Best place for cheap antifreeze

purplestar133

Where do you get your antifreeze from?

Last time I got it was in Asda for £2 in winter (my dad usually sorts me out so I don't buy it much). It's not quite winter yet, so haven't seen the usual antifreeze/deicer displays in all the shops yet and haven't been able to find antifreeze anywhere cheap. Need some now though as my car is low!

Does anyone have any tips for where to get cheap antifreeze, or a guide for how much is reasonable to pay? I'm willing to buy online if its better.

Wig

Just to clarify...is this to go:

in your radiator/engine = Antifreeze
Or
in your windscreen wiper washer bottle = Screenwash

purplestar133

Wig wrote: »

Just to clarify...is this to go:

in your radiator/engine = Antifreeze
Or
in your windscreen wiper washer bottle = Screenwash

It's antifreeze for my car engine

forgotmyname

Your car is low? Is the engine losing water?

Have you been topping it up with water only?

How many litres do you need? Are you draining the radiator and filling from scratch?

Notmyrealname

Depending on what car it is, you may not be able to use normal Antifreeze...

purplestar133

forgotmyname wrote: »

Your car is low? Is the engine losing water?

Have you been topping it up with water only?

How many litres do you need? Are you draining the radiator and filling from scratch?

I usually top it up with a mixture of antifreeze and water. I need about 1 litre and I will be just topping up not draining the radiator.

I'm not sure if the engine is losing water. I thought it was normal to have to top up the water/antifreeze every now and again.

It's a 1999 Ford Fiesta.

NeverEnough

A litre seems rather a lot for it to be losing.......theoretically, it is a closed system, so should really not be losing a litre of fluid, even allowing for a small amount of evaporation. My own cars hardly ever need the radiator topping up and definitely never a litre at a time. Your car is losing coolant somewhere and I would be checking it out if its needing a litre coolant topup at a time..........

savemoney

I believe you need drain anti freezer and replace it every so often. You shouldn't need to top it up very often at all from my understanding. Someone told me you shouldn't also mix it with other antifreezes but stick with the same one not sure if thats correct or not.

EdGasket

savemoney wrote: »

I believe you need drain anti freezer and replace it every so often. You shouldn't need to top it up very often at all from my understanding. Someone told me you shouldn't also mix it with other antifreezes but stick with the same one not sure if thats correct or not.

It's OK to mix the same types of antifreeze. There are basically two types, the older Blue or Green ethylene/glycol which lasts for two years and will be what is in a 1999 Fiesta or the newer 5 year Red/orange organic stuff (not sure what it's made of but you can google it). You should not mix these two types but other than that any make of blue antifreeze should mix with any other make of blue or green antifreeze etc. Note: The 2 or 5 years refers to the corrosion inhibitors; I believe the antifreeze maintains it's freezing protection indefinitely but stand to be corrected if anyone knows better. I certainly don't change my blue stuff every 2 years but have not had a problem with freezing at all.

forgotmyname

Modern antifreeze only needs changing every 10 years.

The cooling system should ever need topping up unless its leaking.

If thats the case you need to sort that.

Wig

I dunno about 1999 Ford Fiestas

But if you need the organic stuff, then the best I know about is Vauxhall dealership 5 litre bottle for about £18 inc (it's pink) this will go in Fiats too,

Fiat dealerships sell Fiat stuff for AIUI much more money. Fiat calls it 'Paraflu'

If you are not sure of what you have then a full drain -after running the engine to hot with the heaters on and then draining with the heater switch in the hot position- and refill with either type will be ok an any car, To be sure you could refill with 100% water and flush it out then drain again.

If I were you I would fill up with 100% water for now, untill you find the stuff you want to buy. Then if it has dropped by another litre by then, fill up with 1litre 100% antifreeze
That's what I have done, I have so far filled with 250ml of water, so I will continue to top up with 250ml of pure antifreeze. I know where mine is going - I have a small hole in the radiator somewhere - does not bother me that much.