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Forget to mention my 1990 cooling system is all original except for a water pump last year. No corrosion whatsoever, so I can't complain. I change the coolant every 2-3 years.
The jury is still out on Dexcool; lots of consumer complaints and class-action lawsuits, particularly against GM, who has used Dexcool as factory fill since 1996, for corrosion and gasket failures. Dexcool is touted as a "longlife" coolant, and it seems many GM owners are discovering the damage it does only after the vehicle's warranty expired.
GM is not the only who uses Dexcool although they do get the majority of bad press. To be fair there are several other vehicles that use Dexcool or some variation of OAT and I don't seem to hear the same level of noise with any of them.
The incompatibility between various custom/hybrid/conventional formulations in use today by various manufacturers is going to spell disaster down the road as the coolant needs replacing and is replaced incorrectly. If you thought you could go by color alone think again; the color is just a dye and there are no standards among manufacturers regarding what color to use for what type of coolant, so check carefully.
A long post but in closing it would be good to hear from others who have had success (or failure) using Dexcool in their Volvo for at least 5 years.
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