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Just bought a 2016 Chevy Cruze, coolant running low, how do I dex-cool?
DisruptedCapitalist
I swear!Registered User regular
I swear!Registered User regular
Just bought a new (to me) 2016 Cruze this summer, and recently I noticed the fan was running a lot more than usual so I checked the coolant, and I can't even see any left in the tank. So since this is a GM car I know I gotta use Dex-Cool instead of regular coolant. My question is how do I know whether the idiot who owned this car before me actually used the right kind of coolant? I know I'm not supposed to mix coolants, but I can't even see the coolant in the tank, so should I try to drain it out whatever is left just as a precaution?
"Simple, real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time." -Mustrum Ridcully in Terry Pratchett's Hogfather p. 142 (HarperPrism 1996)
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Or you could roll the dice, and just throw Dex 50-50 in!
I wouldn't drain out the whole cooling system just for a top-up. That seems like overkill.
Given that, I think I'd flush the coolant out and replace it all, unless that's a massively arduous task. There's a chance that, if they topped it up at all, they topped it up with the wrong stuff.
At the very least, you'd be able to monitor it for a slow leak once you had it topped up.
I'm no car guy though, anything more complicated than an oil change or an air filter is out of my level of confidence.
You can't give someone a pirate ship in one game, and then take it back in the next game. It's rude.
Don't forget to have them check your blinker fluid while they're working on it. Most of these places won't do it unless you specifically ask.
you don't want to be rolling down the highway with a dry blinker reservoir, that's just bad news all around.
They’re having a giggle
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
Beware of worn muffler bearings too, if that crops up you're gonna have to go to the service desk at your nearest dealer and ask for a long weight...
Common maintenance after 60,000 is valve seat re-upholstery as well. Great value!
Though if it was totally empty wouldn't the Check Engine light come on and the car overheat?
Here's an ask:
What consumable maintenance items are there and actually need to be changed? Like, assuming you're not otherwise having an issue with a car, what stuff needs periodic replacement
Also -- Which of this stuff is critical and which is places trying to upsell you. And of the upsales, are any worth doing (i.e. fuel mileage gains)
https://m.carsdirect.com/car-maintenance/a-routine-car-maintenance-schedule-based-on-engine-mileage - is this accurate
Oil every 8000 or when your Oil Life % drops to 0
Brake pads...once you hear screeching?
Cabin filter when?
Engine air filter when?
Trans fluid?
I'm only getting 25city/33 highway on my 14 Cruze and it's kind of bad for a small passenger car?
Generally speaking the authoritative source for things like that is the owners manual for your car. It will have a section on maintenance that covers all of that.
Here is the manual for your car. Pages 11-1 through 11-18 have the answers you seek (And a maintenance log you should fill out when you get work done).
Brakes are actually covered seperately on 10-26, and reading the entire of section 10 (vehicle care) might be in your best interest, but the upshot is that "when you hear screeching" is correct.