How often should you change your coolant in your car? If anyone has ever told you that you do not have to change the coolant in your car, they have unfortunately misled you.
Your engines cooling system prevents the engine from basically melting from the high heat that it produces while running.
The coolant does not burn away at the same pace as gasoline but that does not mean that you can ignore it either.
Your cooling system must be maintained properly in order to keep your car running for years to come. Below are some things that you should also know about your coolant.
Locate the correct page in the manual; the page should list coolant change intervals according to how many miles you have on the car.
If you do not have a manual for your car, it is advised that you change the coolant every 50,000 miles.
As coolant ages over time it begins to break down and sediment starts to build up within the hoses, radiator and heater core. A good example of this is a bottle of orange juice. If you look at the juice, you can clearly see the separation of the two materials used to make it.
This is what happens in your cars cooling system. The juice can be shaken to remix the sediment but the coolant in your radiator can not be shaken.
You can change the coolant in your car right at home in the drive way, it is not hard to do. However if you suspect that your cooling system may have a clog or your engine has been running hot, you may need your radiator flushed.
This is a cheap repair and should cost no more than $50 to have a professional do it for you. However, waiting or putting it off can cost you thousands of dollars in engine repair. The coolant is like blood to your engine.
If it is not able to circulate around the engine to cool it, you know what happens next, engine failure. Many people have to travel along highways on a daily basis and this fact also means that you should service your vehicle more often.
Why risk the thousands of dollars that you paid for your vehicle and the thousands more that you will have to pay to replace your engine for a $10 bottle of coolant?
The easiest way to maintain your vehicle is to simply make a schedule and stick to it. There are many classic cars and trucks that are still on the road today because the owners of these vehicles perform regular maintenance on them.