16.11.2016
According to the recommendations of the manufacturer of this compact crossover, the coolant must be replaced after 10 thousand kilometers or a year of operation, whichever comes first. But it is recommended to check the coolant level at least once a week: it will not necessarily drop during natural evaporation. Emergency leaks are possible, which must be found out in a timely manner, otherwise you will have to buy expensive Chery Tigo spare parts. Today we will tell you how to change the coolant for a Chery Tiggo in a garage without resorting to the help of service providers. 
When replacing the coolant, you should remember about its toxicity and care when working with it. Avoid contact with open skin, if it does get hit - be sure to rinse, drain the liquid carefully, into a prepared container and avoid getting it into the ground. And all work with the coolant should be carried out only on a cold engine.
It is recommended to use ethylene glycol-based coolants in Chery Tiggo cars, which are more simply called "antifreeze". At the same time, the color of antifreeze does not matter at all: a different color speaks only of different dyes. And if you are going to change the liquid, then you need to pay attention not to its color, but to the type (composition), which must strictly correspond to the one recommended by the manufacturer. 
The concentration of ethylene glycol in the coolant depends on the climatic zone in which the car is used - in order to avoid freezing of the coolant in the cooling system in winter: the higher the concentration, the lower the freezing point. But, at the same time, it is highly discouraged to use 100% ethylene glycol: it contains anti-corrosion additives, which require water to dissolve. If it does not exist, the additives will settle in the cooling system in the form of deposits, which will not improve, but worsen its ability to remove heat and may lead to engine overheating up to 149 degrees (the boiling point of ethylene glycols is much higher than that of water).
To obtain a solution of the required concentration (proportions are usually indicated by the coolant manufacturers on the bottle packaging), use only distilled water.
Now, in fact, to replace the coolant. You need to stock up on a container for draining the old antifreeze (better - about 10 liters), a piece of hoses of a suitable diameter (for the drain pipe on the radiator) and new antifreeze. It is better to perform work on a flat surface.
- Remove the plug, turning it counterclockwise.
- Open the expansion tank, unscrewing its cover.
- Open the drain valve on the radiator, substituting a container for the spent antifreeze under it. To do the work more accurately, a small piece of a hose of a suitable diameter can be put on the tap fitting. The tap itself is located in the lower part of the radiator, on the inside of it on the left (in the photo - a view on the removed radiator from the side facing the engine).
- Tighten the tap after draining the coolant by hand..
- If the expansion tank is dirty and with deposits, it can be removed and washed. After that, install and fill in the liquid for flushing the cooling system (you can use distilled water) through the neck of the radiator to the level of the steam pipe: you need to flush both the system itself and the Cherie Tigo radiator.
- Start the engine and let the engine warm up before the cooling fan operates, then turn off the engine, let it cool slightly and drain the water.
- If the water spilled out of the system is dirty, the flushing procedure must be repeated. Then fill in the prepared coolant through the radiator, and without closing its cap, start the engine.
- As it warms up, air will escape from the system, and the coolant level will fall. Add the level in the process of warming up to the norm until air from the system stops leaving. Usually, at the stage of filling the system, the fan will have time to turn on 5-6 times.
- After the air has stopped coming out, tighten the radiator cap, and top up the coolant expansion tank to the maximum value. After that, start the engine, let it warm up, turn it off and wait for it to cool.
- After the engine has cooled down, check the coolant level and top up if necessary to the maximum value.
In the process of warming up the engine, attention should be paid to the coolant temperature (on the gauge of the instrument panel) and the timely operation of the fan. 
If the temperature has reached its maximum, and the fan shows no signs of life, you need to find out the reason. To do this, turn on the heater in the cabin and check the temperature of the air that it supplies. If the air is warmed up, then the fan is not working. If the air is cold, a plug has formed in the cooling system. Open the radiator cap, let the engine run for 3-5 minutes and close the cap. And in order for the air to escape from the system better, you should regularly press on the radiator hoses during warming up with the radiator open in order to expel air locks.
After a few days of operation, after replacing the coolant in the system, check the level again. Top up if necessary. Also pay attention to the color of the coolant. If the liquid is sharply discolored, it means that ordinary blue was used for touch-up and you became the owner of a poor-quality coolant, which you need to urgently get rid of. In the same way, the liquid is not of high quality, if after a short period of time it has acquired a brown tint. This suggests that the manufacturer most likely "forgot" to add anti-corrosion additives to it, and such a liquid also needs to be changed urgently. A high-quality coolant practically does not change its color - it only darkens a little during long-term operation.
