I just noticed that the coolant the mechanic used is green, and that instructions under the hood say to only use log lasting orange coolant.
Should I be concerned?

Cheryl

 

Jaguar used different fluids over the life of the x308 - The final coolant was orange. That is the recommended fill. If your car had orange coolant in it they should have just replaced it with the orange coolant.

If the system was properly flushed and all the old fluid was removed -- you will most likely be fine with a replacement coolant -- but not knowing the fluid used it is impossible to know.

Why did they not use the correct fluid? If you have a newer x308 with low miles I would have wanted the proper fluid installed.

 

I assumed they knew what they were doing. There are instructions right by the coolant. Is this a legitimate complaint to bring to them?

 

Can you give us the model, year and issue on why it was being serviced?

Do you recall the colour of the coolant before it was serviced?
If not, you only have to ask if the car's fluid the same colour as topped off (green).

If you can recall it being orange before service, to what extent was work carried out on the cooling system? If it required a full drain, and refill, then it doesn't really matter as long as it's new. If it was a top off, then it's a possibility of performance loss because the different coloured coolant mix into a sludge.

 

I have a XJ8 2004 Jaguar. The reason I was concerned about the coolant, is because I brought my car in for a coolant flush 2 weeks ago and yesterday, while I was driving my car, a warning said it was on hot. It started to smell like it was burning. I pulled into a parking lot and opened the hood. I noticed that something was splattered all over the engine (which I think was coolant). It was a green liqued. I also noticed that the instructions by the coolant tank said to only use orange coolant. When Tires Plus serviced it they put in green Khameleon antifreeze. I was wondering if that caused this to happen.

I left my car there and will have it towed to my machanic today. I hope I didn't ruin my engine.

Cheryl

 

Certainly not a definitive opinion, but I believe you are only supposed to use the orange stuff (Dexcool) in your car. Other members may correct me, but it sounds like they used the wrong stuff.

More importantly, it sounds like you have a leak. If the car is safe at home, I would suggest inspecting it for the source of the leak. Could be a plastic fitting was broken during the flush and not replaced, which gave way when you got the engine hot. Or perhaps one of the retaining clips on a hose was not properly seated. If you can't find a leak, I would check to make sure the coolant is topped off, start the car briefly, and carefully inspect the hoses to see if fluid is coming out while the car is running.

EDIT: Just saw you left the car where it was. If you are able, inspect it before you tow it to the mechanic. If they've used the wrong coolant, I would be dubious of their ability (or initiative) in finding the problem.

 

When I first bought my car, the previous owner had topped off the coolant with green. My heater would not operate properly, so I came here and read that it may be gummed up by the mix.

Sure enough, I flushed the system and got a LOT of thick gunk to come out. It took a long time flushing, but all of a sudden, my heater started to work. I'm guessing it finally flushed out the plugged up heater core and smaller lines. I replaced it with a good quality orange coolant, but shortly after, my heater aux pump went out. I'm guessing it may have been due to the extra strain of trying to pump the sludge through the heater core.

Replaced the aux heater pump, and all has been well since (around 2 years).

 

My 2004 XJ8 was running like a charm since I purchased it 2 years ago. It has 82,712 miles on it. I know absolutely nothing about cars, so I am very appreciate of this forum and your help. The mechanic at the Foreign Car Clinic (where I had it towed) said he would not be able to look at it until Tuesday. I won't know exactly what went wrong until I hear from him.

Two weeks ago, I brought it to Tires Plus for an oil change and they recommended a coolant flush. I let them do it, instead of my regular regular mechanic at the Foreign Car Clinic. At that time, there were no leaks. They did recommend changing the hose, but since there was no sense of urgency, I declined, thinking I would have my regular mechanic do that. So, that could be one possibility. I have not seen any indication of a leak when looking under or under the hood. It looks more like an explosion. There is coolant splattered all over the engine. It even can out through the grill and is all over the front of the hood and on the side. I just had my car detailed last week.

Your advice is very much appreciated. Thank you.

Cheryl

 

From what I gather by talking to the Jaguar tech, if the green coolant got mixed with the orange it could cause problems with my 2004 Xj8 Jaguar by causing a sludge. Since it was a real mess under the hood, with coolant splatter all over the engine and even on the and outside of my car, it doesn't seam like a leak, more like an explosion. How could that happen?

I did call home office of Tires Plus to make a complaint about the green coolant being put in even though it states emphatically on the coolant tank to ONLY use the orange. I don't know if that is the reason for my car having this problem. If it is, I want to be able to prove it.

Right now, all I want to do is make sure my car gets fixed correctly. If this happened to your car, how would you go about repairing it, and what would you need to do to diagnose the problem and make sure that everything will be working fine again?

Thank you in advance for your advice.

Cheryl

 

Sounds like you have a claim against them and should be entitled to recover any damages incurred as a result of their mistake.

 

jahummer is correct. you should have it towed to your preferred mechanic, have him give you an estimate of repairs to bring your car back to the condition it was in before they messed it up with the wrong coolant, and initiate a claim against the dumb@$$E$ who don't understand how to read and follow directions printed on the coolant reservoir. Sheesh.

 

Some people think Dex Cool is a dirty word. I have used it for years in my Corvette without problem. Make them flush it thoroughly and refill it with Dex Cool.

 

The mechanic where I had my car towed called yesterday to say all he knows so far is that the coolant is down a gallon, and that white smoke is coming out of the exhaust pipe. He said he topped it with water and will see if it is leaking. Last night it got to freezing here in Florida. I hope the water didn't freeze. I have not heard back from him yet.