Summer coolant. What is it?
Discussion
heebeegeetee said:
E-bmw said:
Quite.
Anti freeze is anti freeze which (in recent years) is now also called summer coolant to tell people that they don't need to drain it out in the summer.
Anti freeze/summer coolant or whatever you want to call it is available either concentrated or ready mixed.
Ready mixed is mixed with distilled/de-ionised water.
If you don't have suitable water to mix it with you want the ready mixed version, simple.
Next!
In 40 years of dicking about with motor cars, I've never heard of anyone draining their coolant for the summer. I've never heard of anyone changing coolant for the summer and reducing the amount of antifreeze.Anti freeze is anti freeze which (in recent years) is now also called summer coolant to tell people that they don't need to drain it out in the summer.
Anti freeze/summer coolant or whatever you want to call it is available either concentrated or ready mixed.
Ready mixed is mixed with distilled/de-ionised water.
If you don't have suitable water to mix it with you want the ready mixed version, simple.
Next!
/quote]
"Dicking around", hmmm, how appropriate!
Clearly as you haven't heard of it, it can't be true then.
Like everything else you have been told on here, if you don't like the answer it obviously can't be true, and only you can be right.
However unfortunately, all of the above is true, whether you chose to believe it or not is not my issue, good bye!
People top up car cooling systems all year round, but especially during the summer when the cooling systems are stressed more. So they need to obtain coolant. So they will usually be looking to buy it from a shop. It's really not hard to understand that consumers are coming into shops wondering which bottle they need and the manufacturers are labeling their bottles to make it as obvious as possible that this is the stuff to use all year round.
It is a bit of strange thread. It’s clearly just a marketing term that is now being added to all the products.
There are still 2 versions of each type generally available: ready mixed, or concentrated. I usually buy concentrated as well, last time I believe I bought VAG oem product, if you want to try that. The OP thinks the concentrated one has now been diluted in some way because of the wording on the packaging. I don’t think it has. And any ‘tester’ the OP is using (probably one of those pipette things with floating balls to test the specific gravity of the fluid) is highly likely to be inaccurate.
There are still 2 versions of each type generally available: ready mixed, or concentrated. I usually buy concentrated as well, last time I believe I bought VAG oem product, if you want to try that. The OP thinks the concentrated one has now been diluted in some way because of the wording on the packaging. I don’t think it has. And any ‘tester’ the OP is using (probably one of those pipette things with floating balls to test the specific gravity of the fluid) is highly likely to be inaccurate.
This amusing thread contains the most nonsense in any single thread I have ever read! Why on earth has the OP bought over 100 litres of antifreeze? Since about 1970 cooling systems are sealed for life, thanks to the modern design of the reservoir and its cap. No topping up is required for ages, even in Arabia, let alone the UK summertime, unless something is wrong causing coolant loss. Once the suspended oxygen has been used up, no further corrosion can occur. In the 15 years we have owned our now 19yr old Focus, I have added about 200mls of pure rainwater from the butt to the original coolant. It remains pink and clear at 140,000 miles.
The OP is right in that the garage trade tries to rip off people with no scientific knowledge with cod science, e.g. the inhibitor 'goes off'. You don't need 'inhibitor' if oxygen can't get in, as no corrosion can take place without oxygen. If you change the coolant, you just introduce a fresh dose of corroding oxygen. The last time I changed the coolant in my nearly 40yr old TR7 was in 2002 when I had to replace a leaky water pump. It remains continent, the coolant is clear turquoise (Bluecol), and the engine and heater continue to work perfectly.
The OP is right in that the garage trade tries to rip off people with no scientific knowledge with cod science, e.g. the inhibitor 'goes off'. You don't need 'inhibitor' if oxygen can't get in, as no corrosion can take place without oxygen. If you change the coolant, you just introduce a fresh dose of corroding oxygen. The last time I changed the coolant in my nearly 40yr old TR7 was in 2002 when I had to replace a leaky water pump. It remains continent, the coolant is clear turquoise (Bluecol), and the engine and heater continue to work perfectly.
Leveret said:
Once the suspended oxygen has been used up, no further corrosion can occur.
That's not quite accurate. The cooling system is not perfectly sealed and so gas exchange happens continuously. There is always oxygen available for corrosion. This is why the coolant includes a corrosion inhibitor. They typically work by passivating the exposed metal surface of the engine. Normal wear and tear introduces microscopic particles of metal into the coolant which all have to be passivated by the coolant. If your engine gets hot enough for nucleate boiling to occur, the resulting cavitation can pluck tiny metal particles off the inside of the cooling passages. Even a small amount of metal can have a huge surface area when it is pulverised, and this can deplete the coolant's corrosion inhibitors quite quickly. GreenV8S said:
Leveret said:
Once the suspended oxygen has been used up, no further corrosion can occur.
