Rules for choosing an antifreeze liquid for a car

Introduction

Motorists who take care of their vehicle always try to prevent unpleasant situations by passing maintenance and changing consumables on time. With the onset of cold weather, absolutely every driver tries to acquire an anti-freeze liquid that would keep the glass clean even in severe frost. Auto shop sellers do not forget about the periodic need of car owners to purchase liquids with magical properties, which is why they fill the shelves with anti-freeze from various manufacturers before the winter season. In fact, it is unreasonable to buy the very first composition that comes across, the purchased liquid must be of high quality. The article below provides tips on which anti-freeze to choose in order to be happy with your choice all winter.

Choosing the optimal safe anti-freeze fluid for the car

To know how to choose an anti-freeze, you need to have some theoretical knowledge. Water, which replaces special liquids in summer and autumn-spring, in winter will not provide adequate assistance. Due to its physical properties, the water used in winter conditions can negatively affect the nozzles, which will soon fail. In addition to other troubles, a car can "please" the owner with a cracked washer reservoir. All these circumstances simply oblige every motorist with the onset of the first cold weather to visit car dealerships in order to acquire a high-quality anti-freeze, which, in addition to its basic functions, would also be safe for health.

Almost all non-freezing liquids existing in the world today in the composition among the main components contain alcohol and water, the quantitative ratio of which affects the crystallization temperature of the composition.

So, first of all, thinking about which anti-freeze to choose, the car owner must read the composition of the purchased substance in order to find out the ingredients of the content. The problem is that the market forces the manufacturers of almost all substances to use extremely cheap low-quality raw materials in their products, which makes it possible to minimize the cost of the finished product as much as possible. If a car enthusiast does not know how to choose an anti-freeze, then he must find out through the label about the type of alcohol used. Since all the main ingredients are listed in the formulation, the anti-freeze agent will contain methyl, ethyl or isopropyl alcohol.

When choosing an anti-freeze for a car, you should be very careful when choosing a liquid with methanol, since this chemically hazardous substance is prohibited by the legislation in force in Russia. This element has strong toxic properties, even with a minimal content of a substance in the air, a person can get serious injuries, which contribute to the poisoning of the body or a sharp deterioration in vision. At the same time, the methanol contained in the anti-freeze for cars is not able to qualitatively clean the glass from the accumulated dirt. It has a negative effect on the rubber bands of the windshield wipers, affecting their performance. In addition, if you use a substance based on methanol on unheated glass, then you will not be able to clean the glass at all.

It is especially important, when thinking about which anti-freeze to choose, to worry about the safety of everyone in the vehicle during its use. The purchased substance should not emit harmful vapors, therefore, a high-quality non-freezing liquid should have some kind of odor. It will be better if the purchasing composition at the time of purchase checks for the presence of odor - liquids made on the basis of methanol do not have any odor, since they are used only in the production of the cheapest products for car windows.

The second type of alcohol used to create antifreeze is ethanol. Almost all experts recommend that car owners stop their choice on such substances, since ethanol is considered to be an optimally safe component that is advisable to use in a windshield washer mixture. True, no one uses such a liquid because of its too high cost, the manufacturers themselves refuse to purchase it. A mixture of ethanol-based antifreeze liquid for cars is nothing more than odorless vodka. Vapors escaping from the liquid are released into the air, but do not affect the well-being of the driver and passengers.

The third type of basic substance for anti-freezing is isopropyl alcohol, today substances based on it are the most popular ingredients used for washing car windows in winter. If the car owner has not decided which anti-freeze to choose is best, he can stop at this particular substance, which is part of the liquid in such small doses that it simply cannot harm a person. You can feel the presence of isopropyl alcohol in the anti-freeze by its characteristic smell - it gives off with acetone.

In addition to the fact that it is necessary to take into account the type of alcohol used in the product, the car owner, thinking about how to choose an anti-freeze, must take into account several more important criteria, including:

• the chemical formula of the alcohol contained;
• kinematic viscosity (this indicator is related to the throughput of the nozzles);
• surface tension (the level of penetration of the substance into the dirt and the speed of its wetting);
• crystallization temperature;
• the presence of various surfactants.

Buying the highest quality anti-freeze: checking the best manufacturers

Naturally, every car owner wants to buy a high-quality anti-freeze liquid that could quickly and effectively clean the glass in winter. Some motorists want to save money on the purchase by buying the most budgetary substances, while others, on the contrary, do not skimp and buy the most expensive non-freezers. In the material below, the effectiveness of the most popular anti-freezing substances for car windows has been tested.

Hi-Gear premium

Hi-Gear premium class is considered one of the most expensive anti-freeze for cars, its production is established in Russia, and the quality of this product is monitored by the American company Hi-Gear Product Inc. The high quality formulation, as it should be, contains isopropyl alcohol.

