Toyota pink anti freeze

[wuluf]

I just bought $40/gallon antifreeze from my toyota dealer for my 2017 rav4 because he told me that using any other kind mixed with theirs would turn to sludge in my radiator. How much did he lie?

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[NYlakesider]

I just bought $40/gallon antifreeze from my toyota dealer for my 2017 rav4 because he told me that using any other kind mixed with theirs would turn to sludge in my radiator. How much did he lie?

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Read what other anti freeze makers put on their product, that will give you the info you need.



Course you do know that 1/2 that container of Antifreeze is water. (which you pay dearly for) Get some pure anti freeze and add your own 50% water. Its not difficult and I have done that for decades!

 

[boykinlp]

I just bought $40/gallon antifreeze from my toyota dealer for my 2017 rav4 because he told me that using any other kind mixed with theirs would turn to sludge in my radiator. How much did he lie?

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About $30 worth!
Larry

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

 

[ladder13]

Dealer inflation.

 

[LVSteve]

Toyota's website or your manual should give you a spec for all your car's fluids. You should then be able to use that data to search for available substitutes that meet the spec. With antifreeze it's all down to having the right corrosion inhibitors for the types of alloy they have used in the motor and the radiator.

 

[Lou_the_welder]

Do not mix them unless the whole system down to the heater core is fully flushed out. And then you can put an antifreeze of your choosing.
The dealer did not lie. But the dealer is at fault for using chemicals in their proprietary antifreeze that doesn't mix well with others.
For example, try mixing prestone ( regular green antifreeze) with dexcool( factory orange antifreeze). It will turn into pudding inside the cooling system. The whole system. Heater lines, heater core, engine block, radiator, heater control valve- you name it.

It is much easier going with what was originally called for in the vehicle to begin with, then add to the problem.

 

[chief38]

I have worked on my own vehicles since I was 18. Antifreeze is one of the fluids that car manufacturers always specify to use only theirs. Supposedly their additive packages are all different and they are all dyed different colors to ID. I don't know that they are all different or special, but we simply don't know they are or not. They could add something or take what they deem harmful out - who knows!

The way I see it is that even though Prestone does make a "universal antifreeze" for all vehicles, it simply isn't worth the trouble to have an issue and have to fight should your engine fail or seize. Antifreeze usually lasts for 5 years and so an extra 30 bucks every 5 years won't mean a hill of beans. If you do have an issue and they see you have used their specified Antifreeze, you will be one step closer to get them to warranty the engine, cooling system etc. IMHO, I would stick with the Specified fluid and move on. If you were a Chemist and could prove that another brand was equal to or even better, than maybe, but for most of us it's a battle we never need. I don't lot like being lied to or ripped off anymore than you - but in this case, the risk isn't worth the extra few bucks IMO.

 

[SMSgt]

Coolant "color" is meaningless anymore. Use what your vehicle manufacturer recommends and carry on.

 

[46er]

Brought my 2011 Rav4 to a local garage to change coolant and trans fluid at 109k. They said coolant was still good and Toyota recommends 120k for tranny. Good repair shop, (he did make his money on the AC compressor!)

 

[45Smashemflat]

FWIW, I'm on my 3rd Toyota. All of them have exceeded 200K miles. Toyota anti freeze is "supposed" to be serious high mileage stuff. I stuck with it. Never had a coolant leak. Maybe used a full gallon across all three topping up the burp bottle at oil changes.

 

[DWalt]

Is AF still made of ethylene glycol or is it something else today? I haven't changed AF in forever, don't understand why it would go bad.

 

[LVSteve]

Is AF still made of ethylene glycol or is it something else today? I haven't changed AF in forever, don't understand why it would go bad.

In an all iron motor you are generally good. When you get lots of alloy parts you need extra inhibitors in the AF otherwise the mix will start to dissolve things. The 2.5 liter Daimler V8 motor suffered from this in the 60s with it's alloy block and head. I recall reading that a weak AF mix allowed pockets of boiling coolant to develop, eroding the alloy into little grains. These would get trapped in the radiator, eventually leading to overheating and head gasket failure. All alloy motors don't do well after being cooked.

Sometimes even in an ironblock and head motor you can run into problems if the water pump is alloy and the wrong AF mix is introduced.

 

[Squarebutt]

It's not necessary to pay the inflated dealer prices. I bought a gallon of premixed red Toyota-spec antifreeze at the local NAPA, and since then have seen it at Walmart and other locations, manufactured by Prestone and other major brands. As others have said, the additives in the Toyota-spec juice will protect the cooling system parts the best. There is also a green Honda-spec mix and another specifically designed for European cars.

