Universal coolant vs blue coolant in my Honda
- Thread starter CarLuver
- Start date
Without the knowledge to throw at you, I'll say just buy and use the Honda coolant.
Guys at a Honda dealership I trust reaffirmed what I had read here and heard all the time.
How many miles are on your 2017? ...on the coolant, if different?
Guys at a Honda dealership I trust reaffirmed what I had read here and heard all the time.
How many miles are on your 2017? ...on the coolant, if different?
The 2010 Accord I tended had a drain valve on the radiator.
As if by design, exactly one gallon of coolant would drain, making for a perfect "drain and fill".
As if by design, exactly one gallon of coolant would drain, making for a perfect "drain and fill".
- Joined
- May 16, 2022
- Messages
- 840
Perhaps it goes back to what "some guy" told me 40 years ago but I have owned a few Hondas over the last 40 years and when it comes to Honda, I allow a Honda dealer to do ALL the service using Honda brand parts and fluids or I ride to the Honda parts department and buy Honda fluids...
Can't base that on anything except what I always thought was the thing to do.
Can't base that on anything except what I always thought was the thing to do.
My take is there cannot be a universal coolant unless you completely remove all traces of the old stuff and just use the universal. I mean you can get it but you shouldn't use it unless you get rid of all the old stuff
You can use all makes coolant, but I would use OEM for drain and fill on a Honda
If you don't want to splurge on the Honda dealership coolant, the SuperTech Asian blue is $12/gal. or you can use Prestone Platinum Asian blue for $17/gal., both available at WalMart. Both are chemically compatible with the Honda OEM blue coolant in case you want to do a drain and fill without flushing.
This guy is going a completely different route. Good luck to him. I would follow the advice of the replies here.
I'm a little late here so OP may have already made a decision, but FWIW the universals work just fine in Hondas and can mix with Honda coolant. However, some universals and Asian knockoffs (Prestone and their offshoot, Supertech) contain 2 Eha. If that is a concern to you, choose Peak universal, Peak OET, or Zerex Asian blue which do not.
I used Peak 10X for 5+ years in my Odyssey, starting as a single drain/fill which was mixed about 50% with the OE coolant. After the first timing belt/water pump job I flushed and used Peak only. My only complaint was that the light yellow color is nearly impossible to see in the partially hidden reservoir, so checking the level was not as easy as it should be. During the last TB/water pump job I used Zerex blue and it is much easier to see now.
I used Peak 10X for 5+ years in my Odyssey, starting as a single drain/fill which was mixed about 50% with the OE coolant. After the first timing belt/water pump job I flushed and used Peak only. My only complaint was that the light yellow color is nearly impossible to see in the partially hidden reservoir, so checking the level was not as easy as it should be. During the last TB/water pump job I used Zerex blue and it is much easier to see now.
Since I change my coolant on my Honda around 80000 miles or so... I stick with OEM Honda coolant....
No need to use the Honda coolant. The aftermarket has plenty of Blue coolants that are perfectly acceptable.
When I'm looking for a Honda car to buy, if it has anything but blue coolant, I move on. There's just no excuse to use anything but.
If they couldn't have been bothered to keep using a blue coolant, what else have they done a shortcut on? It's not like you save any money, they all cost roughly the same.
When I'm looking for a Honda car to buy, if it has anything but blue coolant, I move on. There's just no excuse to use anything but.
If they couldn't have been bothered to keep using a blue coolant, what else have they done a shortcut on? It's not like you save any money, they all cost roughly the same.
Last edited:
What’s funny about your comment is many shops simply use whatever.
I use supertech Asian blue in all my Japanese cars and drain and fill every other year. Nothing to report, which is good.
Regardless, if you add water use distilled. Honda Blue was designed for distilled, it has a small tolerance for minerals. It will rapidly degrade the coolant and use up the corrosion inhibitors.
It lasts so long because it makes the assumption only filtered water will be used traditional is a lot more forgiving.
It lasts so long because it makes the assumption only filtered water will be used traditional is a lot more forgiving.