Zerex Asian vs. Toyota "Pink" SLLC

[ben550]

I needed to do a drain and fill on my 04. I did not want to do a complete flush, just a drain and fill of the radiator. I plan on doing 2 or three drain in fills over the course of the next three weeks. I just wanted to refresh the coolant already in my system.

I read up on a lot of forums concerning the use of alternate coolants instead of using Toyota SLLC. One that typically came up was the Zerex Asian sold at NAPA.

I just wanted to post some pictures, prices, and the ingredients of both to give further resources to those looking at their options.

Zerex Asian LLC:
1) 50/50 Pre Mixed
2) Ingredients: Ethylene Glycol (107-21-1), Water (7732-18-5), Diethylene Glycol (111-46-6), Sodium Benzoate (532-32-1), Corrosion Inhibitors, Defoamers, Dye, and Bittering Agent.
3) Engineered by Valvoline for Asian Vehicles (Nissan, Honda, Toyota, Hundai, Mitsubishi)
4) Meets or exceeds ASTM D3306 & D4985
5) Price: $13.00/gallon (At NAPA Auto)

Toyota Pink SLLC:
1) 50/50 Pre Mixed
2) Ingredients:Water (7732-18-5), Ethylene Glycol (107-21-1), Diethylene Glycol (111-46-6), Sebacic Acid (111-20-6), Potassium Hydroxide (1310-58-3).
3) Engineered by Toyota for Toyotas.
4) Meets ASTM D-3306 & D-4340
5) Price: $19.00/gallon (At local Toyota Dealer)

The two were very similar but different. The main ingredients are similar but there are definite differences in the two compositions. Both are Ethylene Glycol based. Both have the the same temperature ratings.

I found many people who said using Zerex Asian was ok, however most of them stated they were doing a full flush of all the antifreeze and not just doing a drain and fill or topping off their existing Toyota Coolant (Red or Pink). Toyota Red and SLLC were said to be compatible and backwards compatible with Pink being the new and improved version.

I bought both but ended up returning the Zerex Asian. I would not mind using the Zerex Asian if i was doing the total flush but I did not want to mix the two and leave it like that long term. I'm sure the Zerex Asian would work fine but with the price difference being only $6.00/gallon there was no reason for me to cut that corner. I used Toyota SLLC and did my first drain and fill (1 gallon). I will be doing a second drain and fill next weekend, and then do one drain and fill every year as preventative maintenance to keep the coolant fresh.

I didn't do in depth analysis on this but wanted to post my observations and pics for others to use as a reference when looking at the same issue.

 

[bob3dsf]

interesting comparison. I've read mixed opinions on using and mixing the Zerex. I was going to do similar to you and do a couple/few drain and fills so that the leftover Toyota stuff was a very low concentration. I'd read that two similar coolants which are based on the same chemistry (Ethylene Glycol in this case) can be mixed with no catastrophic problems such as gelling.

I went to my nearby dealer to check and see what their price was on the SLLC and it was $21-23 per gal. I was quoted $38/gal. by my local dealer. I went with the $21 SLLC as it wasn't too much more than the cost of the Zerex from what I've heard.

 

[shadow247]

Pro-tip - Next time buy full strength Red SLLC from Toyota. It's $29 a gallon, so ends up costing 14.50 per mixed gallon. Our runners came with the Red SLLC - of course you can upgrade to the new Pink SLLC but it costs more.

FWIW, I've been running the Zerex Asian for 3 years and no issues to report. I have added about a half gallon over the last 3 years to the existing Toyota LLC.

 

[larryg]

zerex

for what it's worth...Ive been doing annual Zerex drain and fills on all my Toyotas since 2003 when I did a first flush on my 99 Prizm At first I'd buy Toyota fluid. But for over 5 years, Ive been using Zerex Asian formula. Ive never drained the block or removed a hose. I maintain the 99 Prizm, a 03&2 2010's Corollas and a 2004 4Runner. Ive never replaced a water pump, radiator or thermostat on any of these vehicles. When I drain the old stuff every fall, it still looks bright pink and transparent with no sediment or rust. And my heat is HOT HOT in all my vehicles.

 

[ZebRuaj]

To bootleg off your post ...

