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I drive an audi a6 1997.
the guys at the dealership, and every auto mechanic i’ve talked to tells me i need to only use one certain kind of coolant/antifreeze liquid in my car (the pink kind). and that i should NOT put any water in the reservoir. supposedly mixing two kinds of coolants can cause bubbles, etc etc. the pink coolant that is specifically made for my car is expensive (35$ a bottle)

the other day a guy told me i should mix water in the coolant reservoir, AND that it doesnt matter at all what kind of coolant i used. he laughed at me when i told him that my car needed a certain kind of coolant fluid, and that i didnt add water to the reservoir. he said i was getting ripped off and the guys at the dealership were just trying to get money out of me.

I’ll be straight up i dont know much about cars, but i need to know a solid answer to this question from someone who knows something about cars.

is it OK if i add water to the coolant/antifreeze reservoir? is it OK if I do not use the pink coolant specifically made for my car? is it really BAD to add a different kind of coolant?

Right now more than ever i need to figure this out because my car has a coolant fluid leak (I am not sure where it is coming from)
and until I take the car to the shop, I cannot afford to buy more of the expensive coolant. I need to know if I can use regular coolant from the gas station. or add water in the meantime.

ANY MECHANICS OR GUYS KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT CARS?
PLEASE HELP

Originally posted 2009-08-31 05:08:22. Republished by Blog Post Promoter