Club 80-90 Forums

I mean, drain it properly.

Obviously I can just undo a random hose and let coolant pee out all over the drive and run into the gutter and down the drain. But that doesn't sound very responsible. But 16 litres is a lot of fluid to capture, and then according to my Haynes, dispose of properly. What does that even mean? I can just imagine going down the local tip with near 20 litres of coolant and asking where to tip that!

What do experienced driveway mechanics do? I've never drained the coolant before, so looking for a few tips that will help the novice.

When I have drained the coolant in the past I generally capture it in a couple of sink bowls and re use it. Expensive stuff.

However yes you are right you should not let it go down drains and into the river system, or soak into the ground as it is highly poisonous to pets and wildlife, one teaspoon of coolant would kill a cat + they like the sweet taste. Also you should not put it down the toilet to enter the sewage system, contrary to popular belief. Best contact your local authority and see if they have a facility to deal with it. Most reputable garages have a waste disposal company contract that deal with this type of thing.