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Coolant Change POLL
- mr wilks
- Legend
- Posts: 21897
- Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2012 10:02 pm
- Location: Lancashire
Coolant Change POLL
Its so cheap why would you not do it every 2/3 years ?
Always something ive added to be done at service time & will be having it changed when my ZM goes in for Ins1
This extract from the web explains better than i can why its worth the spend
Most vehicles use long-life engine coolant (usually a 50/50 mixture of antifreeze and water) that for several years will provide protection against boiling in hot weather and freezing in cold weather, with little or no maintenance. Modern vehicles also have longer intervals between fluid changes of all types partly because environmental regulators have pressured automakers to reduce the amount of waste fluids that have to be disposed of or recycled.
Coolant can deteriorate over time and should be tested to see if it's still good, as it can be hard to tell just by appearances. Even if testing shows the cooling and antifreeze protection are still adequate, antifreeze can become more acidic over time and lose its rust-inhibiting properties, causing corrosion.
Corrosion can damage the radiator, water pump, thermostat and other parts of the cooling system, so the coolant in a vehicle with more than about 50,000 miles should be tested periodically. That's to look for signs of rust and to make sure it has sufficient cooling and boiling protection, even if the cooling system seems to be working properly. It can be checked with test strips that measure acidity, and with a hydrometer that measures freezing and boiling protection.
If the corrosion inhibitors have deteriorated, the coolant should be changed. The cooling system might also need to be flushed to remove contaminants no matter what the maintenance schedule calls for or how many miles are on the odometer. On the other hand, if testing shows the coolant is still doing its job and not allowing corrosion, changing it more often than what the manufacturer recommends could be a waste of money.
Always something ive added to be done at service time & will be having it changed when my ZM goes in for Ins1
This extract from the web explains better than i can why its worth the spend
Most vehicles use long-life engine coolant (usually a 50/50 mixture of antifreeze and water) that for several years will provide protection against boiling in hot weather and freezing in cold weather, with little or no maintenance. Modern vehicles also have longer intervals between fluid changes of all types partly because environmental regulators have pressured automakers to reduce the amount of waste fluids that have to be disposed of or recycled.
Coolant can deteriorate over time and should be tested to see if it's still good, as it can be hard to tell just by appearances. Even if testing shows the cooling and antifreeze protection are still adequate, antifreeze can become more acidic over time and lose its rust-inhibiting properties, causing corrosion.
Corrosion can damage the radiator, water pump, thermostat and other parts of the cooling system, so the coolant in a vehicle with more than about 50,000 miles should be tested periodically. That's to look for signs of rust and to make sure it has sufficient cooling and boiling protection, even if the cooling system seems to be working properly. It can be checked with test strips that measure acidity, and with a hydrometer that measures freezing and boiling protection.
If the corrosion inhibitors have deteriorated, the coolant should be changed. The cooling system might also need to be flushed to remove contaminants no matter what the maintenance schedule calls for or how many miles are on the odometer. On the other hand, if testing shows the coolant is still doing its job and not allowing corrosion, changing it more often than what the manufacturer recommends could be a waste of money.
