New source for blue antifreeze

[tomrad]

I found Walmart sells Valvoline (Zerex) Blue Asian car antifreeze (50/50 premixed, part #883865) that meets Mitsubishi spec MZ320125.
It was $12.97 (cheaper than Pentafrost A3), and Walmart was open when Advance Auto was not.

[Mark]

I found Walmart sells Valvoline (Zerex) Blue Asian car antifreeze (50/50 premixed, part #883865) that meets Mitsubishi spec MZ320125.
It was $12.97 (cheaper than Pentafrost A3), and Walmart was open when Advance Auto was not.

That's a good find to share. When needed, it would be nice to have some on hand. It looks like my local Walmart carries it, but ordering it through Walmart would be easy, too. Thanks!

[Cobrajet]

Good info to have. Buuuut...

These cars require so very little in terms of maintenance. 105,000 mile spark plugs. No distributor caps. No plug wires. No fuel filters. 7,500 mile oil changes. Keep the oil clean and dump a bottle of injector cleaner into the gas tank every now and then. That's it. For me, it's worth it to just buy the OEM blue stuff and know I got it right...every 120,000 miles.

Frugality has it's place, but for me maintenance on the Mirage is like making a chili dog. There are only THREE main ingredients, so why cheap out on any of them?? But hey, maybe that's just me!

[stevedmc]

Or you could just convert to Prestone and never have to worry about finding blue coolant again.

To be honest, I think Prestone green coolant might actually be identical to the blue stuff other than color. They are both silicate free products.

[Top_Fuel]

I change the coolant in my cars every couple of years (normally about 40K miles)...regardless of what the manufacturer recommends.

The Mirage only has something like a 1 gallon total capacity? So it's going to be cheap to flush/fill. It also means that if something like a radiator or heater core starts corroding, it won't take long to impact the cooling system. Like most modern cars...the one thing I hope I never have to do in a Mirage is replace the heater core. I'd rather spend 20 minutes every couple of years to drain/refill.

If you follow the manufacturer's long coolant change intervals...at least check it once a year with some pH strips. Disclaimer: I'm not sure if those pH strips I linked will work on the Mirage's funky coolant or not.

[tomrad]

Good info to have. Buuuut...

These cars require so very little in terms of maintenance. 105,000 mile spark plugs. No distributor caps. No plug wires. No fuel filters. 7,500 mile oil changes. Keep the oil clean and dump a bottle of injector cleaner into the gas tank every now and then. That's it. For me, it's worth it to just buy the OEM blue stuff and know I got it right...every 120,000 miles.

Frugality has it's place, but for me maintenance on the Mirage is like making a chili dog. There are only THREE main ingredients, so why cheap out on any of them?? But hey, maybe that's just me!

I agree, and I use OEM whenever I can. Except for oil (Mobil 1), air filters (Wix). I just needed a little to top off the expansion tank. Been about 2-1/2 years since I added any, and it was still safe, just a little below half (between F and L).
I'll need to change it completely in about three years, and plan to use oem coolant. But I believe the Zerex probably does use good corrosion inhibitors.
Did I read that right, no fuel filters? I had no idea. Thanks! One less thing to have to change.

[stevedmc]

Did I read that right, no fuel filters? I had no idea. Thanks! One less thing to have to change.

Fuel filter is built onto the fuel pump. Fuel pumps cost at least $600 for this car.

Our A.C. system doesn't have a proper accumulator either. It's built into the condenser. Fortunately, condensors are available on rock auto for well under $100.

[tomrad]

Fuel filter is built onto the fuel pump. Fuel pumps cost at least $600 for this car.

Our A.C. system doesn't have a proper accumulator either. It's built into the condenser. Fortunately, condensors are available on rock auto for well under $100.

Thanks, hope I never have to replace it!
Regarding the Valvoline coolant, I emailed Valvoline tech support and they were very helpful, told me the coolant was completely compatible with oem Mitsubishi blue coolant and the additives were essentially the same. One was no better than the other. So it should be a safe alternative if the oem stuff can't be had.

[Mark]

Regarding the Valvoline coolant, I emailed Valvoline tech support and they were very helpful, told me the coolant was completely compatible with oem Mitsubishi blue coolant and the additives were essentially the same. One was no better than the other.

Once again I appreciate you sharing this information. I also appreciate your follow up with Valvoline tech support. Like you, I wouldn't hesitate use to use this product to top off the overflow tank. I only use dealerships for warranty/recall work.

This Valvoline product is claiming 5 year/150,000 mile protection, which is as good or better than OEM coolant. I don't feel a person is being cheap by using an alternative product to OEM. In some cases, you may be getting a better/equal product for less money. It's not like Valvoline is a an off brand company that we have never heard of before.

When the time comes to change it out, I would probably just buy another gallon of the the Valvoline antifreeze & stick with it. That way I am not wasting anything I already have on hand. The same can be done with OEM antifreeze, but I am not convinced you are getting a better product by doing so. If I lived close to a Mitsubishi dealership & used them for service, I may look at this differently. I would let them use their more expensive OEM products, but that's not how I take care of my vehicles.

I like doing some things myself, but I am also fortunate enough to have a local mechanic that doesn't take offense to suggestions. If I gave him a gallon of coolant for the job, it wouldn't bother him in the least. I see no reason to be overly concerned over this, & I surely don't feel cheap. No matter what the product claims, I would stick to the maintenance schedule for items like this.

Side note related to this: I would rather keep my overflow tank at the proper level before the car goes in for any other service. Unless you are using a dealership for service, I would be more concerned about someone topping off the overflow tank with the wrong coolant. Thus, taking care of this yourself beforehand may help prevent that, too!