XJSFan

Hi guys,

I drove From Wisconsin to Naples FL and back within the last two weeks and my 06 LS 430 drove like a car on a cloud. LOL. While in Naples, I decided to do the timing belt service on my 2006 Lexus LS430(86K miles)with a very good and well known independent Lexus/ Toyota shop.

I discussed the pink super life coolant with the shop owner and he was adamant on using the Toyota long life red coolant, instead of the super long life pink coolant. He mentioned that he has seen enough seal/gasket issues with the pink coolant over the years that they have stayed with using the red LL coolant in many Toyota/Lexus vehicles. I have known this person for a while and know many other vehicle owners that go to him. I trust his judgment, even though it was tough not to have him use the SLL pint coolant.

I have to say that on a long drive nothing compares to my 06 LS430... Have owned many very nice vehicles and this one is a keeper. LOL.

bmore430

I just hit 88k on my car and going to do coolant flush very soon and was wondering if i should do the red or pink coolant. I just purchased the upgraded TRD radiator cap and need to decide which coolant to run.

shmi

The parts guy at the local Toyota dealership said the same thing, so I picked up two jugs of the red long life stuff from him to do a coolant flush with while doing my timing belt/water pump kit.

BradTank

It's interchangeable for the most part, but I have severe doubts that the pink coolant really has issues.

The driving reason I think shops prefer the Red is it's basically half the price because it comes in a concentrated form that requires it to be mixed with water whereas the pink comes prediluted. It adds up if you're a shop that mainly does Toyotas,

XJSFan

I have search here and on the web and it does sound like people are somewhat concerned with the Pink SLL coolant causing possible seal/gaskets/water-pump seepage. Cost I would think is a non-issue with a service facility because they will just charge the customer whatever it is. LOL... I think I will stay with the Red LL coolant and just do radiator drain and fills every 2-3 years. I actually called my local Lexus dealer and the service manager said the red coolant is fine and lasts at least 3-4 years and 50K miles... Red sounds like a good way to go with our LS430's...

BradTank

If it was really an issue, almost everyone who owned an LS would be complaining about leaks. Most people refill with the factory coolant and have no problems.

If it was really eating seals, don't you think Toyota would have recalled it by now? Basically every new Toyota/Lexus for the last 12+ years has the pink coolant as the factory fill.

I trust Toyota more than the "expert chemist" at a service shop that's probably just feeding a line to customers.

XJSFan

I truly believe either Toyota coolant would be fine as long as it is changed on a regular basis. Its nice that you trust Toyota. LOL. I would rather trust a friend that has been working on Lexus/Toyota vehicles on a daily basis for over 15 years. LOL... Like I said, I would think either coolant is fine.

Coulter

I bet if the shop is low on the right oil weight, they probably convince customers that the 10w-30 they have on hand is better to use anyway. Or that Fram makes a better oil filter than the factory Lexus, etc

I wouldn't put a lot of stock into what "some mechanic said", they'll also swear up and down on all sorts of wallet flush services are needed for your car.

He probably likes the Red as listed above because he can charge the same per gallon to the customer, but half of it is water.

I have never heard anywhere that the pink coolant eats away seals.

BradTank

Sounds like a contradiction to me.

shmi

rant:

I know everyone thinks shops are evil, and yeah, they're in business to make money, but really, not everyone is out to get you, and not every shop is going to lie to you. From what I've seen working at a luxury dealership for years and dealing with the different departments of every nearby dealership on a daily basis, I can generalize and tell you a lot of car sales people are sleazy, but many aren't; most service advisers do try to upsell work as part of their job description, though many will be honest with you and tell you it's not 100% necessary if you press them to be frank with you (or just bring them cookies and you'll have an honest best friend service guy for life); but mechanics and parts guys are usually pretty straightforward, unless you get the know-it-all mechanic/parts person who thinks all other brands are crap and his opinion carries more weight than others. And those you can usually spot from afar.

Most of what I tell customers buying coolant or parts comes from experience dealing with them every day. Hell I'll even tell people they can get it for cheaper online half the time. But when I tell you you can't mix VW/Audi coolant with the random crap you buy at the parts store for $5 on sale, I'm not saying it to pad my wallet - I couldn't care less if you buy it here. In fact, it would be in my interest to tell you to buy the cheap aftermarket stuff, because when you add it, and it gels up your entire cooling system, your car will probably come back to my dealership and we'll sell you tons of parts and labor to fix it all. But I don't - I tell you to buy the right stuff because, honestly, that's what you should do, and I've learned it through experience.

Basically, while there are some bad apples out there, some of us do take pride in our work, even if it's not a glorious job.

You have it backwards. The red stuff is straight coolant concentrate and gets mixed 50/50 with water. So if you need two gallons total, just buy one gallon and mix it with one gallon of water.

The pink stuff is pre-diluted, so if you need two gallons, you have to buy two gallons.

In effect, the shop owner's advice is saving him money.



All that being said, a lot of what shops see is anecdotal. Of course he sees leaky coolant systems - only cars with problems go to shops! The good cars are out driving around without problems and don't need to come in! I don't know if the pink stuff causes problems, but I doubt it's significant. I bought red because the Toyota parts guy was my former coworker and recommended it, since most of their techs preferred it, but you can probably use either one just fine. I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

Tom57

What do you mix the red concentrate coolant/antifreeze with? I use distilled water. Using tap water can introduce chlorine and other contaminants that may/will cause issues later.

shmi

distilled water is usually recommended, yeah. Though to be honest, most shops don't have that on hand and use tap water, which is unfortunate. One likely benefit to buying the pink Toyota stuff is that it's probably mixed with distilled instead of tap water.

Coulter

Uh, no

It looks like you have it backwards.

I thought it was obvious my point, by purchasing the Red coolant, one gallon becomes two gallons for the shop because it's then diluted with water.

When you buy pink, it's already diluted so to get two gallons, you have to actually purchase two gallons of coolant.


But for a shop to spread the idea that the factory recommended coolant is damaging to the system, he's misinformed (or talking out of his ***) as Toyota would have a major lawsuit on it's hands.

XJSFan

If you do your homework, you will find that a lot of Toyota owners have seal issues and dropped the pink coolant. I would bet that if someone would just do radiator drain and fills every 3-4 years and 50K miles(pink coolant), then it may cut down on seal and water pump problems. I am old school and would rather do the simple drain and fill for preventive reasons. Any coolant in my mind needs to be changed on a regular basis, especially with a higher mileage vehicle...

XJSFan

NO... LOL. I may be speculating but if you do drain and fills with the pink every 3-4 years/50K miles then maybe it would cut down on any possible leaks or pump failures... I have never heard of anyone having problems when they have done regular coolant changes and I have owned close to a hundred cars/collectibles in my time on this earth. LOL. Your car, do what you want.