As practice shows, many car owners who use this product speak positively about its qualities. The product label has a crystallization temperature of –25, which is true. The spray area is remarkable, the substance is well distributed over the surface. Hi-Gear premium has almost perfect qualities that satisfy all the needs of a car owner who has not yet decided what anti-freeze to choose for his car. Hi-Gear premium is economical to use; copes well with various degrees of glass contamination, washing off even an oil film; after cleansing, there is no glare on the surface. At the same time, premium Hi-Gear has a beneficial effect on windshield wipers and rubber bands, protecting them from abrasive wear.

Some unscrupulous manufacturers, whose products are many times worse than the original, began to fake the appearance of their popularity of the premium Hi-Gear. However, motorists say that a fake anti-freeze version can be easily distinguished from the original by an unpleasant, pungent odor, which is felt even in the presence of fragrances.

Russian analogue of German Liqui Moly

For many years, the Russian analogue of non-freezing liqui Moly, which is an analogue of the German substance, has been sold on the Russian market. This hybrid exhibits excellent qualities, ideally cleaning glass in the cold season. If you visit several thematic forums that raise the question of which anti-freeze is best to choose, it will become clear that many experienced car owners use this particular product, characterizing the Russian Liqui Moly as the safest anti-freeze. An interesting fact is that the crystallization temperature reaches –32 degrees, while the frost resistance limit declared by the manufacturer is only –25. Russian hybrid Liqui Moly has excellent spraying performance at almost any temperature; the surfactants contained in the finished product wash away any contamination on the glass of the car; and also the product does not clog the nozzles.

Liqui Moly, thanks to modern technologies and methods of control used, allows you to use anti-freeze for headlight washer. The fact is that tests carried out on a liquid have proven that their use cannot form cracks in the optics.

Effect Plus: is it really safe?

If the car owner thinks for a long time about which anti-freeze to choose for his car and, as a result of torment, opts for the Russian anti-freeze substance Effect Plus, then, most likely, the very budgetary cost of the product helped him to make the choice. As the price comparison showed, the domestic anti-freeze Effect Plus is almost half the price of all the above substances. At the moment, the substance does not have any patented technologies. It contains only isopropyl alcohol and water, as shown by a study carried out by folk experts. Modern Effect Plus meets all the properties described on the label, its crystallization temperature reaches -30 degrees.

Effect Plus liquid, like all previous substances, has several positive qualities:

• there is no negative effect on the brushes;
• the liquid also does not have a pungent odor;
• does not interact with paintwork.

However, the domestic anti-freeze Effect Plus is not able to wash the glass of a car in the cold, the car will have to be preheated.

Net Mile

Another domestic non-freeze is the Chistaya Mila liquid, its manufacturer is known to almost all Russians - the developer of antifreeze is Tosol-Sintez. It is this company that always takes part in tests that relate to the determination of the most effective antifreeze liquid. Those who have acquired this substance at least once are noted for its positive qualities, in particular:

• safety for the health of drivers and passengers;
• lack of methanol in the composition;
• lack of influence on the paintwork of the car;
• no streaks on the glass.

In addition to experienced car owners, the quality of the domestic product is confirmed by people's experts, who characterize Chistaya Milya as a very excellent substance. If the car owner does not know which anti-freeze to choose, then, stopping his decision at the Pure Mile, he will receive a liquid, which contains active elements that help remove any dirt from the car windows, along with this, the anti-freeze is consumed very economically. At the same time, the liquid does not have a negative effect on the well-being of the driver and other passengers. On the glass surface, the Pure Mile is sprayed at any temperature.

As is the case with the rest of the popular anti-freeze solutions, fake liquid is very often found on the Russian market, which does not have such good indicators as the original substance. However, a product can be distinguished by its smell - its absence indicates that the product is not licensed.

The most budgetary substance of the brand E95

Despite the fact that this substance is an order of magnitude cheaper, experienced drivers note the good qualities of the "wash". True, the E95 brand freezes before other substances, its crystallization temperature reaches only -15 degrees. Despite the fact that the declared indicators reach -30 degrees, at this temperature the substance thickens strongly.

The anti-freeze agent of the E95 brand has the appropriate product protection certificates, however, the liquid has not passed any tests.

Conclusion

On public roads, there are many reagents that have a bad effect on the car body and visibility, which greatly interferes with the driver while driving. Only a high-quality anti-freeze can help to clean the windshield, which will free the surface from accumulated dirt. You should not purchase the most budgetary options for liquids, since they may contain methanol, which does not have any smell. In order to avoid negative consequences that can affect a person's well-being, one must refuse to purchase such substances. It is best to opt for a quality product that has been tested by experts or consumers and has a fragrance.