Prestone super flush?

[miked]

Hey guys, I just had my cooling system flushed in my 03 Bonneville 3.8 w/ 36,000 miles. My mechanic used the Prestone super flush additive. What's the experience with this product?

 

[Kestas]

I think it was a waste of time and money. Two years/36K is too early to be using flushants. A flush and refill should have sufficed for your vehicle. The super flush treatment is usually reserved for vehicles that have deposits in the cooling system.... usually older neglected cars. Did you have some odd problem with the cooling system?

 

[miked]

Well, I did it because the Dex-cool in my 99 Trans Am sludged up and I was told that it should be flushed by 40,000 miles. Those new coolants do not last as long as their claim. I remember with my Trans Am when I would pull out the dipstick to check the coolant it looked like sand in the coolant. So I'm not going to make the same mistake twice.

 

[Kestas]

I'm not sure of the whole history with GM and their mistake with specifying Dex-cool, but I understand Dex-cool works quite well in the correct application. It doesn't tolerate being in constant contact with air. It is best used in a system that has a pressurized overflow tank. Perhaps that is why your Trans Am sludged up. I don't know.

Anyhow, your Trans Am merited using flushant... but did your Bonneville need it?

 

[miked]

Well, my mechanic recommended I do a flush before I hit 40,000 miles because after that it will be impossible to unclog the cooling system.
I believe him because my 99 WS6 was bad. It's overflow tank used a dipstick and like I stated earlier it was so gunked up that you couldn't even read it. It was already too late for a flush. So this was preventative maintenance.

 

[Kestas]

I guess we'll have to trust the mechanic's observation and judgement. What was the cooling system refilled with? If you're having trouble with Dex-cool, you should switch to another, less trouble-prone antifreeze once it's out of warranty. As long as all the old coolant is completely flushed out of the system, your cooling system won't 'grenade' by switching to another antifeeze.

 

[Mr Nice]

Drain & refill (no flush) every 30,000 miles and you will have no crud built up in your cooling system.

Stay away from Redline Water Wetter, its not designed for street cars.

 

[kanling]

I personally just do a distilled water flush during a coolant change. I would only consider a chemical flush if the cooling system was in bad shape. I have concerns about what the chemical flush does... if it eats away crud, it probably eats away other stuff too to some extent. So if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

BTW, I'm probably just going to go to a drain & refill (no flush) regimen if I find that the coolant market stabilizes and I can count on getting the same stuff today that I used yesterday.