Hi Everybody, is the Prestone top up for coolant compatible with VAG G12? I'm told it's not but I've already bought it so would like to use it preferably.

 

Thanks

Well now you have spent your money when probably you should have checked up first what is suitable, if I was buying aftermarket on the high street, I'd probably have bought a Comma product from a place like Halfords, again checking that I had bought the correct version - but I'm not you, so in all seriousness I would tend to buy the genuine article from a VW Group.

 

Anyway, back to your concern, Prestone say that it is okay to mix with any coolant so maybe you could put that stuff in your system and report back in 12 months?

 

Or just buy some ready mixed stuff from your local VW Group dealer and get on with life knowing that you have done the best thing to avoid trouble?

My reasoning for buying this was because it said that it was compatible with all makes and models etc and it was on offer. But my other reason was that I have a slow coolant leak at the moment so I wanted something more effective than water but cheaper than the costly G12 they sell at the dealership.

 

Thanks for replying

11 hours ago, Tomjones1995 said:

My reasoning for buying this was because it said that it was compatible with all makes and models etc and it was on offer. But my other reason was that I have a slow coolant leak at the moment so I wanted something more effective than water but cheaper than the costly G12 they sell at the dealership.

 

Thanks for replying

 

Don't buy the G12 from the dealership. Buy a gallon of it from an other supplier. G12++ or G13 would be better maybe.

 

From a bit of web research the Prestone won't do any harm but it's not ideal. G13 is probably the best.

https://www.eurocarparts.com/search/g13

 

If you use ECP, always look for a discount code or voucher on t-web first.

 

J.

There isn't actually anything more effective than water. It is the best coolant there is. Anitfreeze is just that, it stops the water freezing and prevents corrosion but ultimately the cooling is done by the water. So if you need to top up, use some water if you don't have anything compatible.

3 minutes ago, oilman said:

There isn't actually anything more effective than water. It is the best coolant there is. Anitfreeze is just that, it stops the water freezing and prevents corrosion but ultimately the cooling is done by the water. So if you need to top up, use some water if you don't have anything compatible.

Which is fine as far as it goes, but does rather ignore the fact that both glycol and OAT "antifreeze" also have corrosion inhibitors in the mixture.

OK, I'm going to ask the question that no-one else has. Is this Prestone stuff glycol or OAT based?

Yes of course, if you have the correct stuff handy it is the best choice to use. But failing that it is best to top up with a bit of water than to use something you are unsure on.

 

Cheers,

 

Guy

4 minutes ago, KenONeill said:

OK, I'm going to ask the question that no-one else has. Is this Prestone stuff glycol or OAT based?

Which prestone?

 

https://prestone.com/products

H2o can add crap which is why de-ionized water is used.  Minerals & organic materials.

 

Obviously Coolant & Anti-freeze should be at the correct ratio for the county / weather in.

Water is not the best coolant, hence Anti-freeze / Summer Coolant with Rust Inhibitor, under pressure and an altered Boiling & Freezing point from 'Water'.

 

So there is a better coolant than Water for ICE's.  Water modified and even Waterless Coolants.

  Never use waterless coolants until all traces of Water have been got rid off.

Edited 18 September, 20187 yr by Offski

I was with you up until you mentioned waterless coolants... What a con.

 

Water (de-ionized if you want) is still the best coolant, but it is corrosive and freezes hence antifreeze to stop it freezing and corroding. Yes antifreeze does reduce the boiling point of water a bit but that is not the reason it is there.

 

Cheers,

Guy

I wasn't even with Offski that far: "De-ionised water" is H2O and nothing but.

 

Also, if there are multiple Prestone products, then the OP needs to refine his question!

Edited 18 September, 20187 yr by KenONeill

De-ionized water is obviously water and the stuff that can cause the problem when you have water out of a tap introduced removed.

No idea why some go to college, serve their time as motor engineers get told what is good prctice when it gets dismissed as just something not required.

Water is water,  Waterless coolant is just Snake Oil.

Antifreeze make the freezing point of water lower, and the Boiling point higher.    Not rocket science.

 

Maybe not relevant in the UK with a good and efficient engine working correctly and the cooling system in the UK where extremes of temperatures are not experienced for many.

