roger t

My manual for my 09 Honda Civic states to use only Honda longlife type 2 coolant. Is there an equivelent made by Presto, Zerex, etc ? That won't damage the engine,water pump, etc.
Roger

02civicsi02

It is recommended to use it but you do not have to.

Mad Dog Tannen

Honda just wants you to buy more expensive crap from them. I say any of the "Auto zone brands" will work fine.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

just dont start crying when the water pump seals fail and the cooling system is corroded. if you really want an alternative coolant, you need to do ALOT of research on bobistheoilguy.com forums and find a brand that contains all the specific additives and properties of the honda coolant. chances are it will cost more than the $15 honda bottle. im not sure why everyone is against using oem fluids when they have all been proven to be better than the 'generic' store brands. the only thing that doesnt matter is using the honda oil and filter. there are much better choices. you paid thousands of dollars for a car and will be paying thousands more for a repair that could be caused by saving $5 on coolant. tell me if its worth it.

Mad Dog Tannen

^ OEM fluids may be better. But I have never heard of anybody's pump failing due to the wrong coolant formula, only due to straight water instead of a mix. I know a lot of people who have tons of miles on their engines while using cheap coolant. The only OEM fluid I use is on my bike because it works well with the wet clutch.

johnplus8

I just use the one that is 50-50 mix on sale at Auto Zone.

sup_mario

It depends on you if you want it..

roger t

Unfortunately I thought that any name brand anti-freeze should be fine. I have learned since then that manufactures are using a lot of aluminum in their cooling systems, rubber seals with different types of properties, etc. Chrysler uses an HOAT based anti-freeze in their later vehicles. Zerex sells a G-05 type anti-freeeze which can be used as a substitute for the Chrysler HOAT. Honda uses a non-silicate anti-freeze, I have got to think that other manufactures market something with the same formular. There are a lot of horror stories about using the wrong anti-freeze...times have changed.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

yeah its very wise these days to use oem fluids. at least on a honda heres what can happen if you use store brand over oem. some ive seen happen first hand to our older accord.

-failure to use honda PS fluid can cause teflon seals to leak and the pump to fail. it can also cause strange noises when turning.

-failure to use honda trans fluid can cause rough shifting and complete destruction of the clutch plates.

-failure to use honda brake fluid can cause corroded lines and possibly blow the master cylinder or cause it to leak.

-failure to use honda coolant can cause deposits and corrosion in the cooling system parts, including blockages that can cause overheating. other coolants can also eat away water pump seals, and there have even been cases of headgaskets leaking due to using wrong coolant type.