Anti-Freeze

[Webby]

I've not had my car serviced since I bought it s/h from a main Peugeot dealer so I don't know if the coolant will be up to the cold nights ahead.
The coolant is not a distinctive colour, more a shade you'd describe as "straw". Is this what regular Peugeot antifreeze looks like? Is there an easy way to check how much antifreeze is in my coolant?

Thanks.

[john_h]

only way to be sure is to buy the stuff you want. best to get dealership, cant go wrong then. drain it and refill as per haynes or at a garage.

i know ford dealers can test coolant levels to see what the boil and freeze points are but unsure if peugeot dealers can or will.

i am also unsure what colour peugeot coolant is suppose to be. maybe another user will help with that

[jmkent]

Had mine changed at Peugeot 12 months ago.... mine is a blue/green colour

[Webby]

Many thanks to John_H and to jmkent for their responses. I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and visit the Pug dealer tomorrow.

[jmkent]

It shouldn't cost too much.... mine was £29+VAT labour and £14+VAT for the antifreeze

[elmafudd]

surely its cheaper to just drop the bottom hose and change it yourself....£29+vat to release one hose and add some water with a little antifreeze seems a little steep to me....maybe its because im part trained at this....am i the only one who would simply see this as a rip off,......

[Gibbo]

Me too. Buy some OAT (orange / red) antifreeze and DIY.

Although bear in mind some cars like the 407 don't have a Haynes manual or any instructions how to change and bleed it.

[jmkent]

Originally Posted by elmafudd

surely its cheaper to just drop the bottom hose and change it yourself....£29+vat to release one hose and add some water with a little antifreeze seems a little steep to me....maybe its because im part trained at this....am i the only one who would simply see this as a rip off,......

I couldn't be bothered to do it.... so had it done with main service anyhow.
Plus, like Gibbo has said.... I wouldn't know where to start on the 407 too

[Webby]

Will this work to show if the antifreeze is of adequate strength?

I'll siphon off some of the coolant from the header tank into a plastic bag and pop it into my freezer for a couple of hours. The freezer maintains lower temperatures than I would expect in winter so if the sample doesn't freeze all is well.

What do you think?

[jmkent]

Might work, but might be better off doing it the techy way Halfords | Halfords Anti Freeze Tester