Fresh Antifreeze is Preventive Medicine for Your Car

Just as you do everything possible to protect your family from illness during winter months, it's wise to take steps to protect the vehicles that your family counts on from the extreme temperatures and harsh conditions can cause serious engine damage.

One of the easiest and most important tasks on your Car Care checklist should be to inspect the level and freshness of your vehicle's antifreeze. If you don't remember the last time you checked or changed your antifreeze, you should make it a priority.

Premium formula antifreeze/coolants contain special additives that help ensure engine longevity and prevent radiator leaks. Over time these additives wear out, lessening their ability to protect vital engine and cooling system metals against rust and corrosion. Thus the antifreeze needs to be replaced.

"By checking the level and mixture of their antifreeze, vehicle owners can help prevent big problems like breakdowns or rust and corrosion damage down the road," said Craig Gullett, brand manager for PEAK® Performance Products. Gullett recommends that you think of antifreeze as your vehicle's lifeblood, which must be properly maintained to ensure engine longevity. "Cooling system failure is a leading cause of engine breakdowns, which can cost thousands of dollars and leave you and your family stranded at the worst possible time," he explained. " Ensuring that your car's cooling system has the proper concentration and level of antifreeze/coolant will help protect it during the cold winter months."

Inspecting and maintaining your car's cooling system takes just a few minutes, and can be completed with basic service tools and an antifreeze ball tester, which is available at your local auto parts store. Be sure that the engine is cool before you begin any heating/cooling system maintenance, or repairs. Check hoses for leaks, cracks or rotted rubber, and make sure that the radiator hose clamps are tight, to prevent leaks at the connections. Any hoses that show signs of wear should be replaced.

For the best year-round protection, a 50/50 mixture of antifreeze and water is recommended. Most vehicles use conventional green-colored ethylene glycol-based antifreeze, such as America's favorite, PEAK®Antifreeze & Coolant, which provides maximum freeze-up protection down to -84ºF and boil-over protection to 276ºF. Check your owner's manual for antifreeze usage specifications. PEAK's patented universal car and truck formula protects all engine metals with maximum protection against rust and corrosion.

If you changed your antifreeze recently, but your system level is low, use your antifreeze ball tester to make sure that the antifreeze-to-water ratio is correct. Then, top-off with a "ready to use" 50/50 mixture of antifreeze/water, such as PEAK Ready Use® 50/50 Pre-Diluted Antifreeze.
Don't wait until it's too late. Check your vehicle's cooling system today to ensure that it's ready for the long winter ahead.