I've just mixed blue with pink coolant in my car...

MeerKat17

Help! My nct is due in the morning, had the car serviced a couple of months ago so I decided to just sent it in. I saw my pink coolant was low so bought some, poured it in before noticing that it was thick & blue....a purplish brown mixture formed...
What do I do? Will that fail the nct?! Any advice appreciated!

swhyte027

MeerKat17 wrote: »

Help! My nct is due in the morning, had the car serviced a couple of months ago so I decided to just sent it in. I saw my pink coolant was low so bought some, poured it in before noticing that it was thick & blue....a purplish brown mixture formed...
What do I do? Will that fail the nct?! Any advice appreciated!

Don't do any thing ul be fine the only difference is the temp it works at that is all the nct won't say anything it doesn't matter if u have green black blue r r whatever colour coolent.it all coolent ul be fine I swear to ya

cul-2008

swhyte027 wrote: »

ul be fine I swear to ya

pinky promise?

MeerKat17

Thank you so much swhyte027! I was beginning to panic there!

dgt

It's not fine at all.

It won't fail the nct but change it asap, a recipe for disaster

Pink/Red coolant is 5 year protected stuff
Blue is 2 year protected
Both don't agree with each other hence the different colours. Slightly different ingredients in the red stuff to make it last longer.

See here for a better explaination

See what your car takes as stated by the manufacturer

DON'T mix antifreeze and coolant. Antifreeze is concentrated coolant, coolant is ready to use

Whats the car anyway?

MeerKat17

dgt wrote: »

It's not fine at all.

It won't fail the nct but change it asap, a recipe

Pink/Red coolant is 5 year protected stuff
Blue is 2 year protected
Both don't agree with each other hence the different colours. Slightly different ingredients in the red stuff to make it last longer.

See here for a better explaination

See what your car takes as stated by the manufacturer

DON'T mix antifreeze and coolant. Antifreeze is concentrated coolant, coolant is ready to use

Thanks for your reply. To be honest I haven't a clue if it was anti freeze or coolant, I just presumed coolant and bought some...have I ruined the engine?! How do you drain it?! I'll probably have to bring it to a mechanic...

Why didn't I just add water??

MeerKat17

Its a VW Polo by the way

dgt

Your engine isn't ruined. Polos are a tough little car

Polos take the red stuff anyway. If the car came with blue stuff, water seals would go in the most awkward of places. This won't happen to you as the car is designed for the tougher red coolant mix and is designed to take the organic acids in the coolant. What will happen is a loss in efficiency of the coolant mix, it won't be able to displace the heat as well as before, the car might run hotter depending on how much you put in, but nothing too major.

A coolant change isn't dear anyway Don't be surprised if the nct tester comments on the condition of your coolant...

Edit: I use this stuff in both my Fiesta and Polo. Its the concentrated stuff, I just have to dilute the mix accordingly

MeerKat17

Thanks so much dgt! I'm clueless when it comes to cars!

Nissan doctor

Anti freeze and coolant are two different things. Most coolant has antifreeze in it but it doesn't have to and the levels it has vary from brand to brand. Hence when servicing a car and test the 'coolant strength', what you are actually testing is the antifreeze level in the coolant.

With regards to the colour, Different colours mean different things in different parts of the world, the pink that VAG use here is longlife coolant but it also has different ingredients so that it works with plastic water pump impellers and coolant flanges, which would be different to the type that would be suitable for all metal/alloy cooling systems.


@OP, if you only topped up with a little bit of different colour coolant then don't panic, i.e if you filled with 200-300ml maybe then you won't do any harm in a cooling system with a 5L+ capacity.

mathepac

Nissan doctor wrote: »

... the pink that VAG use here is longlife coolant but it also has different ingredients so that it works with plastic water pump impellers and coolant flanges, which would be different to the type that would be suitable for all metal/alloy cooling systems. ....

+1. I'd suggest draining & flushing the system, buying the purple VW G12+ stuff and diluting accordingly.(starts purple, goes pink when water is added. (Oooh you are awful)

MeerKat17

Just back from the NCT....they didn't even comment about the coolant!

Nissan doctor

MeerKat17 wrote: »

Just back from the NCT....they didn't even comment about the coolant!

They'd have no reason to, it could be filled with urine for all they care, once the level is correct:eek:


Pass?

MeerKat17

Fail!
Its only a small thing though, tail light was gone...I wouldn't mind but I had 3 bulbs replaced in the garage last week, it must have gone since! I'll fit a new bulb and bring it back to them this evening.

Wheelnut

ND's advice at the end of post 10 is correct.

The reason for the panic expressed in other posts is now a little out-of-date. When red coolant was introduced years ago (I think about 10 years ago) it would turn into a brown gunge if mixed with other types of coolant. Since then the manufacturers have modified the formula and the adverse reaction does not happen, at least not with a top-up. So Meerkat should be OK for now, but a flush and a change should be pencilled in for the future.

MeerKat17

Brought it to the mechanics today, done and dusted! Thanks for all the advice!

Nissan doctor

MeerKat17 wrote: »

Brought it to the mechanics today, done and dusted! Thanks for all the advice!

What did you get done?

kay 9

I think the pink/red coolants are also OAT (Organic Acid Technology) which also should be used if the head on vehicle is Aluminium.

Tea drinker

Nissan doctor wrote: »

They'd have no reason to, it could be filled with urine for all they care, once the level is correct:eek:

Watch out though, I heard some of these NCT places are taking the p1ss.