Forum members may remember the anti-freeze formula discussion from the July 2007 Turning Wheels Co-Operator. I've continued reading everything I can find on this subject and my position remains as it was a couple months ago: I'm staying with ethylene-glycol-based anti freeze for the time being.
Unfortunately, that is becoming harder to do because the product, at least in central Indiana, is disappearing. Local Wal-Mart stores now have only new, universal "any car / any color" anti-freeze, regardless of brand name. Even their house brand is the new universal material. Ditto K-Mart, at least here.
Auto Zone continues to offer ethylene-glycol anti-freeze, but only in their Valucraft product line. "Valuecraft" may be subjective, here: The price is up to $9.99 a gallon! (Even at that, it is cheaper than the new universal formula...again, at least in central Indiana.)
[u]The reason for this post </u>is to alert Forum members to a sale at Menard's this week. It may continue into next week. The everyday price of Menard's house brand ethylene-glycol anti-freeze was $8.99 last week, but it is on sale for $6.99 a gallon right now. And the first two gallons qualify for a $1.50 per gallon mail-in rebate. (The rebate is in the form of a merchandise credit check at Menard's, so you have to return to Menard's to "spend" your rebate.)
I had already bought a case at Auto Zone to hedge against further price and availability issues, but went to Menard's today and bought a case of theirs on sale, too. After checking around, I'll be buying a couple more cases at $6.99 per gallon at Menard's before the week's end. (Interestingly, I'll bet both the Auto Zone and Menard's products are the same product, made in the same plant but packaged differently. The jugs are identical, although different colors, and the six-gallon cartons the same unique design. Further, the detailed lists of ingredients on each product's label are identical.)
Currently, then, conventional ethylene-glycol antifreeze is cheaper than the new universal formulas, but it looks like the former is being phased out. When that happens, price will be immaterial. Stock up. (With our laid-in supplies of CI and CI-4 Plus motor oil and, now, ethylene-glycol anti-freeze, many of our garages are going to start looking like jobber warehouses!) BP
Unfortunately, that is becoming harder to do because the product, at least in central Indiana, is disappearing. Local Wal-Mart stores now have only new, universal "any car / any color" anti-freeze, regardless of brand name. Even their house brand is the new universal material. Ditto K-Mart, at least here.
Auto Zone continues to offer ethylene-glycol anti-freeze, but only in their Valucraft product line. "Valuecraft" may be subjective, here: The price is up to $9.99 a gallon! (Even at that, it is cheaper than the new universal formula...again, at least in central Indiana.)
[u]The reason for this post </u>is to alert Forum members to a sale at Menard's this week. It may continue into next week. The everyday price of Menard's house brand ethylene-glycol anti-freeze was $8.99 last week, but it is on sale for $6.99 a gallon right now. And the first two gallons qualify for a $1.50 per gallon mail-in rebate. (The rebate is in the form of a merchandise credit check at Menard's, so you have to return to Menard's to "spend" your rebate.)
I had already bought a case at Auto Zone to hedge against further price and availability issues, but went to Menard's today and bought a case of theirs on sale, too. After checking around, I'll be buying a couple more cases at $6.99 per gallon at Menard's before the week's end. (Interestingly, I'll bet both the Auto Zone and Menard's products are the same product, made in the same plant but packaged differently. The jugs are identical, although different colors, and the six-gallon cartons the same unique design. Further, the detailed lists of ingredients on each product's label are identical.)
Currently, then, conventional ethylene-glycol antifreeze is cheaper than the new universal formulas, but it looks like the former is being phased out. When that happens, price will be immaterial. Stock up. (With our laid-in supplies of CI and CI-4 Plus motor oil and, now, ethylene-glycol anti-freeze, many of our garages are going to start looking like jobber warehouses!) BP
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