How Important Is Antifreeze?
Without antifreeze, your vehicle would be at risk of catastrophic damage — possibly even irreversible damage.
Burning fuel powers your car, generating a high level of energy. But only a third of this energy makes your car move. The rest is converted into heat.
Half of this heat exits through the exhaust, and the other half remains in the engine. As a result, your engine would overheat without antifreeze.
What Does Antifreeze Do?
Antifreeze changes the boiling and freezing temperatures of water to keep your engine at its optimum temperature. It:
- Prevents liquid from freezing in your engine
- Prevents your engine from overheating
- Prevents rust build up and corrosion
- Prevents scale build up
- Aids heat transfer
- Lubricates the water pump
What Happens If You Don’t Refill Antifreeze?
If your antifreeze runs low, you’re likely to notice the following signs of damage.
- Your temperature gauge rises
- Your coolant dashboard warning light illuminates
- Your engine automatically cuts off (modern vehicles only)
- Your bonnet is dangerously hot
- Your heater doesn’t work or blows excessively hot air
- Your fuel economy declines
- Damaged car parts, especially the water pump, head gasket, cylinder, pistons, cylinder head, connector rods and crank
Find out how to top up your antifreeze here.
Get Your Antifreeze
Different types of antifreeze are suited to different makes and models. Search your number plate below to find all the antifreeze brands that are suited to your vehicle.
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