Mixing engine coolants?

Toyota did some good research years ago .. they found that anti freeze that contain silicates caused excessive wear in the water pump seals .. most antifreeze at that time contained silicates .. so toyota developed their own type .. and they charged a lot for it .. it was red in color .. it was designed to last a long time and cut seal wear to a minimum (no silicates) .. so it was a good idea to use their super antifreeze .. now almost all antifreeze can mix with other types but do you reallly want to contaminate the expensive stuff already in your car with something that might contain silicates .. in this case toyota has a good reason for recommending certain types of antifreeze .. of course they used to recommend only their own brand but i hope that has changed .. i would use only long life antifreeze that is recommended by toyota or that states "contains no silicates" .. even buying their expensive stuff isnt so bad since it lasts so long and the echo uses so little. .. i am not sure what the new long life antifreeze contains ... did they ever address that problem ?..

Most coolant bottles will tell you the make it is used for. If the bottle doesn't say can be mixed with any other coolant my suggestion is don't use it. Go to your local auto parts store and get the proper coolant for your car. Mixing them can cause a reaction with the metal in the engine.