Zerex Asian: Red vs. Blue

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brickbox
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Planning on doing a coolant drain and fill as part of preventative maintenance as I’m approaching the 105k miles mark.

The car has the Nissan SLLC in it from factory. I have 2 gallons of the Zerex Asian red 50/50 SLLC coolant (150k miles/5 years) that I had purchased before I sold my R50.

Any idea if I can use the Zerex Asian red or should I go ahead and just get the blue stuff?

I looked on the valvoline site and it just said that both are for Asian vehicle but red is for Toyota’s while Blue is for Nissan.

FWIW, my QX4 ran the red Zerex with no issues


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Rogue One
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I posted this in the Rogue Forum, but it's still relevant to your question.
All of the Honda/Toyota/Nissan/Mazda long life and super long life coolants are P-OAT coolants formulated by CCI
It's big to understand that color doesn't matter. While most Organic Acid Technology (OAT) coolants are usually orange, yellow, red or purple, Hybrid Organic Acid Technology (HOAT) coolants are orange and yellow. There's quite a bit of overlap. Then you have Inorganic Acid Technology (IAT) coolants that are usually green, however, some manufacturers sell them in blue. At the end of the day, always be sure to read the bottle to confirm the type of coolant you're using. When looking for the right coolant for your 2018 Nissan Rogue, you need to always check your owner's manual.
Nissan Rogue 2008-2020 Owner's Manual / Maintenance and do-it-yourself / Engine cooling system
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Prestone Regular or 50/50 is a silicate free OAT antifreeze. It uses phosphates to replace the silicates.

Ultimately it isn't the color but the composition that matters. It was confusing for a while, but since most of the industry went to OAT you can't go far wrong with any name brand off-the-shelf coolant. The US and Japan are on the same page in 2013.

"The dye color of antifreeze has nothing to do with antifreeze formula or performance. Chrysler’s G-05 contains orange dye to distinguish it from a yellow dye antifreeze previously used. Other users of G-05 have yellow or even blue dye. However, GM DexCool, a purely organic acid type, also has orange dye, and this has been a source of service industry confusion. Fiat’s OAT, although a different formula, also has orange dye and it has been used in early production of the Dodge Dart. The new Chrysler OAT, however, will have a purple dye."

It's far more important to use distilled water, which is less than a dollar per gallon and often overlooked in this discussion. Tap water contains minerals you don't want.

So what gives Prestone the confidence to state "all makes and models?" It contains phosphates, not silicates, so it is safe to use in a Japanese car's cooling system. It can also be used in any non-Japanese car as long as North American water is used! So to support its claim Prestone merely specifies that its coolant be used in North America! Simple.

Mike W.
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As best I can tell, while manufacturers like their own antifreeze, the biggest thing is not to mix them. Drain, flush and put something in, but don't mix whatever you have on the shelf.

I've heard there are some universals out there, I don't know if they really are or not. All the manufacturers coming up with their own is getting more and more problematic. For instance, BMW uses their own blue coolant, which I have in the garage, but I have no idea if BMW blue and Nissan blue are compatible.

Ultimately they build cars to build them, not to have them serviced.

brickbox
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Car: 2011 Nissan Pathfinder 4x4

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Thank you both! RogueOne that’s a very detailed response.
The car had its antifreeze drained and filled at 37k miles 5 years ago. And it has the Nissan blue coolant.

From the post it looks like I’m safe since I’m in the p-hoat family. Would you guys suggest that I drain and fill with distilled water once and then do a drain and fill with the Zerex red Asian or can I directly go to drain and refill with the Zerex red and call it a day?

Chemistry wise it seems to me that the blue vs. Red are the same with just a tint difference...

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Rogue One
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Reading the back of the labels for the Zerex Asian Vehicle Coolant, I'm seeing no difference between the two, other than the color. They both list Nissan on the back label, so if you'd prefer the red, then it should be fine. I'm guessing the color difference is for the anal retentive crowd.

brickbox
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Lol indeed. I only saw one product information sheet on Valvoline’s website too.

I’m good with using the red stuff since I’ve 2 unused gallons of it already.

Should I wait till I hit 100k on the fluid or just change it pre-emptively? I’ve usually done it on a mileage basis instead of the time/years elapsed.


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