I'm familiar with the Dexcool pain and I'll get mine flushed as soon as money isn't so tight. I told my dad who has an '02 Bonne about it and he said that he heard that changing the coolant regularly (not every 100,000 miles) decreases or eliminates the effects of the Dexcool in our cars and that the wear is caused by the fluid being old. Any truth to this?

there may be some truth to that since dexcool breaking down is what turns it to acid. Although there are chemicals in it to begin with that destroy gaskets. If you get a coolant flush, get the dex out and get some prestone dex compatible or standard green coolant in there. do NOT reinstall dexcool.

Thats what my dad was going to do, just flush and reinstall dexcool on a regular schedule like other regular coolants.

Definitely tell him that as he is right about it breaking down, that the normal properties of dexcool already have bad effects on gaskets.

John...there is no proof that Dex hurts gaskets. TJ'* all green gaskets were the same as all the dex gaskets I've seen. Heat hurts the gaskets. Let'* dispell the rumor that dex destroys the water jacket gasket...seeps to an intake runner, past it'* gasket destroys the inner part of the gasket there and never enters the engine. Not only does that sound tough to do..unless you are burning coolant and have coolant in the intake runner to the head, it'* false.

Period.

My 2 cents worth is don't let it age in the car where you get crud showing in the reservoir tank. Change it every two years or 30 K miles and you'll be just fine. There are a few cases where it changes when run with air in the system, such as from a low radiator or radiator not filled due to shape of neck on the car, that it changes when running hot with air being mixed into it.

A local car show mechanic says change it out just like regular antifreeze every two years. I recall when talking to the Dorman tech about my new upper intake he asked if I had changed my dexcool regularly and said I'd be fine with Dexcool.

It'* the folk that leave it in 100K or 150K and don't keep the tank filled that come up with problems.

Looks like my dad is fine and I'm not then. His '02 had 37,000 miles and my '00 has 87,xxx miles on it. I have no idea what the last owner did to my car but I have to get the stuff out of my car imediately, I've already got crud building up in my resevoir. My dad sounds alright though.

Yes that it true, there is NO PROOF.

But there is enough suspicion and there is even an engineering explanation to support that suspicion... (including other auto manufacturers that DO NOT WANT DEX in their autos).

I don't care... I'M NOT RUNNING DEX!!!

Peroid

I have heard NOTHING that implicates ANY other antifreeze...

In this case, I'd rather be safe than sorry.