I've topped off and mixed Zerex Asian into SLLC with no ill effects to date either on my Toyota's.

There are other "compatible" coolants I've been reading on. Not sure what your take is on these:

Pentofrost A1 (RED concentrate)
Pentofrost A4 (PINK diluted)

Pentosin - Antifreeze

Rocochem OEM Concentrate and 50/50

OEM Premium Extended Life Antifreeze/Coolant (Toyota) - Anti-freeze, windshield wash, solvents, Global supplier of automotive liquids & household chemicals - Recochem Inc.

 

[Lester Lugnut]

This is an old thread, but I do not like starting redundant ones, so I'll post what I have to say here. A little different story than the other Zerex coolant threads.

A couple of weeks ago I changed the factory fill coolant in my '15 Tacoma 4.0L - it too uses Toyota's SLLC.

I bought the required amt. of Zerex Asian Formula - red label - to use as a replacement. I have used it in other Toyota's. I normally just pour from the coolant jug, but got anal as I wanted to know exactly how much went back in during this first change/refill. After pouring in a few 32 oz. cups of the Zerex coolant I noticed white flaky material in the bottom of the cup. I then poured more coolant from the jug thru a strainer and saw more of this substance. Local dealer was still open so I grabbed sufficient SLLC, flushed as best I could with a hose and refilled with SLLC.

I opened an issue with Valvoline that night - got a response the next day and paraphrasing was told there should be no matter visible to the naked eye in their coolant. They wanted me to send them a sample. Took 2 wks. to get a sample kit from them and they want me to pay the return shipping which will amt. to about half the total I spent on the 2 gals., so I may just chalk it up to a bad batch and move on. I was seeking a refund for the 2 gals. and thought they should know about this.

I noticed that if you refill pouring straight out of the jug, you may not notice this foreign material in the coolant.

Watch out for that Zerex Asian Formula Coolant.

 

[velonova]

After pouring in a few 32 oz. cups of the Zerex coolant I noticed white flaky material in the bottom of the cup. I then poured more coolant from the jug thru a strainer and saw more of this substance.

I noticed that if you refill pouring straight out of the jug, you may not notice this foreign material in the coolant.

I have some Zerex Asian Coolant that was opened about 8 years ago (and a quart of it was used). The remainder was stored in the original jug in a room temperature closet since then. I drained my radiator today and as I was refilling it from the jug I noticed that there was some kind of salt collecting inside near the mouth of the bottle. Upon examining with my fingers, it has the feel of a coarse table salt. I contacted Valvoline and all they would say is that the shelf-life had expired and don't use it. I drained it out and will flush it with water (I didn't start the engine, so it didn't circulate), then refill it with either fresh Zerex or Toyota brand. The vehicle had a mix of Toyota and Zerex in it for 10+ years (tho less than 50k miles during that time) without being changed and the drained coolant looked almost new. The engine has always run plenty cool even in hot weather with the a/c on.

I was wondering if you had sent your sample to Valvoline and if they had anything to say. If I get more Zerex i will pour it into a clear cup before it goes into the radiator. .

 

[Lester Lugnut]

Yes - I sent in a sample back when this occurred - they sent me a collection kit in the mail to be used for gathering the faulty coolant - was changing coolant on a 2015 4.0L Tacoma. Valvoline claimed that residual matter like I experienced in brand new coolant was not a problem. I'm not a chemist, but would rather pour coolant into a system that contained no flaky matter.
Your situation sounds different altogether - you were using old coolant. Your contamination was at the mouth of the jug. Mine was always at the bottom of wherever it was being filled from. In my case I had poured 1 qt. at a time into a plastic measuring cup and added. When I was almost done with each cup, I noticed the crud in the bottom of the cup.
I drained the Zerex and bought OEM coolant from a local Toyota dealer - no crud.
What's funny is I have seen postings on the web that claim the Zerex and Toyota SLLC are made in the same facility - likely same coolant. This statement of course is just something I saw on the web and may not be true.
Most recently I changed coolant on a 2006 Avalon and used the Walmart-suppled Valvoline coolant(Asian) which costs less than Zerex. Zerex is made by Valvoline.
Go figure? I suspect WM cut a deal with Valvoline