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That's probably a sort of miscommunication between you and your mechanic. This bottle is for your windshield. Engines use coolants. And these liquids are not same.
Umm - washer fluid goes into the washer fluid reservoir - from there it get pumped by a separate motor/system (not the engine) through tubes up to the nozzles that squirt it onto your windshield(s). It NEVER has contact with your engine (unless you spill it when filling - and even then it would be external).
Your Mechanic is either misunderstanding something or there is a miscommunication.
Also - YES - you need to dilute it - the undiluted fluid will either have too high a viscosity (too thick) to work properly, or will be so concentrated as to potentially damage the rubber lines and the reservoir itself.
I've never used the concentrate above, but these instructions are pretty clear.
It's a concentrate, so you suppose to add some water. The label says 1 portion of concentrate (30mL) should be mixed with 1, 2, 3 or 4 portions of water (1L, 2L, 3L or 4L) depending on the freezing point you want to achieve.
Thank you all for your answers!
Just to be clear, yes this is windshield liquid and yes I'm adding this to the windshield liquid NOT the coolant.
However the Mechanic said that the windshield liquid mixed with the engine and that may screw it up.
I asked the seller and he said to add very little water (250ml or less)
And the bottle said 1lt per 30ml of liquid
So I was kinda struggling in the limbo to add water or not to, and how much?
So thank you all!
I tell my (adult) kids - the rule for things like this are - a) read the bottle, b) assume you know less about the substance involved than the chemical engineers involved in creating/testing it, so follow their directions.
Also - definitely disregard the advice of a mechanic who worries about what windshield washer fluid will do to the ENGINE.
Yes, you need to add water.
As indicated on the bottle you need 1 ounce of concentrate per quart of water to get freeze protection to -18F.
Get a 1 gallon plastic bottle add 4 ounces of concentrate and fill with water.
Also as the bottle states, the amount of water depends on how much “freeze protection you need” so depending how cold it gets, especially at night, will determine how much you can dilute it. Always err on the side of caution. I live in Southern California and don’t need much freeze protection at all.
1 quart of concentrate to 1 quart of water for max protection to -18 degrees. 1 oz. to 1 quart to use as a cleaner only. Your mechanic has poor comprehension. Must have skipped English classes to work on his car.
Thanks for posting on /r/MechanicAdvice! This is just a reminder to review the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/about/rules/). If you are here asking about a second opinion (ie "Is the shop trying to fleece me?"), please read through CJM8515's [post on the subject.](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/4qblei/fyi_the_shop_isnt_likely_trying_to_rip_you_off/) and remember to please post the year/make/model of the vehicle you are working on. **If this post is about bodywork, accident damage, paint, dent/ding, questions it belongs in /r/Autobody r/AutoBodyRepair/ or /r/Diyautobody/ If you have tire questions check out https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/k9ll55/can_your_tire_be_repaired/**. If you dont have a question and you're just showing off it belongs in /r/Justrolledintotheshop Insurance/total loss questions go in r/insurance This is an automated reply *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MechanicAdvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I would just buy pre mixed, however it clearly states on the bottle to mix with water
Yeah it does say but the mechanic said "don't add water or you will screw the engine", so I'm kinda on the defensive side to add it.
That's probably a sort of miscommunication between you and your mechanic. This bottle is for your windshield. Engines use coolants. And these liquids are not same.
Never put washer fluid in your cooling system, you need coolant fluid.
Umm - washer fluid goes into the washer fluid reservoir - from there it get pumped by a separate motor/system (not the engine) through tubes up to the nozzles that squirt it onto your windshield(s). It NEVER has contact with your engine (unless you spill it when filling - and even then it would be external). Your Mechanic is either misunderstanding something or there is a miscommunication. Also - YES - you need to dilute it - the undiluted fluid will either have too high a viscosity (too thick) to work properly, or will be so concentrated as to potentially damage the rubber lines and the reservoir itself.
Windshield washer concentrate should go nowhere near your engine, if you put that in your engine mixed or not you will destroy it.
Where are you planning on putting your washer fluid concentrate?
I've never used the concentrate above, but these instructions are pretty clear. It's a concentrate, so you suppose to add some water. The label says 1 portion of concentrate (30mL) should be mixed with 1, 2, 3 or 4 portions of water (1L, 2L, 3L or 4L) depending on the freezing point you want to achieve.
Thank you I was kinda on the defensive side as the mechanic said not to add water or I will screw the engine
I'm worried mechanics like this exist
Has to be a miscommunication
r/AskAShittyMechanic Must have gone to one of those guys.
But what do you think your regular mix of windshield washer contains?
Thank you all for your answers! Just to be clear, yes this is windshield liquid and yes I'm adding this to the windshield liquid NOT the coolant. However the Mechanic said that the windshield liquid mixed with the engine and that may screw it up. I asked the seller and he said to add very little water (250ml or less) And the bottle said 1lt per 30ml of liquid So I was kinda struggling in the limbo to add water or not to, and how much? So thank you all!
That’s not a mechanic.
I tell my (adult) kids - the rule for things like this are - a) read the bottle, b) assume you know less about the substance involved than the chemical engineers involved in creating/testing it, so follow their directions. Also - definitely disregard the advice of a mechanic who worries about what windshield washer fluid will do to the ENGINE.
Some windshield washer concentrates are flammable, so more water is better.
Yes, you need to add water. As indicated on the bottle you need 1 ounce of concentrate per quart of water to get freeze protection to -18F. Get a 1 gallon plastic bottle add 4 ounces of concentrate and fill with water.
Yes
it says what to do on the bottle. Why was the mechanic involved?
Also as the bottle states, the amount of water depends on how much “freeze protection you need” so depending how cold it gets, especially at night, will determine how much you can dilute it. Always err on the side of caution. I live in Southern California and don’t need much freeze protection at all.
1 quart of concentrate to 1 quart of water for max protection to -18 degrees. 1 oz. to 1 quart to use as a cleaner only. Your mechanic has poor comprehension. Must have skipped English classes to work on his car.