Have any of you replaced your antifreeze yet? I'm betting the Genuine Honda A/F is rather pricey. I figure Prestone, etc., should be just as good.

 

Does the 2015 use the same Honda TypeII coolant as others have since ~2002? (TypeII is the blue stuff.)

Think of it this way: TypeII lasts 5 yrs/100K miles before the first drain. Draining only replaces 60% of it. That's why replacement frequency is doubled after that. (This, from older Honda maintenance schedules)


TypeII is only available as a premix from Honda auto dealers. But you CAN buy concentrated coolant from Honda motorcycle dealers, if you feel the need to change ratio. (Or, if you have flushed the system with water and want to get the concentration higher)


Genuine Honda coolant isn't THAT much more expensive. It REALLY reduces reaction with aluminum. So I feel that its worth it to have some on hand (as a top-up, or for replacement).


JMHO of course.

 

I vote Nay to both.

A gallon of Honda Type-2 is a little less than $20 MSRP. Cheap for knowing it's absolutely correct.
$13 and some change from Majestic. Plus shipping.

I just searched the part number (OL999-9011) and saw the first hit on Amazon was quite a bit higher than MSRP, and some Honda dealers sell far above MSRP too. Be wary.


Type-2:
It's great, it's absolutely correct for our cars, and ever since Honda went to it I noticed the water pump lifespan increased significantly.
Also, I haven't seen internal radiator corrosion problems in the decade or more since Honda changed over to Type2 exclusively (around 2004?). Even when ignored longer than double the suggested mileage or more.

Hondas coolant is a Non-Silicate and Non-Borate formula. Premixed with de-ionized water.
What's the Prestone got in it?
How much does a different antifreeze (Prestone) cost? Now add in a premature water pump failure...... and all the labor to replace it. Maybe add a tow truck bill, maybe a complete engine if it lost all coolant and got seriously overheated. LOL


Read the underhood sticker to see the replacement interval for your car. Many say 10 years or 100k/120k, or a maintenance minder item# for the first replacement interval.

JMHO as a Honda tech.
YMMV. HTH

 

I guess $20 isn't bad. One gallon should do it. Capacity is 1.1g.

 

I could have sworn the label under the hood said the antifreeze doesn't need to be changed for 10 years

 

Somewhere in my post I also suggested OP reads that label, he could save time and money by doing so.

 

There's a lot of leeway in "needs to be." When I've drained antifreeze in the past, it's been dirty. Why would I want to be driving with "dirty" for ten years? The A/F might protect from freezing for ten years, but I prefer clean to dirty.

https://www.cars.com/articles/how-of...1420680853669/

 

"Replace engine coolant" is sub item 5 on the Maintenance Minder. I'll replace mine when it shows up.


Given the issues with disposing waste coolant, this is another job I don't do myself anymore. Not like the old days, when we could just let the stuff drain into the ground.

 

My town has a recycling center for oil and antifreeze.

 

In NY any place that sells oil has to accept used oil for recycling. Not sure about antifreeze. We have no such facility here.


I recycle my used oil at the truck garage in the next town. They've always been glad to accept it.

 

Any landfills in your area? The landfills here accept oil, antifreeze and car batteries for recycling.

 

Even after 10 years of use the cooling systems filled with Type-2 I regularly deal with still appear to be pretty dang clean, visually, unless they have been contaminated with something else along the way.

I've never sent samples to a lab for further analysis though, so there's that.


I personally think that changing original antifreeze on a 2015 car this early in its life (I assumed this thread was about a 2015, one year old?), unless you have reached the mileage interval or maintenance minder item, is overkill.... and wasteful.
*hugs a tree*

 

It's the water that's important in the blend. Wrong water, big problems. Generally takes a while to show up though. You'll probably have sold the car by then. People in the US cycle through cars so quickly now.

 

While I agree with what that article says, I highly doubt it's "dirty" at this point. It's like changing the oil every 1,000 miles.

 

I know what you mean. 1,000 miles is an awfully long distance. I always carry oil and filters when I travel.

 

I thought of buying bottles of Fiji water to mix with the A/F. It should be very pure.

 

Decision made. Thanks for all your advice. I'm going to wait till next year to change the coolant. Then I will buy two gallons of the Honda product.

 

Thank you for this thread, I'm gonna pickup some Type II from my Honda contact for when I add my block heater. I'll be losing a little bit when swapping out the block plug for the heater plug. Best I add the correct stuff and not a questionable incompatible aftermarket blend.

 

STP makes an "Asian vehicle" coolant. The most important thing is that it is 50/50 mix and that it is free of silicates. Maybe since the Fit is made in Mexico you can put a drop of Tabasco in it and call it a day

Honestly, for the extra 5-10$ the honda stuff costs, I just go with that. You should only change your antifreeze every 2 years AT A MINIMUM. My mechanic recommends 2-3 years because I live in Canada and my car has to endure a whole season of sub zero temperatures. I still only change my coolant every 4-5 years. If I lived in a milder climate, I'd go every 5-10 years easy. change your antifreeze every year if it makes you feel good but you are pouring money down the drain. I'd focus on changing your brake fluid which must be done more frequently than antifreeze.

Antifreeze and brake fluid are the two things I only go with OEM.

 

Right. I do that annually.