Prestone vs. Dexcool
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,836
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From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
I’ve owned a 98 Coupe, 02 ZO6, 06 Coupe, 2011 GS! They ALL have DEXCOOL or equivalent. Dexcool is an ORGANIC ACID TECHNOLIGY (OAT) coolant. NONE of my cars have ever experienced a cooling system issue as a result of the coolant! PERIOD! As long as the system is properly maintained, is NOT mixed with a GLYCOL “silicate” (GREEN) coolant and has a sealed reservoir tank with the proper PSI cap, you will be ABSOLUTY fine.
If you want the best cooling system efficiency, drain ALL the coolant! Refill and drain the system with fresh water until it runs clean/clear. Drain one last time and refill the system with the PROPER ratio DEXCOOL & WATER. Depending on where you live DEEP SOUTH or ARTIC TUNDRA North East; you can use more or less antifreeze to water. Guys that live in places that seldom see temps lower than 32 deg don’t need coolant that protects down to -35 degs!
I always use distilled water to dilute the coolant.
Make sure that you use a hydrometer and get the CORRECT coolant to water ratio to keep the engine from freezing or boiling over.
BC
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,044
Likes: 9,808
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
If you go to the old fashioned green coolant your coolant change interval will go to two years instead of five and you will have more coolant issues. In close to 50 years of having my own cars I had lots of cooling system issues when the green stuff was the only stuff you could get. Didn't matter who made it. I haven't had an issue since I got rid of my last car with green Prestone in it in 1999.
Bill
Last edited by Bill Dearborn; Jun 10, 2011 at 08:07 PM.
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Brett Foote
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 87,337
Likes: 1,590
From: Western NY
I've owned 4-5 GM vehicles that have had DexCool in them, the only one I'm unsure of is the '93 Caprice that we had for several years, but traded off 11 years ago. I change the coolant every 3-4 years, and have had no issues at all. My Z-28 is 15 years old, no issues. My C-5 is 10 years old, no issues.....
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,793
Likes: 7
From: Santa Maria Ca.
If Dexcool actually caused problems in the C5,it would have been discussed many times on the forum-
The rumor has been discussed over and over,actual problems being caused by Dexcool,not so much....
The rumor has been discussed over and over,actual problems being caused by Dexcool,not so much....
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,836
Likes: 244
From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
This is an urban myth/legend that will not die. A classic case of "A little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing" and people continuing to blindly believe what they see in "print" on the inter-web. Dex-Cool has never caused a problem in ANY cooling system. Period.Certain few makes/models of GM cars/light trucks experienced cooling system failures several years ago from improperly designed gasket material. None were Corvettes btw.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 5,520
Likes: 5
From: Long Island NY
This is an urban myth/legend that will not die. A classic case of "A little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing" and people continuing to blindly believe what they see in "print" on the inter-web. Dex-Cool has never caused a problem in ANY cooling system. Period.Certain few makes/models of GM cars/light trucks experienced cooling system failures several years ago from improperly designed gasket material. None were Corvettes btw.
I'm the original owner of my 2002 and have always used Dexcool and never had any coolant related problems. Why would anyone want to switch away from a proven product, your just looking for problems. Stay with what your manual recommends and don't worry about it.
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 34,873
Likes: 487
From: Lacey WA RVN 68-69
NCM Sinkhole Donor
There are lots of "universal" coolants on the market that are advertised for use in just about any vehicle. These coolants are about the same price per gallon as traditional ethylene glycol (green) or Dexcool (red) coolants. Dexcool is the factory fill since '94 or 95 in Corvettes (and all GM cars for that matter. So why not just continue to use Dexcool?
The Havoline Dexcool brand is the same stuff used by GM. Buy the jugs of concentrate and add distilled water to make up the necessary 50-50 mix for protection to about -35 degrees. I have seen both the pre-mix bottles and the concentrate bottles for about a dollar difference, so it makes sense to buy concentrate and get distilled water at a grocery store for a buck a gallon.
The Havoline Dexcool brand is the same stuff used by GM. Buy the jugs of concentrate and add distilled water to make up the necessary 50-50 mix for protection to about -35 degrees. I have seen both the pre-mix bottles and the concentrate bottles for about a dollar difference, so it makes sense to buy concentrate and get distilled water at a grocery store for a buck a gallon.
