I HAVE A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA WITH DEX COOL COOLANT? IS THIS STUFF ANY GOOD? IVE HERE A LOT BAD REPORTS ABOUT DEX COOL. SHOULD I CHANGE TO REGULAR COOLANT? CAR HAS ABOUR 55,OOO MILES
Dex Cool is the worst excuse for an antifreeze. As soon as a GM is out of warranty, we advise our customers to thoroughly flush the cooling system, and put a quality antifreeze in place.
Yeah, that would be my sentiments too.
GM and Dex Cool is like a mother with a son on death row. It doesn’t matter how much evil her son has commited. She will support him, and stand by his side to the very end, because he was her creation.
DexCool has been known to eat intake manifold gaskets, especially in GM’s 3.4L V6, which your Impala may have. I have an 01 Impala, and the coolant and gasket was changed before I bought it.
However, DexCool works okay, as long as you change it the same as you would normal green coolant. Of course, GM makes the DexCool to reduce maintenance requirements… I would recommend at your earliest convenience to remove all traces of DexCool and replace it with green coolant. It costs less and won’t eat gaskets.
However, there are always two sides to every coin.
I use Dexcool in both my vehicles and as long as there are NO air leaks there is no problem.
Agree, air mixing with Dexcool does cause an acidic reaction and ‘eats’ a gap in the gasket which, if left unrepaired, will lead to damaged crankshaft bearings, etc.
I was also a victim of the infamous intake manifold gasket blow job. Thanks GM.
I was well aware of what could happen and caught the coolant leak at the manifold corner bolt immediately and had the old gaskets changed for the ‘new revised’ GM gasket (kit).
(3.4L V6, 2000 Olds Silhouette)
That was 4 years ago and no problems since.
I also don’t believe GMs claim that Dexcool lasts 5 years and change mine every three.