Quote:
Originally posted by Kestas
Good for you, Peter.... but I would say your experience is the exception, not the rule. I've bought many a used (5 year old) car where the coolant was never changed and brown in color, only to fail a bit later from corrosion rot.
I have seen data from Ford Motor Co where they plot corrosion protection versus miles for the green stuff. Right at 30,000 miles it crosses the corrosion threshhold.
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Common sense from the "modern Mordor" which Romania is:
All fluids are far damn cheaper than rubber & plastic parts, and light years away from the cost of major parts, leave aside the labor costs. For this reason, fluid change intervals recommended by factory have to be attended. And a proverb says "you can't foresee from where will the rabbit jump" - the radiator may live for a quarter of a century like new, yet water pump gasket (or, God forbid, cylinder head gasket) can go to hell when you expect less. Or a hose, for the matter.
That's why here we change coolants each spring & autumn, adding 50% AF in the autumn and less or not at all in spring, flush the brake fluid when it becomes black, change the oil & oil filter when specified, add oil additives after a number of oil changes, complete power steering fluid when low etc. Better give a few bucks away than risk a $5,000 engine rebuild.
BTW there was a story (urban legend?) on Tori Spelling, who was seen pouring a $6 bottle of mineral water in the radiator of an E30 series BMW. Given the risk of an overheating in Californian weather, I understand her... just that I use distilled water on my M-B
~Best regards,
Nautilus