Er..Anti-Freeze. What do I do with it?

TequilaMockingBird

I had a bottle in my hand to buy and realised I had no idea what to do with it.

I don't know if I need it, I don't know where it goes, I googled it and it seems it's not a case of just pouring it in somewhere.

Should I just go to a garage?

Don't laugh - you all learned how to do it once!

dMaN24

Mix anti-freeze with water. It's for the radiator.
No harm in asking. Don't taste it though. :P

Anan1

Do you have any reason to believe that your car needs it now?

PaulKK

You need to check if it needs to be topped up first.

There is usually a reservoir visible under the bonnet with max and min levels on it.

If this is at max, some coolant will need to be removed.

You can get a cheap tester in halfords first to check the strength of your antifreeze though, it may be ok already.


Ideally you should get the system professionally flushed and replace the coolant every few years, something which the average motorist in this country neglects to do.

Ghost Train

For water for the engine, not water for wipers, washer fluid for the wipers will lower freezing point of the windows washer water

TequilaMockingBird

No idea Anan1, just figured with the weather n'all..

How would I know if I need it? If you don't mind explaining.

**Timbuk2**

Anan1 wrote: »

Do you have any reason to believe that your car needs it now?

I could be wrong, but I believe that there is sub-zero temperatures at the moment, which would lead to the OP ensuring that his/her anti-freeze levels are sufficient?

coylemj

Are you sure it's coolant antifreeze? There was stuff for sale recently in Aldi or Lidl called antifreeze but it was for the windscreen washer tank.

R.O.R

Is it radiator anti-freeze, or is it cold weather screen wash that says "Anti-Freeze" on it?

You don't want to get the 2 of them mixed up, and they go in different places in the car.

tommy21

Out of interest, on my newish Fiat Punto it gives the usual guff about only using their approved anti freeze Paraflu (50/50 with water for engine radiator, can' t) - Is this just marketing guff?

On the ancient previous model I had, I used any universal antifreeze and it worked fine. So far on this one I am using Paraflu but have just reached end of bottle so unsure of which is ok to use!

TequilaMockingBird

I haven't bought any, walked out looking like this > .

So, now I know there are two different types (thanks!), I need to figure out if I need it, and if so, where to put them.

Anan1

TequilaMockingBird wrote: »

No idea Alan, just figured with the weather n'all..

How would I know if I need it? If you don't mind explaining.

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

I could be wrong, but I believe that there is sub-zero temperatures at the moment, which would lead to the OP ensuring that his/her anti-freeze levels are sufficient?

Sorry if I sounded a bit short, that isn't how I meant it. :-)

First off, if the car's been properly maintained then the coolant may well be fine.

Further to that, the bottle the OP's looking at may be incompatible with what's in there already.

On this basis, i'd start off by finding out whether the car needs antifreeze.

TequilaMockingBird

I'm going to have to GO OUT to the car and look for the reservoir now aren't I...

When you say "radiator" where/what would that be now?

dMaN24

That's the big wafer-looking block in the front, just as you lift the hood.
Should be a little reservoir next to it. Doublecheck your usermanual to be sure though.

Anan1

TequilaMockingBird wrote: »

I'm going to have to GO OUT to the car and look for the reservoir now aren't I...

In order to tell whether there's sufficient coolant in there, you'll have to do one of two things. Either check the SH to see when it was last tested/renewed, or have a mechanic test what's in there now. Do you have a service history for the car? When was it last serviced?

no1beemerfan

What car do you have, what year is it and do you have a service history.

I'm not being smart but if you know very little about car mechanics you definately need to let a mechanic look after your coolant etc as if its done wrong it leads to serious trouble.

TequilaMockingBird

No, I don't have a service history for it. Thanks lads, I'll bring it in to a garage today and see will they have a look.

Thanks for the help.

corktina

if it hasnt frozen yet, it probably wont. I d ask a mechanic if you are that unsure, you wouldnt want to be putting in the wrong hole

TequilaMockingBird

Well that's a good point, it's had 3 inches of snow on the roof, which is now ice, for the last 5 days, so if it was going to freeze now it would have done.

Shall ignore it till next year so!

biko

Bring it up with your friends. One of them should know about this stuff and can show you.

corktina

TequilaMockingBird wrote: »

Well that's a good point, it's had 3 inches of snow on the roof, which is now ice, for the last 5 days, so if it was going to freeze now it would have done.

Shall ignore it till next year so!

no..... ask someone who knows to have a look or advise you.

tommy21

tommy21 wrote: »

Out of interest, on my newish Fiat Punto it gives the usual guff about only using their approved anti freeze Paraflu (50/50 with water for engine radiator, can' t) - Is this just marketing guff?

On the ancient previous model I had, I used any universal antifreeze and it worked fine. So far on this one I am using Paraflu but have just reached end of bottle so unsure of which is ok to use!

Hey all just to follow up on this -asked a FIAT dealership this today - while Paraflu is not a necessity, it is vital that you do not mix colours. Paraflu now comes in two colours, red and blue (red being the newer version). If you mix say blue paraful with another different colour brand, it may turn into a jelly like substance difficult to deal with! The problem is that even when you are out of coolant apparently, there is still a minor residue left inside of the last brand you used, so like with like in terms of colour is the short of it.

jimmyw

TequilaMockingBird wrote: »

Well that's a good point, it's had 3 inches of snow on the roof, which is now ice, for the last 5 days, so if it was going to freeze now it would have done.

Shall ignore it till next year so!

No its great that you are paying attention to important maintenance issues like this.Too many people could not not be bothered paying attention to these things and then bitch and moan about the prices garages charge to fix (or not).Maybe its an idea to get an antifreeze tester (make sure its for the purpose and not anything else) to have a check.Otherwise go to a garage.