That's not quite accurate. The cooling system is not perfectly sealed and so gas exchange happens continuously. There is always oxygen available for corrosion. This is why the coolant includes a corrosion inhibitor. They typically work by passivating the exposed metal surface of the engine. Normal wear and tear introduces microscopic particles of metal into the coolant which all have to be passivated by the coolant. If your engine gets hot enough for nucleate boiling to occur, the resulting cavitation can pluck tiny metal particles off the inside of the cooling passages. Even a small amount of metal can have a huge surface area when it is pulverised, and this can deplete the coolant's corrosion inhibitors quite quickly. 
Anybody who has drained and refilled a 10 year old or more cooling system can tell the difference between old and new coolant, without any scientific background, or testing.
Pretty much all vehicles specify a recommended change interval. I wonder why, knowing that very few will get done at a main dealer!
Pretty much all vehicles specify a recommended change interval. I wonder why, knowing that very few will get done at a main dealer!
Whilst we're on the topic; one of the best longlife coolants I've found is Mazda's FL22, it's a premix and about £16 for 5ltrs and has a life of at least 10 years. The OP certainly won't be using that 
Any engine which has had it in is in perfect condition inside.
Other shorter life ones which are very good are Paraflu red and blue.
Any engine which has had it in is in perfect condition inside.
Other shorter life ones which are very good are Paraflu red and blue.
Heigh ho, yet more nonsense, especially from GreenV8S re 'gas exchange happening continuously' and passivating pulverised particles (!) resulting from 'wear and tear'....of what? Water pump impeller blades throwing of clouds of particles? The thermostat opening and closing?! Plus Tom's delusion that the O of H2O can somehow become O2 - perhaps from vigorous shaking? And just the usual unhelpful rudeness from Trig. Funny how my ideas have resulted in my cars and engines lasting so many miles and years without problems. Don't know why I bother to make helpful suggestions when they are rubbished by those whose level of understanding apparently hasn't even got past a basic top grade science 'A' level, let alone a Russel group university science degree. And as for the ability to age coolant by sight....!!!!
Leveret said:
Heigh ho, yet more nonsense, especially from GreenV8S re 'gas exchange happening continuously' and passivating pulverised particles (!) resulting from 'wear and tear'....of what? Water pump impeller blades throwing of clouds of particles? The thermostat opening and closing?! Plus Tom's delusion that the O of H2O can somehow become O2 - perhaps from vigorous shaking? And just the usual unhelpful rudeness from Trig. Funny how my ideas have resulted in my cars and engines lasting so many miles and years without problems. Don't know why I bother to make helpful suggestions when they are rubbished by those whose level of understanding apparently hasn't even got past a basic top grade science 'A' level, let alone a Russel group university science degree. And as for the ability to age coolant by sight....!!!!
Has anyone ever told you that you are very very boring in constantly posting the same drivel over and over again. I don't recal anybody ever agreeing with your nonsense so please please stop posting it. Coilspring said:
No further comment needed.
Unless you wish to produce some supporting scientific evidence? We could all be wrong, and it would be a lot easier for me, and cheaper for my customers if I never changed the coolant at the recommended intervals.
Yeah we’re all wrong. Even the people that make the stuff and specifically state how long it lasts are wrong. Clearly someone who thinks water doesn’t have oxygen in it knows his stuff.Unless you wish to produce some supporting scientific evidence? We could all be wrong, and it would be a lot easier for me, and cheaper for my customers if I never changed the coolant at the recommended intervals.
227bhp said:
Whilst we're on the topic; one of the best longlife coolants I've found is Mazda's FL22, it's a premix and about £16 for 5ltrs and has a life of at least 10 years. The OP certainly won't be using that
Any engine which has had it in is in perfect condition inside.
Other shorter life ones which are very good are Paraflu red and blue.
Jap OE stuff tends to be good quality although I never trusted Toyota's for life spiel that cost many a Supra owner an expensive cooling system repair back in the day, I also rate VAG Quantum red 5 year too Any engine which has had it in is in perfect condition inside.
Other shorter life ones which are very good are Paraflu red and blue.
everything that I have removed that from years later is spotless , this was from my nieces 2000 year Yaris I changed the Toyota stuff in 05 and this stuff as been fitted since twice, the pump only got replaced due to noisy bearings it still wears the original radiator which shows no evidence of furr or scale in the tubes , been using the same coolant in older stuff for many years too inc TVR RV8 cars and mine as been on it for 13 years with no issues obviously and original dated 95 water pump , below Toyota not bad for a 18 year old pump 
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