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DexCool in GM Engines

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Dex-Cool • Dex-Cool Class Action Deadline Nears • California Court to Rule on Dex-Cool Settlement • GM Owners Still Steaming Over Dex-Cool • Consumer Complaints

Brent of warminster, PA November 7, 2009

I personally have not had my GM car long enough to encounter a problem. So, I decided to flush the DEX COOL and put in PEAK antifreeze/coolant. I've heard too many horror stories about this defective product. I'm modifiying my car, so I need a product that works.

Barbara of Belton, MO November 6, 2009

I, like many of the others on this page have been dealt a raw deal with this crap they sell called Dex-Cool. How convenient that once dex cool is in your car that is all you can use. Unless you want to pay big money to flush it out. everything i read in this complaint bar has happened to me! Finally my poor wonderful 03 Chevy Malibu could keep up no longer, over heated suddenly and stranded me on the highway on the way to work two weeks ago! i didn't know that my car needed to have this junk flushed out of it or i would have done it...or got another vehicle. Dex-cool broke down nearly every componant of my coolant system. busted the head gaskets and two of the water jackets on the rear head were completely plugged up with dex-cool sludge as was the overflow tank! I will NEVER by any vehicle that has dex-cool in it. EVER! I'm a single mother with two teenagers and i drive 50 miles round trip M-F for work. What a bunch of crap that they wouldn't help me fix what could have been the best car i have ever owned in my twenty five years of driving. All because of Dex-Cool! Looking online now i see that i am nearly one year to the date too late to collect on this settlement that i was completely unaware of. i'm angry that GM didn't notify me of this possible serious and very expensive problem!

S of Lake Waukomis, MO November 3, 2009

Daughter has an '02 Chevy Malibu. Son has an '02 Chevy Van. Within a few months of each other, they experienced the same problem. At first, a slow leak of antifreeze and temp. gauge hot. Eventually, a lot of leaking. Both vehicles were repaired by two different repair facilities. Both were problems with intake manifolds (Dexcool). Malibu cost to repair 750. Van repair 695. GM not taking responsibility? No recall?

g of santa rosa, CA November 2, 2009

i own a 2002 chev impala that has developed an intake manifold coolant leak due to DexCool antifreeze. a certified mechanic has determined that this repair is of a major concern due to the nature of this leak. it will in time leak into the engine destroying the bearings. having discovered this problem early is fortunate but this repair is a major job due to time needed to remove all the other parts obstructing and surrounding the manifold and will cost me upwards of 1000 to replace the intake manifold, gasket(s), and flush coolant system and replace antifreeze with non DexCool product. this does not include nor exclude any unseen damages to be discovered upon dismantling. my car is no longer under factory warranty

Kevin of Tempe, AZ October 25, 2009

1997 S10, 1999 Camaro, 2001 S10, 2002 S10, 3 of these vehicles had catsstrophic failure in intake and head gaskets. 1 the 1997 S10 is a near miss. After I read about Dexcool I changed the antifreeze and put in Bars leak. It is the only one still running. Oil use, water use. & no drips all of them had it. All at about 90-100 thousand miles. Dexcool is garbage and because of it I will never buy another GM product. I have rebuilt engines and cars all my life. Never before have I seen such failure of cooling systems. Anyone who tells you otherwise is fabricating a story so that GM doesnt have to recall cars and do repairs. I discourage (strongly) everyday people from buying any GM product or anything that requires Dexcool.

Dianne of Maple Ridge, Canada October 24, 2009

I own a 2001 Pontiac Grand AM. I love the car very much and I take care of it. I noticed that I was having to keep putting oil in my car every six weeks or so. It was going some where but never on the ground where one would see oil dripping from a leak somewhere. I took it to my mechanic and I told him I think I needed the head gaskets changed or maybe the oil pan gasket. He checked it out and when he called me back to tell me what the issue was and that it was going to cost be a nice shinny penny, I almost got sick. Turns out that there are hundreds of complaints about this issue and Class Actions in progress for it. The Dex Cool anifreeze that they created for the enviroment eats away at the cheap plastic manifold gaskets. This Dex coolant leaves a horrible sticky greyish gum all over the inside of the radiator and the overflow tanks causing the sensors to tell you that you are low on coolant when actually you are not. You can't even see the water level in the over flow. That's not all. The coolant slowly eats away at the manifold gaskets so we all know what that means. Water and oil don't mix in an engine!!

