TheSamba.com :: View topic - Anti-Freeze Color?

Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:16 pm

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For a Standard WBX engine....
Is there a Correct Anti Freeze Color.. When i go to buy it and read the labels mostly all of them say meets or exceeds standards, but I notice that Anti-Freeze seems to come in two Basic Colors. Yellow and Green..

So does the color go with a certin Quality, or can they be mixed and matched etc..

Also I notice that some say non corosive, while most say Meets or Exceeds and meant for all engines, Alum and Steel .. Wouldn't that be one and the same. :?:

It just gets F-ing confussing :? :? :? :? :?
:?

Fri Mar 02, 2012 2:14 pm

I think a key component is an absence of phosphate in the formulation. It seems that many long-life antifreezes are now phosphate free, but not all are.

I have used Sierra brand for many years, mainly because it was cheap, readily available and (at the time) one of the few phosphate free.

I do not mix colors even if the antifreezes in question claim to be compatible -- I like to see the pure color of what I put in there... then if I see something else I will know it is contaminated and investigate further.

So I would say my 3 rules of anitfreeze are: phosphate free, always top up with same stuff & change it every 2 years.

Fri Mar 02, 2012 4:54 pm

Ahwahnee wrote: So I would say my 3 rules of anitfreeze are: phosphate free, always top up with same stuff & change it every 2 years.

What kind of polish do you use when you're waxing your engine? Man, that's clean.

I think GoWesty says it's ok to mix and match colors as long as you use phosphate free, and dilute with distilled water. The point about being able to see the original color in order to identify problems is good one though.

Fri Mar 02, 2012 5:48 pm

Color is usually a branding thing. One brand is "green" another is "gold" Gold is better, right? But green is better for the world, man.
My Toyota truck is pink. Not sure what that means. I'm comfortable with my myself?
I've found the properly rated stuff at Napa and it was expensive and gold. Check the back and it should give year ranges and makes that are compatible.

Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:19 pm

I bought mine from VW dealer and it's PINK, no mention on the label if it's compatable with thier BLUE stuff they sold before????
I think I'd better check with them before I mix it.

Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:28 pm

I stick with Pentosin (blue). Now if I can just get the mechanic to stop topping it off with windshield washer fluid!

Fri Mar 02, 2012 7:02 pm

schoonerman wrote: I bought mine from VW dealer and it's PINK, no mention on the label if it's compatable with thier BLUE stuff they sold before????
I think I'd better check with them before I mix it.

No. Blue = G11; pink = G12. Flush the system before putting the G12 in.

Fri Mar 02, 2012 9:49 pm

Actually G12++ IS backward compatible with G11 but will turn it brown. Apparently they went back to silicates with G12+ and G12++? Only G12 is not compatible with G11. If you go into any dealer right now, you will be getting G12++

If you want to keep it G11, BMW still uses that formulation and color in their cars.

Flushes suck in these cars. We pull both drain plugs in the head, both radiator pipes and heater hoses, get them drained, run compressed air through them and then hook a hose up to them to flush. We pretty much half fill our 30 gallon coolant drain bucket with one flush, minus the stuff that gets all over the shop floor. We use an air-lift to create a vacuum in the coolant system and then air bubbles are kept to a minimum and easier to bleed out.

I tried looking but couldn't find the coolant TSB publicly, it's 1910-03 if you want to search. I downloaded it from Identifix so I can email it to anyone interested too.

Here is the main gist of the TSB

Fri Mar 02, 2012 10:19 pm

hans j wrote: Actually G12++ IS backward compatible with G11 but will turn it brown. Apparently they went back to silicates with G12+ and G12++? Only G12 is not compatible with G11. If you go into any dealer right now, you will be getting G12++

Since this is a thread about colors, let's add some info to ^that:

G11 = blue
G12 = pink
G12+ = purple
G12++ = purple

G12 should not be mixed with G11. If you go into any VW/Audi dealer today, verify what you're getting because some will still sell G12 &/or G12+. In fact, several years ago I was still able to get G11 at my local Audi dealer.

:wink:

Sat Mar 03, 2012 8:42 am

kamzcab86 wrote:
Since this is a thread about colors, let's add some info to ^that:

Here is the picture the TSB uses...

