Can I mix CarPlan Premium Red antifreeze with Ford Orange?
Ivan
started to leak, I was going to replace it but it appeared to be such a
nightmare job (in comparison to the ten minutes it took to remove the one in
my old Astra) that I fixed it instead with a recommended substance called
(fixed for life) K-seal, it has to be said that this stuff has performed
brilliantly over a pretty hard driving > 6000 mile period.
Now that the colder weather is here I've belatedly realized that I replaced
the lost coolant (from memory around a couple of litres) with soft water,
checking the car handbook it tells me that it should only be replaced with
'Ford orange' coolant which has a life expectancy of around 10 years, on
paying a visit to my local motor spares shop they sold me a litre bottle of
'CarPlan Premium Red Anti-Freeze', which they assured me was an equivalent
and would be OK, however before draining and topping up I thought that I
would seek some advice from the ever helpful professionals on this
newsgroup.
TIA Ivan
Chris Whelan
If you read your handbook and it told you to only top up with Ford orange,
why didn't you go to a Ford dealer? The correct stuff is not expensive,
when you consider how long it lasts.
I personally would only use what the handbooks says.
Chris
--
Remove prejudice to reply.
Ivan
"Chris Whelan" <cawh...@prejudicentlworld.com> wrote in message
news:2KENk.17062$Gi4....@newsfe03.ams2...
> Ivan wrote:
>
>> Back in the summer my Ford focus had its radiator holed by a small stone
>> and started to leak, I was going to replace it but it appeared to be such
>> a nightmare job (in comparison to the ten minutes it took to remove the
>> one in my old Astra) that I fixed it instead with a recommended substance
>> called (fixed for life) K-seal, it has to be said that this stuff has
>> performed brilliantly over a pretty hard driving > 6000 mile period.
>> Now that the colder weather is here I've belatedly realized that I
>> replaced the lost coolant (from memory around a couple of litres) with
>> soft water, checking the car handbook it tells me that it should only be
>> replaced with 'Ford orange' coolant which has a life expectancy of around
>> 10 years, on paying a visit to my local motor spares shop they sold me a
>> litre bottle of 'CarPlan Premium Red Anti-Freeze', which they assured me
>> was an equivalent
>> and would be OK, however before draining and topping up I thought that I
>> would seek some advice from the ever helpful professionals on this
>> newsgroup.
>>
>> TIA Ivan
>
> If you read your handbook and it told you to only top up with Ford orange,
> why didn't you go to a Ford dealer?
>
Simply because I'm looking after my bedridden wife who I don't like leaving
on her own for as long as I can possibly help, the nearest main Ford dealer
being a round trip of about 20 miles, whilst my local car accessory shop is
only a couple of minutes walk away and even though I probably won't be using
the car for a few days at least (over the last six weeks I was driving circa
70 miles a day to visit her in hospital) I'm a bit paranoid about it
freezing during this snap of premature cold weather.
Chris Whelan
[...]
>>
>> If you read your handbook and it told you to only top up with Ford
>> orange, why didn't you go to a Ford dealer?
>>
>
> Simply because I'm looking after my bedridden wife who I don't like
> leaving on her own for as long as I can possibly help, the nearest main
> Ford dealer being a round trip of about 20 miles, whilst my local car
> accessory shop is only a couple of minutes walk away and even though I
> probably won't be using the car for a few days at least (over the last six
> weeks I was driving circa 70 miles a day to visit her in hospital) I'm a
> bit paranoid about it freezing during this snap of premature cold weather.
Ah, OK.
I personally would consider the risk of having slightly too dilute a
solution of antifreeze as less of a risk than using what might be an
incompatible mix. Even if the dilution was 25% instead of 50%, it would be
very unlikely to freeze in the UK. If you can park so that the grille has
as much shelter from the prevailing wind, that would help.
The Carplan website makes no mention as to the suitability of their Red
antifreeze with anything else. It only states that it has a 5-year life. if
you must use it, perhaps it would be best to buy some more, and do a total
coolant change?
For the future, perhaps these guys:
might be of use to you?
I've used them once; service was OK, but the fairly high cost of shipping
tended to wipe out the discount they give. Great from the point of view of
convenience however.
Ivan
Thanks for your help Chris, there was a mild frost last night, however there
didn't appear to be a problem when I checked out the expansion tank first
thing this morning, the reason for my original post was that I wanted a
second opinion along the lines that you suggested, of whether it would be
wiser to wait until I can get to a main Ford dealer rather than take the
risk of mixing the two types of coolant with the possibility of undesirable
consequences.
Conor
> Thanks for your help Chris, there was a mild frost last night, however there
> didn't appear to be a problem when I checked out the expansion tank first
> thing this morning, the reason for my original post was that I wanted a
> second opinion along the lines that you suggested, of whether it would be
> wiser to wait until I can get to a main Ford dealer rather than take the
> risk of mixing the two types of coolant with the possibility of undesirable
> consequences.
It's not cold enough yet. Your typical unmaintained coolant is so
contaminated that it takes well below zero before it starts to freeze
even if you had nothing but pure water in.
--
Conor
I only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn't
looking good either. - Scott Adams
bucket
Fucking borg idiot. Probably wears a peaked cap and does other mindless
jobs-worth activities. 2 litres of water is fine. It will not reduce the
anti corrosion inhibitors much and still be good down to the coldest
temperatures we get in UK.
Chris Whelan
[...]
>>
>> I personally would only use what the handbooks says.
>
> Fucking borg idiot. Probably wears a peaked cap and does other mindless
> jobs-worth activities. 2 litres of water is fine. It will not reduce the
> anti corrosion inhibitors much and still be good down to the coldest
> temperatures we get in UK.
Fucking blind bastard. Learn how to use NG's. Read the rest of the thread
before you post insults. Especially the part where I said:
"I personally would consider the risk of having slightly too dilute a
solution of antifreeze as less of a risk than using what might be an
incompatible mix. Even if the dilution was 25% instead of 50%, it would be
very unlikely to freeze in the UK."
Chris
mr p
wrote:
So how much is it from Ford then ? I know their Focus TDCI oil was /
expensive / !
( filter and parts are cheap though :-) )
Why doesn't the OP just drain out and flush the old stuff if he wants
to use car plan.
Chris Whelan
The price would depend on the dealer.
What are you comparing the oil price to? The cheapest that a local factor
could supply, or the most expensive branded product from Halfrauds?
I've found my local dealer's price for oil to be about in the middle of
those two extremes.
> ( filter and parts are cheap though :-) )
> Why doesn't the OP just drain out and flush the old stuff if he wants
> to use car plan.
So he would then need to buy another two litres of CarPlan, rather than just
one litre of the correct coolant. I'm pretty sure that's not going to be
cheaper! Oh, and he would end up with a coolant that had a five-year life
rather than one with a ten-year life.
The best thing the OP could have done would be to have returned the CarPlan
for a refund on the basis that it was supplied to him as suitable to mix
with the Ford coolant, which was incorrect.