WHO'S HAD GOOD LUCK WITH DEX-COOL
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WHO'S HAD GOOD LUCK WITH DEX-COOL - 4/24/2006 8:44:54 PM
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DINO55
Posts: 142
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WHO'S HAD GOOD LUCK WITH DEX-COOL ???
Let's hear all your Good or Bad stories about DEX-COOL, DEATH-COOL, DEX-CRAP or whatever you wana call it.
Am I the only person on this forum that has had SLUGE PROBLEMS with this (Garbage IMO)
DEXCOOL OR GREEN, THAT'S THE QUESTION
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RE: WHO'S HAD GOOD LUCK WITH DEX-COOL - 4/24/2006 9:43:01 PM
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Dory
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lol...wow!!! tell me how you REALLY feel! haha.... I've used it in an old Camaro and a Trans Am and it never gave me a stitch of trouble. the TA had overheating troubles and I thought it might help... but it didnt. the problem was a LOT bigger then that. But it flushed out of both vehicles fine.
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RE: WHO'S HAD GOOD LUCK WITH DEX-COOL - 4/24/2006 10:45:40 PM
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swartlkk
Posts: 14299
Joined: 5/1/2005
From: Waterloo, NY
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My family owns numerous GM vehicles that have Dexcool:
- Parent's '98 Cadillac STS 167k miles - 1 flush/refill in '02
- Dad's '05 Silverado 2500 w/ 35k miles - no issues
- My '01 Bonneville 47k miles - original coolant (will be changed this winter + 180*F stat)
- My '00 Bravada 79k miles - original coolant (will be changed this summer)
- Wife's company car '02 Alero 83k miles - original coolant
- Brother's '99 LeSabre Limited 98k miles - 1 flush/refill in '04
- Cousin's '98 Blazer w/ ~180k - 1 flush/refill in '02
- Cousin-in-law's '97 Bravada w/ ~150k - 1 flush/refill in '02
I could come up with more, but I don't know the coolant histories of their vehicles. Only reason why I know those is because I did the coolant flush/refills with their respective owners during the years listed. None of the GM vehicles in my family that run Dexcool have ever had a problem.
< Message edited by swartlkk -- 4/24/2006 10:48:18 PM >
_____________________________
Kyle-
2004 Rainier
1970 Chevelle - Resto
1974 K5 Blazer - Resto
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RE: WHO'S HAD GOOD LUCK WITH DEX-COOL - 4/24/2006 10:49:22 PM
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4lowlife
Posts: 1561
Joined: 12/29/2005
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I have qualms with it. I keep the radiator topped off to help prevent internal corrosion.
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RE: WHO'S HAD GOOD LUCK WITH DEX-COOL - 4/24/2006 11:12:56 PM
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tom1337
Posts: 80
Joined: 3/5/2006
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Ok here I go again on the dex-cool, or whatever you want to call it.
First I want to share my personal experience with the stuff then share some facts I have researched.
I personally had two vehicles with dex-cool in them and both had corrosion problems and sludge in the radiator and overflow, and they needed several heavy flushes in order to fix. I now only use the "greenstuff". The dealership I worked for had several problems with dex-cool and had a couple lawsuits that they lost due to dex-cool.
Now that I have ticked off some let me give some facts that I have found in doing some research.
Just for info dex-cool uses a technology called OAT (organic acid technology) that is "supposed" to inhibit corrosion.
1) there have been at least 8 class action lawsuits both federally and by states.
2) many damage claims include a failed manifold gasket, this failure has not been proven to be a result of dex-cool, it looks as
if it is probably the gasket's made were just junk.
3) the national traffic safety board has had some 20 complaints about dex-cool damage but they have not deemed it necessary
to take any steps due to its use. (yes I do know that the NTSB is about safety issues, but they respondto all complaints)
4) GM states that the problem lies with the consumer not keeping the tank topped off and or air that has entered into the system
5) GM warranties dex-cool for 5 years 150,000 miles or 100,000 miles on '96 vehs. There is no mention of the extra precautions
(tanked topped off, air in the system either from negligence or failed caps). This by the way is what all the lawsuits are
based on.
6) There has been no independent laboratories that have tested dex-cool to either prove or disprove that it causes any problems.
7) there has not been any attempts to find out how many problems/complaints were attributed to dex-cool vs how many GM
vehicles were equipped with dex-cool and the time frames (say per year) for both.