You may find it helpful:
Antifreeze for Chery Tiggo T11
The table shows the type and color of the required antifreeze for pouring into Chery Tiggo T11,produced from 2012 to 2014.
| Year | Engine | Type of | Colour | Lifetime | Recommended manufacturers |
| 2012 | gasoline, diesel | G12 ++ | Red | from 5 to 7 years | Freecor QR, Freecor DSC, Glysantin G 40, FEBI |
| 2013 | gasoline, diesel | G12 ++ | Red | from 5 to 7 years | FEBI, VAG, Castrol Radicool Si OAT |
| 2014 | gasoline, diesel | G12 ++ | Red | from 5 to 7 years | Frostschutzmittel A, FEBI, VAG |
When buying, you need to know the shade - Colour and Type of antifreeze approved for the year of manufacture of your Tiggo T11. Select the manufacturer at your discretion. Do not forget - each type of fluid has its own service life. 
For example: for Chery Tiggo (T11 Body) 2012 onwards, with a gasoline or diesel engine type, lobrid antifreeze class, type G12 ++ with shades of red, is suitable. The approximate next replacement period is 7 years. If possible, check the selected fluid to meet the vehicle manufacturer's specifications and service intervals. It's important to know Each type of liquid has its own color. There are rare cases when a type is tinted with a different color.
The color of red antifreeze can be from purple to light pink (green and yellow have the same principles). 
Mix liquid from different manufacturers - can if their types match the mixing conditions. G11 can be mixed with G11 analogues
G11 cannot be mixed with G12
G11 can be mixed G12 +
G11 can be mixed G12 ++
G11 can be mixed G13
G12 can be mixed with G12 analogues
G12 cannot be mixed with G11
G12 can be mixed with G12 +
G12 cannot be mixed with G12 ++
G12 cannot be mixed with G13
G12 +, G12 ++ and G13 can be mixed with each other
Mixing of Antifreeze with Antifreeze is not allowed. No way! Antifreeze and Antifreeze are very different in quality. Antifreeze is the trade name of the traditional type (TL) of the old-style coolant. At the end of its service life, the liquid is completely discolored or very tarnished. Before changing one type of fluid to another, flush the car's radiator with plain water.
Antifreeze is a brand of domestic antifreeze, developed back in 1971, which began to be produced in Togliatti during the Soviet era. There were only 2 types of domestic antifreeze: antifreeze-40 (blue) and antifreeze-65 (red).
Antifreezes are distinguished by the additives included in it:
- Traditional antifreeze;
- Hybrid antifreeze G-11(Hybrid, "hybrid coolants", HOAT (Hybrid Organic Acid Technology));
- Carboxylate antifreezes G-12, G-12 +("Carboxylate coolants", OAT (Organic Acid Technology));
- Lobrid antifreeze G-12 ++, G-13("Lobrid coolants" or "SOAT coolants").
If you need to top up the Cherie Tiggo (T11) coolant, it is safe to mix only one type of antifreeze, not the color. Color is just a dye. It is forbidden to pour water (even distilled water) into the Chery Tiggo (T11) radiator, since in the heat at a temperature of 100C the water will boil and scale will form. In cold weather, the water will freeze, the pipes and the Chery Tiggo (T11) radiator will simply burst.
Replace the coolant with Chery Tiggo (T11) for several reasons:
- Antifreeze expires- the concentration of inhibitors in it decreases, heat transfer decreases;
- The level of antifreeze from leaks has decreased- its level in Chery's expansion tank must remain constant. In this case, it can go through leaks in the joints, or cracks in the radiator, pipes.
- Decreased antifreeze level due to engine overheating- the antifreeze begins to boil, a safety valve opens in the plug of the expansion tank of the Cherie Tiggo cooling system (T11), discharging antifreeze vapors into the atmosphere.
- Cherie Tiggo (T11) cooling system parts are being replaced or engine repair;
Signs by which the state of the spent antifreeze in Chery Tiggo (T11) is determined:
- Test strip results;
- Measurement of antifreeze in Chery Tiggo (T11) with a refractometer or hydrometer;
- Change in color shade: for example, it was green, became rusty or yellow, as well as turbidity, fading;
- The presence of shavings, chips, scale, foam.
Flushing the Chery Tiggo (T11) cooling system, before pouring new antifreeze, completely removes the protective layer and the remnants of the old antifreeze, this is necessary when changing from one type to another. To flush the Cherie Tiggo (T11) radiator, use a special product that is often diluted with water in accordance with the instructions. The finished flush is poured into the expansion tank of the Chery Tiggo (T11) radiator with the engine turned off. It must first be warmed up to operating temperature so that the thermostat opens and antifreeze begins to circulate in a large circle of the cooling system.
