Which Coolant is Right For My Subaru?
This comes up a lot it seems, we are often directed to a forum link or told that a Subaru dealer is stating something different than what is in the owner’s manual.
What I can tell you is that just like a software update after the software is produced as a result of something learned about behavior in the field Subaru will address things that come up that can negatively affect the ownership experience. This is especially true when Subaru changed the oil change requirements to maintain warranty coverage on all Turbo models to 3750 miles instead of the Fantasy that is 7k interval oil changes that was printed in the owner’s manual. Some Subaru Dealers are in fact suggesting cooling system services that differ from what Subaru printed in the manual I think they are correct in doing so.
I will do my best to try and explain which coolant is right for your Subaru at this time.
If you own a 1990 to 2002 2.2l or a 1995 to 1999 DOHC 2.5l you can use just about any type of regular Green Antifreeze/coolant. You do not need to add any type of stop leak, I mean coolant conditioner, the service interval is every 30,000 or about every 2 years on average.
If you own a 1999 to 2008 SOHC 2.5l you should use the O.E. Subaru Long Life Coolant that is green in color pictured below. If you have not had the Head Gaskets replaced or they were done at the Dealer you should also use the Cooling system conditioner as well. If you have had the Head gaskets replaced and the shop that made the repairs used the Six Star gaskets you can use normal green coolant and DO NOT need to put any stop leak I mean conditioner in the cooling system.
Starting in 2008 Subaru went to a new Super long life coolant, it was only supposed to be in the STI in 2008 and all other models by 2009 but we have observed plenty of 2008 Outback’s that came from the factory with Blue Super long life coolant rather than the green long life. If what is in your car is green it needs to be changed every 30k, and if blue every 60k, if you want to try and go 100k you do so at the real risk of repairs down the road.
We have heard reports that some Dealers have stopped carrying the Green long life but at time of this writing it was still available from Subaru. But knowing Subaru It won’t surprise me if it’s not available before too long.
The Blue coolant is scheduled to be changed every 100k, I believe this to be a very bad idea and suggest it every 60k instead. If you change the coolant in an older model Subaru to the new Blue coolant, I think it’s unwise to believe the service interval can be stretched out to 100k as well, and do not think it’s worth doing. Interestingly enough it appears that Subaru still wants the Conditioner to be put in, I find it odd that it’s not in the coolant itself at this stage.
You should not use aftermarket long life coolant like Dex Cool. I do not suggest any form of aftermarket stop leak.
Hope that helps clear things up a bit and thanks for Reading.
I have been a reular reader for a few years. Now there is a black strip accross the web page…is it me or is this being done on purpose?
Hi Gary,
No its nothing on purpose, you are using internet Explorer 9 or IE9. There is a setting you need to change in regards to the security settings if you unable to do that you can switch to a more stable browser such as Firefox or Chrome. I don’t use IE so i cant guide you through how to do it. There are many Word press themes that have this issue, there is nothing that can be done on our end other than suggest a different browser if you cant change how our site is viewed on your end with IE9.
Hope that helps
Justin
Hello,
Should or shouldn’t I use the subaru coolant conditioner in my subaru OBXT with EJ255 engine? Because you didn’t say about turbo engines
Its really up to you. I am not a fan of clogging the radiator, and the MLS gaskets in the Turbo models hold up much better then the SOHC single layer type.
Justin
Hello, The above article does not refer to the proper antifreeze for the H6 engine. I personally have a 2003 outback with the H6 engine .
Thanks , Brad
If you ask Subaru they will tell you to use the Subaru long life coolant ( Green). I suggest either the Subaru coolant or the equivalent.
Justin
Hi Justin……first off, awesome website!!!!
My question is in regards to my 02 OBW (2.5 SOHC) I want to change the coolant and also the thermostat before winter sets in. No problems with overheating leaks etc. Just want to do this for peace of mind. The car has 315,000 Kilometers on it but the engine was apparently rebuilt about 50,000 ago. I have no clue which brand of head gaskets were used. I am trying to find out that info through the previous owner. What coolant (50/50 mix?) should I use and should I use the Subaru Coolant Conditioner assuming I never get the info from the previous owner….Many thanks in advance
Hi Michael,
If it has the Subaru Head Gaskets installed than I would use the Subaru coolant, but At that mileage I am not sure I would suggest the conditioner.
