Eckman

This stuff is kind of pinkish in color. It actually looks like it's coming from someplace higher and just collecting here. This doesn't look good to me. Does anyone have a clue?

jwilson2598

Looks like the crap I had when my water pump was leaking on my old 08.

Eckman

The more I look at, the more convinced I am that is what it is. The water pump. 60k miles. I have a 10 year 100k mile warranty as it was a certified pre owned. Wonder of that is covered.

Ryan0260

It probably is the water pump. Mine went at 46k. Can you smell antifreeze?

Eckman

Yep, I smell antifreeze and noticed about 2 weeks ago the antifreeze was low, I added antifreeze back to the max line on the bottle. She is back to the min line now. My deductible on the dealer warranty is $200. Is this worth paying or should I do the work myself?

jwilson2598

Not sure, mine started leaking crap at 17k miles, so it was done under the original warranty. I would suspect you can get a water pump and coolant for less than $200 and do it yourself if you wanted.

familytime

Hopefully when the stealership changes it they won't break off the mounting bolts,like i did at 45k

Ryan0260

You can get it cheaper and do it yourself, but with the dealer doing the work, it will have a warranty.

jk_sea

The sure sign is the smell of antifreeze. But remember, the level in the bottle will change from when the engine is hot, to when the engine is cold. It's more of a tolerated range of coolant, versus a set level.

Unless you're a good DIY-er, I'd leave it to the dealership. The whole thing should be flushed which requires a chemical that makes the coolant acidic. Then, once that's all flushed out, the coolant needs to be refilled with the correct stuff, mixed properly, etc.

A lot of people buy generic coolant, mix it with tap water and assume all is good. Different kinds of coolant can react together poorly and corrode or gum up the system, and mixing with tap water introduces corrosive minerals and other stuff that prematurely breaks down the coolant and the cooling system. Not good!