Coolant, does it matter the type really?

You go to Walmart and buy Asian 50/50 red It's in a blue bottle with a red label that means it's Asian red it's not racist it's just what it's called. I bought some today it's $18.94 where prestone and all the other antifreeze is sold. If you get the red it matches what's in the car already You don't want to dump orange dex cool in you're Asian red . They are two different formulas If you've got the red in there now might as well use it The green stuff or the orange stuff or the blue stuff is not going to cost you any less so what's the point? You do not have to buy it from Toyota That's why they make this and sell it at Walmart and advance Auto it meets all the codes just got the api labels on place .etc

 

Here you go..


Zerex Asian Vehicle Red Silicate and Borate Free 50/50 Prediluted Ready-to-Use Antifreeze/Coolant 1 GA https://a.co/d/8KRqDzh

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Yes I believe that's the brand they sell at Walmart O'Reilly's advance Auto Menards and all that That's the stuff should be 1894 a bottle at Walmart.

 

There are 2 possible coolant for Toyota LLC red and SLLC pink phosphated HOAT. However, other brands: Honda, Nissan, Subaru also use similar to SLLC colant but colored blue. Aisin also sell the blue coolant and stated it is compatible with Toyota engines. Super Long Life Coolant - AISIN ASIA
Unfortunately, I cannot find the pink color Aisin Ultra Long life coolant in Europe. Only sold as blue coolant Aisin Ultra Long Life Blue Coolant - 5x 1 Litres as a Promo pack

In emergency case, G12+ coolant is also compatible. It has no silicate, nitrate, borate, or phosphated.

 

What about Toyota SLLC? The last time I agonised over this very thing, I ended up buying from the Toyota dealer.

If I could be sure that the specs of the aftermarket product meet Toyota's specs, they would not be cheaper (which is the reason I assume you are going through all this).

YMMV.

 

If we want exact Toyota spec, use phosphated HOAT. I believe we can get the same color from ZEREX Asian (pink, 50/50 pre-mix) A4, or Pink Aisin Super/Ultra Longlife. Those are the only 2 brands I know has direct replacement to Toyota SLLC pink.

In the USA, Toyota coolant is very affordable, the price is normal. In Europe, I must pay more than $50 for 5L. Toyota dealership jackup the price for parts and supplies in Europe. Only the hybrid battery is a bit cheaper than US. I think it is part of the tariff slap by EU and UK on Japanese products

 

In places like the countries you speak I did not run Toyoda anything and had no problemos either none . I've run GM coolant dex for 100K miles in toyoda's no issues ever .... Run pure silicone in brakes in a bunch of Toyoda models never a problem and in 25 years all those systems internals were purple not a trace of oxidation in said systems anywhere. All internals were silver metal and black seals nothing broken down at all . Welp

 

GM Dexcool and G12+ VW are similar, it has no silicate. However, mixing silicate HOAT like G12++ or G13 with phosphated HOAT like SLLC may cause gelling.

 

No these are generally put in at empty or standing long time empty . Fill n go . Lotta miles too no gel no problems . The cooling systems in these cars is the least of worries generally . It'll be something else that I'm pulling over for not cooling or radiator

 

You can put anything you want into an empty cooling system; BUT the OP is asking about ADDING to a car with low coolant! @johnHRP is correct; just adding any coolant - may cause jelling. I've seen that happen on numerous occasions, when customers bring in their car for an overheating problem - after they've topped off with the 'best and most expensive coolant' they could find.

Bottom-line, stick with OEM spec'ed coolant or flush out your entire cooling system and put in whatever you want.... In a pinch, you can just top-off with distilled water. That's going to dilute your coolants' anti-freeze capacity - depending how much water your mixing in, so you'll have to fix that before the next hard freeze.

YMMV

 

Since Prius 2, the coolant does not evaporate over time. The reservoir is semi-sealed with pressure relieve.

Most Stores: Autozone, Advanced, Orelly, NAPA, employees are knowledgable and can help us. They usually recommends Universal coolant that works with all cars. Color may change if we mix them, but that's normal.

 

Agree. Still, the one thing that bugs me, that you can’t get it full-strength, which becomes a real conundrum if you’ve had to flush the system with water. The one workaround I see is to use Toyota Long Life Coolant (full-strength), compatible but shorter replacement interval recommended.

 

If I lived in a hard freeze zone; I'd probably flush out my cooling system with water and put in whatever locally source and readily available concentrate I could find. That way you can set your freeze protection where you need it and not have to cross your fingers on the predilutied stuff.....

YMMV

 

The SLLC freezing point is -37C. I think the lowest freezing point is 70/30 mix LLC, can be as low as -87C.
However, more coolant/water ratio also meant lower heat dissipation performance. I am not sure why almost all phosphated or Silicate HOAT are always pre-mix. Probably it is something to do with avoiding users mixing with non distilled water and reduce the longevity of the Super LLC is designed for.