IT actually happened to me. A man so caring for his cars, yet causing great pain to one of them.
My faithful and powerful, 20-year old Nissan Terrano, middle aged (by car standards) but still ultra-reliable, never gave me any problems and always got me out of the tightest, muddiest conditions. She always received a proper oil change when needed, a coolant flush every two years, a brake fluid change twice in her lifetime and the usual tire, brake pad and clutch maintenance.
She was doing fine until the bottom radiator hose broke–a twig somehow got stuck somewhere between the screw fitting of the worm clamp, bending it, causing coolant to slowly leak until it was dry, ultimately killing the Terrano’s heavy-duty cast-iron TD27 engine.
The cost of not checking the coolant system regularly required a change of engine head, pistons, rings, machining of the block, and realigning of the crankshaft. I also changed the radiator, fan, thermostat, and all the hoses and clamps costing a staggering P85,000. All because I neglected to check the cooling system for a whole 3 months after crossing a flood in Calamba.
Once the engine was put back together, my mechanic Mang Greg and I went to fix the coolant system. Aside from the new radiator, hoses and fan, I also got a new water pump, radiator cap and temperature sensor. We did a full engine flush to clearout all the rubbish left behind from the overheating.
After fitting the new radiator (an original I found online) I topped up the radiator with a full gallon of Prestone Coolant and another 3 liters of soft water. (The water from the tap where I live is highly mineralized which is not good as this can cause deposits from scaling in the radiator, so a good 6 gallons of purified water was needed here.) The coolant to water mix was about 1:2.
All is well and Terrano is back in service–but with less work now–she has clocked 866,321 kms. since we first traveled together.
Prestone offers world-class coolants for different types of vehicles. Terrano is old, (and though it won’t freeze over in the Philippines) I used Prestone “for Asian Vehicles Antifreeze + Coolant.” Now anti-freeze has another function (aside from the impossible freezing of the coolant and water). The chemical in the anti-freeze maintains the vehicle’s engine temperature–meaning no boiling (a sign of poor heat exchange) or running cool (which means the engine does not hit its operating temperature). It also protects against unnecessary buildups and corrosion in your vehicle’s cooling system parts.
This coolant caters to any vehicle’s model due to its patented and upgraded Hybrid Organic Acid Technology (HOAT), Organic Acid Technology (OAT), and Phosphate Organic Acid Technology (POAT) formulas. It comes in various colors, which may indicate the amount of heat each variant can take.
Since Terrano was in the shop after the radiator change, I also decided to do a full brake fluid change. The process requires a small pump and fully bleeding the system of the old fluid–usually black or turbid and lacking viscosity. The last time this happened was in 2017.
The system was refilled with 1 and a half liters of Preston Brake Fluid DOT-4–the one in a yellow bottle. I had two bottles, one sent my Prestone earlier (in a red bottle) and the remaining fluid was used to top off the clutch after a full fluid drain, which since, the car was up on the lifter was easy to do.
Prestone’s DOT 3 or DOT 4 Synthetic Hi-Temp Brake Fluid. As it exceeds the standard requirements, it gives an incredible performance in high-temperature braking systems and provides increased fluid life of 50,000 miles. It also prevents all metal corrosion within the braking system and is suitable for a disc, drum, and anti-lock braking system.
After Terrano is done with the brake fluid change, I take her for a spin. This test run or what my mechanic always says is a “brake in” (not break in) involved driving from San Pablo City to Tiaong, Quezon, crossing back via the Dolores Road, but not after some not-so-serious off-roading along the SLEX-extension construction site. As this was happening, eyes were on the temperature gauge and stops were made to check on the brakes and the clutch and for leaks here and there.
The last step was a full check and repair of Terrano’s airconditioning system. After a Freon re-charge, it was ready to the summer heat.
Having been certified by Mang Greg my mechanic as road worthy, I drive Terrano to the car wash for a much needed bath.
After the external cleaning and waxing, and internal vacuum and wipe-down, I asked that the inside be disinfected Prestone Disinfecting Car Wipes. Despite living in this new relaxed alert level, it is still critical to be ready and stay on guard against the COVID-19 virus. I was a victim of the corona virus and so was Mang Greg so it so best to keep safe always.
In just one minute, these disinfecting wipes can eliminate 99.9 percent of bacteria and viruses, including the COVID-19 virus. These are safe to use on the dashboard, console, steering wheel, window buttons, door handles, and gear stick, among others. There are however surfaces that may react to the chemicals in the wipes so it’s best to check the instruction sheets.
As Holy Week rolls in the folks at Prestone reminds us to make sure our vehicles are in tip-top condition starting with a check of its essential parts and fluids are at the correct levels before your journey.
To reinforce its commitment to advocating road safety at this time, Prestone supports the Safe Trip Mo, Sagot Ko (SMSK) Motorist Assistance Program of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC). It aims to ensure a safer and smoother journey for drivers when traveling this coming holiday at MPTC-owned expressways, such as North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX), and Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX).
This program reminds motorists to observe the speed limit, proper distance between vehicles, and avoidance of swerving, among others, to be safe.
