With weeks of frosts and thick snow, the last two winters were unusually cold throughout Europe. This fall, too, there have already been some icy cold nights. So it’s high time to make your car ready for the winter.
Many drivers have already fitted winter tires and added antifreeze to the windshield washer system. This is important, but not enough, to get a vehicle safely through the cold season. “The winter check must include testing the engine coolant,” Mike Freche, Glysantin ® brand manager at BASF, reminds us. As a rule of thumb, the coolant must be frost-resistant down to about -40°C.

If the antifreeze is inadequate, it can cause severe damage to the cooling system and engine. “The insufficiently protected coolant expands in the vehicle’s cooling circuit as it freezes, bursting hoses and causing hairline cracks in the engine block,” warns Freche. The result is expensive engine damage.

To ensure that the vehicle is fully equipped for the winter and can withstand extreme sub-zero temperatures, it is important to use a quality engine coolant such as Glysantin ® . Only the original from BASF offers triple protection, reliably safeguarding the engine against corrosion, overheating and frost. There is an appropriate Glysantin ® type for every vehicle. “Drivers must be aware that inferior products not approved for the vehicle can cause major engine damage,” explains Freche.

The prewinter inspection in the workshop also has another advantage. “Any damage to the engine or cooling system becomes obvious when the coolant is checked,” continues Freche. For example, deposits or striation in the coolant can lead a mechanic to detect and fix a defective cylinder-head gasket early on – long before the vehicle breaks down with engine failure. A driver generally does not have to spend a lot of money to make his vehicle winterproof. These days many workshops and gas stations offer inexpensive winter checks.

Those who want to replenish the engine coolant in their cars themselves should be careful to use the right mixing ratio. For optimum effectiveness, BASF experts recommend a ratio of 50:50 Glysantin ® to water. Each person can quickly decide which Glysantin ® type is suitable for his or her vehicle by consulting the detailed information on the original Glysantin ® bottle. In addition, the Glysantin ® team offers an easy-to-understand guide on the Internet at www.glysantin.de.

About Glysantin®
Glysantin®, the original from BASF, is Europe’s largest selling engine coolant. The products in the Glysantin® range reliably protect engines all year round from corrosion, frost and overheating, even under extreme climatic conditions. BASF first patented Glysantin® in 1929, and the coolants from Ludwigshafen have been very popular with motorists ever since. The proprietary products have the most OEM approvals from the large motor manufacturers. BASF works in cooperation with leading automobile suppliers to ensure that the Glysantin® range always fulfils the latest demands. The high-performance engine coolants from BASF are suitable for use in all motor vehicles. Further information about Glysantin® can be found on the Internet at www.glysantin.com.

Reactie XEA,nl
Basf heeft met Purac een samenwerking afgesloten op
30-09-2009
BASF and CSM announce joint production development of biobased Succinic Acid
LUDWIGSHAFEN, GERMANY and DIEMEN, NETHERLANDS, September 30, 2009 -- BASF SE and CSM nv today announced the cooperation between their respective subsidiaries BASF Future Business GmbH and PURAC for the development of the production of biobased succinic acid. Both partners have been working on the development of the industrial fermentation and down-stream processing of biobased succinic acid and will start production of commercial quality and volumes in the second quarter of 2010.