Re: What is the best coolant?

[Andrew Duane USG <duane@hunch.zk3.dec.com>]

Hairy green toads from Mars made Freed, David say:

> All Antifreeze is Etholine Glycol.  Prestone and some others add a
> sealant to the mix but you can add that if you feel the need.  There is
> no difference between different brands.  Buy the cheapest.  BMW does use
> a diffent chemical for it's Antifreeze according to a BMW mechanic I
> know but I've never verified the difference.  The color difference is
> the choice of Dye the Distributor wants.

Not true.

Like oil and gas, antifreezes have a host of additives to provide
heat transfer, anti-corrosion properties, anti-scale, etc.

Most antifreezes use a phosphate compound for one of these, and
Audi radiators do NOT handle phosphates at all well. You have to
look for the "phosphate-free" tag; there are a couple of decent
brands that have it, including Prestone Silver, which I use.

Would you buy the cheapest, crappiest oil, just because it says
it's 10W-30? Oil is *not* all the same, and neither is Antifreeze.

-- 

Andrew L. Duane (JOT-7)			duane@zk3.dec.com
Compaq Computer Corporation		(603)-884-1294
110 Spit Brook Road
M/S ZKO3-3/U14
Nashua, NH    03062-2698

Only my cat shares my opinions, and she's too psychotic to express it