Have you checked the coolant in your car?. Car coolant, also known as antifreeze, is generally a half-and-half mixture of a form of glycol and water. There are both summer coolants and winter coolants and it is important to ensure your car is equipped with the appropriate coolant for the season you will be driving in at the time you fill the coolant. If you have recently gone for an oil change then chances are the technician working on your car (or mobile vehicle service tech if you use our convenient mobile oil change service) likely mentioned that you should top up your coolant in your car. Antifreeze or coolant essentially helps to keep your engine cool in your car and prevent overheating. It gets hot under the hood and your engine works hard to move you and thousands of pounds of metal around the city. Why do I need winter antifreeze in the winter? It is important to recognize that there are different types of antifreeze that are adapted for different climates and temperatures. The Glycol in your coolant is the antifreeze part of the mixture ensuring that your coolant doesn’t turn to ice in harsh winter conditions in Ottawa and it also prevents the coolant from boiling in extreme heat. The different seasonal antifreezes will have a different mixture that will be better equipped to do the job and keep your engine running smoothly at the appropriate temperature during the season. Furthermore, there are additional additives in your coolant that help to prevent rust and corrosion in your car’s radiator, engine and the heater. What about coolant maintenance for my car? Like any other engine fluid in your car, the antifreeze coolant needs to be checked on a regular basis to ensure proper functioning of your vehicle and to preserve the life of your vehicle. Ultimately, you are checking for two things: quantity and condition of the coolant. Our mobile vehicle repair and service techs can check the coolant in your car during our next visit and we’ll let you know if anything needs to be done. If the coolant in your vehicle is in bad condition, it’s time to have the system flushed The most common service interval for flushing the coolant system is every 2 to 3 years, or 30,000 to 45,000 kms. When your vehicle goes longer than that time frame without fresh fluid, your engine may suffer some damage. So remember to take care of your car’s coolant and your engine will keep its cool! If you want to have your coolant checked just give us a call and we’ll book an appointment to check your coolant as well as any other schedule car maintenance you have coming up. Small Engines Need to Keep Cool Also! A small engine’s cooling system is critical to smooth operation of your equipment as well as preserving long engine life. If you have a small engine machine that is having some overheating problems we can definitely help you out there as well with our small engine repair and maintenance that will check your small engine’s cooling system to ensure everything is going to run as it should.
Have you checked the coolant in your car?