Then the engine is started, it is allowed to idle for 30 minutes. Discard the flushing liquid. The operation is repeated depending on the composition of the outflowing liquid. The flushing mixture can be used only in the first run, in the following - distilled water. The time for replacing antifreeze with Chery Tiggo (T11) is from half an hour, with flushing - up to 1.5 hours.
You will need: coolant, funnel, clean rag.
Note
The manufacturer recommends using an ethylene glycol-based coolant (antifreeze).
Do not mix liquids of different colors and brands. If you need to top up the coolant, but you do not know the brand of the fluid poured into the system, replace all the fluid in the cooling system. Use products from trusted manufacturers only. Remember that using poor quality coolant will result in costly engine repairs! Place the vehicle on a level surface before starting work.
Warnings
Check the coolant level on a cold engine only. Coolant is toxic, so take precautions when handling it.
Do not pour liquid into the tank above the “MAX” mark, as its volume will increase when the engine is running.
When starting the engine, the expansion tank cap must be tightly closed.
Useful Tips
Monitor the coolant level at all times. Its sharp decrease or increase should be a signal for an immediate check of the engine cooling system.
If the freshly poured antifreeze suddenly suddenly quickly changed color to brown, you were sold a fake, in which you "forgot" to add corrosion inhibitors. Change the fluid as soon as possible before it has time to corrode the cooling system.
The expansion tank is installed in the engine compartment on the right side.
1. The coolant level should be between the "MAX" and "MIN" marks on the wall of the expansion tank
2. To add fluid, remove the expansion tank cap ...
Notes (edit)
If the expansion tank is completely empty, remove the radiator cap by turning it 90 ° counterclockwise and add fluid to the radiator up to the edge of the radiator neck. Then close the radiator with a plug and add fluid to the expansion tank to the required level.
4. Close the cap on the expansion tank.
Antifreeze for Chery Tiggo T11
The table shows the type and color of the required antifreeze for pouring into Chery Tiggo T11,produced from 2005 to 2011.
| Year | Engine | Type of | Colour | Lifetime | Recommended manufacturers |
| 2005 | gasoline, diesel | G12 + | Red | 5 years | Chevron, AWM, G-Energy, Lukoil Ultra, GlasElf |
| 2006 | gasoline, diesel | G12 + | Red | 5 years | Chevron, G-Energy, Freecor |
| 2007 | gasoline, diesel | G12 + | Red | 5 years | Havoline, MOTUL Ultra, Lukoil Ultra, GlasElf |
| 2008 | gasoline, diesel | G12 + | Red | 5 years | Havoline, AWM, G-Energy |
| 2009 | gasoline, diesel | G12 + | Red | 5 years | Havoline, MOTUL Ultra, Freecor, AWM |
| 2010 | gasoline, diesel | G12 + | Red | 5 years | Havoline, AWM, G-Energy, Freecor |
| 2011 | gasoline, diesel | G12 + | Red | 5 years | Frostschutzmittel A, VAG, FEBI, Zerex G |
When buying, you need to know the shade - Colour and Type of antifreeze approved for the year of manufacture of your Tiggo T11. Select the manufacturer at your discretion. Do not forget - each type of fluid has its own service life. For example: for Chery Tiggo (Body T11) 2005 onwards, with a gasoline or diesel engine type, suitable - carboxylate class of antifreeze, type G12 + with shades of red. The approximate next replacement period is 5 years. If possible, check the selected fluid to meet the vehicle manufacturer's specifications and service intervals. It's important to know Each type of liquid has its own color. There are rare cases when a type is tinted with a different color.
The color of red antifreeze can be from purple to light pink (green and yellow have the same principles). Mix liquid from different manufacturers - can if their types match the mixing conditions. G11 can be mixed with G11 analogues
G11 cannot be mixed with G12
G11 can be mixed G12 +
G11 can be mixed G12 ++
G11 can be mixed G13
G12 can be mixed with G12 analogues
G12 cannot be mixed with G11
G12 can be mixed with G12 +
G12 cannot be mixed with G12 ++
G12 cannot be mixed with G13
G12 +, G12 ++ and G13 can be mixed with each other
Mixing of Antifreeze with Antifreeze is not allowed. No way! Antifreeze and Antifreeze are very different in quality. Antifreeze is the trade name of the traditional type (TL) of the old-style coolant. At the end of its service life, the liquid is completely discolored or very tarnished. Before changing one type of fluid to another, flush the car's radiator with plain water.
