Is It Okay to Use Water Instead of Antifreeze?

Coolant is designed to keep your engine running effectively and prevent overheating that can damage your vehicle or inhibit its performance. Typically, coolant includes a combination of water and antifreeze that keeps engines cool while preventing freezing of fluids during the winter, but a lot of people simply use water instead of coolant. Unfortunately, simply putting water in your car’s radiator in Everett, WA isn’t always a good call. Keep reading to learn more about the hazards of using water instead of antifreeze in your radiator.

What’s the point of antifreeze?

Antifreeze is added to coolant to prevent it from freezing when temperatures dip below 32°F. In addition to preventing freezing, antifreeze also prevents water from boiling at normal temperatures. Regardless of the external conditions while you’re driving, antifreeze is designed to keep the coolant in your vehicle in a liquid form to optimize the performance of your vehicle and prevent damage.

Over time, coolant needs to be replaced to keep vehicles running effectively and prevent engine overheating throughout the year. However, a lot of people choose to use water to top off their coolant when the levels get low. Sometimes, using water instead of coolant is simply more convenient, and the assumption is that it’s also less expensive than buying antifreeze or bringing your vehicle in for a maintenance appointment.

Why you shouldn’t use water instead of antifreeze

Putting water in the radiator in Everett, WA instead of antifreeze might seem like a good idea that can save some money, but it’s best to stick with coolant that has a mixture of antifreeze and water. A lot of people assume it’s fine to use water instead of antifreeze as long as temperatures aren’t dipping below freezing, but that isn’t actually the case. In addition to helping with freezing prevention, antifreeze also helps prevent the coolant from boiling. Whether it’s hot or cold outside, your coolant must include antifreeze to ensure good vehicle performance, efficiency and safety on the road.

If you need to top off any of the fluids in your vehicle, it’s important to take care of these steps right away. The longer you wait to top off fluids, the more likely it is that you will have problems with your vehicle’s performance. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to schedule a routine maintenance appointment for your vehicle in accordance with the recommendations in your owner’s manual. During a regular service appointment and oil change, your mechanic will top off your fluids, including your antifreeze, to keep everything working at its best.

Put more antifreeze in your radiator in Everett, WA

Make sure your car is kept in good working order with routine services and maintenance from the expert team at Auto Truck Service Inc. We are a locally-owned and family-operated company with decades of auto repair experience. No matter what your particular needs may be or what kind of car you have, our team has the expertise necessary to assist you. Give us a call today to schedule an appointment and find out more about what we have to offer.

Categorised in: Overheating Engine