People topping up with plain water

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FCD

FCD

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Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
I ver very often see people here in Spain topping up their coolant with plain bottled or tap water, i guess most people here think they don't need coolant / antifreeze because it only really dips below freezing at night here a few weeks in January / February.
I even saw someone recently topping up a brand new Golf with plain water...
And when i do see people topping up with actual coolant it's usually some nasty cheap green 10% Premix ( conventional green here in Spain is usually a Phosphate / Borate formula )
What about people in your area?
 
I've only ever needed to add a cup of water or so to my overflow tank to bring it up to the line, and that's only maybe once every 18 months or so. I keep a bottle of distilled water for that purpose. Both cars are filled with 50/50 Honda premix and my climate is temperate enough that anything down to 40/60 or 30/70 would probably be just fine, so I don't worry much about it. By the time I'd have added enough water to make any kind of difference it would be timing belt time and all the coolant is coming out for that anyways.

If you've got a car you're topping up more often or lived somewhere you'd need to be more strict with your mix then I'd see the value in using premix or strait antifreeze. I could also see fixing the problem if you're loosing coolant to the point you're always topping up.
 
Here in the United States, the average person won't top up until a warning light comes on. Opening the hood is something many people don't mess with here.
 
Originally Posted by skyactiv
Here in the United States, the average person won't top up until a warning light comes on. Opening the hood is something many people don't mess with here.


No different here...
 
Originally Posted by skyactiv
Here in the United States, the average person won't top up until a warning light comes on. Opening the hood is something many people don't mess with here.


Sadly so true. For illustration purposes: About two years ago I checked my recently changed oil to find it WAAAAY overfilled. Turned out my direct injection pump seal had failed and the crankcase was being flooded with gasoline. Caught it very early. When the service adviser at the dealership diagnosed it he asked me how I found it. I told him I checked my oil. He was speechless as he couldn't believe someone still did that.
 
I once knew a guy who topped up with water...told him not to do that. Then one day he went out to start his car and nothing, block cracked, heads warped, freeze plugs busted out. Whole engine froze. It was a Ford Taurus, he had just put new tires on it, he was trying to negotiate with the tow truck guy from the junk yard to give him a little more money because of the tires. He didn't get it.
 
Originally Posted by FordCapriDriver
I ver very often see people here in Spain topping up their coolant with plain bottled or tap water, i guess most people here think they don't need coolant / antifreeze because it only really dips below freezing at night here a few weeks in January / February.
I even saw someone recently topping up a brand new Golf with plain water...
And when i do see people topping up with actual coolant it's usually some nasty cheap green 10% Premix ( conventional green here in Spain is usually a Phosphate / Borate formula )
What about people in your area?


First question would be how hard is the water?

Second question would be how much are they adding. A QT to a system that contains 2+ gallons would not be an issue if the antifreeze was 60/40. Obviously they cannot keep doing it.

Third question is why are they needing to top off?
 
Really the first question is why does it need topping off.

Any modern car needs corrosion inhibitors, using 100% plain water will cause serious damage. In areas where freezing is not an issue you might be able to buy that separate from the glycol.
 
Ha-yes, a hood up is a rare sight these days. It may garner some attention as somebody asks 'what's wrong'. If I'm asked, the usual answer is 'nothing, as I 'm checking things over to avoid problems'. That may or may not register.
 
Originally Posted by skyactiv
Here in the United States, the average person won't top up until a warning light comes on. Opening the hood is something many people don't mess with here.


That's because we've lost the password, kidding aside plain water if in quantity could created problems in the cooling system depending on how muc calcium it has.
Better to stick to distilled water or a 50/50 dist water & antifreeze
 
Originally Posted by XCIDMigs
Originally Posted by mk378
Really the first question is why does it need topping off.
.



THAT WAS WHAT I WAS THINKING?


My guess is that eople in Spain are having cars that are older and need repairs. Due to the fact that they are using plain water, they aren't paying for coolant. Just keep filling it up with water. I'm sure these people don't buy washer fluid as well, just dump water in the WW reservoir.

I'm sure some of these owners can't afford to pay for repairs. For most of us in North America parts are easy to get and cheaper to replace especially if we DIY. Other parts of the world not so easily or they cannot afford it.
 
How about there's a leak in the coolant system. Slow leak so all the fluid will eventually leak out. So you just top off with water because a mix will just all leak out anyway til you get it fixed. Then you get it fixed in a garage where you don't see them topping off.
 
Originally Posted by JC1
My guess is that eople in Spain are having cars that are older and need repairs....

I'm sure some of these owners can't afford to pay for repairs. For most of us in North America parts are easy to get and cheaper to replace especially if we DIY. Other parts of the world not so easily or they cannot afford it.

Hahaha !!!! This is hilarious ! You think Spain is like a 3rd-world country or something ? It's a completely modern country, just as modern as the US, Canada, etc.
 
Originally Posted by Donald
Originally Posted by FordCapriDriver
I ver very often see people here in Spain topping up their coolant with plain bottled or tap water, i guess most people here think they don't need coolant / antifreeze because it only really dips below freezing at night here a few weeks in January / February.
I even saw someone recently topping up a brand new Golf with plain water...
And when i do see people topping up with actual coolant it's usually some nasty cheap green 10% Premix ( conventional green here in Spain is usually a Phosphate / Borate formula )
What about people in your area?


First question would be how hard is the water?

Second question would be how much are they adding. A QT to a system that contains 2+ gallons would not be an issue if the antifreeze was 60/40. Obviously they cannot keep doing it.

Third question is why are they needing to top off?


Water is very hard here
 
Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by JC1
My guess is that eople in Spain are having cars that are older and need repairs....

I'm sure some of these owners can't afford to pay for repairs. For most of us in North America parts are easy to get and cheaper to replace especially if we DIY. Other parts of the world not so easily or they cannot afford it.

Hahaha !!!! This is hilarious ! You think Spain is like a 3rd-world country or something ? It's a completely modern country, just as modern as the US, Canada, etc.


Yeah no this is not like Morocco or something where that would be the case.
 
My 2017 Elantra said check coolant and oil every time you fill up which I did. On second day of ownership noticed coolant below low mark. This was a Friday night during 2nd work shift. Next day read manual said to top off with distilled water which I did. I am thinking it burped air plus temps were very cold. Since then topped off with A2 so am at 50/50.
 
Originally Posted by FordCapriDriver
I ver very often see people here in Spain topping up their coolant with plain bottled or tap water, i guess most people here think they don't need coolant / antifreeze because it only really dips below freezing at night here a few weeks in January / February.


It's because most people are ignorant about vehicle maintenance and don't care to learn. They usually end up learning via the "school of hard knocks". I too learned many lessons the hard way in my youth
 
In my subdivision I don't see anyone even open the hood of the car.

Seems like the Sonata likes to hold on to air when the coolant is changed because I have to watch the reservoir and top off after that's been done. I use pre-mixed coolant for that. For the Dakota I have a bottle of full-strength G-05 that I've diluted to 50/50 with distilled water.
 
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