[69887]

I've ran peak green generic cheapo antifreeze at 80a/20w mix with city tap water for the past 80,000 miles since my water pump was replaced without issue; Coolant hoses and thermostat housing looked clean without buildup or residue when I opened them up for valve cover job and no issues water pump or cooling issues so far.

You shouldn't do that though. That wouldn't be what toyotadaddy wants.

Distilled water costs $0.80 per gallon at Walmart. You are using the wrong anti-freeze for an Asian car (and specifically Toyota). You are using the wrong ratio of anti-freeze to water (by a huge margin). These are all facts.

Failure to follow directions is part laziness and part stupidity. Please don't give us the "I have done it that way for xxx and never had a problem" because they way you did is just wrong, not just according to Toyota, but according to every single auto manufacturer on the planet. It's like saying "I have been shoplifting my whole life and have never been caught." It is just wrong whether or not you have been caught or not.

 

[69887]

Using a high concentration of coolant could be a problem for driving in the desert. I personally would get that fixed. In fact, you should probably go to 35% coolant and 65% water where you live.

"The standard recommendation is to use a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water. This represents a compromise between cooling efficiency and the ability to prevent the mix from freezing during cold weather. After all, the initial purpose of antifreeze is to prevent freezing. But a 50/50 mix does not give the best cooling. For improved cooling in hot weather, we should use less antifreeze and more water, perhaps going to a 25/75 or a 20/80 mix ratio."

Coolant Mix and Overheating

.

Also, you didn't mention what model of Peak anti-freeze you used (unless I missed it). Toyota specifies a coolant designed for Asian cars with no silicates, etc, to make it less likely that the water pump will be damaged. Peak does make an Asian Vehicle Extended Life coolant that would be suitable. If am not saying you will definitely have problems with a non-Asian vehicle coolant, but it is best to use what Toyota specifies.

When adding water, it is definitely best to use distilled water instead of tap water. This is especially true in most desert locations, which tends to have a lot of minerals in the tap water such as calcium. One of the main reasons they now sell pre-diluted 50-50 antifreeze is to make sure the quality of the water is good, and not let people put in tap water.