Coolant Changes

Why Do You Need To Change Radiator Coolant? An important requirement often over-looked in relatively new vehicles is the change period of the factory fitted coolant.

It appears many people are not aware that nearly all Australian manufactured vehicles and the majority of overseas vehicles require a Coolant or Anti-Freeze change at 2 years or 40,000 Kilometres.

Change your coolant regularly to prevent cooling system corrosion.

What Is Radiator Coolant?

Put simply coolant is a solution that is mixed with water in the radiator to control the temperature of the engine by removing waste heat from the engine.Coolants also contain inhibitors that help prevent rust, scale and corrosion in the cooling system. Today's Coolants are a sophisticated blend of corrosion inhibiting chemicals, Anti Foam agents, demineralised water and Mono Ethylene Glycol.

What Must Coolant Do?

corrosion, cavitation, freezing and overheating in alloy, mixed metal and cast iron engines Be compatible with plastics and rubbers Be chemically stable Mix readily with water Prevent deposits What happens As Coolant Ages? As conventional Coolants or Anti Freezes protect the metal surfaces by coating them with a micro thin film of corrosion inhibitors this action over time consumes the active chemicals. Once the Coolants corrosion inhibitors have been depleted the coolant will give little or no corrosion protection to your engine.

How Can I Save Money by Regularly Servicing My Cooling System?

A well maintained cooling system will perform at maximum efficiency thereby stopping corrosion and the replacement of expensive engine components.

How Do I Select the Right Radiator Coolant?

In Australia we have Type A and Type B coolants.
For later model cars Type A is generally required as Type A contains inhibitors to protect the cooling system from rust and corrosion as well as an Anti-Freeze/Anti Boil solution.
For older vehicles Type B is adequate.
Type B protects against rust and corrosion and does not contain Anti-Freeze/Anti Boil.
It is important to remember that you should not mix coolant types in the radiator and that modern vehicles have very specific requirements.

A qualified professional can advise you on the right coolant for your car. Repco Authorised Service use and recommend Penrite coolants that are designed for harsh Australian conditions.

What's The Difference Between Concentrate and Pre-mix Coolants?

 Concentrated coolants are packaged to be diluted to a specific Coolant concentration ratio i.e., 50% by mixing with water whereas Pre-mix coolants are already diluted with water at a pre-set ratio normally between 33% to 50%.