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Pride universal gold?


Dr.Dave

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In many sources of literature and online I've read there has been one consistent theme, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS UNIVERSAL COOLANT! The old green stuff contained silicates. Dexcool is supposed to be silicate free and uses HOAT additives while Ford and some Japanese brand vehicles use OAT additives. HOAT is not compatible with OAT. So if you are trying to use a universal coolant you will not be meeting the requirements of some or all of the vehicles you squirt the cheap stuff into.

 

The best way to truly serve your customers' needs is to find out what chemistry the OE coolant is and use an equivalent either aftermarket or OE supplied. If your customers are too cheap to take care of their cars properly either you need better customers, or you need to be prepared for that dreaded customer, Everett Sinchu. IF you do not have the regard for your profession to do the job right, well we have discussion lamenting the hack shops every week.

 

But to answer your initial question, no I have never heard of Pride Universal Gold coolant. My fluid and chemical suppliers do not pitch stuff like that to me because they know I do my work one way, the best I can. And to do that I need to research and use the proper fluids for the vehicle. I lost an oil change on a Cadillac SRX once because I refused to use generic conventional oil in it when AllData listed the engine required oil meeting GM spec GM4718M and continued that oils meeting that spec were usually identified as synthetic. She refused the $70.00 price because, "Well, the quick lube will do it for $35.00." Then let them buy her a new engine.

 

Once you lower your standards it's really hard to return to excellence.

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In many sources of literature and online I've read there has been one consistent theme, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS UNIVERSAL COOLANT! The old green stuff contained silicates. Dexcool is supposed to be silicate free and uses HOAT additives while Ford and some Japanese brand vehicles use OAT additives. HOAT is not compatible with OAT. So if you are trying to use a universal coolant you will not be meeting the requirements of some or all of the vehicles you squirt the cheap stuff into.

 

The best way to truly serve your customers' needs is to find out what chemistry the OE coolant is and use an equivalent either aftermarket or OE supplied. If your customers are too cheap to take care of their cars properly either you need better customers, or you need to be prepared for that dreaded customer, Everett Sinchu. IF you do not have the regard for your profession to do the job right, well we have discussion lamenting the hack shops every week.

 

But to answer your initial question, no I have never heard of Pride Universal Gold coolant. My fluid and chemical suppliers do not pitch stuff like that to me because they know I do my work one way, the best I can. And to do that I need to research and use the proper fluids for the vehicle. I lost an oil change on a Cadillac SRX once because I refused to use generic conventional oil in it when AllData listed the engine required oil meeting GM spec GM4718M and continued that oils meeting that spec were usually identified as synthetic. She refused the $70.00 price because, "Well, the quick lube will do it for $35.00." Then let them buy her a new engine.

 

Once you lower your standards it's really hard to return to excellence.

Thanksfor that input,as I said I'm new to the game.I spent alot of time working at dealerships and w/ all the training I got I think the same way.I am a small shop I just opened and on a very limited buget.Flush does require keeping some stock.What I really need is some advise on what to keep on hand.What few flavors will cover most cars? What should I pay for it? Do you have a guide or source or somthing you have put together your self that that describes what vechile takes what? I have mitchell on demand but on antifreeze I see a part # but it may take some research to find out what it is, don't always have time to do that.If you read the back of the jugs they somtimes say what cars they recomend to be used in.Should we not pay attention to that?As an example when I worked for Suzuki just a few years ago we started using Zerox GO5 in most of the japanees made cars,But that was inside info and haven't seen it public beside the label on the container.So with all that being said I,m not trying to be a hack shop I just want to keep a managable effecient stock of coolant and I'd like your help please if possible. Thanks, Dave

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

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      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”
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