Subaru coolant
What type of coolant for a Subaru Crosstrek?
My level is down below minimum. Some people tell me to get Subaru brand but is that necessary?
Thanks for your help
Scoobieguy I would just use the Subaru coolant. It's only about $20 for a gallon. Peak or Prestone is $10 or so. The difference is not worth thinking about it. With that said I have rebuilt a few Subaru engines recently and used Prestone when reassembled. In your case you would be mixing two brands/types and that while not usually an issue is not recommended.
In my opinion I would be a bit concerned as to why the level is low. You will need to monitor that very closely moving forward.
Greg It's long life blue coolant. You can always add blue to green, but not green to blue. The coolant expansion tank is not sealed so it's common to loose a bit of coolant over time due to evaporation.
OP I could not find a PDF I had regarding coolants. I did find this link which states the same thing regarding coolants and the color. It's very informative.
https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2014/08/01/tech-101-the-colors-of-antifreeze/
For sure some evaporation takes place from an expansion tank. It is the rate that the level changes is what needs to be monitored. It may be obvious if there is another issue going on after closely monitoring the level for several weeks.
Lol, Greg, based on that article some colors are used in multiple types of coolant:
IAT: Green
OAT: "Usually" Orange or Yellow, sometimes Blue
HOAT: "Usually" Yellow, but also Green, Pink, Blue, Red and Orange.
Let's throw Amber and Purple into the mix as well (see picture).
So basically color means nothing definitively. Look at the specs in the owner's manual which won't necessarily state a color but should have an engineering spec.
Mark Mc. 
According to the manual (2018 CrossTrek) the coolant is only referred to as "SUBARU Super Coolant".
I'd just buy the brand name and call it a day.
All together like the colors of the rainbow. LOL Can't leave any color out you know.
Absolutely, always refer to the specs for sure. Color be damned.
The PDF I had was a bit more precise but still suggested the manufactures specifications should be met or exceeded.
"I'd just buy the brand name and call it a day."
Agree. Just ran into this with another vehicle. After too many opinions on the interweb. It was just easier to buy from the dealer and only a few dollars more.
not sackJust get the Subaru coolant, if there are any warranty issues related to the coolant good chances Subaru will blame not having the "super" coolant. I really don't know what the big fuss is about this "super" coolant head gaskets are still going to go around 100k miles. For the life of me I can't understand how Subarus still have these head gasket issues. I've owned quite a few cars in my 20 years of driving and never had one issue with head gaskets going.
englishe30 How many miles on the cross trek? Needing to add a bit of coolant inst a big deal but being below the minimum would concern me if it were my car. That’s a decent amount to lose.
Thank you so much for all the replies. I got the Subaru super coolant and called it a day lol. It's a friends car so I don't know how many miles are on it but the coolant was well below minimum.
Speaking of Subaru, did anyone notice the change from Subaru 46 to Route 46 Subaru. Even the website changed.
CJ. You can purchase Walmart Brand Coolant, and it claims on the label, " Can be Mixed will ALL Types of Antifreeze / coolant!" Just remember mix it with water 50% / 50%, if you purchase the straight antifreeze.
I used it on all three cars, and never had any issues.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Tech-Antifreeze-Coolant/16645420?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=2503&adid=22222222227017563058&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40839640112&wl4=pla-78652742552&wl5=9003715&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=16645420&wl13=2503&veh=sem&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4YuRxdGg3gIVF1mGCh1iAQlPEAQYASABEgIhz_D_BwE
Embryodad I wouldn't do this regardless of what the bottle says. Also use distilled water not tap water. The words "any" should be changed to "some".
"You can purchase Walmart Brand Coolant, and it claims on the label, " Can be Mixed will ALL Types of Antifreeze / coolant!" Just remember mix it with water 50% / 50%, if you purchase the straight antifreeze. "
The old ad always comes back to me. "Never pick up a stranger. Pick up 'Prestone' antifreeze.". Wamart's brand name is most likely made by one of the major manufacturers of antifreeze and rebranded with their name. Our "Strauss" brand antifreeze was made by one of the major manufacturers and rebranded with our "Strauss" name. It pretty much has to be that way because if you picked an off brand which was questionable and had failures because of it, that would reflect very poorly on the chain's brand name.
Prestone is guaranteed for all vehicles no matter what make or model of car or light duty truck and can be used with any color of antifreeze. It also states that it won't void any vehicle manufacturer's waranty. The only caveat is that the container mentions "American?Asian/European" vehicles, so I guess there aren't any Australian manufacturers, lol?
Yes, distilled water should be the only type of water used to mix with antifreeze. Not tap water, nor "Spring" water, etc. because they contain minerals which can contaminate the vehicle's cooling system, causing blockages which result in unequal pressures, leaks and possible water pump failure.
Normally, if you're low on coolant, it's recommended that you top the system to the proper fill line with straight 100% coolant to refresh the anti-corrosion chemicals which break down over time. If you drain and fill, the best insurance is a 70%/30% antifreeze/water mix, as that gives the optimal antifreezing and boilover protection.
The 50/50 mix does give you the best, or should I say "easiest" mix for good overall protection, but you're better off price-wise by buying a gallon container of 100% antifreeze and a gallon of distilled water and mixing it yourself. Of course if you use another container to mix it in, don't use anything that a human or animal will later use, as it is poisonous!
Phil D. How old is the Crosstek? I would be concerned if it is newer, there may be a slight leak somewhere.
iJay Some antifreeze blends are upto 50 percent water. So evaporation occurs. The water is used to transfer heat. So top it off with the same mix it currently would use filling the overflow
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