The cost to fix this was 1400.00. The issue is that GM knew ahout this problem with the coolant and what it did to the gaskets a long time ago but they didn't want the cost involved with a recall. So they sat on it and never told any one about it. That is safty hassard right there and I had no idea I was driving a self destructing machine, that could of left me stranded any where at any time. How dare they play games like this with honost people that believed in GM and bought their cars? They could of told us to watch out for this in what ever cars have the V6 in what ever model this has affected. There where a few different GM brands involved. I could of fried the engine!!! Thank god I realized there was something wrong. The oil just when through the manifold and blew out the sides as it was never found on the ground or visable from the front view of the engine.

I want to know how I can make GM responsible for this terrible defect especially when they knew about it but did nothing about changing the parts, like the gaskets and coolant. I believe the coolant has been discontinued but don't quote me one that. I also read about a Class action Law suit in the states for this same issue which was closed and the people won the case as of yesterday. The have to help for the repairs now anywhere from 50.00 to 700.00 I want GM to stand up this error and pay for repairs. My car is only 8 years old and this should not of happened. Where can I add my name to a Class Action law suit in Canada so we can get our hard earned monies back? Thanks for listening

Pam of Trinity, NC October 23, 2009

I own a 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix with 75,000 miles on it, very low mileage for a car this old. On Thursday, Oct 15, my car had to be towed to the dealership with a possible blown head gasket. Now let me say that my car has been cared for with every service met over the last ten years and special attention paid in the last 4 months. What I found out was this-the coolant, Dex-Cool, was destroying my engine. This is the same coolant that is mandatory in GM cars!!! You even go so far as to state if any other coolant is used, it will void the warranty.

In 2006 the manifold gaskets had to be replaced, along with the thermostat gasket. We had to have a water pump replaced in 2007 and the coolant was changed. In August, right after the oil, lube and filter service, we started having problems with the low coolant light coming on and then the temperature hand started going crazy. We had it checked out and no one could figure out what was going on. They finally decided it was either the sensor in the radiator or the cluster panel. We had the sensor replaced, with no relief. Then before I could take it to the dealership to find out if they knew what was going on, it died and had to be towed.

At the dealership (GM Superstore in Thomasville, NC) they told me the coolant had invaded the engine and could possibly have caused the head gasket to malfunction. They described the coolant as looking like 'chewing gum'. After a week and with the bill already up to 820.00 dollars, they said the timing cover gasket and seal had to be replaced. The car was flushed and refilled with a coolant -not Dex Cool!!!! They said they do not use this anymore-what does that tell you???

After replacing the parts, there was still a problem with the temp so they also had to replace the cluster panel. All in all, with the car towing, car rentals and the repair bill it came to 1436.00! All this for something that wasn't our fault. After doing research online regarding the Dex Cool coolant, I knew that we certainly weren't the only ones that had problems. There are thousands of us out there and you need to hear us!

My question to you is this-how long are you going to deny that this coolant is poison to cars? It dissolves engine parts and especially gaskets. We are recent retirees and had planned on keeping this car for my husband to have a 'run around car'. Now I don't know if the damage that has been done will ever be completely cured. I am disappointed and very angry that this is never going to be acknowledged because you know that you will be opening yourself up to major rebates to customers. I just wish you would do the right thing here and at least consider returning our expenses. This would certainly go a long way toward keeping us a GM customers (less the Dex-Cool, of course!). I have every receipt on every service and repair of this car, if you wish to see it.

James of DERRY, NH October 23, 2009

My 1999 gmc sierra 1500 pickup truck developed a coolant leak. My mechanic told me it was a leaking intake manifold gasket. My 2004 Sierra Z71 pickup truck is loosing coolant. My mechanic told me that my truck has "Castech" heads which are leaking coolant into my oil because they ar porus. GM has a "Technical service bulletin" explaining this problem but they will not fix the problem.

My 2002 chevy impala developed a coolant leak which was also the intake gaskets. I had the gaskets replaced at my expense. I was told this is common in vehicles using "Dexcool". This vehicle now has oil in the coolant. I am told this is also caused by Dex-cool coolant. I still own all three vehicles and I'm affraid to drive any of them.

Israel of raleigh, NC October 20, 2009

I had to utilize pep boys of davies circle to repair the damages left behind and in the words of the "Pep boys Technician" He called the "Havoline Dex cool" Anti freeze coolant that he found in my engine I quote" POISON. He said that was the culprit that caused me to having to pay to replace a heater hose under the intake manifold 902.00 in repairs because of this idiotic product corroding the inside of my engine - had I known I would've flushed it from the start. basically---I lost one day at work @ 27.50 an hour for ten hours and 902.00 dollars in repairs that I didn't have.

goldie of webster springs, WV October 8, 2009

2001 blazer has brown gunk in raditaor. Have had to replace heater core, and water pump and told by mechanic the raditor will probally have to be replaced. replaced heater core water pump and probally have to replace raditor

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