The anti-corrosive & the coolant properties of dex-cool weaken over time.

These are good reasons to change the coolant following the guidelines of Chevy (e.g. owners manual, etc.)

 

From the 2015 Malibu owner's manual:

 

there are ways to check how much protection might be left in your coolant and its Ph level...as well as electrolysis (check You Tube or Chris Fix online)...I'd bet that coolant is about depleted by now

I've not read or experienced any issues with Dex-Cool in many years...

Good luck with your Malibu...

Bill

 

It wasn't the Dexcool but what the gaskets were made of causing issues. New gasket technology has fixed that problem. I'm a veteran of those gasket issues with '02 and '03 Malibu's.

 

Seems to be quite a random statement, so I'm not sure if you are actually asking for advice or not?

The service interval is 5 years or 150,000 miles whichever comes first.

I don't think waiting until something breaks is a good idea because as the coolant ages it can become acidic and begin damaging components. It can also leave deposits. Both of those things may lead to failure, not be something you address after the failure.

To be frank, the attitude you have about this maintenance item is one that puts people into bad situations with their vehicle. A drain and fill for coolant can be done for like $100 or even less if you do it yourself.

 

Thank you for all the replies and input.

I've heard dex-cool was over engineered when it was designed, I mean it has a shelf life of 8 years Ac delco. I'm thinking heat must be the main culprit to degrade the coolant additives. I don't live down south, a bit to the north of the Bible belt.

Maybe I'll get it changed this winter, just to be on the safe side.

I used to put a lot of money into taking care of my vehicles, but one time I had a Grand Prix that I even put new struts and shocks on that got rear ended with 72,000 miles on it- insurance only covered the book value.

So I mean I could put money into the cooling system, but who says the car won't be in a crash the next day?

 

On the other hand, who says it will?

 

Welp, I made an appointment to have the coolant changed at the local dealer for Thursday. I found the money in my budget and it really came down to how long I plan on keeping the car, which is at least 5 more years. I figured why not, I don't want the dex-cool to turn into glue and clog the radiator or heater core and have a real big mess on my hands.

Wish me luck!