Day before yesterday, I went for 30K mile servicing...well not servicing exactly, I told them what to do and that included coolant change....i picked up the car after couple of hours and thought let's open the hood and see if any cap or something crucial is missing (this really happens sometimes)...everything looked OK except I had this feeling that coolant hasn't been touched....so I made a call and it seems I was right....next day I went there again and told her to use "ethylene glycol based coolant" as it is recommended...she didn't know what the hell I was talking about.....anyway, the guy who was supposed to change the coolant seemed to understand...while I was about to leave the lady asked me "uuuhhnnn..I am doing a little survey how was our service...can you fill this one"...WTH..Any incidents with you guys?
They probably just put in the standard Toyota long life coolant, if you took it to the dealer. Almost all coolants are EG-based coolants. The only exception is the RV stuff and the stuff specifically marketed to be less poisonous to animals. It's extra cost, so unless you asked for it, you didn't get it. Your car should be just fine.
What was more important to specify (than EG-based coolants, since they're pretty much ALL EG-based) is the Toyota long life coolant. I don't like those universal coolants. But if you took it to the dealer, they used the Toyota stuff anyway, so you're fine.
They probably just put in the standard Toyota long life coolant, if you took it to the dealer. Almost all coolants are EG-based coolants. The only exception is the RV stuff and the stuff specifically marketed to be less poisonous to animals. It's extra cost, so unless you asked for it, you didn't get it. Your car should be just fine.
What was more important to specify (than EG-based coolants, since they're pretty much ALL EG-based) is the Toyota long life coolant. I don't like those universal coolants. But if you took it to the dealer, they used the Toyota stuff anyway, so you're fine.
I didn't take it to the dealer. I showed her what was written in manual (EG- based because it is supposed to have better thermal transfer properties) . I think long life coolant was introduced after 04 Corolla.
EG- based because it is supposed to have better thermal transfer properties
That's my understanding as well. But like I said, the alternative (Propylene Glycol-based coolants) are so rare in the marketplace, and more expensive, that unless you specifically ask for a PG-based coolant, nobody's going to pour it in.
I think long life coolant was introduced after 04 Corolla.
DISCARD EDIT Coolant is actually Toyota Red coolant, or Toyota Super long life coolant (pink). Not Dex-cool
DISCARDNope. Dexcool was introduced after 1995 for most (if not all) Toyota models. My family's 1996 Toyota Tercel SD runs on the stuff as well as my 2005 Toyota Corolla XRS.
How do you know if you have long life coolant in your Toyota: It's Pink.
DISCARDDexcool is Red in colour as apposed to the normal Green.
This might be for super long life coolant... Toyota recommends change intervals at approximatly 80,000 Miles or 128,000 Kilometers or 96 Months (8 years) for the 1st change. 40,000 Miles or 64,000 Kilometer or 48 Months (4 years) for the coolant changes after the 1st one.
My best guess is that the coolant is still good for a little while, Because it is at 5 years and 30,000 Miles. It's up to you.
Toyota does not use fiasco called Dexcool, and it is bright orangish in color. There are several class action lawsuits against GM for Dexcool use. It is a huge PR disaster for GM. For 03-04 corollas use toyota red coolant diluted 50 50 with distilled water. Avoid Dexcool like the swine flu. If you have a Vibe, they all come from the factory (NUMMI) with Toyota coolant. 05+ use super long life coolant (bright pink). If you let air into your coolant system and have dexcool, kiss your coolant system bye bye.
Toyota does not use fiasco called Dexcool, and it is bright orangish in color. There are several class action lawsuits against GM for Dexcool use. It is a huge PR disaster for GM. For 03-04 corollas use toyota red coolant diluted 50 50 with distilled water. Avoid Dexcool like the swine flu. If you have a Vibe, they all come from the factory (NUMMI) with Toyota coolant. 05+ use super long life coolant (bright pink). If you let air into your coolant system and have dexcool, kiss your coolant system bye bye.
mikered, it looks like you were right. I did some research and found the Toyota coolant flushes with Dex don't go well for the owner afterwards. DON'T CHANGE TO DEX-COOL. Looks like i'm going to have to go to the dealer to get some coolant for my upcoming coolant change...
I just assumed that the colour was the same, the coolant was the same .
mikered, it looks like you were right. I did some research and found the Toyota coolant flushes with Dex don't go well for the owner afterwards. DON'T CHANGE TO DEX-COOL. Looks like i'm going to have to go to the dealer to get some coolant for my upcoming coolant change...
I just assumed that the colour was the same, the coolant was the same .
No problem. I know when the vibe first came out, it said to use dexcool, but it was later reprinted and the error was corrected. If you go to GM dealer, they will or should use toyota red/pink.
This is why I don't use those universal coolants, that are supposed to be engineered to fit everything. One size does not fit all. Metallurgies are often very specific, and coolants are designed to go along with those.
Dexcool is a wonderful product when used properly, and when all parts of the cooling system are designed properly. Some GM engines had problems with the coolant, but in all cases that I've seen, the root cause was not the coolant itself, but a bad batch of radiator caps or poorly-designed intake manifold seal, etc. In most GM vehicles, the Dexcool works just fine, as it was designed to do. I've owned three different GM vehicles with Dexcool, and none had problems. To say that it was a "fiasco" for GM is an overstatement; GM still uses the coolant successfully in every vehicle they build.
Dexcool is a full OAT coolant, or Organic Acid Technology. Chrysler and Ford use a similar coolant, called a HOAT, or Hybrid Organic Acid Technology, coolant. Dexcool is 100% silicate-free, but the Ford and Chrysler coolants still have some silicates in them (but at a reduced quantity compared with conventional coolant). I believe that Toyota's coolant is a HOAT coolant as well.
Just as I'd never use Dexcool in my Chrysler minivan or my Toyota Corolla, I'd never use Chrysler's HOAT coolant in a GM car or my Toyota Corolla, just as I'd never use Toyota's coolant in a GM car or my Chrysler minivan. Each coolant is designed for the task and the application at hand. The fact that GM originally specified Dexcool for the Vibe (with a Toyota powertrain) and later switched to Toyota coolant confirms that you can't mix coolants, and the proper coolant must be used. It doesn't mean that Dexcool is a "bad" product. It simply means that it's not matched to the Vibe's cooling system metallurgy.
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