I have a 2001 chevy impala with only 26,000 miles. Not driven a whole lot and sat while my husband was deployed to Iraq all of 2004 with the exception of small drives to run. We live in Hawaii since 2002, so cold weather hasn't been a problem. I have wondering when we should flush or change the antifreeze with such low miles?
2007-03-07 06:56:01 · 8 answers · asked by astrokien 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Miles do not hurt it. It is time sensitive. Some antifreeze solutions turn acidic over time. soon
2007-03-07 06:59:40 · answer #1 · answered by gejandsons 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If it has never been changed it is due. Make sure your dealer puts GM Dex-cool back it. The regular (Green) antifreeze will contaminate the system.
Right from the owners manual maintenance schedule:
240 000 km (150,000 Miles) or 5 years
Drain, flush and refill cooling system (or every 60 months since last service, whichever occurs first).
Inspect the radiator and heater hoses.
Clean the radiator, condenser, pressure cap and neck. Pressure test the cooling system and pressure cap. This is an emission control service.
2007-03-07 15:15:44 · answer #2 · answered by Delphi 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Change the coolant every year / 15,000 miles. (drain and refill)
or Flush the coolant every 2 years / 30,000 miles.
It is cheap insurance against many problems.
This is especially important if your vehicle uses Dexcool, the orange or red stuff. They say it lasts 5 years, but you can check out the internet for more information and how mad people are about the damage this stuff causes if left too long.
Hi country boy, my answer is not all wet, sorry you think so. I know that Dexcool says 5 years, 150,000 miles but that is a joke. They have non-stop complaints against it, you can see that with a very quick internet search. If you want to trust it for 5 years, fine you might get lucky, or you can get what others have which is thousands of dollars worth of damage. Do what you think is best, but mine is good advice. Thanks.
2007-03-07 15:08:17 · answer #3 · answered by starwings20 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Miles is only part of the problem, natural oxidation aka corrosion is the rest. Would be a good idea to flush and change at least once every 5 years.
2007-03-07 14:59:47 · answer #4 · answered by gary o 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I change mine every fall, complete with a flush out. Good maintainence brings rewards with a reliable automobile!
PS: Don't buy those cheap no-name brands either because some are not up to parr!
2007-03-07 15:25:12 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
3 years is about the limit. I've seen stuff that claimed to last 5, but it looked pretty bad after 3.
2007-03-07 16:44:01 · answer #6 · answered by Nomadd 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not to criticize but Starwings is "all wet". Go for Dephi's answer he 100% correct.
2007-03-07 16:53:31 · answer #7 · answered by Country Boy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
gary o is right however I change mine every 3 yrs.
2007-03-07 15:02:03 · answer #8 · answered by James B 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