Coolant is a mixture of water and antifreeze solution in the radiator which prevents the car’s engine from overheating to halt a breakdown. There are many types of car coolants available in the market that adds to the confusion of which is the right type of coolant for your car.

Why Coolant is Important for Your Car?

The word “coolant” does not completely define all functions of this fluid in your car. A coolant performs three different functions like lowering the freezing point of the cooling system in winter, raising the boiling point of the cooling system in summer and protecting the engine and cooling system from corrosion and rust all year around. Here is some important information related to choosing the right coolant for your car.

Types of Coolants

As mentioned earlier, the market is full of different types of car coolant with fancy names like Inorganic Additive Technology (IAT), Hybrid Organic Acid Technology (HOAT) and Organic Acid Technology (OAT).

The Inorganic Additive Technology type of coolant is ideal for older cars. When it comes to newer car models, there is no golden rule to follow. The majority of car manufacturers supply their dealership with different coolant types. These coolants are suited for a specific model and make of car. If you are not sure about which coolant is right for your car, go to the car dealership to get the right answer. In fact, many coolants are branded for specific car models which make it easy to pick the right type of coolant for your car.

Don’t Go by the Car Coolant Color

When selecting a car coolant, don’t get confused by the color of the car coolant. For example, Organic Acid Technology types of coolants are available in a wide-range of colors like purple, red, yellow and orange. Similarly, older OAT coolants are also available in a green color. You need to read what the bottle of the coolant says and then determine whether it is the right coolant for your car.

Check the Car Owner’s Manual

The car owner’s manual is one of the most reliable sources of information about fluid types to be used in your car. Once you know the right type of coolant, you can either use the OEM brand or aftermarket coolant recommended for your car model. You should always keep a note of the type of coolant used in the maintenance record and ensure the right coolant level in the radiator.

If you are opting for factory-recommended coolant at any point, make sure you completely drain the old coolant before filling the radiator with new coolant. The coolant plays an important role in keeping your car’s engine in good health. If you ignore the coolant level and use the wrong coolant type, you will be required to spend more money on unnecessary repairs and maintenance.

Modern cars don’t need frequent coolant changes but you need to make sure the car radiator is filled with right amount and right type of coolant at all times.

Nissan redesigned the 2019 Altima with high-tech features and remarkable styling. It is trying to recapture the attention of buyers defecting to crossovers. The company unveiled this latest 6th generation Altima at the New York Auto Show earlier this year with much aplomb and amidst lots of cheers. With this redesign, it is trying to infuse fresh energy into the segment of family sedans. Many significant changes have been made to improve the technology and performance of this car. Here is everything that the 2019 Nissan Altima will bring to the table.

New Technologies

Nissan has anticipated competing with brands like Honda and Toyota with the 2019 version of the Altima. The company is giving a wide array of high-tech features and latest technologies to this vehicle. It is designed with ProPilot Assist which is an autonomous feature for lane keeping. With this feature, the company is trying to create space for introducing advanced self-driving techniques in the future. Also, the 2019 edition of the Altima boasts of Safety Shield 360 which is a network of upgradeable technologies for safety monitoring and intervention along with several other safety features.

An Improved Engine

The sixth-generation Nissan Altima is redesigned with two new engines. Both of these engines have been designed to reduce their footprint and take up less space under the hood. It comes with a variable compression turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine cranking up the power of up to 248 hp with torque of 273 pound-feet. The company will also offer a newly designed 2.5-liter inline DOHC four-cylinder engine up to 188 hp and torque of 180 pound-feet.

All-Wheel Drive Feature

Nissan continues with its tech onslaught in the 2019 Altima by introducing an All-Wheel Drive feature that directly pits Altima against the Ford Fusion. The company has recalibrated this new version for better performance. It has used the AWD technology of the Rogue crossover which happens to be the best-selling car from Nissan. With this revolutionary feature, the Japanese automaker is expecting to boost the sales of the Altima even in the cold weather markets where crossovers and SUVs are preferred over family sedans.

Sophisticated Interior

With the 2019 Nissan Altima, the company has presented a sophisticated cabin that replaces traditional chrome embellishment with matte accents. It features a lower dash top to create an open and airy ambiance. The instrument panel is classy and minimalist. Also, this design has minimum clutter as the central stack controls are housed in a fixed 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen that comes with Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™. It also has a dual-zone automatic interface for climate control and 7.0-inch TFT multi-information display for the driver.

Stylish Exterior

This redesign is completely reinventing the styling of the Nissan Altima. It has a larger V-motion grille which is an improved version of Nissan’s trademark grille design. The headlamps and taillights are trendier and more sophisticated in this sedan. It has a sporty stance and the wheelbase is larger by 1.9 inches in this car.

These are the premium features and capabilities that the 2019 Nissan Altima will bring forth for the existing and new admirers of family sedans.

Keeping your car clean, tidy and spotless from the outside is not enough. In order to maintain your car and ensure that it is running efficiently right from its core, it is imperative to keep a tab on the inner workings of the vehicle as well. Changing your oil and keeping an eye on the frequency of doing so is a crucial task of keeping the inner workings of your car running smoothly.

In order to make sure that you ace the art of keeping your car healthy, here is all that you need to know about that all-important motor oil, and when and how you should change it.

What Role Does Motor Oil Play?

As mentioned above, the motor oil in your car plays a big and more important role in keeping things functioning well internally as far as your vehicle is concerned. Oil makes sure that all parts inside the car remain lubricated and don’t get damaged due to any unwarranted grinding or heating. That’s why it’s important to keep an eye on the levels and maintenance of motor oil in your car.

When Does the Oil Need to be Changed?  

The first and easiest way to get to know more about when to change the oil in your car is according to the instruction manual that goes with your particular car model. Make sure you go through all the instructions mentioned in the manual in order to gain an insight as to when the ideal time to change the oil in your vehicle would be.

Many cars come with monitors that remind users to cater to their car’s oil needs at regular intervals and when needed. It is important to pay heed to these notifications and get your oil changed in time. The estimated calculation as to when it is ideal to change the oil in your car is universally averaged at around 3,000 miles or once in every three months.

How to Change the Oil by Yourself?

In order to change the car oil all by yourself, you need to make sure that your car is in place and your tires are restrained with the help of wheel blocks. Jack the car at the point where it’s mentioned according to the instruction manual and place jack stands.

Remove the oil cap on top of the engine after opening your hood and keep a collecting container ready below, in order to hold all of the drained oil after removing the oil plug from below.

Wait for the oil to drain and then remove the filter by unscrewing it with a proper tool. Prepare the new filter by adding a bit of the fresh, replacement oil as lubricant and screw it tight in place.

All you need to do next is add the fresh, new oil at the fill hole above the engine and replace the fill cap, ensuring that it is shut tight.

This is how you can check and administer the oil-changing process of your car if and when need be.