“The best thing to do when you aren’t sure what kind of coolant/antifreeze is in your car is to use a universal coolant that’s safe to mix with other fluids. But is it aftermarket or OEM spec? Will it last for two years or longer? You can see from the service record that it has had a coolant service within the last two years. On the issue of topping up your cooling system, Bruce advises: “Say you buy a second-hand car and it has pink coolant in it. Get it wrong, and it could cause a blockage that will wreck the cooling system and lead to significant repair bills. Because coolants are no longer classified by colour, it’s impossible to tell if two products will mix safely within the system. But what about topping up the system when there’s coolant in the tank? Do you need to use a coolant of the same colour?
Peak red coolant manual#
If you need to refill your car’s cooling system, you should always check the manual first to find out which type of product is recommended by the manufacturer. Similarly, if you buy a second-hand car, the colour of the coolant gives you no idea as to when it needs to be changed.” Do I Need to Use a Certain Colour of Coolant in My Car? “That’s why it’s so confusing – you can open up the bonnet of a new car and have no idea what the coolant is based on. “These days, there’s no real reason for a coolant manufacturer to use a certain colour, so it’s not easy for you to know what chemicals are in the coolant just by seeing whether it’s blue, green, yellow or orange. They could be a blend of IAT and OAT chemicals, and were therefore named ‘Hybrids’. These ‘Extended Life Coolants’ (ELC), were usually orange in colour and offered a five-year or 100,000-mile change interval. “Next came Organic Acid Technology (OAT) coolants, whose chemical make-up offered better protection for cooling systems, and extended the life of the coolant. With these types of coolants, you’d normally have to change them every two years, or every 60,000 miles. “Older coolants that used Inorganic Additive Technology (IAT) were usually blue or green in colour. As our expert, Bruce Ellis, explains: “In days gone by, the colour of coolant was determined by the type of chemicals used to prevent corrosion - meaning you could tell a lot about the type of coolant used by its colour. As such, great care should be taken when topping up your car’s cooling system. Unfortunately, it’s no longer possible to determine a specific type of coolant from its colour alone, as the shade has little bearing on the chemical make-up of the product. Vehicle fluids vary in colour from bright pink to reddish-brown, so if you ever need help identifying which is which, take a look at our car fluid finder chart.Īs for coolant/antifreeze, there are a couple of key differences as to why some products are one colour and others are another. Why is Coolant/Antifreeze Different Colours? Which Coolant/Antifreeze Should I Use in My Car?.What Do Coolant/Antifreeze Colours Mean?.Why is Coolant/Antifreeze Different Colours?.We also look at some of the advantages of using high-performance coolant/antifreeze, so you can make a more informed decision on the product that’s right for you. However, it’s important to make sure you’re putting the right fluid in your car, so here we’ll give you some insight into the differences. There are historical reasons why it comes in different colours, but these days it doesn’t necessarily tell you all that much. The colour of engine coolant isn’t there to make it look pretty. If so, you might be wondering which you should use if you need to top up? Have you ever wondered how pink, orange, blue and green engine coolants differ from each other? Perhaps you’ve bought a car, checked the coolant/antifreeze reservoir for the first time and noticed it’s different from your last car.
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