Antifreeze?

Go to the main dealer and buy the proper stuff specified for your engine. It's no more expensive than a quality antifreeze from Halfords.

Of course, if you're using a pikey cheap antifreeze then it'll look expensive, but there's a reason for that.

Theres now basically two sortsof Antifreeze Theres the old sort drain every 2 or 3 years type which is blue but goes green when mixed with water.

Theres the new pink stuff with long life corrosion inhibiter which lasts about 5 years or more and looks pink or yellow when mixed with water.

Dont drain the new stuff out and refill with the old type just get a litre of the new stuff.

You shouldnt mix them as the corrosion inhibition will be impaired. Steve the grease

Or more to the point, you shouldn't mix them as they turn to gloop, and block the cooling system.

It wouldn't hurt to flush the lot out, and start from fresh with new antifreeze. At least then you know exactly what's in there!

Right I have a Rover 45 so could I buy some identical antifreeze thats already in the car from a motorist accessory shop or do I have to go to Rover? If I can buy some from a shop what make is best? Thanks

How do you know whats in there already? Have you measured the strength, so you know how much to add? Do you know what type it is?

Like I said, flush it all out, and start from fresh, then you know whats in there, and you know it is the right strength.

Not much difference in any of them.

Agree with all of that. Antifreeze is is not just antifreeze, it's also has anti-corrosion to protect the engine and naturally it must also cool the engine. That is why the fluid need replacing once a while, not just topping up.

I've used Comma Xstream Red. This is silicate free and designed to protect alu engines and has a 5 year life. I used that coolant was because I had some in the cupboard. The bottle says: Contains Glysantin Alu protect from BASF. But I read an old test of Anti-Freeze in CAR MECHANICS; the Comma came out about average, probably a trade off for the longer life span 5 years. But the best performing Anti-Freeze was one called '4 Life' which had both good cooling performance and 10 years long life.

This is interesting stuff for me , have just bought an MGF ( 96 vintag ) and am finding out MGeffers are paranoid about the quantity quality,type , colour of AF in the system ( for the uninitiated coolin system on these cars appears to be crap with dire results ie head gaske failure ).

Won't bore you with any more on that subject but have a question fo Steve: where's the best place to buy good quality blue/green antifreeze , am planning to drain and refill the system and thats th one used on the old MGF's.

Thanks

Jeff

-- jeffreyt

jeffreyt ( snipped-for-privacy@autobanter.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

This has been posted umpty-seven times regarding the K.

And if people read it then they might realise that the colour, quality and type doesn't matter. The quantity, like any other car, certainly does.

Except that you shouldnt really mix blue and pink, if you do you will lose the corrosion inhibition properties of the coolant. Of course you should run at the recommended mixture, usually 33 or 50%. Draining pink out and filling with blue is like draining synthetic oil out and filling it with Tescos 20-50. Blue is now basically an obsolete technology. In answer to the original question ...... A motor factors , see your local yellow pages.

Steve the grease