What does antifreeze do?
Antifreeze mixes with water to form a covalent bond to prevent the water from freezing. It also raises the boiling point to avoid the vehicle overheating and to minimise corrosion in your vehicle’s engine. It is important to get this right as antifreeze goes right into the heart of your vehicle’s engine and getting it right for your vehicle has never been more vital, now that antifreeze has been made vehicle specific.
Red Antifreeze
Red Antifreeze is suitable for all year-round usage in automotive and commercial petrol and diesel engines and in certain industrial applications. It is manufactured using pure mono ethylene glycol, and OAT (Organic Acid Technology) anti-corrosive additives and inhibitors; it has been formulated to be particularly effective in protecting heavy-duty diesel engines for periods of up to 5 years.
Red Antifreeze meets the requirements of Audi, Seat, Skoda, VW (TL774D), Ford (WSS-M97B44-D), Mercedes (325.30), Porche and exceeds BS658-2010. To apply, drain and flush the cooling system. Mix the concentrate 50:50 with water to produce a 50% solution.
Blue Antifreeze
Blue Antifreeze is a full concentrate which meets BS6580 and contains the same pure ethylene glycol and anti-corrosive additives as the Red. Its application is for protection for up to a maximum of 2 years. It meets or exceeds the requirements of the following European & International standards: BS 6580:2010, ASTM D 3306, ATSM D 4985, SAE J 1034.
To apply, empty the radiator and flush with clean water. Check all hoses to ensure there is no leaking and then mix the recommended proportion of antifreeze to clean water and then refill cooling system with the mixture.
In the video below, Kingsley goes into a bit more detail on the differences between red and blue antifreeze to help you decide which one is more suitable.
Safety warning!
BEWARE: antifreeze is highly corrosive, and contaminated skin should be washed thoroughly. Under no circumstances should it be swallowed, and if it is, call a poison centre or a doctor to seek immediate medical attention.
If you have further enquiries about antifreeze, please contact our team who will be happy to help on 01432 373350.
You can check out our range of antifreeze to help you through the winter here:
