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[zippo]

I thought that [vx] engines had to have anti-freeze in them year round
but ive just got in from looking at another omega filled with neat water
[all trade by the way] Am i wrong
tia daz

[Andy B]

I thought that [vx] engines had to have anti-freeze in them year round
but ive just got in from looking at another omega filled with neat water
[all trade by the way] Am i wrong
tia daz

All cars should run with anti-freeze in them all year round. Not only is it an anti-freeze but it's a corrosion inhibitor too, especially benificial in engines that are part ally.

[Jay w]

All cars should have it in all year round.

It also helps to preserve the oil cooler as well, that and regular coolant changes....

Running neat water will not be doing it much good and you have to ask how long it has been like that as well......

[Marks DTM Calib]

All cars should have it in all year round.

It also helps to preserve the oil cooler as well, that and regular coolant changes....

Running neat water will not be doing it much good and you have to ask how long it has been like that as well......

Right, ignoring the freezing issues......water is corrosive to meatls including alloy, cast iron etc.

As a result, no antifreeze = no corrosion inhibitors.

The results can be:

1) Oil cooler failure (corrosion)
2) Head gasket failure (corrosion of head or the composite gasket material resulting in the fire ring moving)
3) Radiator silting


The list goes on........ALL cars need a 50:50 antifreeze mix to stop corrosion.

[mark.adams]

And the best anti-freeze to use is the Vx red one??

[zippo]

thanks for all the replies and info looks like the money will be stayin' in the bank a bit longer then. when i asked 1 fella he said only puts antifreeze in during the winter. that was in a 2.2 cd @ £ 3500
darren

[Doodley]

did you check the oil? if the headgasket is on its way out, perhaps he is putting neat water in it to save the cost of keep filling it up with antifreeze?

[zippo]

did you check the oil? if the headgasket is on its way out, perhaps he is putting neat water in it to save the cost of keep filling it up with antifreeze?

oil was fine ,but he kept interuptin me as i was checking around the car like he was trying to hide something or didnt want me to find a
problem. In the end swmbo told him to go away at his own chosen
pace or somethin similar anyway
 thank for the thought tho
daz

[Dazzler]

did you check the oil? if the headgasket is on its way out, perhaps he is putting neat water in it to save the cost of keep filling it up with antifreeze?

oil was fine ,but he kept interuptin me as i was checking around the car like he was trying to hide something or didnt want me to find a
problem. In the end swmbo told him to go away at his own chosen
pace or somethin similar anyway
 thank for the thought tho
daz

Stay well clear of it mate

[tunnie]

did you check the oil? if the headgasket is on its way out, perhaps he is putting neat water in it to save the cost of keep filling it up with antifreeze?

Riiight, £15 for 5L of Vauxhalls own anti-freeze that technically lasts 5 years, but i now replace once a year.

Whats £15 a year, compared to a £500 garage bill for a new head gasket, f**ing muppets!!!

[Doodley]

did you check the oil? if the headgasket is on its way out, perhaps he is putting neat water in it to save the cost of keep filling it up with antifreeze?

Riiight, £15 for 5L of Vauxhalls own anti-freeze that technically lasts 5 years, but i now replace once a year.

Whats £15 a year, compared to a £500 garage bill for a new head gasket, f**ing muppets!!!

yeah but i mean if the headgasket is on its way out, i.e. loosing coolant in the oil, perhaps the dealer is just putting neat water in to save the waste of anti-freeze!

[tunnie]

did you check the oil? if the headgasket is on its way out, perhaps he is putting neat water in it to save the cost of keep filling it up with antifreeze?

Riiight, £15 for 5L of Vauxhalls own anti-freeze that technically lasts 5 years, but i now replace once a year.

Whats £15 a year, compared to a £500 garage bill for a new head gasket, f**ing muppets!!!

yeah but i mean if the headgasket is on its way out, i.e. loosing coolant in the oil, perhaps the dealer is just putting neat water in to save the waste of anti-freeze!

If its on the way out....then replace the gasket.

You have to wonder why its failed...

The 2.0/2.2s need regular changes of coolant, like i found out with my dads 2.2, that had been 'Main Dealer serviced' all of its life.... at 90k HG went.

Biggest cause is old anti-freeze, i suspect the garage never flushed it, just kept it 'topped-up'

hence i change the anti-freeze in both mine and my dads once a year now.

[Doodley]

yeah like you say, not a lot of work for the consequences!

[zippo]

did you check the oil? if the headgasket is on its way out, perhaps he is putting neat water in it to save the cost of keep filling it up with antifreeze?

oil was fine ,but he kept interuptin me as i was checking around the car like he was trying to hide something or didnt want me to find a
problem. In the end swmbo told him to go away at his own chosen
pace or somethin similar anyway
 thank for the thought tho
daz

Stay well clear of it mate

just remembered no history either and he only started to be a
pain when i pulled the bonnet

[bigdods]

Having recently toured just about every dealer in the country looking for my lastest Omega I can tell you that there are quite a few out there with either pure water or a very low ratio antifreeze mix. First thing I do is open the bonnet and check the antifreeze concentration with a 50p gadget from halfords. In every case so far where I have found low or no antifreeze a good look has found an acompanying water leak. the ONLY reason for low or no antifreeze is a leak topped up with water.

And even doing the above I still got caught out. The one I eventually bought had a slightly low ratio which I reckoned was probably within tolerance of the service boys filling the system and getting it slightly wrong. No evidence of water or oil leaks. 2 weeks later its in the local VX specialist having a new oil cooler fitted grrrr. Luckily covered under warranty.

The other reason for going pure water is that its thicker (technical term that haha) than antifreeze mix. So if there is a small or slow leak, putting in pure water or a low anti mix will slow it down.

[Paul M]

This definitely implies a leak, and it's being topped up with plain water. "I only put anti-freeze in during winter" simply doesn't cut it, not only is it plain stupid for the reasons described above, it implies that he changes the coolant twice a year, going to all the effort of draining the system at the end of winter to replace it with pure water. I smell bullshit, someone who is so meticulous with maintenance would know that doing so is detrimental to the longevity of the engine.

Steer well clear, as it's very likely there are other problems he's covering up or lying about.