Head of where there is real heat or cold and it can be much more important, ie locked / seized engines.

 

Just how many Imported vehicles arrived from the Far East at 3 years old or from the USA and were messed up with the wrong coolants being topped up & people then finding out about IAT, then OAT or HOAT?

http://opioils.co.uk/c-889-motorcycle-coolant-and-antifreeze.aspx

 

Edited 18 September, 20187 yr by Offski

It doesn't matter a jot, all this is nonsense, any glycol-based coolant additive is the same as any other, they just have a slightly different 'recipes' so they can brand it as their own formulation. There's no magic involved.

 

It'll be fine to mix, you'll end up with a funny colour if it isn't pink but who cares, you have a leak to find and fix which is an order of magnitude more important than the colour of your coolant.

Sorry guys, https://www.holtsauto.com/prestone/products/coolant-antifreeze-ready-use/ this is the prestone coolant in question. If I hadn't of already bought the stuff I wouldn't go near it with a barge pole but seeing as I've bought in haste I thought I'd ask to see if I could make use of it. In 2 weeks the car is going into a garage to get the header tank replaced and coolant flushed so, for two weeks would it be better than water?

@Tomjones1995 - TBH, at this time of year I'd just use water if I was flushing in 2 weeks anyway.

 

As to your link, did you realise that what you bought was at least 50%, maybe as much as 75%, water?

How much are Holts automotive paying the Jonathan to endorse their products?

Why don't they state which manufacturer's standards their products meet?

I think what Oilman was trying to say is that water is the best coolant because adding something like glycol to the fluid actually reduces the heat transmission rate from the object that requires cooling. Yes, there is also corrosion and suspended particles to contend with, but pure water is actually the best coolant commonly available.  

1 hour ago, Tomjones1995 said:

Sorry guys, https://www.holtsauto.com/prestone/products/coolant-antifreeze-ready-use/ this is the prestone coolant in question. If I hadn't of already bought the stuff I wouldn't go near it with a barge pole but seeing as I've bought in haste I thought I'd ask to see if I could make use of it. In 2 weeks the car is going into a garage to get the header tank replaced and coolant flushed so, for two weeks would it be better than water?

 

It's fine, just use it, christ this is getting ridiculous, we've had 'antifreeze hysteria' on here before, all glycol based antifreeze is THE SAME and is completely miscible, Ethylene Glycol is toxic if you drink it but offers superior protection to Propylene Glycol which is non-toxic. The reason for the colour of G12 is so that a garage can accurately determine concentration using a Refractometer, that way they can GUARANTEE protection to a specific temperature., if you mix colours a refractometer will not work correctly.

36 minutes ago, Warrior193 said:

I think what Oilman was trying to say is that water is the best coolant because adding something like glycol to the fluid actually reduces the heat transmission rate from the object that requires cooling. Yes, there is also corrosion and suspended particles to contend with, but pure water is actually the best coolant commonly available.  

 

Thank you sir, that is I was trying to say.

 

Cheers everybody for all the help, I reckon I'l opt to use just plain old water for the couple of weeks until its flush. It's probably going to be the safest bet, I've been topping it up with water for about 2-3 months now and I thought that the water would of diluted my coolant too much to the point that it wasn't cooling my engine efficiently anymore. But as many of you have pointed out "Water is the best coolant".

Apologies if this was a stupid thread to start but I don't know much about cars lol and don't know anybody mechanically minded such as yourselves.

 

Thanks again,

Tom Jones

Unless you part of Wales does not get night time or even daytime temps at 0*oC or lower around now and in the next weeks i would get a shift on, and be sure there is Anti-freeze strong enough in the System.

1 hour ago, Offski said:

Unless you part of Wales does not get night time or even daytime temps at 0*oC or lower around now and in the next weeks i would get a shift on, and be sure there is Anti-freeze strong enough in the System.

Yeah will do ASAP thanks

Hi guys really sorry to keep bothering you :/ my before mentioned coolant leak has now gone a little worse beeing that it has gone from max to min in the space to 18 miles/25 minutes of running. When I filled it up again this morning before my journey I also had some pressure in the header tank. Possible head gasket? Please say no

 

Thanks again

 

29 minutes ago, Tomjones1995 said:

Please say no

 

No.

 

Yes, it's the head gasket.