The marketplace for vehicle coolants is filled with so many products that all promise different things. Longer usage life, superior protection, and anti-corrosion are among the many features of modern coolant. But can you mix coolant brands?
It is not a good idea to mix coolant brands or different types of coolants. Coolants have certain ingredients that can coagulate. As it is hard to know which products will react in this way, it is best not to mix any coolants.
I’ll explain the different types of coolants and give some tips on what the differences are. We’ll also look at what coolant is best for what vehicle as well as some important things to be aware of when you are thinking of topping up your coolant.
Valvoline makes the best antifreeze/coolant on the market. View their products on Amazon here.
Is It Bad To Mix Two Different Types Of Coolant?
There are so many different coolant varieties out there. The most recognizable would be the traditional green version but there is also an orange colored coolant generally referred to as Dexcool. Research and development of coolants have resulted in these colored versions that have different properties. There are also blue, pink, yellow, and some other colors of coolant.
However unfortunately the color does not tell the full story. It can be a great starting point to determine what kind of coolant you have but in the end, you have to go further. The differences between these coolants vary, but importantly it is the types of additives used in each product that can cause an issue if they are mixed
If two different types of additives mix they can coagulate. This means the mixture will thicken up and likely block the cooling system. It can be hard to predict exactly how two coolants will interact and so it is best not to just mix coolant and hope for the best.
Not only does this make the coolant ineffective, but the more pressing issue is also that this will lead to the engine overheating and damage your system, possibly destroying the engine completely.
Trying to fix the engine at this point by flushing the coolant won’t work. You will likely need a full engine replacement or overhaul if the coolant system fails like this.
What Coolants Should Not Be Mixed?
If you mix coolants together with other types, your car’s components may be more vulnerable to corrosion. It could also impact several systems vital to normal engine operation including the radiator, water pump, water jackets, hoses, and heater cores.
Always double-check and triple-check which kind of coolant is in your vehicle, do not make decisions just based on the color. It is not a good idea to even mix two different types of coolants from the same brand. Using a hose to thoroughly flush out the old coolant using water should be done to avoid the old coolant mixing with the new.
There is a large potential for undesirable interactions between different coolants. The subsequent potential for damage to the cooling system and engine, as a result, can easily run into the thousands so your best bet is not to mix any types of coolant even if from the same brand or if they seem to have the same materials.
Does It Matter What Coolant I Put In My Car?
Green coolant is by far the most common type of coolant found in vehicles. This product is common but doesn’t last as long as newer variations of coolant. However, it will be suitable for most vehicles and is generally going to be the cheaper option.
Can You Add Coolant While The Car Is Running?
GM manufactured Dexcool and marketed it as lasting over 150,000 miles if you used it, significantly longer than green coolant. This caused its popularity to increase dramatically but that doesn’t mean you should go and start pouring it into your engine.
If you’re running low on coolant it is best to flush the system and replace the coolant completely. This is particularly the case if you’re not sure what coolant you have in the engine already. Even in an emergency, you shouldn’t just add any coolant to your vehicle. Instead, all you need to do is add some distilled water to top off your system.
As with most products, sometimes there’s a lot of marketing fluff that is just used to sell more expensive products. However, there are some big differences with coolants that are worth noting.
Many manufacturers produce coolant to work specifically with the kind of metal and components used in the particular vehicle that it’s been assigned to. The owner’s manual should list the coolant it recommends for your vehicle or you can research to find out the best coolant for your vehicle.
While the colors are meant to help determine which coolant for which vehicle, this is not always reliable. It can be very confusing for the average consumer to try to figure out the difference.
Some coolants are specifically for Japanese automakers like Mitsubishi, Mazda, Nissan, and Infiniti. The other common category of coolant is meant for Acura, Honda, and Subaru vehicles. There’s not much difference fundamentally however they do have slightly tweaked amounts of the additives which are supposed to work better with the listed cars.
Yellow antifreeze is meant to work with Kia and Hyundai Vehicles. There are two different kinds of pink antifreeze that you can find, one meant for European vehicles and one for Japanese vehicles. The Japanese formulation is supposed to work with Toyota, Scion and Lexus.
Pink antifreeze for the European market may come in a purple bottle even though the liquid itself is pink. It is recommended for Porsche, Volkswagen, and Audi.
There is also a gold colored coolant, again coming in two varieties. One is best for Ford’s range of vehicles whereas the European blend works best for Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, BMW, Jaguar, and Mini.
Check out the table below to see which coolant we recommend for your vehicle brand.
| Multi Vehicle | Valvoline Multi-Use | Buy On Amazon |
| Audi, Mercedes, VW, Porsche | Zerex G40 | Buy On Amazon |
| Chrysler, Ford, GM | Zerex DEX-COOL | Buy On Amazon |
| Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Subaru | Zerex Asian Vehicle | Buy On Amazon |
| Fiat, Jaguar, Land Rover, SAAB | Zerex G30 | Buy On Amazon |