![]() In summer, it helps dispel excessive heat from your car engine to avoid overheating.Īntifreeze also helps protect your car’s engine from corrosion and prevents rust and scales from building up. As the name suggests, during winter, it stops the water from freezing. Bottom line So, What Exactly Is A Car Antifreeze?Ī car antifreeze or coolant is a colored liquid, particularly ethylene glycol, mixed with water.So, can you mix antifreeze, just to make this maintenance easier? Well, let’s find out… However, the standard duration is every 30,000 miles or two years. How frequent the antifreeze needs to be replaced will vary from vehicle to vehicle. While these chemicals play an essential role in a car’s cooling system, they do break down and become less effective over time. Among them is the engine coolant/antifreeze, which prevents it from freezing. A car has different essential fluids that are important for the efficient operation of the vehicle. And thus, this begs the question, ‘can you mix antifreeze?’ Read on to learn whether mixing different types of antifreeze is a good or bad choice for your vehicle!īesides oil, a significant part of car maintenance involves taking care of fluids. Visit Austin German automobile repair experts at German Auto Center.In most cases, you might be tempted to mix two different types of antifreeze. Whether you drive a Porsche, Mercedes Benz, Mini BMW, Volkswagen or Audi, It is important to remember that with proper maintenance, today’s German performance vehicles will serve you for many miles and years to come. In addition, there are many online resources for auto diagnosis & auto repair help such as. Please feel free to stop in and see the experts at German Auto Center if you have any questions. Mixing an HOAT or OAT coolant with an IAT will lose the extended life properties. As your BMW, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Mini, Audi and Volkswagen have replaced most iron components with aluminum and other lighter composites, IAT coolants should not be used.Īlthough you can mix coolant types without harm, it is highly recommended that you do not. Traditional coolants are IAT coolants and uses silicate and phosphate corrosion inhibitors to protect the metal (Iron) parts of the engine and cooling system. Although it should be noted that German Auto Center and most manufacturers recommend flushing or changing the coolant every two years. These coolants have an extended service life and are designed for 150,000 miles of service (or 5 years). OAT coolants do not use silicate and phosphate corrosion inhibitors. Many components of your BMW, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen engine and cooling systems are made of aluminum including the cylinder heads and radiators. HOAT coolants are derived from OAT coolants with the addition of silicate to protect aluminum surfaces. Your BMW, Porsche, Mercedes Benz, Audi or Volkswagen uses an HOAT coolant. There are three basic coolant types on the market today: (IAT) Inorganic Acid Technology, (OAT) Organic Acid Technology and (HOAT) Hybrid Organic Acid Technology. European manufacturers prefer coolant that is phosphate-free because the water in Europe is much harder than the water here in the United States. Each manufacturer puts their own dye mixture into their coolant-it does not affect the chemical characteristics of the coolant. All coolants are naturally clear and the color is created with dye. Although depending on the manufacturer, your coolant may be green, pink, blue, yellow or even clear. There are a lot of coolant types to choose from-so which is right for your BMW, Porsche, Mercedes Benz, Audi or Volkswagen? The answer is the type that came in your vehicle originally. Whether you drive a BMW, Porsche, Mercedes Benz, Audi, Mini or Volkswagen, your vehicle circulates a mixture of water and coolant to dissipate the heat generated within your engine-preventing it from having a total melt down (one notable exception are older Porsche models that are air and oil cooled and did not use water or coolant, but instead circulated a large amount of oil to dissipate the heat). What Coolant is Right for My German Automobile?
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