Coolant Flush Cost Guide

The job of the coolant is to keep the car’s engine cool. Basically, it absorbs all the heat from the engine. By doing this, it prevents the engine from getting damaged from exposure to high temperature. For those who don’t know, a coolant comprises of water and chemicals that can get contaminated at some point.

Upon contamination, it may cause blockage or corrosion issues inside the car’s engine. As you will be able to tell by now, flushing the coolant is the ideal fix for this problem, where the contaminated coolant will be replaced with the new one.

As such, it’s a relatively inexpensive procedure. So, you don’t have to mortgage your bike or take any other drastic steps to get this thing fixed.

What Is The Average Price Of A New Coolant Flush?

There isn’t too much labor involved for a coolant flush. So, it’s unlikely that you will be ripped off by a mechanic. Also, the part doesn’t come at a glamorous price tag.

You are looking at $15 to $35 to be spent on the part. With the labor cost added to the equation, the average spending on a coolant flush would be around $65 to $120.

Auto Center	Price
Walmart	$15 - $90
Pep Boys	$20 – $50
Your Mechanic	$40 - $100
Midas	$65- $110
Mr. Tire	$80 – $120

Of course, you should get a quote from the mechanic before handing over the car keys because the labor charges vary considerably across the nation. As such, your car won’t be spending a lot of time in the auto care shop. It will be in and out of the shop in less than an hour.

How Often Do You Need a Coolant Flush?

Everyone has an opinion on this matter, which is different from one another. Therefore, you should check the owner manual to know the recommended interval for a coolant flush. Most car manufacturers suggest a coolant flush every 50,000 to 100,000 miles.

Some car manufacturers recommend a coolant flush every three to five years, regardless of the mileage covered. If you can’t find the owner manual, you will have to take your car to a trusted mechanic to figure out the exact interval for a coolant flush. That said, there are many signs that will signal you of premature coolant flush.

Why is it Important?

A periodic coolant flush protects the internal parts from rusting. Basically, it will safeguard a lot of expensive car parts. In a way, a coolant flush will save you from costly repairs down the road. Keep in mind that a lot of parts get checked for leaks and other potential issues at the time of coolant flush.

This type of inspection allows a mechanic to address any lagging issue before it progresses to the next level. Again, this will extend the life of many vital parts. As such, coolants come in a variety of different colors, such as red, orange, and green.

Past its prime years, the coolant changes to a brownish color. When it turns really bad, you will witness it turn into a sludgy brown color. A low coolant warning light will usually alert you of such a situation.

How is Coolant Flush Done?

• To begin with, it’s not advisable to conduct a repair of this nature until the engine has completely cooled off. If you try to access the coolant present inside the radiator on a car that was driven minutes ago, it might split out the hot liquid. We don’t need to tell you how bad this situation can turn out.
• Once the vehicle has cooled down, you need to drain out the old coolant. The drained coolant should be collected in a bucket for safe disposal, later on. The chosen bucket should be able to hold at least 2 gallons of fluid. Keep in mind that you don’t have to remove every drop of coolant from the radiator. You have to remove only 40% of the coolant present in the car.

• The amount of coolant removed from the radiator needs to be refilled with the new coolant. For this, you will have to raise the car and jack it up. This will allow you to fill the new coolant at an optimum level inside the radiator. It’s necessary to add water (50-50 mix) as well because we don’t want a very strong coolant in our car. That said, some of the coolants come pre-diluted with water. So, you won’t have to add water separately to the mixture.

How to Save Money on Coolant Flush?

One of the ways you can save money on coolant flush is by making use of cheaper coolants. Now, you won’t save a hell lot of money by using a cheaper coolant. But then, you will save some bucks. If you are confident about your mechanical abilities, you can do the coolant flush yourself and save the entire labor cost.

As you can tell from the procedure listed above, it’s not a very complicated process. However, it’s not everybody’s cup of tea. So, don’t play any stunts if you think that you won’t be able to do a graceful job. After all, a poor job can cause engine issues. Consequently, you may end up spending more than intended.