Lets face it, there are people who hate dex-cool (including me) and those who love dex-cool, there are those who have had bad
experiences and those who have had nothing but good experiences. Until there is independent laboratory test results that are made public it is still going to be a love hate relationship. I do believe that GM being sued for the warranty statements (maintenance free for 5/150,000) are valid. If you are going to make such bold statements then you better be ready to back it up and/ or honor it. I also do not believe that the vehicle owner should have to check the coolant level every day or make sure that the caps have not failed thus allowing air into the system, is at all realistic. That is like saying the owner should have inspected and analyzed tranny fluid, when the tranny fails at 500 miles from a internal fault.
Owners should not have to be ASAE certified and perform diagnostics every day in order for their warranties to be honored.
I would like to state that I am not anti GM, all manufactures have had and done similar things, like ford and its brakes or firestone tires, and KIA with well everything, and dodge with bad trannys and oil pumps on the diesels, and so on.....
Well that being said I probably ticked off everybody. However this is what my own research has lead me to believe and everybody should have their own opinion based on what information they gather.
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RE: WHO'S HAD GOOD LUCK WITH DEX-COOL - 4/24/2006 11:37:04 PM
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swartlkk
Posts: 14299
Joined: 5/1/2005
From: Waterloo, NY
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Tom, let me start off my saying that I have no problem with your opinion, but I see one major flaw in your rationale. That is that you take out the operator from the vehicle. That's like saying that if you put in an oil that states it is good for 25k miles, that you shouldn't even check it until you reach 25k miles. In no way should a person need to check their radiator cap or res level everyday, but a certain amount of maintenance is required of every vehicle on the road regardless of the color of the coolant. To not check a thing is gross negligance.
I have read review upon review of the dexcool issue, but not a single review ever states anything but the result of the problem. "I only had 25k miles and the engine blew because of Dexcool." Well, dexcool alone did not cause the motor to blow. Whatever happened to people looking at their gauges? If your radiator cap were to have failed with the green stuff, your engine still would have blown if you didn't know enough to watch your gauges. Heck, now cars beep at you, but still people just keep on driving, then want to jump on the "Dexcool blew my engine" band wagon so they can attempt to get a peice of the pie.
Now I do sympathize with everyone that has had a problem and can understand your frustration, but lets face it... There are very few people out there that give a damn for their vehicle and a vast majority of the ones filing suit against GM/Texaco fall into this catagory.
Lastly, do you have to be an certified mechanic to check your tire pressures? Your windsheild washer fluid level? Your engine oil level? Your transmission oil level? How bout your transfer case fluid level? Your differentials? Check/change your air filter? Or even change your own oil *gasp*? These are all things that people have forgotten about.
*EDIT* - I would also like to say something about the service interval of Dexcool. You stated that it is "maintenance free" for 5yrs 150k miles
Below are the pages from a '96 Owners Manual that I downloaded from MyGMLink.com about the service interval of the cooling system. I hope that one of our members with a '96 still has his/her owner's manual and if possible can scan these pages in for us. I would like to see if they made any changes.
Anyway, these pages state nothing to the fact that Dexcool is "maintenance free" for the 5yr/100,000mi it states, but simply that it is designed to remain in your engine for that interval.
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**EDIT** - If you could, please list the outcomes of the lawsuits. I truely do not know anything about the lawsuits themselves, just of their existence. Has any money been paid out?
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< Message edited by swartlkk -- 4/25/2006 12:06:44 AM >
_____________________________
Kyle-
2004 Rainier
1970 Chevelle - Resto
1974 K5 Blazer - Resto
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RE: WHO'S HAD GOOD LUCK WITH DEX-COOL - 4/25/2006 2:44:23 AM
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DINO55
Posts: 142
Joined: 3/5/2006
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: tom1337
Ok here I go again on the dex-cool, or whatever you want to call it.
First I want to share my personal experience with the stuff then share some facts I have researched.
I personally had two vehicles with dex-cool in them and both had corrosion problems and sludge in the radiator and overflow, and they needed several heavy flushes in order to fix. I now only use the "greenstuff". The dealership I worked for had several problems with dex-cool and had a couple lawsuits that they lost due to dex-cool.
Now that I have ticked off some let me give some facts that I have found in doing some research.
Just for info dex-cool uses a technology called OAT (organic acid technology) that is "supposed" to inhibit corrosion.
1) there have been at least 8 class action lawsuits both federally and by states.
2) many damage claims include a failed manifold gasket, this failure has not been proven to be a result of dex-cool, it looks as
if it is probably the gasket's made were just junk.
