Did the shop put the wrong coolant in my car?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Apr 13, 2016
Messages
137
Location
Canada
02 Honda Civic EP3/SiR

I noticed the coolant was a bit low, asked the shop to top it up while it was in the other day. The manual indicates to use Honda Coolant/Anti-Freeze Type 2 part # OL999-9011 only, which is blue. I specifically asked the shop to use the Honda coolant specified for this car. The stuff they put in is green. Is this wrong fluid?
 
Probably so. You can't expect and indy shop to stock every coolant type. What you CAN expect them to do is abide by your wishes or politely tell you that they won't be able to top-off due to not having the proper coolant that you requested.

Give them a call and ask them what coolant they utilize, that'll tell the story.
 
It's an independent shop. I did specifically ask them if they stock the Honda specified fluid for this car, they said they service lots of Hondas and keep it stocked.
 
Originally Posted by AZjeff
You were expecting blue Honda brand, is it possible they put in a brand that meets Honda spec? Is all Honda spec coolant blue?

I have no idea. I just know when I look up that part number, the results are all blue.
 
Originally Posted by Oily_Thing
Sounds like they screwed up. Make /'em drain and flush the system and refill with the proper Honda coolant.

Yeah, I think I will. I have no idea what coolant was in here before either.
 
I have often wondered why a car manufacturer would have blue coolant. Seems it would confuse people into adding windshield washer fluid into the antifreeze and vice versa.
 
I know people are quite sensitive to this issue but if the shop happened to use the product below, they could claim you are the one who is worried about nothing. It's yellow in color. Don't blue and yellow make green?

"Guaranteed for all vehicles; Domestic, Asian, European "




4A5944A9-2605-40CF-80DB-7AF0A3F0D3CB.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Not defending the shop, but they could very well have a supplier stating whatever coolant they used would work for the application and they did not second guess them. I have worked with plenty of people who believe anything written on a label when it comes to automotive chemicals.
 
Quote
I know people are quite sensitive to this issue but if the shop happened to use the product below, they could claim you are the one who is worried about nothing

Yeah, you're probably right. On the other hand, the car has 112k miles and I'd bet it hasn't seen fresh coolant since the warranty expired. Can't hurt to change it.
 
Maybe just plain old Prestone. If the recommended Honda coolant is similar to the Prestone or it meets Honda's requirements then it's fine. Just run it until it's time to drain and fill.
 
Genuine Type II is indeed blue.

Some Asian formulas are indeed yellow like Peak Global Lifetime. Some are red, for Toyota's.

I have owned three Honda's and the key is to get a HOAT coolant without silicates. If they used "green" coolant, it's wrong.
 
I'd bet the shop will say they used coolant suitable for the application and they're not changing it out for free.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Leo99
I'd bet the shop will say they used coolant suitable for the application and they're not changing it out for free.


Bingo.
 
Did you watch them pour it in and see that it was green ? Or, if they only topped it off, it's probably not enough to change the color of the existing fluid.

I don't know about all brands, but Peak, for example, has "amber" colored coolant and says it "will not change the current antifreeze color when used for topping off". I guess the "topping off" part is the key because at some volume, it will impact the color. I doubt that Peak is any different than other coolant manufacturers. Prestone says their coolant "works with any color antifreeze".
 
Originally Posted by OCDriver
…... The stuff they put in is green. Is this wrong fluid?
If by wrong, meaning not Honda Type2 current spec, then answer is yes. Type 2 is blue tint PHoat AF. If I had to speculate, they used some type of universal AF, which means Dexclone AF using 2eha. In small amount top up, likely hurt nothing, but not preferred.

Future reference, just get a jug of WM Valvoline Asian Vehicle for top up, ~$13/gal. Comes in blue tint, price up a buck recently, but still good price readily available PHoat matching tint.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top