older cars and pink in newer ones. Given the age of 944's, they are all in the blue/green bracket.

I presume that this is the stuff to be pouring into the radiator?


Oli.
 
I suppose I can ask to look at the label of the two different types and ensure it says that it's phosphate free.
 
Went to the VAG dealer but the bloke didn't know if the antifreeze is phosphate free. It's pink, called GL12 (or something) and is warranted safe for aluminium engines, but it didn't specifically say 'phosphate free'.

Anyone?? [:)]
 
Xenon,

Ha - You have a name now! Ian!

I'd be going for the blue/green one myself. Simply because this is the type that VW would have used at the time the S2 was made, and the antifreeze in my car is blue/green.

ECP sell it - same price as the pink stuff. (I know you shouldn't mix them, but don't know why.)


Oli.
 
GL12 is phosphate free, as is the pink Mobil 1 stuff you can get from Halfords...I use a pink phosphate free one from my local Saab dealer as it's cheap as and likely to be as good as anything else.
 
Thanks everyone. I'll get the VAG stuff as the dealer is right next door. Is it best to mix with DI or distilled water or is tap water OK?
 
ORIGINAL: TTM

Don't mix it with anything.
Click to expand...

Eh? You mean use it neat? This stuff isn't pre-mixed and should be mixed 50:50 with water (shouldn't it??). I'm doing a complete coolant change, not just a top up. I hope I don't have to fill the whole bleedin thing with neat antifreeze, it'll cost a fortune [&:]
 
Erm, possibly over-kill, I'd not say 'anal'.

I use distilled water in batteries (although all batteries are selaed these days), and just about nowhere else. Radiators etc can get tap water - the antifreeze contains anti-scale agents to prevent problems. Ditto with windscreen wash bottles. (Although interestingly a friend of mine had a VERY nasty problem recently with something nasty growing in his windscreen wash bottle - on a Golf. It was slimy and HONKED of old eggs - really really ponged, and stunk correspondingly whenever you washed the windscreen. I suggested a fairly strong mix of Miltons solution would be the answer ... )


Oli.
 
Coolant and nothing else sould be put in the coolant system.
There is no point mixing coolant with anti-freeze.
 
TTN,

I think we may be confusing terms here ... I'd term the concentrated blue stuff you get in a bottle as "antifreeze" and the diluted mixture (when mixed with tap water) as being "coolant".

Are we talking about the same thing?


Oli.
 
I'd use tap water at home as we have very, very soft water. If we didn't have soft water I might consider filtering my tap water through a Brita filter or similar (we do anyway for the kettle). Then again maybe I couldn't be bothered if it actually came down to doing it.

It's de-ionised rather than just distilled for batteries isn't it?
 
ORIGINAL: zcacogp
I think we may be confusing terms here ...Oli.
Click to expand...

It would seem so.
Here in Euroland we get "coolant" in 4L plastic cans, labeled "liquide de refroidissement"/"Kühlflüssigkeit", so we don't even have to bother about mixing antifreeze with water. I guess we're lucky.
 
Makes sense. Halfords (UK national car parts and stuff) also sell ready-mixed stuff called 'engine coolant'. It's my fault - I should have stuck to the term 'antifreeze' meaning the undiluted stuff that you mix yourself.
 
Interesting ... I have never seen the ready-mixed stuff, either here or abroad. Only ever the concentrated mix-it-yourself variety. (TTM - it's usually sold in 1/2 or 1 litre bottles, and should be diluted somewhere between 1:1 with water for very cold conditions or up to about 1:3 or 1:4 for summer conditions.)


Oli.
 
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