I switched to the Peak long life Antifreeze simalar to Dexcool and now I have leaks. I was warned but I thought 'nooo mine won't leak'. Well at least the orange color makes it easy to see where the leaks are. I'm going GREEN after it leaks out.

 

I wonder why longlife would leak if regular coolant did not.

 

maybe probably due to different chemicals used to make it.

 

Leaks are not an issue related to DC or any other long life coolant. You probably had leaks before and with conventional never noticed it, or it is simply because you flushed the system. The factory uses what is called a sealing tablet on a new car. It's function is to seal up any small leaks. That in conjuction with the spring type hose clamps keep the system tight. You can use a sealer with DC without damaging the integrity of the chemical structure. You may notice a slight discoloration but it is nothing to worry about. If anybody told you DC would leak they don't know what they are talking about. It would have leaked regardless of what type of coolant you used. You can get sealing tablets from a dealer if you want or use any off the shelf sealer in the proper proportion. They are all made to be compatible with either type of coolant. Also remember, if you switch you should do 2 flushes and refills. You cannot have more than 10% of the old coolant or the DC will lose some properties. With a car that did not come DC filled from factory they recommend you still stick with the 2 year service interval even with DC.

 

Danno, thanks for the reminder about the sealers, I think I'll give one a try. I did do a good flush by hooking the gadren hose to the Prestone T fitting in the heater hose before switching to the new coolant so I'm not concerned about mixing with the old stuff. Switching to the longlife stuff I was hoping to get out of a little dirty work but if you still have to change every 2 years it isn't a big deal really.

 

You could take your car to a service shop and have them do a coolant flush for about $80. If that is the only money you spend for outside labor in 2 years thats not too bad. I imagine you are like me and do ALL of your own work so I understand trying to extend your service life.

 

I know it was flushed good, I just got to tighten up these minor leaks. And yes I do all the work I can myself trying balance good quality parts and pinch pennies at the same time. Divorce+Layoff= 0 budget