 

[eb07]

Here you go:


https://a.co/d/9k2X6Ft



I have two toyotas

 

[madmikeb]

It's not necessary to pay the inflated dealer prices. I bought a gallon of premixed red Toyota-spec antifreeze at the local NAPA, and since then have seen it at Walmart and other locations, manufactured by Prestone and other major brands. As others have said, the additives in the Toyota-spec juice will protect the cooling system parts the best. There is also a green Honda-spec mix and another specifically designed for European cars.

The Toyota red antifreeze is different from the pink, the red is just ethylene glycol with red dye instead of green. The pink is a whole different animal. If it was me I would stick with the Toyota stuff. But then I was a Toyota parts manager for 34 years, and I believe in oem parts for most applications. Seen too many problems with aftertmarket parts.

 

[444 Magnum]

A lot of you are saying "use what the manufacturer recommends".

I had a 1998 Chevrolet Blazer that had the orange fluid. I believe it was dexcool by name but it's been a while.

At approximately 40,000 miles, my engine ran hot. Upon investigation, the dexcool had broken down into an orange sludge and water. My engine block was rusted and a blob of rust and orange sludge plugged up my thermostat and ran the engine hot.

Mechanics said this was a common problem with the dexcool and it had to be changed at regular intervals.

I flushed the engine with a strong cleaner (this led to a water pump replacement due to the causticity of the cleaner), changed the thermostat and went with the "green" traditional stuff. I flushed the engine coolant once more after about a month to get the remaining loose rust out. No more problems.

I'm not one to change out coolant at specified intervals. I've never seen the need. I ran that Blazer to well over 200K without changing the coolant again.

 

[chief38]

Coolant "color" is meaningless anymore. Use what your vehicle manufacturer recommends and carry on.

Sir, technically you are correct in that the color is meaningless. In reality it is very meaningful. That is because the dye's color identifies it as a specific brand. If you have an engine or cooling system failure, the car company's will do anything possible to deny your warranty claim and replace or repair you vehicle if you did not use their specified antifreeze.

By using "their brand", eliminates one step to use against your warranty claim. Who needs the hassle for an extra few bucks a year?

We recently bought a new Kia Sportage that comes with a ten year 100,000 mile warranty. I purchased two Kia OEM oil filters for two reasons. #1) if I ever have to put in a claim they can not say I used an inferior after market filter. #2) I have a receipt on Kia's letter head with the date, model and price. I doubt their oil filters are the best, but probably adequate enough. If they aren't, THEY will pay to repair. I also keep the receipts from the Amsoil which is rated time and time again by independent testing labs as the best #1 Oil available anywhere from any company. No issues there either. It's a game we have to play!

 

[Rule3]

oyota Super Long Life Coolant" or a similar high
quality ethylene glycol-based non-silicate, non-
amine, non-nitrite and non-borate coolant with long-
life hybrid organic acid technology
For the U.S.A.:
"Toyota Super Long Life Coolant" is pre-mixed with
50% coolant and 50% deionized water.
For Canada:
"Toyota Super Long Life Coolant" is pre-mixed with
55% coolant and 45% deionized water.


https://www.toyotamanuals.org/2017-toyota-rav4/

 

[Glynn863]

My son bought a 1996 Tacoma in 2016. Truck was 4x4, extra cab, 3.4L with 5 spd, only 89K miles. It need a few little things, nothing major. The previous owner was the son of one of my college friends; he said he let a local station take care of the maintenance.

Well, i was checking the coolant level, took off the radiator cap, and saw what looked like brown oatmeal. This Tacoma was from the "Toyota Red" coolant era, and apparently the station had topped if off with standard green. The brown slush was the result.

Long story short, I removed and cleaned the radiator and overflow, and backflushed the heater core and the rest of the cooling system for several days.

Got it all back together and refilled with Toyota Red and distilled water, and added a big piece of white duct tape to the radiator top with "Toyota Red Coolant Only" on it. I was able to get a generic Toyota Red coolant from O'Reillys Auto Parts IIRC.

He kept the truck for a few years and sold it in 2023, with only 129K miles on it. Never had any coolant issues while he had it.

 

[DWalt]

I looked it up. My Ford Ranger takes plain vanilla green AF. My Mazda uses the yellow stuff. But I have no plans to change the AF in either.