Antifreeze/coolant

[Threadcutter]

Just wanted to relay a very pleasant experience I had at a Toyota dealership today. I live in Washington state and work in Vancouver B.C., Canada. I'm getting all the materials gathered to do the timing belt (plus various & sundry other items) on my '95 LS400. I've been reading all the posts about only using Toyota "Red" coolant. So today, I went into the parts department at the dealership in New Westminster (Vancouver) & purchase one gallon of the "Red". There's a mechanic within earshot & he chimes in & says that I may need a little more than one gallon. Meantime, the counter guy had disappeared and almost instantly re-appeared with a second gallon, plops it up on the counter & says "here you go". I'm standing there, fairly quickly coming to the realization that he/they are giving me the second gallon at no charge. Wow, I'm still stunned.......Makes me want to be in the market for a new Forerunner. I know EXACTLY where I'd go first. I didn't think about it until just now, but I think ice water would become a menu item in haides before that would happen at a Lexus dealership........sigh.

Also, the guy behind the counter was telling me about the new "Super Duper" stuff. Apparently, you cannot use any water with the new stuff. I thanked him for letting me know about it, but I said that everything I had read (on this Blog) strongly recommended the "Red". To which he responded by saying nothing, winking and patting the top of the "Red" container a couple of times. I got the point....

So my questions about the "new stuff" are; If you can't cut it with (distilled) water, then why use it? What would you do in an emergency? Would you damage anything if you did add water? AND, what in particular then makes it sooooo good? I'm not getting it.........

[monarch]

The Red Toyota Long Life coolant is a concentrate you must dilute 50/50 with distilled water. It's forumulated to be compatible for both all aluminum and aluminum head / iron block engines.

The Pink Toyota Super Long Life coolant comes prediluted and ready to use and is formulated mainly for the

2004 on up models, all of which have all aluminum engines.

I think it would be a bad idea to mix the two until we know more about their chemistry.

Both coolants are a step above anything you can get in an auto parts store. Specifically, they totally eliminate aluminum and iron corrosion, totally prevent any trace of radiator core blocking mineral deposits even if never changed for 5-10 years. In addition to being silicate free, they also contain a big dose of molybdenum lubricant, so the life of the water pump seal can be as long as 20 years or 250,000 miles. Big benefits for just a $5-8 premium over the price of auto parts store antifreeze.

[Threadcutter]

The Red Toyota Long Life coolant is a concentrate you must dilute 50/50 with distilled water. It's forumulated to be compatible for both all aluminum and aluminum head / iron block engines.

The Pink Toyota Super Long Life coolant comes prediluted and ready to use and is formulated mainly for the

2004 on up models, all of which have all aluminum engines.

I think it would be a bad idea to mix the two until we know more about their chemistry.

Both coolants are a step above anything you can get in an auto parts store. Specifically, they totally eliminate aluminum and iron corrosion, totally prevent any trace of radiator core blocking mineral deposits even if never changed for 5-10 years. In addition to being silicate free, they also contain a big dose of molybdenum lubricant, so the life of the water pump seal can be as long as 20 years or 250,000 miles. Big benefits for just a $5-8 premium over the price of auto parts store antifreeze.

Monarch:

Ah...So you're saying that the Premium stuff is pre-diluted. That makes more sense.

No, it wasn't my intent to mix the Red & Pink. To me, it's very straightforward; go with what you know (or multiple others have recommended), don't try to get inventive, & stick with it. That's why I got the red. Some might turn their noses up at using distilled water, but it's way too easy to go to the grocery store & buy 2 or 3 gallons for a couple of bucks.

Thanks for the clarification.