Cooling System Repair at our Winter Haven shop

You can get home that way. But coolant doesn't get used up the way oil does, so if the level dropped, it went somewhere. Topping off without finding the leak means you'll be doing it again, usually at a worse time and in a worse place.

It can. The AC condenser sits right in front of the radiator and adds heat exactly where the radiator is trying to shed it, and the compressor puts extra load on the engine. If your car only runs hot with the AC on in traffic, that's a real clue, and the fans are the first thing we test.

Sometimes, if the coolant is old and contaminated and heat transfer has fallen off. More often overheating is a failed part, and a flush just delays finding it. We'd rather test first and tell you which situation you're in.

It depends on the manufacturer, and the types aren't interchangeable. Mixing them can cause gelling and corrosion inside the system. We look up the specification for your vehicle rather than pouring in whatever says universal on the jug.

There's a test for it. We check the coolant for combustion gases and watch how the system behaves under pressure. That gives a specific answer rather than a guess, and we'd rather rule it out early than have you find it after paying for other parts.