Does it matter what kind of antifreeze you put in your car's coolant system?

Question

I think its time to top up the cooloant in my car, (10yr old Fiat Punot SX) but was wondering if I had to buy exactly the same coolant brand or could just top up with any other anti freeze stuff

Answer 1

There are two kinds of antifreeze. One is a bright green/yellow, the other is a dark, ruby red. They are of two different chemical formulations and cannot be used simultaneously in the same cooling system. To mix them in your car is asking for a whopping repair bill.

If the coolant you buy meets the standards set forth by the car manufacturer, you can use any brand. Antifreeze is either ethylene glycol or propylene glycol. You can't mix them, but you can upgrade from the old stuff to the new stuff, which is the PG (red) stuff.

Answer 2

YES! Some coolants can be interchanged with each other, but there are some that will cause a chemical reaction and cause your system to carode. Check your manufacture specification to see which one you need or just ask and i'm sure someone on here will let you know. need to know what type of vehicle.

Answer 3

it depends on the coolant that the manufacturer specifies. some cars use a different type of coolant. check w/ your owners manuel. as long as the coolant meets the manufacturers specs, it doesn't matter what brand it is.