3 ZMRs
3 E89s
5 Si coupes
5 Si roadsters
997 C4
TTRS
F82 M4
MK7 Golf Gti
current Bmw 6 Gran Turismo
3 E89s
5 Si coupes
5 Si roadsters
997 C4
TTRS
F82 M4
MK7 Golf Gti
current Bmw 6 Gran Turismo
- buzyg
- Legend
- Posts: 26511
- Joined: Fri May 20, 2011 6:11 pm
- Location: Cornwall
Coolant Change POLL
Never had mine done. Can't say I use it either. The car has no roof. Took me a while to find the switch for the rear window heater last weekend, when I actually drove home with the roof up
- mr wilks
- Legend
- Posts: 21897
- Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2012 10:02 pm
- Location: Lancashire
Coolant Change POLL
Its not just about not freezing in winter or keeping cool in summer , its also about not deteriorating & rusting up the components that it inhabits such as waterpump , radiator etcbuzyg wrote:Never had mine done. Can't say I use it either. The car has no roof. Took me a while to find the switch for the rear window heater last weekend, when I actually drove home with the roof up
3 ZMRs
3 E89s
5 Si coupes
5 Si roadsters
997 C4
TTRS
F82 M4
MK7 Golf Gti
current Bmw 6 Gran Turismo
3 E89s
5 Si coupes
5 Si roadsters
997 C4
TTRS
F82 M4
MK7 Golf Gti
current Bmw 6 Gran Turismo
- buzyg
- Legend
- Posts: 26511
- Joined: Fri May 20, 2011 6:11 pm
- Location: Cornwall
Coolant Change POLL
mr wilks wrote:Its not just about not freezing in winter or keeping cool in summer , its also about not deteriorating & rusting up the components that it inhabits such as waterpump , radiator etcbuzyg wrote:Never had mine done. Can't say I use it either. The car has no roof. Took me a while to find the switch for the rear window heater last weekend, when I actually drove home with the roof up
I'm being a dumb A. Was thinking of the air con. I have had the coolant changed at Ins 2.
- mr wilks
- Legend
- Posts: 21897
- Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2012 10:02 pm
- Location: Lancashire
Coolant Change POLL
buzyg wrote:mr wilks wrote:Its not just about not freezing in winter or keeping cool in summer , its also about not deteriorating & rusting up the components that it inhabits such as waterpump , radiator etcbuzyg wrote:Never had mine done. Can't say I use it either. The car has no roof. Took me a while to find the switch for the rear window heater last weekend, when I actually drove home with the roof up
I'm being a dumb A. Was thinking of the air con. I have had the coolant changed at Ins 2.
Haha , makes sense now
3 ZMRs
3 E89s
5 Si coupes
5 Si roadsters
997 C4
TTRS
F82 M4
MK7 Golf Gti
current Bmw 6 Gran Turismo
3 E89s
5 Si coupes
5 Si roadsters
997 C4
TTRS
F82 M4
MK7 Golf Gti
current Bmw 6 Gran Turismo
- stupot67
- Member
- Posts: 420
- Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2013 11:32 am
- Location: Milton Keynes
Coolant Change POLL
Exactly, and as far as the manufacturer is concerned "Lifetime" is the length of the warranty period.D4dawg wrote:I've always changed every 2/3 years in my cars
As coolant breaks done
- flimper
- Lifer
- Posts: 4581
- Joined: Wed Jan 21, 2009 11:47 pm
- Location: Hampshire
Coolant Change POLL
I have had it changed once in 2010, and have done 30,000 miles since then.
Back to the drawing board
Back to the drawing board
Piano black & black extended leather. Power mirrors, tinted glass, PDC, Prof hi-fi, CD, retro-fit cruise
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- Senior Member
- Posts: 1103
- Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2015 9:38 pm
- Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
Coolant Change POLL
Changed it while it had its Inspection 2 last year.
Now: Z4MC Titan Silver
Gone: E86 3.0Si Sport Titan Silver - M exhaust + bumper - Battery Relocated - Aero Front
E86 3.0Si Sport Silver Grey - Carbon Diffuser - Aero Kit - B/Box Mod - Storm MW V2
E85 2.5 Si Sport Titan Silver
Gone: E86 3.0Si Sport Titan Silver - M exhaust + bumper - Battery Relocated - Aero Front
E86 3.0Si Sport Silver Grey - Carbon Diffuser - Aero Kit - B/Box Mod - Storm MW V2
E85 2.5 Si Sport Titan Silver
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- Member
- Posts: 64
- Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2016 12:58 pm
Coolant Change POLL
maybe its just me but Coolant is cheap so i tend to change it every 2 years. along with Brake and Power steering fluid while i'm at it.
07 Z4 M Coupe - Sapphire Black/Imola Red
Coolant Change POLL
Good callZAR4MC wrote:maybe its just me but Coolant is cheap so i tend to change it every 2 years. along with Brake and Power steering fluid while i'm at it.
Things break down and brakes absorb moisture