I need to get a radiator flush. My radiator water reservoir water looks all brown. I have priced to get it done $165. This is the first time it will be done, should I take it in and have a shop hook it up and flush the system really good, or can this been done at home. I remember in the past I have opened up the drain on past cars stuck in a hose and let it flush for a good while. Now I have heard, and I did the search on this site about the different color anti-freeze. Any suggestions on what brand/color?
Thoughts

If you can LEGALLY do it (old coolant in 5 gal pail and take somewhere to dispose of it) do it yourself. Use the DexCool (not the pre mix, you p[aying out the butt for water) and have some distilled gals of water. I also recommend that you buy a bottle of collant system cleaner, Prestone makes it, it comes in a little yellow bottle.

I had my coolant system flushed on one of my previous cars, and they didn't even clean out the resevoir so the coolant was all brown right after. I'd do it yourself, but take the coolant tank out and clean it with brake cleaner and rinse it out very well.

The brown may be the sealer put into the radiator with the DexCool coolant from the factory. If you can do it yourself... I do my 98 by taking off the lower radiator hose after driving the car for a time to circulate as much sediment as possible. I let that drain and the motor cool for couple hours. I put in plain water. Run again up to temp to completely circulate. Drain. Wait till cool. Then I put in the number of quarts of DexCool needed to give the right freeze/boil point. I think it was six in my car. Sometimes I can't get all that in and I put the rest into the overflow reservoir. After running up to temp and getting the air bubble out of the heater core the rest of the quarts usually fit in.

You can remove the tube from the radiator neck to the overflow and rinse that out. I use dawn and a flexible brush to remove the coating of sediment/sealer. Flush away the detergent several times.

I have never found the drain on the radiator. The service manager looked at the dealer and didn't find one. So I just take off the lower radiator hose.

In our area they recommend putting the glycols down the sewer system and the bacteria in the city sewage plant digest it like a sugar. They don't want you to put it into the storm drains that flow directly into streams and rivers and don't let it stay where dogs can lick it up.

If you can, back flush the coolant system. This is crucial. I'd replace with Dexcool.