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How do you add coolant to a car?

C

Chiropteran

Diamond Member
I thought it was pretty simple.

Step 1- open the hood
Step 2- find the coolant reservoir
Step 3- pour in some water/antifreeze.

I got stuck on step 1. I was in a minor accident a month ago, couldn't stop fast enough and rear-ended someone, I probably wasn't going much more than 5 mph but it damaged my car's grill. The other driver's car was fine, and even though I hit him he just waved me off and drove away without filing an accident report with the police or insurance.

I thought it was just some minor damage to the grill. Last night my coolant light came on on the way home from work, so I decided to add some this morning. Nope, the hood won't open.

Seems like such a minor thing, but I'm going to have to take it in. I hope it's cheap to fix.

garaged
- vi
Off Topic Mod
 
Bang on the hood as you pull the release latch(easier with 2 people). Many times that'll get it to pop.
 
Originally posted by: lxskllr
Bang on the hood as you pull the release latch(easier with 2 people). Many times that'll get it to pop.
Click to expand...

You might also need to use something to gently pry the hood open if the latch has been bent from the accident.
 
Originally posted by: Chiropteran
I thought it was pretty simple.

Step 1- open the hood
Step 2- find the coolant reservoir
Step 3- pour in some water/antifreeze.

I got stuck on step 1. I was in a minor accident a month ago, couldn't stop fast enough and rear-ended someone, I probably wasn't going much more than 5 mph but it damaged my car's grill. The other driver's car was fine, and even though I hit him he just waved me off and drove away without filing an accident report with the police or insurance.

I thought it was just some minor damage to the grill. Last night my coolant light came on on the way home from work, so I decided to add some this morning. Nope, the hood won't open.

Seems like such a minor thing, but I'm going to have to take it in. I hope it's cheap to fix.
Click to expand...

your accident might have damaged your radiator.... sounds expensive hmmm?
 
Reminds me of my niece. Her check oil light came on and she didn't want the motor to burn up. So she bought 4 quarts of oil and filled up the valve cover because it wasn't full 🙂
 
Originally posted by: sao123


your accident might have damaged your radiator.... sounds expensive hmmm?
Click to expand...

I sure hope not. The accident was more than a month ago, I think if the radiator was damaged the coolant light would have come on sooner.

 
Originally posted by: Chiropteran
Originally posted by: sao123


your accident might have damaged your radiator.... sounds expensive hmmm?
Click to expand...

I sure hope not. The accident was more than a month ago, I think if the radiator was damaged the coolant light would have come on sooner.
Click to expand...

Not if it was a small leak. Also if your radiator is leaking there's a good chance your ac condensor is messed up too.

Could just be a hose or any number of small things though.
 
I'd consider taking it to a garage and explaining that you can't get your hood open. A nice mechanic will have it open in two minutes and won't charge you anything for it.
 
I don't know anything about coolant, but if you want to add coolant to your car just get a bunch of NAS decals and slap them on.
 
I agree, at this point take it to a mechanic. If you try to force it open yourself, you will likely damage the hood. Then you will need a body shop to fix the hood, a new latch or cable as needed and most likely either a repair or replacement of both the AC condenser and the car radiator. You can be almost 100% certain the accident is the reason you are now very slowly loosing coolant. And as mentioned above, ac condenser is ahead of the radiator, so you can be sure it is damaged as well. Once the weather warms up, you will see the results of not fixing it asap. Only good thing, is your insurance won't go up. But it will cost your deductible and more to fix (presuming a $250 or so deductible) ... Figure on about $700 - $900 or so to fix it.
 
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