Do make sure however that you only buy and install a Factory Subaru Thermostat or you are just inviting disaster.
Justin
Hi Justin,
Thanks for your reply……why shouldn`t I use the conditioner? I am still striving to find out which gaskets were used….my guess is they were not OEM gaskets….should I still stick with the Subaru coolant regardless of which gaskets were used? My guess is you will say yes…LOL What is the difference between the generic coolant and the Subaru coolant?? Oh, I did purchase an OE stat!!!
Oh….and a 50/50 mix????
Spend some time reading other articles and posts and you’ll see why I don’t like Subaru stop leak. It was to get cars out of warranty only.
If by some chance it has the 6 star gaskets then you could use any coolant. But since it’s difficult to explain how the average home gamer identifies this I would err on the side of caution and just use the Subaru long life coolant.
Hope that helps
Justin
Thanks again Justin…..
I do have a bottle of the conditioner but I will keep it for my old Ford farm truck not the Subie!
Hi again Justin…I’m back again! I called a dealer the other day and asked about the Subaru coolant. I was advised by the parts guy that they do stock it and the cost was $22 CDN. So I went there today and asked for some of the ” Subaru” antifreeze. The came back to the counter with a jug of generic stuff. I said no, the “Subaru” antifreeze. Oh the super long life…..he quoted me $88 for a jug and advised me it was premixed so 2 jugs would be needed…Holy crow!!!! Now what? I see in the original post you mentioned that dealers may not carry it anymore even though it is available. When I was at the dealer, a mechanic came to the counter and said they use the generic stuff in everything except the newer vehicles… do you sell the long life coolant? How much do you cahrge for it?
Cheers,
Michael
Yes Subaru Of Canada seems to march to a different beat than SOA.
In America the Subaru Dealers are typically not allowed to use Generic coolant.
Its not realistic to ship chemicals to Canada I am afraid.
Its really going to kill you that we charge $25.87 per gallon for the Subaru Long life (Green) and its not premixed.
I am always amazed at what the Dealers in Canada seem to get away with.
Justin
Yes I am choked….not sure what to do…I called another dealer and they stated they use the super long life in every car thsy work on. They don’t even stock the generic stuff. They also stated that when they switch a vehicle over to the blue from the green, the super long life aspect is no longer…it is considered to have the logevity of the green. Thats a rip off for their customers….
Not sure what to do now except take a chance on a brand name that claims to be ok for Subaru…..hopefully the gaskets used on my engine when it was rebuilt were OEM.
Yes,
Its almost criminal that some dealers no longer sell the Green Long life coolant, and instead use non O.E. Coolant which Subaru has stated for years is not ok.
Its also correct that using the Blue Super Coolant doesn’t lengthen the service interval in an older Subaru either, at least they came clean on that aspect.
Sorry to hear that something as easy as coolant has to be so difficult. I will actually Have one of my guys get an exact shipping cost for the Green coolant shipped VIs UPS Ground for you and send you an email.
Justin
Thanks Justin…..yes I agree this is a pretty complicated effort to just change the coolant! Thankfully I love my Subaru (3rd one). I had a 98 Outback a few years ago and had the head gasket(s) blew on my way home from the dealership…..thankfully there was a powertrain warranty included with car and it covered the majority of the cost…though I did contribute some $$ towards the timing belt etc. while it was apart. But I do not want that to happen again! I rely on this car and being a single parent I cannot afford to have this happen just yet.
I did call some other dealers today and was quoted $9.95 for a litre of the Super unmixed and $18 for a gallon of 50/50. That first dealer probably quoted me for a flush and fill with Super I think. It was on a Saturday and I guess the guy working the counter was just filling in and made a mistake. The dealers I called today said they recommend the Super in all years. One does not even carry the generic variety. And one of them also recommended the conditioner as well. So I am ok with buying the premix (2 jugs). $36 is reasonable for piece of mind and also knowing that it has been mixed with deionized water is a bonus as well.
But I should not use the conditioner with blue….correct? Like I stated earlier, the gaskets were replaced 50,000 kms ago with, more than likely, non OE gaskets….
I appreciate you getting me a quote on Long Life shipped to me….
Thanks
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