Personally, over the last 12 years of adding coolant to VW/Audi's almost everyday at work, I can't tell the difference between the 'red' and 'purple', it's all pink to me. Our dealer sold G11 several years ago too, it's only been in the last 9 months or so it has been unavailable. And if you go buy G12, you will get G12++

Basically, your coolant should be all of one color; however I don't recommend anything that isn't OE VW. I have to flush all the green out of mine and will be running G12++ as it is formulated for my car and easy to get (especially since we buy it 5 cases at a time at work!)

Sat Mar 03, 2012 10:35 am

I don't get why so many people think that these vans need the super expensive VW coolant. Most cars in recent years have either all aluminum engines or have iron blocks and aluminum heads. At my shop I've been using Prestone extended life antifreeze for everything I work on, for all makes and models. It's silicate free, available everywhere and they claim that it's compatible with all others including dex-cool and traditional green stuff. It has a light green color so it doesn't seem to change the color of whatever you're adding it to much.

Sat Mar 03, 2012 2:50 pm

Vango Conversions wrote: I don't get why so many people think that these vans need the super expensive VW coolant. Most cars in recent years have either all aluminum engines or have iron blocks and aluminum heads. At my shop I've been using Prestone extended life antifreeze for everything I work on, for all makes and models. It's silicate free, available everywhere and they claim that it's compatible with all others including dex-cool and traditional green stuff. It has a light green color so it doesn't seem to change the color of whatever you're adding it to much.

X2

Prestone

Sat Mar 03, 2012 3:38 pm

Valvoline Zerex G-05 = Gold

Sat Mar 03, 2012 6:17 pm

Vango Conversions wrote: I don't get why so many people think that these vans need the super expensive VW coolant. Most cars in recent years have either all aluminum engines or have iron blocks and aluminum heads. At my shop I've been using Prestone extended life antifreeze for everything I work on, for all makes and models. It's silicate free, available everywhere and they claim that it's compatible with all others including dex-cool and traditional green stuff. It has a light green color so it doesn't seem to change the color of whatever you're adding it to much.

^^^ True dat. And I thought BMW guys were overly obsessed with coolant- so I run the same Prestone in my Bimmer. It has not objected. I use the WalMart all- color- stuff now, and mix it myself- why pay $5 per gallon for water- ( premixed coolant at $10/ gallon, half water= $5 per gallon water.).

Sun Mar 04, 2012 5:36 pm

I was just about to ask about the pre-mixed stuff, but now I see its not a smart purchase. More convenient, though

Sun Mar 04, 2012 6:49 pm

I wish there were not so many choices on this stuff... A clear cut answer of what is bets would be nice :D I do however appreciate the discussion!

Sun Mar 04, 2012 6:52 pm

X6 on the Prestone. Good thing I'm color blind or I'd be in a heap o' shit :wink:

Sun Mar 04, 2012 6:58 pm

ok, who has used Prestone for how may years with no drama resulting?

and... who has done a teardown inspection to be absolutely sure...

Sun Mar 04, 2012 7:00 pm

I went so far as to ask about the Nitrites in a letter to Prestone about the 'Extended Life.' They were quite positive, never had 'em, never will. By way of confirmation, my box of Anti-Freeze Test Strips always warns me of the severe lack of nitrites when I test Winston's coolant.

You can buy distilled water cheap from the Big Box stores, and after that, you're ready to rock. Of interest on a related topic: Gates Rubber and some of the parts suppliers are about to come out with a new 'jetting' system of coolant flushing that is supposed to completely free up systems from the old gunk and accretions therein. We are no longer, apparently, in possession of the most arcane and convoluted cooling system on Planet Earth.

:shock:

Watching... Let you know when shops start to offer it.

Best!

Sun Mar 04, 2012 7:20 pm

FWIW, for the past ~4 yrs I have been using Prestone, but not the yellow container/green color version. I have been using the Dex-Cool type of Prestone which is bright orange in color ( the container is grey). I thought this was the preferred type of Prestone to use, instead of the green color, for these engines. But then again I am not particularly mechanically inclined. What "G" designation is this version? I always buy full strength coolant and gallons of distilled water and mix them half and half, alternating between them using a quart of each from a rinsed glass container(wide mouth).