You guys tried this stuff?




I'm about to replace hoses and the water pump, and the car has what appear to be a reddish coolant in it now. I'd like to just drain and fill, and hopefully this Pentofrost can be mixed with whatever reddish (OEM?) coolant is in there.

 

Does it meet the required Jag spec listed in your owners manual?

 

"SF" meets the specs, "NF" does not.

 

It's a Ford engine, wouldn't waste your money on exotic coolant, any brand name stuff (any make, any model) will work just fine.

 

I know it's the right coolant for the car, and supposedly good, but I was actually mostly curious if it could be mixed with factory coolant without gelling. I probably should have just asked that.

I've heard that factory coolant is pink, which turns darker, becoming reddish when it's "wearing" out. Mine looks like that. I've also read that the factory coolant is orange. This Pentosin is pink.

I may have an intermittent radiator leak, but I want to replace all the hoses and water pump first, then keep an eye on the radiator. So, for now, I don't want to do a full flush, when I may also be replacing the radiator too, soon.

 

False. Please do some research.

 

Coolant colour is no longer a reliable indicator of intermixability as it once was.

The OEM specification is the sole method of making a decision.

 

Coolant technology has come a long way in the past ten years, none of the new stuff coagulates or gels when mixed with other coolant like it did in the past.

There are certain places in the world (mainly in Europe) where the water is extremely hard and in those instances if you're going to use tap water (which is never a great idea when distilled water only cost $.80 per gallon) it's best to stick with the phosphate free types of coolants.

To each his own, but I really don't think that any particular manufacturer has a special blend now that is superior to everyone else anymore.

If you're the type who wants the peace of mind running exactly what the manufacturers call for in your car than by all means spend the extra money but I've come to the conclusion after 30+ years of wrenching on most everything out there that while most OEM fluids are ok, they aren't usually the best stuff on the market and are only designed to protect your car good enough to survive the warranty period.

Now before some of you get mad and want to call me an idiot or raving lunatic, take a minute as ask yourself this question: If OEM coolants are so great compared to everyone else, why do cooling system parts seem to wear out at the same rate no matter what fluid you use?

 

But OEMs don't make coolant any more than they make filters, plugs, wiper blades etc. etc. They re-label stuff from the standard manufacturers and sell it a dealer prices.

Too keep things simple, just buy whatever product meets the spec.

 

Exactly, and since these companies are in business to make money; as a manufacturer do you buy the best product with the highest cost additive packages or the lowest cost product that has proven to be good enough to get the job done and not fail during the warranty period?

 

I don't know of any brand name coolant, oil, plug, wiper blade, etc. that would fail during the warranty period irrespective of cost so it's kind of a moot point.

 

For what it is worth, if you are driving an Audi or a Volkswagen, Pentosin IS the OEM for their first-fill (factory) coolant.