karateboi87

Just called up some dealership/shops and found prices between $150-$200... So I guess I'm just gonna do it myself

I've already seen some threads on it but just wanna make sure...

First, we need the dexcool and distilled water.

Then we need to raise the front of car, open up some cap underneath and then drain the fluid.

Close cap, then fill it up with dexcool and distilled water. Run engine, fill more, etc.

The details I know are listed somewhere so I can look it up again. But got a few questions.

1. Where do you get distilled water? I don't have a water filter..
2. How to not make a huge mess?
3. Any special steps to pay more attention to?

Thanks!

Vetteman Jack

Distilled water can usually be bought at almost any grocery store.

rickko

I find distilled water at local grocery store with the drinking water.

DEXCOOL is good for 50 or 100k miles I think. Do you really need to change it?

I put a big Costco clothes washing detergent bucket under the car when changed my thermostat awhile back. Most of the coolant ran into it (with a little help of a DIY aluminum foil kind of funnel to direct it to the bucket).

..rickko..

Must_Have_Z

I know the DIY'ers out there will cringe and disagree, but changing coolant is one of the few jobs I will let others do on my Z. There is a small Chevy dealership near by that deals mostly in Corvettes and has a great Corvette mechanic, and I have no problem letting them do the job for $150 or so, especially since it's only needed once every 5 years or 100k miles. Small price to pay... And if they screw up, it's on their dime, not mine! Just my 2 cents...

dougbfresh

If they screw it up, they will most likely try to blame you 1st. Changing coolant is about the easiest job there is on these cars, all you need is a 1/4" rachet with a short extension to open the drain and a large pan to catch the old stuff.

mschamberger

$150 is not a bad deal, plus you don't have to deal with disposal, etc.

dougbfresh

I take the old coolant to Jiffy Lube when I take all my drain oil in-another non-issue.

For $150 you can change every fluid in the car yourself.

j84buick

Use a 3/8" socket extension (no socket, just the square end) to open the drain valve. It only opens a 1/4 turn so be gentle. The valve is about an inch about the drain hole facing the rear and will be white plastic. Super simple to do.

Personally I think changing the coolant in these cars is easier than the oil. If you put a drain under the radiator you won't miss a drop.

killain

I took my 2003 when it hit the 5 year mark, took it to Bryner Chevrolet in Jenkintown, PA and had their 'Corvette Only' technician to do a number of changes, the coolant and the differential fluid and a full flush of the brake fluid. Nothing else, he didn't try to sell me anything. I even asked about a A4 fluid change, he told me that at 12K miles and only 5 years old I could put off changing the trans fluid for a Looog time. But the DexCool flush and refill only cost me $125.00. And it won't need it again till 2013.

JerG

My local Chevy dealer wanted $200 for the coolant change. Wound up letting my Pontiac
dealer do it for like $90. Now they're out of business but I'll probably be in a C6 by the time I need to get another one. Whatever you do, don't let anyone do a power flush and
change, that's a no no.

Jerry

Nick1

If you are an avid do it yourselfer, this is a simple procedure.
I have done this several times already on my '04.
Do youself a favor and do this while the engine is cold or at least cool.
You can expect some spillage fumbling with the stupid drain plug.
If you havn't seen it yet you will probably be asking "is that it".
There is a better replacement plug for it that you may want to have ahead of time in case you have a problem with the stock plug, and the replacement has a tap to make future changes much easier. Do a search and you will see it. In any case, when you do the quarter turn or so counter clockwise, you may have to pull outward slightly to get some flow. A bit a wiggling and another quarter turn, and you can remove the plug entirely. Have fun and save the money. I switched to Prestone universal, and replaced the Dexcool. You can even get it premixed 50/50.

chucks

Just had my 04 done at a local dealer for $100.

Han Solo

Excellent time to pull the radiator and clean all the grass and bugs out of it and the AC condenser.

The purists will cringe but I flushed mine good with water and went with regular Prestone antifreeze. The kind that says it is compatible with any type or color antifreeze. No problems at all and I will just service it every two years or so. Where I drive the radiator may need the fins cleaned that often anyway. Ever since I bought this bottom feeder it seems everybody in the world wants to mow their grass with the side chute pointing at the road.

yaknow

but I believe it's a 1/4 drive not 3/8

ffas23

Been in the Auto Parts Business now going on 33 years. You have a choice when it comes to buying Dexcool Anti-Freeze. You can buy the 100% Dexcool also called Concentrate where you would need to add water or you can buy the Dexcool Premix today already mixed to a 50/50 Mix not having to do any mixing as it is already premixed at the factory making it a bit easier for anyone to do. All you need to do is pour it in to the system. This may be the easier way out for most people here I believe in doing a Dexcool change on their C-5.

Jistari

Got my car at 43k miles, has 73k now (2001 A4 Coupe). Recently did Trans, and diff and wanted them to do the coolant. They checked it, said it tests fine, it looks clear pink to me, so I let it go.

It is possible it was changed before I got it (around 43k), but the Dexcool does last a long time. Never had a coolant related problem.

karateboi87

Thanks for the good info guys.

How much anti freeze should I expect to come out when I unplug the drain?

j84buick

Yup now that I think about it you are right.

LT1driver

how much does the system take to refill???????????

ffas23

According to the C-5 Corvette Specs a C-5 holds 11.5 quarts of coolant. If you are only changing what is in the Radiator I would purchase 2 gallons of Dexcool Premix to add to replace what you remove. If you need more you can always buy more. Still new to the C-5 but in the older V-8s we had drain plugs on the engine which made it easier to do a complete flush. From what I read it is different with the newer aluminum engines such as the LS1 etc. I don't think there is access to any coolant drain plugs. Have to check to see were I am with the C-5 I purchased 3 weeks ago. I may just do the same and replace what is in the Radiator with Premix Dexcool.