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Forget about decoding a rainbow of coolant colors and keeping track of testing, changing, and filtering your vehicle’s coolant. The antifreeze products on the market today are designed for a broad range of vehicle types and can even last up to 100,000 miles without fuss.
Whether you are looking to top up your car for the hot summer or managing a large fleet of commercial or heavy-duty vehicles, here’s the low-down on how to pick the right coolant. You’ll save money, time, and have a smoother-running engine.
Gone are the days of mixing green coolant concentrate with water. This older type of coolant, known as IAT (Inorganic Acid Technology) isn’t used anymore in modern vehicles – and it’s not necessary to continue using it with older models, either. IATs have a quick depletion of additives and are easily compromised by impure water sources. IATs only last about 25,000 miles before needing to be tested and treated. IATs also contain silicates that build up on engine components over time, eventually causing precisely what they are supposed to avoid – overheating.
While your vehicle’s OEM may specify a particular coolant, modern coolants are available in after-market, universal varieties.
Even with an older car, your green IAT antifreeze is no longer necessary. What’s more, continuing to use IAT is costing you time and money. Especially in heavy-duty diesel vehicles, changing out IAT with the correct coolant could mean reducing your cost by up to 75 percent with a longer product lifespan and a reduction in changing, testing and expensive filters charged with additives like SCAs. You’ll no longer have silicate buildup from your coolant, reducing labor, parts and overall downtime.
Nitrited Organic Acid Technology (NOAT), also known as Extended Life Coolant (ELC), has become the standard factory fill option on most new trucks in the past ten years. NOAT/ELC doesn’t need checking until 750,000 miles – at that point, you can add an additive to extend the life of the coolant up to 1 million miles. With no added silicates, engines run longer and cooler.
Either of these coolants can be used successfully in older commercial and heavy-duty vehicles after a simple drain and up to a 25 percent mix with your old coolant. The new 50/50 pre-mixed ELCs and XLCs are less maintenance because they have the right PH and no other engine-damaging minerals or additives.
Hybrid Organic Acid Technology (HOAT) coolants are the universal yellow coolants available after-market for all models of cars. Most commercial mechanics utilize HOATs. HOATs are low-silicate, nitrite technology and typically require SCA added back into the system at the first maintenance interval (25,000 miles) or as specified by the engine manufacturer.
Organic Acid Technology (OAT), also known as Nitrite-Free Extended Life Coolant (XLC), has no added nitrite. These coolants typically provide 600,000 miles or 12,000 engine hours of service life, but their performance life can be drastically reduced if contaminated with too-high a percentage of nitrite-containing coolants.
Made from organic material, and lacking toxic chemicals like silicates, phosphates, and nitrites— XLCs are considered a more environmentally friendly solution than other coolants.
Talk with a Carson Coolant expert today about converting your fleet to the right ELC or XLC standardized coolant and start saving money, and headaches, this summer. Call 800.998.7767 or email us to connect with a coolant specialist.