[2014Cruze]

Hello,

I need to top up the coolant in my '14 Cruze LTZ and I can clearly see it's pink. I've read many places that the factory, in my case, Lordstown Ohio Assembly plant, uses a pink GM DEX-COOL which is superior to the commonly found orange DEX-COOL. Conversely, some people think the orange DEX-COOL turns pink when mixed with water, but that simply is not the case as I've witnessed. Is there anyone able to tell me what is going on here? I don't want to mix different colored coolants, so I would prefer to buy the pink DEX-COOL that the factory uses. Is there a place online I can order this stuff? Thank you.

 

[aaron.terveen]

Hello,

I need to top up the coolant in my '14 Cruze LTZ and I can clearly see it's pink. I've read many places that the factory, in my case, Lordstown Ohio Assembly plant, uses a pink GM DEX-COOL which is superior to the commonly found orange DEX-COOL. Conversely, some people think the orange DEX-COOL turns pink when mixed with water, but that simply is not the case as I've witnessed. Is there anyone able to tell me what is going on here? I don't want to mix different colored coolants, so I would prefer to buy the pink DEX-COOL that the factory uses. Is there a place online I can order this stuff? Thank you.

?me too?

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[MP81]

Dexcool is pinkish red...has been for easily a decade, if not more...

 

[Tomko]

@Robby please.

 

[Robby]

Depending on what company was supplying the coolant to the assembly plant will determine what dye was used.

Dex-Cool is a formulation.....basically a O.A.T. (organic acid technology) that was developed for GM.
Adding to the confusion, there is (was) a formulation Ford used that was also orange but was not to be mixed with Dex-Cool.

My own Dodge Magnum uses a orange (almost approaching reddish) coolant that is a H.O.A.T. (Hybrid Organic Acid Technology) and Chrysler is quite specific about not intermixing Dex-Cool.

Anyways, the pink color......it is just dye and the Dex-Cool license means regardless of color the product is the same.

Rob

 

[snowwy66]

I know pink was available at one time. But can pink even be found anymore? It's not showing up on google.

My car has orange. And the new FL's i once drove had orange. While my older Kenworth has red.

 

[2014Cruze]

That makes sense, Robby. I managed to find a GM service bulletin that confirmed what you said. They basically admitted that some batches were pink due to dye inconsistencies. This is good because I already have the orange DEX-COOL in my trunk so I can safely add that in. I just hope my dealership didn't put in a pink HOAT because they shouldn't be mixed with either OAT or IAT. Scotty Kilmer, a famous YouTuber with 50+ years experience in cars seems to think that HOAT is the best and can go in ANY vehicle once it's flushed out. I hope my dealership doesn't think the same way... I will have to ask them tomorrow as they're closed on Sunday's.

 

[Robby]

That makes sense, Robby. I managed to find a GM service bulletin that confirmed what you said. They basically admitted that some batches were pink due to dye inconsistencies. This is good because I already have the orange DEX-COOL in my trunk so I can safely add that in. I just hope my dealership didn't put in a pink HOAT because they shouldn't be mixed with either OAT or IAT. Scotty Kilmer, a famous YouTuber with 50+ years experience in cars seems to think that HOAT is the best and can go in ANY vehicle once it's flushed out. I hope my dealership doesn't think the same way... I will have to ask them tomorrow as they're closed on Sunday's.

They likely would only have HOAT if they are a Chrysler Jeep Ram dealer under the same service roof.

Rob

 

[Robby]

I had to laugh a bit when Kilmer was mentioned.......50 years experience.....guys a youngster from my toolbox.

He also talks too loud (i have to turn my volume down) and sometimes lets a bit of too much personal opinion into his discussions.

But I think it is a good thing that many guys are finally talking about automotive service on the web.......kind of gives the non car types a bit of understanding of what we run into from time to time.
Just remember to get as many different viewpoints as possible and develop your own thoughts on that varied information.

Rob

 

[2014Cruze]

Yes, I watched Kilmer, but have read many articles, service bulletins, forum posts, etc. Basically my dealership is little help over the phone because they want me to come in and spend an arm and a leg for something simple. So instead of guessing what they did, I used a universal coolant by Prestone. I'll continue to use it to top up until I flush the whole system in 50,000 KM. Thanks for the help. - Joel