hey guys gotta 2002 tacoma 4x4 v6 with 95k miles.. about 20k miles ago i just drained the radiator (all yota red coolant maybe orginal not sure) and refilled with prestone "any color any model" antifreeze.. well now i know thats not that good of an idea. so my question is. should i go back to strictly yota red coolant (which is expensive as hell) or should i go strictly to 50/50 prestone any make and any model coolant?? i was told buy a handful of yota mechanics thats its fine to use green just drain and fill ever 20-30k miles to keep it "fresh" and that they use it at their yota shops when the red goes out.. any ideas or comments? thanks fellas

 

Have always used the 50/50 in my cars and trucks (Toyota) and never had an issue.

 

Stick with the 50/50. The stealership will of course tell you otherwise, because they want your $$$, and lots of it. Coolant is coolant, as far as I'm concerned, and I have yet to meet an engine that complains about 50/50 mix.

 

i figured but i have read somewhere that Honda, Toyota and most Japanese car makers do not want you to use coolant with Silcants (prestone and the like) and to use stuff with phosphates (toyota red, honda coolant etc).. thanks fellas

 

The green stuff works fine, but red is what came with the truck from the factory, and I like to keep my stuff original as possible. The price difference is prolly $10 over the lifetime of the coolant, which is 3-5 years.

If you're worried, change it back to red stuff next year.

Benefits of red coolant:
- factory coolant
- pink fuzzy trail when you get leaks or seepage

Benefits of green/yellow coolant:
- slightly cheaper
- won't affect your warranty