Scrib

Wife called today, on her way home from work and said when she started up the car, the coolant light came on. Now according to the manual, this is normal. However, she said it wasn't something she'd really noticed before. She said it stayed on for a couple extra seconds and then went off.

Reading the manual, the coolant should be good for 5yrs/100K miles. But upon checking the coolant level, it is low. Not really that low, but certainly below the full line. The car is almost two years old, with about 13K miles on it.

So... Here are my questions. Can I go to Target/Walmat/Pepboys and pick up some Prestone or similar product that is GM/Dex-Cool certified and bring the coolant level up? Would this harm anything? Or am I going to have to go to the dealer to get a topoff of coolant. There are NO coolant puddles on the garage floor and the engine is running at normal temperature levels.

Thanks!

gholdin

I used to own a Alero before my Acura and you can add coolant with no prob. Just make sure you use DEX-COOL or you lose the 5yr/100000 mile change interval. You may wanna have the car checked out to be sure that there is no coolant problems as a precaution. I did have to do the exact same thing on my car around the 2 year mark and add coolant so maybe it's normal for Alero's. Dunno... Hope that helps.

Scrib

Thanks for the reply. I ended up swinging by the local Autozone and picked up the GM certified Prestone Dex-Cool coolant. 50/50 with water and the coolant and added it.

Again, I haven't noticed any leaks and the car not running hot. I think it's just a routine thing.