Originally Posted By: BHopkins
Originally Posted By: Gokhan
Prestone All Makes, All Models coolant is actually Prestone No Makes, No Models coolant. It's not compatible with virtually any car maker's coolant system.
Coolant is not like oil. You shouldn't use such generic/universal coolants in your car. They will have types of organic acids that are not compatible with your engine or they will lack types of corrosion inhibitors that are required by your engine. Corrosion-inhibitor package is the key and what is required in it greatly varies from car maker to car maker.
Bottom line: Pick up your coolant from your car dealer if you care about your engine. Always avoid Prestone All Makes, All Models (which is actually Prestone No Makes, No Models) and other falsely labeled universal coolants.
So, following your logic, are we safe in understanding that, you would never recommend any aftermarket coolant/antifreeze from any manufacturer? Prestone, Peak, Zerex. No difference. None of them are OEM, and thus they would all be "No Makes, No Models", right? Just trying to make sure we understand what you believe on this subject, when you say "Pick up your coolant from your car dealer".
What in particular makes you feel that, unlike other engine fluids, af/coolant should always be OEM?
I did try to briefly explain it.
Most automotive coolants are ethylene/diethylene-based coolants. So, you are safe there.
However, the key component in the coolant is the corrosion-inhibitor package. Unlike the motor oil, there are usually no standards or certifications for the corrosion-inhibitor package, except for few OEMs, such as GM Dex-Cool.
To make the matters worse, every OEM has different requirements for the corrosion-inhibitor package. For example, Toyota requires silicates to provide sufficient lubrication of their water pumps. Prestone and many other universal coolants are silicate-free. Some other OEMs prohibit silicates entirely with the fear of them clogging (jelling) their cooling systems. Toyota and many other OEMs require that no sodium 2-ethylhexanoate (2-EHA) organic acid is used in the coolant, as 2-EHA is well-known to eat away certain gasket materials. Remember the lawsuits regarding Dex-Cool causing so many head-gasket failures in Ford and may other cars (even GM's own cars) and so on. To make the matters worse, most newer organic acids aren't compatible with the brass/copper/solder heater cores of 1990s and older cars and they will cause heater-core failures. Also, some coolants, despite being compatible with an OEM's engine, may not provide the full service interval specified.
I hope this makes things clear. Unless an OEM says it's OK to use a universal coolant (like Prestone, Peak, etc.), don't do so. Even if they OK a universal coolant, do a little research for your engine to see what the corrosion-inhibitor requirements are and choose the universal coolant accordingly with the right corrosion-inhibitor package.
"Universal coolant," "All Makes, All Models," etc. are nothing both marketing gimmicks. There is really no such thing. Go with an OEM coolant or an aftermarket coolant specifically designated for your OEM unless there is no OEM cooant specified.