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The Estima
Motoring Community cannot be held liable for any
damage to engines or cars; or for any personal
injury caused through following any advice, opinion
or recommendation shown on this website. The
decision to follow any such advice is solely your
own.
Which
Anti-freeze / Coolant should I use?
Toyota recommend
that you use their own long-life coolant. This is
known as "Toyota Red":

This is a
long-life coolant, that only requires changing every
5 years. It apparently has better cooling and
lubricating properties than standard
anti-freeze/coolant, but the debates continue, and
the cynics amongst you may see it as just another
marketing ploy by Toyota.
This is what
Toyota has to say on their product:
Genuine Toyota
Long Life Antifreeze Coolant, with its
distinctive red appearance, provides maximum
protection without the use of harmful silicates.
This formula is extremely durable and because of
its compatibility with non-metallic materials,
it helps extend the life of water pump seals.
Genuine Toyota Long Life Antifreeze Coolant is
the same high quality red fluid that's found in
all new Toyotas. Its unique formulation was
developed exclusively to meet the specific
requirements of your Toyota engine. Other
benefits to using Toyota Long Life Antifreeze
Coolant are:
Will not clog radiators from silicone "gelling."
Will not corrode aluminum surfaces like coolants
that contain borate.
Helps protect water pump seals.
Ethylene-glycol type coolant should be used in
your Toyota vehicle, as it provides for proper
corrosion protection of aluminum components,
protection at lower temperatures, and it has the
ability to be used year round.
Toyota recommends Genuine Toyota Long Life
Antifreeze Coolant (factory red fluid) as the
first choice when maintaining your vehicle.
Toyota coolant was developed to meet the
specific requirements of our engines and
provides maximum protection without the use of
harmful silicates. Silicates, a main ingredient
in the vast majority of antifreeze coolants, can
actually damage the water pump seal, causing
leakage. Our coolant is a high-performance,
non-silicate coolant that provides better
protection for metals without deterioration of
the water pump seal.
Genuine Toyota Long Life Antifreeze Coolant is
available at your local Toyota dealership.
The major drawback
of using it is that it is:
1. Expensive
2. It will not mix with anything, other than,
Toyota Red. It cannot be topped up with water, and
cannot be topped up with standard blue/green/pink
coolant bought off the shelf. When mixed with other
fluids, it has been known to granulate and form
lumps/pellets.
Bear in mind that
when using normal "off the shelf" glycol-based
anti-freeze, you can always top-up with water in the
case of an emergency or should the need arise.
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