I own a 1995 Toyota Corolla since new, and put 104,000 KM on it.
I took it to the mechanic today and he suggested I should do a coolant flush, is it worth it? The last time I did it on 2002 with 46,600 KM on it.
Also I live in Vancouver, and I only use 4 season tires, the mechanic recommended to replace two tires which I have it since new.
Any advices?
Even long life coolant is good for only 5 years. I’d change the coolant.
Also, what is the tread life and the age of the tires on the car right now? If the tread wear is uneven front to back, then you didn’t do a good job of rotating the tires to even out the tire wear. Also, if the tires are 10 years old or older, you should replace them to keep them from blowing out. Tires do have an expiration.
Do you know and trust your mechanic? Do you know and trust a poster on a board who has not seen the car? If you doubt read the manual or go to another mechanic for a second opinion. Seems pretty good advice to me.
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Are you saying the 2 tires are 15 years old? That’s too old (certainly no more than 10 years). Replace them. How old are the other 2 tires?
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Those should be OK (as long as they’re matched), so do replace the old 2 and get the flush.
Winter is coming!
Flush the coolant and get new coolant in there. It’s due.
If you mean you have All Season tires? These are junk in the snow. Get winter tires.
Like I said, winter’s coming, and in the winter you want heat and traction.
Tester
Flush is due and all seasons work good in snow…tester must live in the desert
I drove a lifted 4runner from Anchorage to fairbanks…one of many adventures. The tires were wore out mud tires. 100 miles of solid ice along the way. No problems. Drive accordingly and with all seasons your not changing tires per season
I live in Minnesota. We just got 10" of snow. You should have seen all the vehicles in the ditch because of poeple who weren’t prepared for snow. Just because they have the wrong tires for the conditions.
My 95 Nissan pickup with winter tires just passed by those in the ditch with no problem.
Tester
I grew up in northern Wisconsin. Its not wrong tires it bad drivers. I counted 27 people in the ditch one day just north of Anchorage Ak. Some were on there side n some were upside down. This tells me driver error. Too fast. Drive accordingly and or know your limits. People get studded tires on a 4x4’s and think they got it covered. WRONG. btw. Nissan…good rig. Cousin to Toyota
Peasefrog:
Do you think you have any chance of winning your argument?
No one will disagree that good driver judgment is critical.
But your arrogant criticism of Tester’s input is pretty weak.
One more thing to remember. the mechanic recommended to replace two tires which I have it since new. If the best tyres are on the front you are more likely to loose control because the back tyres can loose grip and when they do the back end will spin out and you will be skidding backwards. Not a very safe thing to do.
Its not wrong tires it bad drivers
Bad drivers may choose bad tyres. Good drivers use all the tools at hand to provide a safe reliable drive. Ignoring the benefits of real Winter tyres is certainly not the sign of a good driver.
Last year I had a very good comparison. I was a little slow getting my winter tyres on and the weather was a little fast. As a result I went through one snow with my “All Season” tyres (really three season) followed about a week later an almost identical second snow with my winter tyres on. The difference was telling.
Don’t trust me, look at the test results. See Consumer Reports and all the other available test.
Yes, the coolant flush is overdue.
There’s a lot of advice that can be given. Living in Vancouver, if you’ve been driving there for some years you probably already know it. Have you?
Re: the tires amd all the advice being offered here: I live in NH, also moderated by the sea, and would guess based on Vancouver’s location that it’s not too much different. I too use all season tires without problems. I’ve also lived in North Dakota, by where Tester lives, and up there winter tires are definitely needed. The roads there can become very, very icy. The siping on the winter tires makes a huge difference in those conditions. The one caveat to ALL tires is that they need to have lots of tread on them. Worn down tires are a bad idea no matter whether they’re winter or all season.
If you’re a new driver to Vancouver, say so and we’ll be happy to help you prepare for winter. If not, then have a wonderful winter.
Argument? arrogant criticism? I thought it was a discussion. Go away
Who asked you