3) the national traffic safety board has had some 20 complaints about dex-cool damage but they have not deemed it necessary
to take any steps due to its use. (yes I do know that the NTSB is about safety issues, but they respondto all complaints)
4) GM states that the problem lies with the consumer not keeping the tank topped off and or air that has entered into the system
5) GM warranties dex-cool for 5 years 150,000 miles or 100,000 miles on '96 vehs. There is no mention of the extra precautions
(tanked topped off, air in the system either from negligence or failed caps). This by the way is what all the lawsuits are
based on.
6) There has been no independent laboratories that have tested dex-cool to either prove or disprove that it causes any problems.
7) there has not been any attempts to find out how many problems/complaints were attributed to dex-cool vs how many GM
vehicles were equipped with dex-cool and the time frames (say per year) for both.
Lets face it, there are people who hate dex-cool (including me) and those who love dex-cool, there are those who have had bad
experiences and those who have had nothing but good experiences. Until there is independent laboratory test results that are made public it is still going to be a love hate relationship. I do believe that GM being sued for the warranty statements (maintenance free for 5/150,000) are valid. If you are going to make such bold statements then you better be ready to back it up and/ or honor it. I also do not believe that the vehicle owner should have to check the coolant level every day or make sure that the caps have not failed thus allowing air into the system, is at all realistic. That is like saying the owner should have inspected and analyzed tranny fluid, when the tranny fails at 500 miles from a internal fault.
Owners should not have to be ASAE certified and perform diagnostics every day in order for their warranties to be honored.
I would like to state that I am not anti GM, all manufactures have had and done similar things, like ford and its brakes or firestone tires, and KIA with well everything, and dodge with bad trannys and oil pumps on the diesels, and so on.....
Well that being said I probably ticked off everybody. However this is what my own research has lead me to believe and everybody should have their own opinion based on what information they gather.
I could'nt agree with you more Tom. I can't figure out why anyone would want to babysit this Dexcool in their radiators! Remember, each time you open your radiator cap, you interduce a little more AIR into the DEXCOOL. I have never had a problem with GREEN COOLANT in 39 years of driving cars and trucks. I also have not seen any Class action lawsuits on GREEN Coolant destroying cooling systems and engine blocks? It's funny how DEXCOOL is supposed to b
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RE: WHO'S HAD GOOD LUCK WITH DEX-COOL - 4/25/2006 6:16:58 AM
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swartlkk
Posts: 14299
Joined: 5/1/2005
From: Waterloo, NY
Status: offline
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You've got to do what's best and most comfortable for you. Nothing else matters, but you guys are definitely in the minority on the issue as a whole.
Anyone with a '96 still have your owners manual? Doesn't even matter if it's a Blazer, just that it's a GM... Post up!
< Message edited by swartlkk -- 4/25/2006 6:18:27 AM >
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Kyle-
2004 Rainier
1970 Chevelle - Resto
1974 K5 Blazer - Resto
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RE: WHO'S HAD GOOD LUCK WITH DEX-COOL - 4/25/2006 8:14:12 AM
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Dory
Site Moderator
Posts: 2090
Joined: 4/21/2006
From: The spec between the moon and the sun
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<--gets the popcorn....
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RE: WHO'S HAD GOOD LUCK WITH DEX-COOL - 4/25/2006 9:54:26 AM
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m00nwater
Posts: 3269
Joined: 3/10/2005
From: Redbridge, but I now live in the 'shwa
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Dory
<--gets the popcorn....
Oh, this has been a good one to stay out of and watch for a few months now.
I personally have never had vehicles that use Dex-cool, so I have never had any experiences either way with it. I do see benefits to using it, but you have to be someone that knows how to and wants to look after your vehicle, I think. I think the general population may not understand how to do their own maintenance and are just too ignorant to realize you can't just leave the stuff sitting in your vehicle for 10 years without ever looking at it. Dex-cool seems to need careful consideration when it's in your vehicle, and may not be for the majority of people. But that's all I'm saying because I really can only speculate since I have never used it myself, like I said.
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RE: WHO'S HAD GOOD LUCK WITH DEX-COOL - 4/25/2006 10:20:58 AM
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DaveLance
Posts: 51
Joined: 1/28/2006
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Swartlkk, those pages that you posted are right out of the manual. I own a '96.
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RE: WHO'S HAD GOOD LUCK WITH DEX-COOL - 4/25/2006 10:24:46 AM
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swartlkk
Posts: 14299
Joined: 5/1/2005
From: Waterloo, NY
Status: offline
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Ok, thanks! Just wanted to be sure that GM didn't go changin' anything. You never know.
_____________________________
Kyle-
2004 Rainier
1970 Chevelle - Resto
1974 K5 Blazer - Resto
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