Adding water to coolant reservoir?

[jrsimon27]

Took my car to the dealer and the tech told me they added a little bit of water to the reservoir tank. I asked if it was distilled water and he said no. Its tap water. Wtf!
Is it ok to add tap water or do you need to add distilled water?
Thanks.

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[Cobra Jet]

It should be distilled water...but, if he added like a cup or say 16oz, it’s not the end of the world at all.

 

[SAL-E]

Actually, they should add the proper engine coolant, not just water. Adding water dilutes the coolant. How much dilution depends on how much water was added.

 

[Dr. Norts]

For some reason ford seems to be retarded on this matter.

I had to get a jug of coolant from the dealership when I changed my thermostat. They didn't have the pre-mixed 50/50 stuff so I just bought a jug of pure coolant.

I've always known you're supposed to mix it with distilled or deionized water for some reason had a brain fart and ask the parts guy should I use distilled or deionized water... He goes neither. Tap water is fine lol

It's like ford wants your cooling system to get mineral deposits in it.

 

[vernonator]

For some reason ford seems to be retarded on this matter.

I had to get a jug of coolant from the dealership when I changed my thermostat. They didn't have the pre-mixed 50/50 stuff so I just bought a jug of pure coolant.

I've always known you're supposed to mix it with distilled or deionized water for some reason had a brain fart and ask the parts guy should I use distilled or deionized water... He goes neither. Tap water is fine lol

It's like ford wants your cooling system to get mineral deposits in it.

That's not a FORD issue, its a DEALER issue and they are not always the same.

 

[Dr. Norts]

That's not a FORD issue, its a DEALER issue and they are not always the same.

Well considering I went to a FORD DEALER it is a FORD issue. It's coming from the techs and service advisors who are also trained by FORD.

 

[SAL-E]

That's why I don't let dealers work on my car... unless I have no other alternative. When I do, I stand where I can see the car and what they are doing to it.

 

[Barrel]

They should be cracking open a bottle of premix 50/50 and adding that to the system, not water. What a turd.

 

[tsunami]

Learned my lesson on using tap water in radiator...

Years ago, I bought a classic 1965 Mustang. Took it on a long trip during summer. The coolant system overheated. I had to have an emergency radiator cleanout done. The radiator was nearly completely plugged. When I got home I contacted the seller...he said he always used tap water when he added coolant. From that point on, I have always used pure distilled water. I also use distilled water whenever my auto batteries need water. (Don't forget..your Stang battery does have removable plugs to add water...my dealer originally told me I had a no-maintenance battery until I showed him otherwise...thanks to this Forum)

 

[ahl395]

I'm sure it was a small amount just to top off the tank, nothing to lose sleep over. If they flushed the whole system and filled with tap water that would be a different story.

The small amount of tap water will be negligible once it's mixed with the rest of the coolant.

 

[VinnAY]

Well considering I went to a FORD DEALER it is a FORD issue. It's coming from the techs and service advisors who are also trained by FORD.

just FYI its the lowest ranking monkey toppin up fluids...it ain't some Ford trained/ASE super hero as you'd like to think.

 

[D24112]

just FYI its the lowest ranking monkey toppin up fluids...it ain't some Ford trained/ASE super hero as you'd like to think.

Yea, same one doing oil changes...

 

[Lost]

Not a big deal at all. A cup here or there is not going to have enough dissolved solids to screw up anything.

 

[tom_sprecher]

Too small of an amount to make a difference and it really depends on the quality of your local tap water. Around here we do not get mineral build up in pipes, water heaters, faucets, etc.

 

[jasonstang]

Coolant usually have enough chemical to prevent corrosion so a little bit of water is probably not a huge problem.

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